Great — here's a steamy, emotionally charged slow-burn version of Chapter 6 from Beneath the Same Roof. This chapter follows the blackout scene (Chapter 5), where tension cracked open but they didn't quite cross the line.
Now, everything is closer. Sharper. And on the edge of collapse.
Chapter 6 – The Almost Kiss
POV: Ava Monroe
The air between us had never gone back to normal.
Not after the blackout. Not after he touched my face and told me he thought about kissing me every night.
Now, everything he did—every look, every breath—felt like a test I kept failing.
I found him in the music room that evening, fingers trailing over piano keys without playing. Just... touching. Like he was holding something back. Like he always was.
"I didn't know you played," I said from the doorway.
Julian didn't look at me, but I saw his jaw tighten. "I don't. Not anymore."
I stepped inside anyway, barefoot on the cold marble. The storm outside hadn't let up. It felt like the house was holding its breath.
"Did you mean what you said?" I asked.
That got his attention.
Julian looked up. His eyes pinned me to the spot.
"That I think about kissing you?" he said. "Every damn night?"
I nodded once. "Yeah. That."
He stood slowly, hands sliding into his back pockets, the hem of his black t-shirt lifting just enough to show a sliver of skin.
"It's not something I should mean," he said.
"But you do."
His silence answered for him.
I didn't realize I was walking toward him until we were too close again—one step away from too far. My breath hitched. So did his.
His voice dropped. "Do you know what would happen if I kissed you right now?"
I nodded. "Yeah."
"You'd hate me after."
"No," I whispered. "I wouldn't."
Julian's hand came up, hovered just beside my face, like he was holding himself hostage.
"I dream about it, Ava. And every time, I wake up angry. Because I can't make it stop."
"Then don't."
It was a plea. A challenge. A dare.
He didn't move.
Just stared at my mouth like it hurt to look and hurt worse not to.
Then—slowly—he leaned in. Our noses brushed. His lips hovered over mine.
I stopped breathing.
But he did something worse than kiss me.
He almost did.
And then he pulled back, shaking his head like he was trying to erase the moment from existence.
"We're not doing this," he said hoarsely. "Not yet."
Then he turned and walked away.
And I just stood there, pulse wrecked, lips tingling with a kiss that never happened.
💭 End of Chapter Teaser:
Ava watches him disappear down the hall and whispers to herself:
"You're not the only one who dreams about it."