All Chapters of Dirty Little Secret : Chapter 61 - Chapter 70

It didn’t happen all at once.Avery didn’t wake up suddenly overwhelmed or unsure.It was slower than that.Quieter.The kind of shift you don’t notice until you’re already in it.She was laughing when it started.That was the worst part.They were sitting together outside, the afternoon warm, Daniel saying something sarcastic that made her roll her eyes and shove his shoulder lightly.It felt normal.Easy.Exactly like everything had been.Until—“You’re different today,” he said.Avery frowned slightly. “Different how?”“Distracted,” he replied.She opened her mouth to deny it.Then paused.Because… he wasn’t wrong.“I’m fine,” she said anyway.Daniel didn’t argue.But he didn’t look convinced either.And that small lookThat quiet noticingMade something tighten in her chest.Because suddenly, she was aware again.Of everything.Of how much this mattered.Of how easily things could shift.Of how one wrong move could change everything.And just like thatThe ease slipped.Not comple

Avery didn’t notice it at first.Not consciously.It wasn’t something obvious, not something that changed overnight or demanded her attention.It was subtle.The way Daniel looked at her.She caught it in moments she wasn’t expecting.Like when she was talking about something random, something that didn’t really matter, and she glanced at him only to find his attention completely on her.Not distracted.Not half-listening.Just… there.Or when she laughed, not even at him, and she’d look up to see that small shift in his expression—something softer, something quieter, something she couldn’t fully name.At first, she ignored it.Not because she didn’t notice.But because she didn’t know what to do with it.But the more it happened—The harder it was to pretend it didn’t matter.“You’re staring,” she said one afternoon, raising an eyebrow slightly as she caught him doing it again.Daniel didn’t even look away.“I know.”Avery blinked.“That’s not even a little subtle.”“I’m not trying t

It felt easy again.That was what made Avery relax.Not completely, not in a way that erased everything she had worked through, but enough that she stopped watching every little thing, stopped waiting for something to shift.Things with Daniel settled back into that quiet rhythm she had started to trust.Walking together. Talking about nothing and everything. Sitting in comfortable silence that didn’t need to be filled.It felt steady.Real.And for a while, that was enough.Until it wasn’t.It happened on a random afternoon.Nothing special.No buildup.They were sitting outside, the same spot they always ended up at, Avery absentmindedly tracing patterns against the sleeve of her hoodie while Daniel scrolled through something on his phone.It was quiet.Easy.Then“Are we going to talk about it?”Avery blinked, looking up.“Talk about what?”Daniel glanced at her, his expression calm but more serious than usual.“What this is,” he said.Her chest tightened.Not sharply.But enough t

It didn’t feel different when it was just them.That part stayed easy.Natural.Like everything had always been building toward this without forcing it.But the moment someone else noticedThat was when Avery felt it shift.Not in a bad way.Just… differently.They were sitting outside, like always. Talking about nothing important, her leg tucked under her, Daniel leaning back slightly, his attention on her in that way she had gotten used to.Comfortable.Until“Well, this is new.”Avery froze for half a second.She didn’t have to turn to know who it was.Jace.Of course it was Jace.She let out a slow breath before looking over.He was standing there with that familiar half-smirk, Avery’s friend Avery no, not Avery, she caught herself her other friend, Lila, beside him, both of them looking a little too amused.“You’re imagining things,” Avery said quickly.Jace raised an eyebrow.“I don’t think I am.”Daniel didn’t react much.Of course he didn’t.He just glanced at them, calm as ev

It wasn’t fear this time.Not exactly.Avery noticed it when she was alone.That was when it showed up.Not when she was with him, not when they were talking or laughing or walking side by side like everything made sense.It came in the quiet.When there was nothing to distract her from the fact that this was real.And that meant something else too.There was something to lose now.She sat on her bed, her phone in her hand, staring at nothing in particular.Her thoughts weren’t spiraling the way they used to.They were… focused.Clear in a way that made them harder to ignore.This mattered.Daniel mattered.And that wasn’t something she could pretend away anymore.Her phone buzzed, pulling her out of it.You disappeared again.Avery let out a small breath, typing back.I’m here.A second laterThat doesn’t sound convincing.She smiled faintly.I’m thinking.There was a pause.ThenThat usually means something’s wrong.Avery stared at the message for a moment.Then shook her head sligh