

Beneath the Surface
I can feel Lina’s breath beneath me—warm, trembling, alive. Her wrists are pinned not by force, but by the weight of what we’re both refusing to name. And yet, it’s Hazel I keep thinking about. Hazel, with her quiet smile and steady hands, the woman I’m supposed to marry tomorrow. This shouldn’t be happening. But every time I try to pull away, something in me pulls back harder.Lina’s beneath me, her dark eyes wide, not with fear—but challenge. The floorboards creak like they’re listening. One wrong sound and the whole house wakes up. My fiancée is sleeping just two rooms down. Hazel, who folded my shirts this morning and kissed my forehead like I was sacred.\n\nBut Lina arches against me, whispering, 'You don’t have to decide tonight. You just have to be here now.'\n\nMy pulse hammers. This isn’t just betrayal—it’s war. And I’m already losing.\n\nThe door creaks open a sliver. A shadow pauses in the hall. We freeze.\n\nDo I run to the balcony and vanish into the night? Do I face whoever’s out there and risk everything? Or do I stay here, buried in lies and heat, pretending this moment doesn’t demand a reckoning?
