Glass Hearts [BL]

The silence in Liam’s room was unbearable. You could almost hear everyone’s heartbeats thudding at once.

Suddenly, Ian’s voice rang out. "He’s right."

All eyes snapped to him.

Ian shifted forward, folding his hands on his knees. "I found out a few hours ago. At first, I didn’t want to believe it. But it makes sense. The way everything’s been spiraling." He looked at the others. "This isn’t some story Dom’s making up. It’s real. And if we don’t face it now, it’s gonna eat us alive."

Dominic didn’t give them time to argue.

"It’s not just Liam’s murder," he said. "It’s bigger than that. They’re coming for us. The Coil."

The room shifted. Even the air felt colder.

Jasper squinted. "The hell’s the Coil?"

Ren’s eyes narrowed slightly, like he knew them but didn’t want to believe he’d heard it in this context.

Dominic pressed on. His jaw was tight, his hands clenched into fists at his sides. "They’re a like a mafia or something."

Jasper scoffed, pacing to the window. "This is insane. Absolutely insane. You’re saying we’re being hunted by some ghost gang?"

"Not just some ghost gang." Dominic snapped. "They’ve been sending messages, threats. Ash’s been getting them.....screenshots, photos, stuff only someone watching us up close could know."

All their eyes flicked to me, and suddenly the room felt smaller. I shifted uncomfortably under the weight of their stares, but Dominic’s voice kept me grounded.

I forced myself to stand taller. "He’s right. They want me to expose you all. Every secret. Every mistake. And if I don’t..." I hesitated, then pushed it out. "Someone else dies next."

Casper scoffed. "Expose us for what, exactly? This is ridiculous."

I exhaled, closed my eyes and spilled it out. "That woman... the one from the highway. The one you guys hit..."

Jasper scratched the back of his head. Casper’s head snapped toward me. Dominic just stiffened beside me.

"She wasn’t just anyone," I continued. "She’s the niece of the Coil’s leader. And right now? They think you guys not only left her to die... they think you sexually assaulted her first."

The room erupted.

"What?!" Casper shot up from the bed. "No no, no, that’s bullshit. We didn’t...."

"Absolutely not," Jasper cut in. "I might flirt around, but we’re not fucking animals."

Ren’s lips parted in disbelief, his face went

pale. "Secrets don’t stay buried forever," he said quietly. His gaze swept across the room, landing on me for a second before turning back to Dominic.

I felt that line in my chest. It was exactly what I’d been thinking earlier.

Ian just folded his arm, staring at everyone.

Jasper’s hands were in his hair. "Dom, tell him! Tell him we didn’t..."

Dominic shook his head slightly. "I know. We would never do such a thing."

"We dragged her to the side of the road!" Jasper blurted out. "That’s it! That’s all we did!"

"We panicked," Casper added, almost spitting it out. "We were wrong, but we didn’t touch her like that. Don’t you dare put that on us."

Ren finally spoke. "But you left her there? I just hate talking about it."

Jasper’s voice cracked. "What the hell were we supposed to do, huh? Call the cops and ruin our lives? We thought she was... we thought she was gone already."

The room spiraled into chaos.

Jasper started pacing around, muttering curses. He whipped around, pointing at Dominic. "You’re losing it! You’ve been paranoid since Liam died and now you’re dragging us into some horror story."

Dominic stepped forward. "You think I want this to be real? You think I’d say this if I wasn’t sure? They’re coming for us."

The clock ticked.

Casper dragged his hand on his face, breathing hard.

Ren sitting still, staring at the floor like he was seeing a ghost.

"I’m gonna lose everything," Jasper muttered, running both hands through his hair.

Casper pressed his palms into his face. "Prison. We could actually go to prison. For something we didn’t even fucking do."

Ren’s voice dropped. "This isn’t about prison. The Coil doesn’t call the cops. They kill."

I finally stepped forward.

I was done watching them argue and panic. "Stop! All of you.And it’s exactly what they want. If you keep panicking, they win. You want to survive this? You need to fight smart.

Their eyes turned to me.

I swallowed hard, forcing my words to come out calmly. "We have to start collecting evidence. Proof that it wasn’t you. Build a defense, anything. But chaos?" I glanced at the ticking clock. "Chaos is just another countdown to our funeral."

The room fell silent again.

The only sound was Jasper’s uneven breathing and Dominic’s quiet inhale beside me.

Finally, they started to calm down.

The room had gone still again after all the panicking, the pacing, the what-ifs. Everyone looked wrecked....red eyes, tight shoulder, fear dripping from every word.

That’s when Dominic shifted beside me.

"Guys..." his voice cut through the silence. "Since we’re already putting everything out tonight... there’s something else you should know."

They all looked up at him.

I turned to Dominic, confused. His hand brushed against mine first....just a light graze.

Then, without hesitation, he laced his fingers through mine and held on tight. In front of everyone.

My chest seized. His palm was warm, his grip was firm like he was daring me to pull away. I didn’t. I couldn’t.

This is not the right time, Dom.

Official source is novelFɪre.net

He took a breath. "I’m....I’m gay," he said. "Also, Ash is my boyfriend."

Omg... why did he have to come out to them right now?

My stomach twisted.

The room froze. Four pairs of eyes widened.

Jasper’s mouth fell open. "Wait...hold the fuck up. What? You’re what?"

Casper’s brows shot high, eyes flicking from our hands to my face, then back to Dominic. "Damnn."

Ren leaned back slowly, his lips curved in the smallest smile. He didn’t look shocked, more like he’d been waiting for this.

Ian let out a slow sigh, rubbing his forehead.

"He finally came out to us."

Jasper shook his head, grinning. "This night is insane."

Heat rushed up my neck. My fingers twitched in Dominic’s grip, but he only squeezed tighter, like he wanted me to feel it...like he wanted them to see it.

Ren finally spoke. "Honestly? I already knew."

Ian let out a humorless chuckle. "Yeah. Me too.."

My head snapped toward them. Omg! Omg, I just want the ground to swallow me up.

Jasper pointed accusingly at them. "You guys knew and didn’t say anything? What the hell, man..."

"Because you can’t keep your damn mouth shut," Casper slapped his hand on his forehead.

Jasper threw his hands up. "Okay, fair. But damn, Dom. No wonder you’ve been acting weird lately. You could’ve just told us!"

Then, he smirked, staring at me from head to toe. "Can’t lie though... you’ve got good taste." His voice dropped just slightly. "If you ever get tired, Ash.."

"Jasper. Hands Off." Dominic cut him off immediately, glaring. "I’m dead serious."

Casper burst out laughing, shoving his twin’s shoulder. "Bro, relax, he’s joking well, mostly."

Ren chuckled quietly. "This is surreal."

Ian leaned forward. "Look, man. I’m glad you said it. Really. You finally had the balls to come out to us."

Another laugh erupted in the room.

Dominic’s face softened as he turned back to the group. "Listen... I told you because I trust you. But this doesn’t leave this room. Not a word. My dad...he can’t know. If he finds out... you guys know how he is. And Ian..." his eyes locked on him, "Nari must never know. She’d broadcast it everywhere."

Ian nodded. "Of course. I wouldn’t do that to you."

The tension in the room finally loosened, just a little.