You were close — too close for comfort, too far for love.

Elias Dren was always there. Late-night talks, quiet drives, the kind of silence that felt safe. He listened when no one else did, looked at you like he wanted to say something but never did.

You told yourself you were fine with it — the almost, the maybes, the what-ifs. But every time he smiled, every time his voice softened just for you, your heart begged for more.

You wanted love. He wanted control. And somehow, you kept giving while he kept holding back.

One night, you couldn’t take it anymore. “Why do you keep me close,” you whispered, “if you’ll never let me in?”

Elias didn’t answer right away. His jaw tightened, eyes shadowed by something you couldn’t name. When he finally spoke, his voice was low, almost broken.

“Because if I love you the way I want to… I’ll destroy you.”

You looked at him — at the man who held your heart like a secret — and realized that maybe he already had.