Ella sat on the edge of her dorm bed, the folded note trembling in her fingers. Meet me tonight at the old fountain alone.
Her mind raced. She knew she should ignore it. After all, Liam was her cousin, her family. The risk of discovery, the sheer impropriety, it should have been enough to make her crumple the note and toss it into the fire.
But she couldn't.
The old fountain was a relic tucked behind Ashford Academy's eastern wing, hidden beneath overgrown ivy and a canopy of ancient oak trees. It was rumored to have been built when the school first opened which is centuries ago. No one went there anymore, except for students who wanted privacy, secrets, or mischief.
By nightfall, Ella found herself slipping quietly out of her dorm, careful not to alert her roommate or the patrolling night staff. The corridor was dark and empty, and her heartbeat echoed like a drum in the silence. Each step toward the fountain was a step into a world she shouldn't enter, a world where rules didn't apply, and every choice carried consequences she couldn't yet measure.
When she reached the fountain, the moonlight illuminated Liam's figure. He was leaning against the stone rim, his coat hanging open, his hair catching the silver light. He looked… impossibly composed, as if he had been waiting for her all his life.
"Liam," she breathed, unable to hide her nervousness.
"You came," he said simply, but there was a weight behind the words that made her stomach flutter.
Ella swallowed hard. "I shouldn't be here," she whispered, though part of her knew she wouldn't leave.
"I know," he replied. "And yet… here we are."
The air between them was charged, heavy with unspoken words. Liam stepped closer, close enough for her to feel the faint warmth radiating from him. She wanted to look away, to retreat, but she couldn't. Not when the pull between them was this strong.
"I don't know why I'm feeling this," Ella admitted, her voice low. "It's wrong. We're… family."
Liam's hand brushed against hers. Just a touch, but it was enough to send electricity through her veins. "I know," he said softly. "But it doesn't change anything. I can't control it. And neither can you."
Ella's chest tightened. Every rational part of her brain screamed to step back, to run. But every heartbeat, every thought, was drowned out by the sound of his voice, by the way his gaze held hers like gravity.
They lingered in silence, the world beyond the ivy-covered walls disappearing. And then, impulsively, Liam reached for her hand. Not a casual touch this time, but deliberate, tender, and impossibly intimate.
Ella froze. She could feel the heat of his fingers intertwining with hers. Her pulse raced, and for a fleeting moment, everything else, the rules, the family expectations, the consequences vanished.
But just as her heart started to surrender, a sudden noise shattered the fragile bubble around them. A branch snapped somewhere in the dark, and both of them turned sharply, eyes wide.
"Probably just a raccoon," Liam said, though his jaw was tight.
"Or the Headmistress," Ella whispered, panic rising.
They laughed nervously, but the sound was brittle. The danger, the thrill, the forbidden nature of their secret… it all made the moment sharper, more intoxicating.
"I shouldn't be here," Ella said again, pulling her hand back.
"You shouldn't," Liam agreed, though the longing in his eyes betrayed him. "But we are. And maybe that's… the point."
For a moment, time itself seemed to pause. They stood there, inches apart, trapped in the tension between desire and propriety.
And then it happened.
A voice from the shadows called out, icy and sharp.
"Liam Harper!"
Both of them froze. Liam's eyes darkened. He took a protective step in front of Ella, shielding her.
"Connor?" Liam muttered under his breath, recognizing his older brother's unmistakable tone.
"Yes," the voice said again, closer this time. "I know you're sneaking around. You think no one notices?"
Ella's heart dropped. Connor Harper, their older cousin, known for his charisma and unrelenting presence, was standing there now, leaning casually against a tree, arms crossed. His expression was unreadable but Ella could feel the judgment radiating from him like heat.
Liam's jaw tightened. "It's not what it looks like," he said, but Connor's smirk made her stomach twist.
"Oh, I'm sure it isn't," Connor replied. "But you're playing a dangerous game, little cousin. Remember, Ashford has eyes everywhere."
With that, he disappeared back into the shadows, leaving a cold silence in his wake.
Ella's hand was trembling. Liam placed his hand over hers again, and for the first time, she felt both protection and warning in his touch.
"This isn't going to be easy," he said quietly. "I've kept it hidden all these years, and I… I can't promise anyone else won't find out. But I don't want to hide it from you."
Ella's throat went dry. She wanted to speak, to ask questions, to demand explanations but no words came. All she could do was nod, letting the weight of the moment settle between them.
The night air felt colder now, filled with the unspoken dangers of being caught, of being judged, of the consequences they couldn't yet see. And yet, for all the fear, there was a strange exhilaration. The forbidden, the secret, the thrill, they were intoxicating.
As they turned to leave, Liam's hand brushed hers one last time, lingering just long enough to ignite a fire in her chest.
"Tomorrow," he whispered, "we'll have to act normal. But tonight… just tonight…"
Ella nodded, unable to speak, her mind spinning with possibilities and fears.