Chapter Seven

Nora's P.O.V

When his lips met mine—

Everything fell away.

All I could feel was him—his mouth on mine, his hands gripping me like I was the only thing keeping him tethered, like he’d waited forever for this.

And God—

It was worth the wait.

His lips were rough and certain, tasting like heat and tension and every look we’d ever shared but never spoken about.

I kissed him back with everything I had.

Every want I’d buried.

Every no I told myself.

My fingers slid into his hair, anchoring myself there, holding him to me because I couldn’t let go.

When we finally pulled apart, our foreheads stayed close, breath mingling between us—shaky, uneven, like we’d just surfaced from something deeper than water.

My chest rose and fell fast, matching his.

But I smiled.

“We should head back to shore,” I whispered, still catching my breath.

He didn’t move right away—just stared at me like he hadn’t quite figured out how to stop touching me yet.

But I felt the shift.

The night pressing in. The laughter fading behind us. The weight of everything waiting once we stepped back on land.

“It’s getting late,” I added, quieter this time.

He let me go—slow, like it physically hurt to release me.

I slid off him, legs trembling just a little as the water dropped from my skin, the air suddenly cooler without his touch.

We walked back to shore in silence. Not awkward—just full. Heavy with everything we weren’t saying out loud yet.

I grabbed my shirt, tugged it over my damp skin, slipping my shoes on just as Nick and Amelia came stumbling up from the opposite side, soaked and laughing like they owned the night.

Nick rubbed his arms, still grinning. “You ready to go?”

I glanced at Leo.

Then back at my brother.

“Yeah,” I said, heartbeat still pounding, mouth still tingling from the kiss. “Let’s go.”

As we started walking, Amelia suddenly grabbed my arm and tugged me off to the side, away from the guys.

Her voice dropped. “Can I spend the night?”

I looked at her, then glanced over at Nick—who was laughing at something Leo said, completely unaware.

“Yeah,” I said with a smirk. “You can… and you can tell me how your night went with my brother.”

She turned bright red, smacking my arm. “Shut up.”

Then she leaned in closer, narrowed her eyes. “You too.”

And with a wink, she spun on her heel and walked off toward the bonfire to grab her stuff.

I stood there for a second, heart still misfiring, cheeks burning—and yeah.

There was definitely going to be a lot to talk about tonight.

I leaned against the passenger side, arms crossed, trying to keep my face neutral while my insides were still on fire.

Amelia was off grabbing her bag, and I was waiting—breathing. Barely.

I glanced at Nick. “Amelia’s spending the night.”

He nodded, not even surprised. “Cool.”

Then—like it was nothing—he looked over at Leo and added, “So is Leo. Since it’s late.”

I stopped breathing.

What.

I turned to look at Leo, pulse slamming through me.

He didn’t flinch. Didn’t even blink. Just gave that slow, unreadable smirk like he knew exactly what that meant.

Nick was already climbing into the back seat, oblivious.

And I was standing there, every nerve on edge, wondering how the hell I was supposed to survive one house, one hallway, one night—

With Leo under the same roof.

Amelia finally showed up, bag slung over one shoulder, hoodie in her hand and a smug little grin like she knew exactly what kind of chaos she was stepping into.

She climbed into the backseat next to Nick—who looked way too pleased about it. Their laughter started immediately, low and close, like the tension between them had quietly bloomed into something neither of them wanted to name yet.

I exhaled, steadying myself.

I opened the passenger door and slid in.

Clicked my seatbelt into place just as Leo climbed in beside me, silent, composed, but I could feel him.

He started the car, the engine rumbling low beneath us, and pulled onto the road, headlights cutting through the dark.

No one said much.

The music played low from the speakers, Nick whispering something that made Amelia giggle behind me.

But I sat still, staring out the window, pretending my hands weren’t twitching in my lap, pretending the memory of Leo’s lips on mine wasn’t replaying over and over in my head.

And him?

He drove like he hadn’t just ruined me in the middle of a lake.

Like this night wasn’t about to get a whole lot harder to survive.

When we pulled up, the driveway was empty.

No car. No signs of life.

My chest tightened. I looked at Nick. “Where are our parents?”

He shrugged, casual. “Oh, they said something about going away for the weekend. Some last-minute trip.”

I stopped breathing.

Gone.

They’re gone.

I didn’t say a word. Just stepped out of the car, grabbed Amelia’s wrist, and dragged her with me, up the walkway, into the house, and straight to my room.

I slammed the door shut behind us.

She stumbled a little, blinking. “Where’s the fire, Nora? You damn near ripped my arm out of the socket.”

I looked up at her, still trying to slow my heartbeat, my voice barely holding steady.

“We need to talk,” I said.

Amelia tilted her head, brows raised. “Okay… about what?”

I gave her a look. “You and Nick.”

Her mouth opened, but I didn’t let her speak.

“Because I can see it, Amelia. Whatever’s going on there? It’s not just flirting anymore.”

She shifted, suddenly, very interested in a loose thread on her sleeve.

But I wasn’t done.

“Because I can tell you one thing—” My voice cracked, and I blinked fast. “Leo kissed me tonight.”

That got her. Her eyes shot to mine.

“And I still can’t breathe.”

I wrapped my arms around myself.

“Like something cracked open and I don’t know how to shut it again.”

She was quiet for a beat.

And then she sat beside me.

“I think we’re both in trouble,” she whispered.

“My brother kissed you?” I said, staring at her like the words didn’t compute.

She winced, chewing her bottom lip, then nodded slowly.

“Yeah,” she said. Quiet. “He did.”

I blinked. “When?”

She glanced away, like maybe if she didn’t look at me it wouldn’t be as real. “Earlier. Before the lake. We were walking away from the fire and… I don’t know, it just happened.”

I sat there frozen, mouth slightly open.

“My brother.”

She nodded again, like she couldn’t deny it even if she wanted to.

I dropped my face into my hands, groaning.

“This is bad,” I muttered. “You and Nick. Me and Leo. No parents. No supervision. This is a recipe for absolute emotional disaster.”

Amelia snorted. “You say that like it’s not already happening.”

I looked up at her, heart still slamming behind my ribs.

“We’re so screwed.”

“Completely.”

But neither of us stopped smiling.