For years, Jace had been good at pretending. Pretending his feelings for Eli were nothing more than friendship. Pretending he didn't notice the way his heart raced when Eli smiled at him. Pretending he wasn't terrified of the truth.
But pretending didn't change reality.
By the time they turned seventeen, it had become impossible to ignore.
Jace felt it in every lingering glance, every accidental touch that neither of them pulled away from fast enough. It was there in the silence that stretched too long between them, filled with things they couldn't say.
And then, one night, the line between them shattered.
The annual town festival was one of the few times the Montoya and Alcaraz families pretended to tolerate each other, at least in public. Lanterns hung from every building, music filled the air, and for one night, the weight of old feuds seemed to lift.
Jace knew better. It was all for show. Beneath the laughter and forced smiles, the hatred still simmered.
He wasn't in the mood to celebrate, but Eli had dragged him into the crowd, grinning as he tossed him a drink. "Relax, Montoya. It's just one night."
Jace huffed but took the drink anyway. "Easy for you to say. My father's watching me like a hawk."
Eli smirked, his dark eyes gleaming with mischief. "Then maybe you should give him something to really worry about."
Before Jace could ask what that meant, Eli grabbed his wrist and pulled him through the crowd.
They ran, weaving between festival-goers, past the lights and music, until they reached the edge of town. The old church ruins stood abandoned, lit only by the glow of the festival in the distance. It was their place—where they always went when they wanted to escape the world.
Eli let go of Jace's wrist and turned to face him, breathless and grinning. "Better?"
Jace wanted to answer, but he was too busy trying to steady himself from the way Eli was looking at him. The way he always looked at him.
Jace swallowed hard. "Why do you do this?"
Eli raised an eyebrow. "Do what?"
"Make me forget," Jace murmured. "That we're not supposed to—"
"Be friends?" Eli interrupted, stepping closer.
Jace tensed. He should move. He should step back. But he couldn't.
Eli's voice was quieter now. "Or something else?"
Jace felt like the ground beneath him had disappeared. It was happening. The moment he had been running from.
Eli lifted a hand, hesitating for just a second before brushing his fingers against Jace's jaw. The touch sent a shiver down Jace's spine, his heart hammering so loudly he was sure Eli could hear it.
"This is dangerous," Jace whispered, his voice unsteady.
Eli's eyes never left his. "I don't care."
And then, before Jace could stop it—before he could even think—Eli closed the distance between them.
It wasn't a soft, uncertain kiss. It was everything Jace had tried to deny—fierce, desperate, like they both knew this moment wouldn't last.
Jace should have pulled away. He should have thought about his father, about Eli's family, about what would happen if anyone found out.
But for the first time in his life, Jace didn't want to think.
So, he kissed Eli back.
For one reckless, beautiful moment, nothing else mattered.
Then, the sound of footsteps shattered the silence.
Jace and Eli broke apart just as a voice called out—sharp, angry, and all too familiar.
"Jace!"
Jace turned, his stomach dropping.
His father stood at the entrance of the ruins, his face twisted in fury. And behind him—Eli's older brother, his expression just as dark.
The world came crashing back all at once.
They had been caught.