CHAPTER 14 — "THE AFTERMATH OF A KISS"
Lena woke before the sun.
Her body felt different, almost buzzing, as if every cell still remembered the warmth of Elias's lips. She lay in bed staring at the ceiling, trying to breathe normally, but last night kept rushing back:
The way he whispered her name.
The way he held her face.
The way he kissed her like he'd been holding back for years.
It wasn't a small kiss.
It wasn't an accident.
It was everything.
She pressed a pillow to her face and let out a shaky laugh. She felt alive in a way she hadn't in months.
Maybe years.
But beneath the warmth was something else — fear.
Not fear of him.
Fear of the world.
*What if someone saw?*
*What if there were consequences?*
*What happens now?*
She knew one thing:
They couldn't go back.
---
## **Elias Tries to Regain Control**
Across town, Elias stood at his bathroom sink staring at his reflection like he didn't recognize himself.
His lips were still swollen.
His shirt still smelled faintly of her jasmine perfume.
And his pulse — even now — wouldn't settle.
He gripped the edges of the sink.
"Get a hold of yourself," he whispered.
But he couldn't.
Not after the way she kissed him back.
Not after the way she said his name like a promise.
Not after the way she trembled against him and then softened into his hands.
He splashed cold water on his face.
This wasn't something he could bury again.
It wasn't a mistake to hide behind guilt.
It wasn't a slip in judgment.
He wanted her.
Fully.
Honestly.
Dangerously.
And she wanted him — without hesitation, without shame.
He wiped his face and finally admitted aloud:
"I can't stop this. I don't want to."
---
## **The Call That Changes the Day**
Around noon, Lena's phone rang.
**Elias**.
Her heart leapt.
She answered quickly. "Hi—"
"Lena."
His voice was rough, lower than usual, like he'd been arguing with himself for hours.
Her breath caught. "Are you okay?"
"No," he admitted. "Not even close."
She sank down on the edge of her bed. "Talk to me."
"I keep replaying last night," he said quietly. "Every second. Every breath. And all day I've been trying to remind myself of rules and lines and consequences—"
"And?" she whispered.
"And none of it matters if I lose you."
Her heart clenched. "You're not going to lose me."
"But I almost walked away from you again," he said. "I almost convinced myself to bury everything."
"You didn't," she said. "And that means something."
He exhaled shakily.
"Meet me tonight?" he asked. "Somewhere quiet. Somewhere we can think. Together."
"Yes," she breathed immediately. "Tell me where."
"I'll text you."
And he hung up.
Lena sat there, her phone still warm in her hand, breathing hard.
He wasn't running.
He wasn't denying it.
He wasn't trying to push her away.
He wanted to face this.
With her.
---
## **The Meeting**
They met at the abandoned botanical garden behind the old conservatory — a place only locals knew existed.
The sun was setting, painting gold across cracked glass and overgrown vines. Dust floated in the air like tiny stars.
Elias arrived before her, hands in his pockets, pacing.
He turned when he heard her steps.
Their eyes met.
All the tension from last night came flooding back at once.
She approached slowly, heart pounding.
"Hi," she whispered.
"Hi," he said softly.
He looked at her like she was a sunrise he wasn't prepared for. Warm. Blinding. Dangerous.
He lifted a hand — hesitated — then gently touched her cheek.
Just that small touch nearly buckled her knees.
"I need to talk about last night," he said quietly.
She nodded.
He swallowed hard. "I've been trying to convince myself it shouldn't have happened."
"And?" she whispered.
"And I can't."
Lena felt her breath catch.
"I can't regret it," he said. "I can't erase it. I can't pretend it didn't mean something huge."
Her eyes stung. "It meant everything to me," she whispered.
His expression softened — painfully, beautifully.
"I know," he said. "That's what scares me most."
She took a small step closer. "Do I scare you?"
"No," he said immediately. "The world does. The rules do. The consequences. But you… you're the one thing that feels right."
She reached up and took his hand.
He held her gaze, vulnerable and unguarded.
"We crossed a line," he whispered.
"Yes," she breathed.
"And I don't want to go back to pretending that line still exists."
The world stilled.
A quiet leaf dropped somewhere.
Her heartbeat echoed in her ears.
Then Elias said the one thing she needed to hear:
"I choose you."
Lena's breath hitched.
Her knees weakened.
She felt every piece of herself light up.
"And I'm done hiding it."
---
## **A Risk Too Close**
They didn't kiss this time.
He didn't pull her into his arms.
They just stood there, forehead to forehead, breathing each other in.
And that was somehow more intimate than anything else.
But then—
A distant voice called out:
"Professor Hale?"
Elias froze.
Lena's stomach dropped.
He stepped back gently but quickly.
"Stay here," he whispered.
She nodded, heart pounding.
Elias walked toward the voice — a young TA looking for a misplaced binder — and answered calmly, as if he weren't in the middle of making the most dangerous decision of his life.
When the TA finally left, Elias returned to her.
His face was pale.
"That's the closest call we've had," he whispered.
"Are you… scared?"
He nodded.
"Terrified."
"Are you going to change your mind?" she asked, voice trembling.
He cupped her cheek again — firmer this time.
"No," he said.
"Because for the first time, what I feel for you is stronger than my fear."
Her breath broke.
And though they didn't kiss, Lena knew in that moment:
Everything had changed.
Everything.