Chapter 2 Holding Her Breath

Julian's breathing was the only thing she could hear clearly. Each forced, held inhalation inside the closet seemed louder than her own heartbeat. Outside, in the dimness of the room, Nico had already taken off his shoes and was settling into bed, oblivious to the hurricane that had just passed-or rather, that was still blowing hard, a few feet away from him.

Camila remained standing, rigid, as if her body was afraid to move and trigger a catastrophe. She smiled with effort, her lips tense and her hands frozen. She felt the warmth of Julian's kiss still on her mouth, an imprint that wouldn't be erased.

"Are you coming to bed?" Nico asked as he settled under the sheets.

"Yes, I'm coming," she replied, forcing her voice to sound normal.

He took a few steps closer to the bed and lay down beside her without looking toward the closet. Her thoughts swirled in disarray: Is he breathing too hard? Can you hear his heartbeat? What if he's moving? What if...?

Nico turned toward her and put his arm around her. His familiar warmth hit her full-on. His smell. His weight. Everything that should have comforted her, but now felt... foreign.

"Tonight was a late night," he murmured, yawning. "If it weren't for Julian, I would have fallen asleep in my stall. That guy has boundless energy."

Camila let out a tight giggle. Oh, I know, she thought. The irony was so thick it could almost bite her.

"And Julian?" she asked, her voice feigning casualness. "Did he stay at the airport?"

"No, he told me he was going to go for a walk before heading home. You know how he is." Sometimes you need air.

Camila's heart skipped a beat. Of course, air. Like hiding in your best friend's closet to avoid being caught after kissing his girlfriend. The most ridiculous thing of all was that Julián was still there, probably with his phone on silent, maybe regretting it, or... maybe not so much.

"Are you okay?" Nico insisted, stroking her arm.

She nodded, still staring at the ceiling.

"Yes. Just... I'm tired."

"I love you, Cami."

"Me too."

But the phrase came out more muffled than she expected. Nico didn't seem to notice; he was already closing his eyes. Within seconds, his breathing became heavy, deep. Asleep.

Camila remained awake. She felt the warmth of Nico's body beside her, while inside the closet, another body waited silently. The weight of the situation crushed her. She felt like she was stuck in a dead-end situation, trapped between guilt and a strange feeling she couldn't quite identify. It wasn't just desire. It was something deeper. A curiosity. An unanswered question.

What if it hadn't been a mistake?

About ten, fifteen minutes passed. Or so she thought. When she was sure Nico was fast asleep, she moved carefully, barely lifting the sheet. She sat up, barefoot, and walked with soft steps toward the closet. Her heart was pounding, as if each beat were a wake-up call.

She opened the door slowly.

Julián was there, sitting back on his heels, sweating. The look he gave her was almost reproachful, but it also had that mischievous glint of someone who has survived an impossible situation.

"Are you crazy?" he whispered.

"A little, yes," she replied, just as softly.

They both stared at each other. The silence between them was charged with electricity. They didn't know what to say. There were so many possible words, and none seemed right.

"You need to go," she finally said. "Now."

Julián nodded, but didn't move.

"Camila... what was that?"

She looked down. She wanted an answer. A clear one, one that would put everything in order. But she didn't have one.

"I don't know," she admitted. "It was a mistake. A moment. Nothing more."

"Nothing more?"

Their eyes met again. Camila swallowed. For a moment, she saw again what she had felt minutes before. That strange fire. That awakening.

"Julián, please."

He sighed, resigned, and quietly left the closet. He stopped by the bedroom door, turning the knob with the precision of a professional thief.

"I won't say anything. Never. You know that, don't you?"

"I know."

"But I won't forget it."

Camila closed her eyes as she heard him. She said nothing. She couldn't. She only heard him disappear down the hallway, and then the soft click of her bedroom door closing gently. She was left alone, with Nico asleep beside her, and with a heart that couldn't find its place.

She went back to bed, but sleep didn't return.

She had crossed a line, and although everyone believed she was still where she always was, something in her had already changed. Something that couldn't be undone.

And in the darkness, with the fan spinning again in its monotonous nighttime song, Camila felt that what had started as a mistake was shaping up to be a new beginning... or a storm.