Chapter 7 – The Almost Kiss
Cathy didn’t come back.
And Ethan didn’t ask about her anymore.
Janina noticed it in the small things—he no longer checked his phone with urgency. No more deep sighs while pacing the hallway. No mentions of med school entrance exams, or hospital internships. It was like Cathy had been quietly erased from his day-to-day… and Janina was terrified of what that meant.
Because without Cathy between them, nothing held the dam together anymore.
It was a rainy Thursday.
Thunder grumbled overhead like a distant threat, and the house felt more isolated than usual. Gregory had gone on a business trip, leaving Janina and Ethan alone for three nights.
Three.
Nights.
She made dinner. Nothing special—just sinigang, the way Ethan liked it. He had once offhandedly said it reminded him of his mom. Beatrice always cooked it with gabi instead of okra. Janina made sure to remember.
They ate in silence at the long table, only the sound of spoons against ceramic filling the air.
“You cook better than her,” Ethan muttered suddenly.
Janina looked up. “What?”
“My mom. You cook it better.”
She blinked. “You don’t have to say that.”
“I’m not trying to flatter you,” he said, eyes steady on hers. “I’m just… saying what’s true.”
She smiled weakly. “Thanks.”
Another silence. The kind that made her chest tighten.
Then Ethan asked, “Do you ever think about leaving him?”
The spoon dropped from her hand.
She stared at him, frozen. “What?”
“Gregory,” he said softly. “Do you ever… imagine starting over?”
Janina stood up, her chair scraping the floor. “Don’t.”
He stood too.
“I’m not asking you to do anything,” he said, moving closer. “I just want to know if you feel it too. This thing between us. The way the air gets heavier when we’re alone.”
Her back hit the kitchen counter.
“Ethan…” she whispered, her voice breaking.
He was inches away. Close enough for her to see the flecks of gold in his eyes. Close enough that his breath warmed her cheek.
He reached up—slow, careful—and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
“Say it doesn’t mean anything,” he said. “Say it and I’ll stop.”
Janina’s lips trembled. Her heart beat too loud.
“I can’t,” she whispered.
Ethan leaned in.
And then—
The lights flickered.
A loud bang! cracked through the house. The thunder had hit something nearby. The electricity went out completely, plunging them into darkness.
They jumped apart like the spell had been broken.
“Shit,” Ethan muttered, stepping back.
Janina turned away, pressing her hand to her mouth. Her entire body was shaking.
“I’ll… I’ll find a flashlight,” she said, voice barely audible.
She disappeared into the hallway, needing space, needing breath.
Because what just happened…
Wasn’t a kiss.
But it was close enough to haunt her forever.
Upstairs, Ethan sat on his bed in the dim light of a candle. Rain pattered against the windowpane. He rested his elbows on his knees, staring at the floor, ashamed and aching.
He had almost kissed her.
His stepmother.
But she wasn’t just Gregory’s wife. She was Janina. And when he looked at her, he didn’t see a taboo.
He saw someone drowning in a role she never asked for. Someone who laughed like she didn’t believe she deserved joy. Someone who looked at him like she wanted to run—but couldn’t afford to.
He wasn’t confused.
He was falling.
And it terrified him.
Meanwhile, Janina lay awake in the guest bedroom. She couldn’t go back to the master’s room tonight. Not with Gregory’s scent still clinging to the sheets. Not after what almost happened.
She touched her lips.
They hadn’t kissed.
But she felt it anyway.
The ghost of it lingered.
And it would, for a long time.
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