Lily's POV
The shower is running when I wake up on my second morning in Connor's apartment.
I lie in bed, listening to the water through the thin wall. Connor's in there. Naked. Ten feet away from me.
My face burns at the thought.
I shake my head, forcing the image away. This is Nathan's best friend. The man who barely spoke to me for two years. The man who might have said terrible things about me at a bachelor party.
The water shuts off.
I need coffee before I face him.
I slip out of my room in pajama shorts and an old college t-shirt. The apartment is quiet. Connor's bedroom door is closed.
In the kitchen, I reach for my cheap coffee—but it's gone. Only his expensive Italian roast sits on the counter, mocking me.
I'll replace it later. Right now, I'm desperate.
I'm mid-scoop when Connor's door opens.
He walks into the kitchen, and I freeze.
He's shirtless. Hair wet from the shower. Gray sweatpants riding low on his hips. Water droplets trailing down his chest.
My brain short-circuits.
Connor sees the coffee scoop in my hand. His jaw tightens. Seriously?
I'll buy you more, I say quickly, hating how breathless I sound.
That's not the point. He moves closer. The kitchen is too small. Way too small. Boundaries, Chen.
Oh, like the boundary where you actually speak to me like a human?
His eyes flash. You want me to speak to you?
I want you to stop acting like I'm some kind of plague!
We're inches apart now. Close enough that I smell his soap, cedar and something dark. Close enough to see the muscle in his jaw ticking.
You think this is easy for me? His voice drops low. Dangerous. Having you here?
Then why did you let me move in?
Connor stares at me. Something burns in his gray eyes, something I don't understand but feel in my chest.
He reaches past me, his arm brushing mine, and grabs the coffee from my hand.
The touch sends electricity through my body.
Buy your own. His voice is rough.
He walks out, leaving me shaking in the kitchen.
Two hours later, I'm searching for jobs on my laptop when Connor emerges from his room in work clothes.
He moves through the apartment like I'm not here. Grabs his keys. Heads for the door.
Connor.
He stops. Doesn't turn around.
Why did you really cut off Nathan?
For a long moment, he doesn't move. Then he turns, and the look on his face makes my breath catch.
Because I couldn't watch him treat you like you were nothing anymore. His voice is quiet. Raw. I stayed silent for two years, and I hated myself for it. So when he bragged about destroying you? I was done.
You could have told me. Back then. You could have
You weren't mine to protect. The words sound like they're being torn out of him. You were his. And I He cuts himself off, jaw clenched. It doesn't matter now.
He leaves before I can respond.
I sit there, heart racing, trying to process what just happened.
You weren't mine to protect.
What does that mean?
That night, I'm making dinner when Connor comes home early.
He walks into the kitchen, and we both freeze.
The space is impossibly small. We're trapped between the counter and the stove.
Excuse me, he says, voice tight.
I move to let him pass. His body brushes against mine, shoulder to shoulder, hip to hip, and I gasp.
Connor stops. Completely still.
We're not touching anymore, but we might as well be. The air between us is electric.
Lily. My name on his lips sounds different. Rough. Almost pained.
I look up. His gray eyes are dark. Intense. Fixed on my face.
Yeah?
You need to stop looking at me like that.
Like what?
Like you're trying to figure me out.
Maybe I am.
His hands curl into fists. You won't like what you find.
Try me.
We stare at each other. The kitchen is too hot. Too small. Too full of something I don't have a name for.
Connor's phone rings, shattering the moment.
He pulls it out, looks at the screen, and his whole body goes rigid.
Nathan, he says.
My stomach drops. Don't answer.
But Connor answers. What do you want?
I can't hear Nathan's response, but I see Connor's expression darken.
That's none of your business.
More talking. Connor's hand tightens on the phone.
Stay away from her. Stay away from me. We're done.
He's about to hang up when something Nathan says makes Connor go completely still.
Say that again. His voice is deadly quiet.
Whatever Nathan says next makes Connor's face shift into pure rage.
He ends the call. Stares at his phone like it might explode.
What did he say? I whisper.
Connor looks at me, and for the first time since I've known him, I see real emotion in his eyes. Anger. Protectiveness. And something else that makes my heart race.
He's coming here. Tonight. Says he needs to 'talk sense into you.'
He doesn't know the address
He knows. He has money and connections. Connor steps closer. But he doesn't get to bully you anymore.
Connor
I mean it, Lily. He doesn't get to chase you out of here. Not again.
Why? The question bursts out. Why do you care? You spent two years ignoring me. Acting like I didn't exist. What changed?
Connor's jaw works like he's fighting some internal war.
Then he closes the distance between us.
We're chest to chest. His hand comes up, hovering near my face but not quite touching.
Nothing changed, he says quietly. That's the problem. I've felt this way since the day Nathan brought you to that first dinner. I stayed away because you were his and he was my brother and loyalty meant something to me. His voice drops to barely a whisper. But watching him destroy you? I can't do it anymore. I won't.
My breath catches. Connor
A loud knock on the door makes us both jump.
Three hard pounds. Aggressive. Demanding.
Lily! Nathan's voice carries through the door. I know you're in there! Open up!
Connor's expression goes dark. Dangerous.
Stay here, he orders.
But I grab his arm. Don't. He wants you to fight him. To prove you're the bad guy.
I don't care what he wants.
Another pound on the door. LILY! Stop hiding behind Connor like a coward!
Connor's whole body is tense. Ready to explode.
I step in front of him, hands on his chest. Please. Don't give him what he wants.
His eyes drop to where my hands touch him. His heart is racing under my palms.
He doesn't get to talk to you like that, Connor says.
I know. But I'm not answering. He can yell all he wants.
More pounding. Fine! Have it your way! But everyone's going to know the truth about you two! About what you've been doing behind my back!
Then footsteps. Retreating down the hallway.
Silence.
Connor and I stand frozen. My hands still on his chest. His eyes still on my face.
He thinks we're together, I whisper.
I know.
That we've been... this whole time.
I know.
It's not true.
Connor's hand finally touches my face. Just his thumb, brushing my cheekbone. The touch is feather-light but it burns.
Not yet, he says quietly.
My heart stops. What?
But he's already stepping back. Putting distance between us.
Get some sleep, Chen. Tomorrow's going to be hell.
He walks to his room. The door closes.
I stand alone in the kitchen, skin still burning where he touched me, mind spinning with two words.
Not yet.