CHAPTER 16 — "LINES THAT CAN'T BE UNCROSSED"
The moment Lena left Elias's office, her chest tightened so sharply she had to grip the railing by the stairwell.
Maya's words wouldn't stop echoing.
*"People talk."*
*"A certain professor can't hide how he looks at certain students."*
Lena felt exposed.
Seen.
Vulnerable.
She'd always known someone might notice — but knowing it in theory was different from having the warning delivered right to her face.
Her hands shook as she walked across campus.
Every passing student suddenly felt like a threat.
Every glance felt suspicious.
Every whisper sounded like it could be about *them*.
For the first time since this began…
She wondered if loving him was reckless.
Or worse—
If it was going to cost him everything.
---
## **Elias Faces Maya**
Behind the closed office door, Elias's jaw was clenched so tightly it hurt.
"Maya," he said slowly, "you crossed a line."
She shut the door softly behind her.
"No," she replied. "*You* did."
His breath hitched, anger rising.
"You think something is going on between us?"
"I don't think," she said. "I know."
Elias froze.
A slow, heavy dread crept up his spine.
Maya stepped closer, lowering her voice.
"I saw the way you looked at her. I saw the way she looked at you. And I saw you panic when I walked in."
Elias swallowed.
"Maya, you don't understand—"
"Oh, I understand perfectly."
Her tone wasn't cruel. It was protective.
Too protective.
"You're about to set yourself on fire," she said softly. "For a girl who doesn't realize she's holding a match."
Elias felt something sharp twist in his chest.
"Don't talk about her like that."
Maya blinked.
A beat of silence fell.
"Oh my god," she whispered. "You care about her."
"I—"
He looked away, unable to lie.
"Yes," he breathed. "More than I should."
Maya's hand flew to her forehead.
"Elias… this could ruin you."
"I know."
"And you're letting it happen anyway?"
He closed his eyes.
Pain rippled through him.
"I'm trying not to," he whispered. "But she— she's not just some student. She's—"
He stopped, throat tight.
Maya stepped closer, gentler now.
"You're not thinking clearly."
"I am," he said. "For once, I am."
She stared at him, searching his face for the man she knew.
What she found terrified her.
"Elias," she said quietly, "you're in love with her."
He let out a shaky breath — a confession without words.
And Maya's face changed from concerned to devastated.
"Oh," she whispered. "This is worse than I thought."
---
## **Lena Spirals**
Lena sat on a bench behind the library, clutching her phone, debating whether to text him.
She shouldn't.
It wasn't safe.
Not now.
But she needed him.
She needed to hear his voice, needed reassurance, needed something to hold onto besides the fear knotting her stomach.
A message popped up before she could type anything.
**Elias:**
**Where are you?**
Her chest tightened with relief.
**Lena:**
Behind the library.
Are you okay?
There was a long pause.
**Elias:**
No.
Stay there. I'm coming to you.
Her heartbeat stumbled.
A moment later, she saw him rounding the corner, hair slightly disheveled, chest rising quickly like he'd half-run.
When he saw her, his expression softened painfully.
"Lena," he breathed.
She stood.
He reached her in three strides.
---
## **The Breakdown**
"Did she say something else?" Lena asked, voice trembling.
Elias shook his head. "Not directly."
"But you look—"
She searched his face.
"Elias, what happened?"
He exhaled shakily and sat beside her, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Maya knows," he said quietly. "Not just guesses. Not just suspects. She *knows* something is happening between us."
Lena's stomach dropped.
"Is she going to report you?"
She hated how small her voice sounded.
"I don't think so," he said. "She's worried. And upset. And protective. But she isn't malicious."
Lena lowered her head.
"This is my fault."
"No." His voice snapped instantly. "Don't do that. This isn't on you."
"But if anything happens to your job—"
"Lena," he said firmly, turning her face toward him, "don't ever think you're a danger to my career. I make my own choices."
Her eyes stung.
"Then your choices are going to destroy you."
He inhaled sharply — pain flickering behind his eyes.
"Maybe," he whispered. "But I'm more afraid of losing you than losing my job."
Her breath broke.
"Elias…"
He leaned forward, pressing his forehead to hers, mirroring the intimacy from the night before.
His voice shook.
"I tried to stay away. I tried to be professional. I tried to remind myself of every reason why this is wrong."
"And?" she asked.
"And none of it matters when I'm looking at you."
Her heart ached.
Deeply.
Sweetly.
Terrifyingly.
"You shouldn't say things like that," she whispered.
"I can't stop," he whispered back. "I can't pretend anymore."
Her eyes fluttered shut.
She reached up and held his face.
"What if we ruin everything?" she asked.
He took a trembling breath.
"Then we ruin it together."
---
## **A New Threat**
Just as he said it — just as the world went quiet and fragile around them — Lena's phone buzzed.
She glanced at the screen.
Her stomach dropped.
**Unknown Number:**
*You should be careful who you meet on campus.*
Another message:
*People notice things.*
Her hands went cold.
Elias saw her expression change instantly.
"Lena?" he asked. "What is it?"
She turned the phone so he could read the messages.
His entire body went still.
Then his eyes darkened with something she had never seen in him before —
**Fear.
And fury.**
Someone knew.
And they weren't warning them.
They were watching.