Crossing lines (Noah and Aiden) novel Chapter 233

Chapter 233

Noah

After that night we shared, everything shifted in ways I hadn’t anticipated.

We’d agreed it was “only tonight,” but deep down, I never believed that for a second. You don’t hold someone like that, gaze at them with that kind of intensity, and then pretend it never meant anything. It’s impossible.

The next morning, I woke up feeling his presence pressing against my chest, his image swirling in my mind, and—foolishly, stubbornly—I clung to the hope that maybe, just maybe, he was ready to stop resisting us.

Every risk I took after that was fueled by love.

I began saying no—to seeing Lexie every day, to her constant invitations, to those picture-perfect dinners with her parents. I told them I needed to focus on studying, that my body was too sore, that I had to rest before finals. The truth was simpler: I just wanted more time. Time to find him again.

Sometimes, it worked. The stolen glances, the quiet smiles, the subtle brush of hands… Finally, one evening, I slipped into his office after practice—heart pounding as I declined William’s dinner invitation—just to feel him close for a moment. To steal a kiss caught between fear and guilt. His hands trembled as he pushed me away, but instead of scaring me off, it only made me believe there was still a chance for us.

Maybe we could have kept this fragile charade going, pretending we could get away with it, if only William Hart hadn’t completely lost his mind and turned psycho on me.

I had just left Aiden’s office, still trembling, adrenaline buzzing beneath my skin. I told myself I’d head back to the dorm, shower, rest a bit—but by nightfall, I’d probably find myself at his door again. I was running on hope and reckless choices, and both felt better than the hollow emptiness without him.

A sudden knock snapped me out of my thoughts.

For a brief, insane moment, I thought it was Aiden.

It wasn’t.

William Hart stood in the doorway, his eyes icy, jaw clenched tight. Without waiting for an invitation, he pushed past me, his expensive cologne mingling with the sharp chill of the hallway air.

“Mr. Hart?” My voice wavered. “Is… everything alright?”

His response was the sharp crack of his hand slamming against the wall beside my head. The atmosphere shifted—predatory, dangerous.

“No,” he growled, voice low and vibrating with rage. “Everything is far from okay.”

My heart raced. “W-what are you doing?”

“Don’t play dumb.” He stepped closer, so near I could feel the heat radiating from his fury. “I warned you once. You will not make a fool of me, and you will not disrespect my daughter.”

“I don’t know what you—”

This time, his hand connected with my face, a stinging blow that sent me reeling, half stunned, half refusing to believe what had just happened. He leaned in until his breath brushed against my cheek, his voice sharp and bitter.

“You think I’m stupid? You think I don’t know what happens when you disappear? When you reject our invitations? Every lie you tell my daughter, every excuse you feed your teammates, every time you sneak out after practice straight to his office—I see it all.”

How? How could he possibly know?

A cold wave of realization hit me. William Hart wasn’t just any man. He was a new kind of monster—more dangerous than my father or anyone else I’d ever met—because unlike them, he had money, power, and the respect of everyone around him. That made him untouchable.

He’d had me followed. Watched. But no way was I going to admit that.

I shook my head, refusing to give him the satisfaction. “You’re wrong.”

After that unsettling conversation, everything shifted again. But not in the way William expected.

I thought I knew fear before, but that man redefined it for me. Still, despite my shaking hands, one thought rooted itself deep in my mind: I just needed to be smarter. More careful. That was all.

I wasn’t about to stop seeing Aiden. I’d rather die than give him up.

If this town was compromised, fine—we’d take our chances somewhere else. Even after the season ended, there would be away games, hotel stays, entire weekends where no one could track where we went or who we were with. And if that wasn’t enough, we’d go further—across the country if we had to.

I’d stay here, renew my contract with the school—just like everyone kept begging me to do. I just had to make sure Aiden never went anywhere without me, that he remained my coach, my anchor.

Meanwhile, I could take a trip home—or at least pretend to. William wasn’t going to follow me all the way to West Virginia, was he?

All we needed was a plan.

That evening, I called Aiden. I knew he hated when I broke the rules, when I reached out instead of waiting, but I didn’t care. I needed to hear his voice, to remind myself he was still real.

“After the season,” I said, trying to keep my voice casual, “we should get away. Just a few days. Somewhere no one knows us.”

There was a long silence—so long I thought the call had dropped. Then he exhaled.

“Alright, we’ll see,” he finally said.

He didn’t say no.

And that was enough to keep the fire burning inside me. Dreamer or not, William or not—I was going to make it happen.