𝐁𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐁𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐃𝐀𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐒

𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐄

As soon as I saw Mae leaving in tears, I knew I had to go after her. My heart pounded in my chest as I pushed through the crowd, trying to reach her before she disappeared completely. The music and laughter around me seemed distant and muffled, drowned out by the turmoil in my mind.

Finally, I spotted Mae standing by herself in a quiet corner of the house, wiping away tears with the back of her hand. I approached her cautiously, my voice barely above a whisper, "Mae, I'm so sorry... I didn't mean for any of this to happen."

She turned to face me, her eyes red and swollen, and the pain in her gaze cut through me like a knife. "Leave, Claire," she said, her voice trembling with emotion. "I don't want to talk to you right now."

My heart ached, but I couldn't blame her for not wanting to see me. I had betrayed her trust and acted on my own selfish desires, disregarding her feelings completely.

"Mae, please," I pleaded, tears welling up in my own eyes. "I never wanted to hurt you. I never wanted any of this to come between us."

Her shoulders trembled as she struggled to keep her composure. "It's not just about the kiss, Claire," she said, her voice breaking. "It's about the fact that you knew how I felt about Dante, and you still went ahead and with the kiss."

I swallowed hard, the weight of my actions crushing me. "I know, and I'm so sorry. I don't expect you to forgive me."

She looked away, unable to meet my gaze. "Leave."

The night was cold and the air felt heavy with tension as I stepped outside, having been asked to leave Mae's birthday party. The weight of my actions bore down on me like an anchor, and tears threatened to spill from my eyes as I walked away, feeling like I had shattered the most important friendship in my life.

Before I could go far, I heard footsteps behind me, and I turned to see Dante. His face mirrored concern and confusion, and he called out to me, "Claire, are you alright?"

I wiped away a tear, trying to compose myself, but the emotions were still raw and overwhelming. "No, Dante. I hurt Mae. She saw us and -"

Dante looked at me with a mix of empathy and affection. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to," he said, taking a step closer, "we can go somewhere quiet and figure things out together."

I nodded, grateful for his understanding and willingness to face the situation together.

"Okay," I replied softly.

We walked together to his car, both of us lost in our thoughts. As we drove to his place, the silence was comforting, knowing that Dante was there for me, no matter the complexities of our feelings.

As I entered his house, the atmosphere was heavy with tension. Dante motioned towards the living room, and we both sat down, stealing glances at each other as we tried to find the right words.

"I'm sorry about what happened at the party," He began, his voice soft but sincere.

There was a long pause as we both grappled with the complicated mess of feelings between us.

Dante hesitated for a moment before speaking. "I think we need to be honest with ourselves," he said, his gaze never leaving mine. "We can't ignore the attraction between us. Maybe we should explore it, just once, and then go back to how we were."

His suggestion took me by surprise, but there was a part of me that couldn't deny the desire I felt for him. We had both been suppressing these feelings for so long, and maybe giving in, just this once, could bring some clarity.

After a moment of contemplation, I nodded, my voice barely above a whisper, "Just this once."

He agreed, his eyes filled with a mix of desire and restraint. Slowly, he leaned in, giving me the chance to back away if I wanted to. But I didn't move; I couldn't resist the pull any longer.

Our lips met, soft and hesitant at first, but then growing more passionate with every passing second. It was a tender, bittersweet kiss, filled with longing and uncertainty, but also with a sense of release and surrender to the moment.

・❥・・❥・・❥・

ꫝꫀꪶꫀꪀꪖ:  next chapter contains mature scenes

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