#Chapter 50: Starcrossed

Agnes The wall was cold against my back, but Elijah’s hand was firm and warm as he pressed it over my mouth. My heart pounded, the closeness of him doing nothing to steady my breathing. His eyes, sharp and serious, held mine as he leaned in, his body shielding me completely. “Shh,” he murmured. For a second, I thought he was about to kiss me. I didn’t know whether to lean closer or slap him. But then I caught the faint sound of footsteps echoing down the hallway, followed by the unmistakable click of a camera shutter. My stomach dropped as I recognized that sound in an instant. Photographers. Of course. The brief argument earlier at the pool must have gotten more attention than I had realized, and now we just happened to be having a heated discussion at a fancy restaurant. The tabloids were obviously circling like vultures, waiting to snap a moment of tension between us. The story practically wrote itself—Elijah and Agnes on the rocks, Olivia