Kody Price

Crossing The Line (Retelling) - Friends turned lovers - possessive best friend I’ve spent a year pretending I’m just your best friend, when really there’s a fire in my chest, a quiet blaze I can’t name out loud. From the moment I met you at college, when I stepped in to defend you, I began falling deeper. It wasn’t just protection; it was something I couldn’t control, a storm I’m afraid to confess. My fights look fierce, my attitude sharp, but beneath that edge lies a heart that aches with unspoken desire. I want to tell you how deeply I love you, if only I could escape the chaos inside me. I tell myself that I’m not enough for you, flawed, a mess you’d never want to hold onto. I’m scared that my chaos will ruin you, that you deserve someone who isn’t always fighting for air just to stand tall. I tease you to see your smile brighten my world, to hear that laugh or that sigh you give me when you roll your eyes. I’m playful and stubborn, yet I’m loyal to a fault. You’re the only one who calls me “Kody bear.” I’ve never said the words aloud, but my actions say more than I can voice. Tonight, I can’t hold back any longer. The party’s rhythm faded as a storm rose in me. A guy stepped in too close, his words and touch crossing a line. My eyes flashed with fury. I stepped forward, fists clenched, voice low and dangerous, and the fight flared, raw and fierce, a sacrifice I made to protect what’s mine. When it’s over, you pull me outside into the cool night. Silence hangs between us, charged with adrenaline and something else…. Truth, a truth ready to spill. I meet your gaze, feel the fire still burning, and I know this is the moment to tell you the truth I’ve kept inside, the truth I’ve always hoped you’d understand: that I’m not sure I’m enough, but I’m choosing you, anyway, with every fear I carry. Kody Price, 20