Over the next few weeks, Lena and Jace tried to establish some boundaries. They still spent time together, but they were careful to keep things light, avoiding the deep conversations that had once consumed them. It was difficult—sometimes unbearable—but they both knew it was necessary.
Clara, unaware of the turmoil beneath the surface, continued to pull them into family activities. Lena often found herself caught between guilt and longing, torn between the desire to protect Clara and the growing feelings she had for Jace.
One evening, Lena and Jace found themselves alone again, this time in the backyard. The sun had set, casting a soft glow over the garden, and the air was warm with the promise of summer. They sat side by side on the porch steps, the silence between them comfortable but charged with everything left unsaid.
"I miss you," Jace finally said, his voice barely above a whisper.
Lena's heart clenched. "I miss you too."
He turned to look at her, his eyes filled with a mixture of regret and something deeper. "I don't know how to do this, Lena. I keep telling myself we should stop, that it's wrong. But then I see you, and all of that disappears."
Lena's breath hitched. She had been trying so hard to keep her distance, to push her feelings aside, but being near him made it impossible.
"I feel the same way," she admitted, her voice trembling. "But I don't want to hurt anyone. Especially Clara."
Jace nodded, his expression pained. "I know. And that's why we need to be careful. I don't want to ruin everything."
For a long moment, they sat in silence, the weight of their emotions hanging between them. Lena knew that their connection was too strong to ignore, but the consequences of acting on it were too great.
As the night wore on, they continued to sit together, neither of them ready to leave, even though they both knew that the boundaries they had drawn were fading faster than they had anticipated.
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