Here's Chapter 8 of Beneath the Same Roof — where Ava and Julian's private tension nearly boils over in a dangerously public setting: a charity gala hosted at their estate. The masks are on, the chemistry is volcanic, and pretending they don't want each other is becoming impossible.
Chapter 8 – Glass Walls & Games
POV: Ava
Everyone was dressed like they belonged in a magazine.
I didn't.
The Monroe-Hart annual charity gala was a circus of polished smiles, tight designer dresses, and people who whispered things behind your back even when you were standing right there.
My dress was deep green, backless, satin that clung to the wrong parts of me. My mom had picked it. She said it would "help me blend." I felt like a target.
But when Julian walked in, I stopped breathing.
Black-on-black suit. Shirt undone just enough. Tattoos barely hidden beneath crisp cuffs.
He didn't even look at me.
Not at first.
But I watched him watch me from across the room when he thought I wouldn't notice.
And when our eyes locked, the room went silent. For me, at least.
He looked away first.
---
The event was held in the east conservatory — all glass walls and twinkling chandeliers. Too many mirrors. Too many eyes.
I tried to stay near the art display. Pretend I cared about the paintings. But the longer I stood there, the more aware I became of him.
And how close he was getting.
Julian stopped beside me without a word. He held a drink he wasn't drinking. His eyes didn't leave the painting in front of us.
"You're not really looking at the art," I said, barely above a whisper.
"Neither are you."
Our arms brushed. Just a graze. Skin to silk.
I shivered.
"People are watching," I said.
"They always do," he murmured, sipping his drink without tasting it.
There was silence. And then—
"I can't stop thinking about you in that dress," he said.
I turned sharply. "Julian—"
"I'm not flirting." His jaw flexed. "I'm unraveling."
I didn't know whether to run or pull him somewhere dark.
"You walked away from me. Twice," I whispered. "What do you want?"
His eyes dropped to my mouth. "Something I shouldn't."
"Say it."
He moved closer, just slightly. Just enough.
"I want to press you up against this wall and make you forget everyone in this room."
I swore I forgot how to stand still.
He leaned in — lips not quite touching my ear — and whispered:
"But not here. Not like this. I want you to remember it."
Then he pulled back, walked away.
Left me burning.
Again.
Later that night...
I caught my reflection in the mirror of the empty guest bathroom and saw what he saw:
Flushed cheeks. Swollen lips. Want written across every inch of me.
I touched my neck where his breath had been.
And I knew — it wasn't if we'd break the rules anymore.
It was when.
🔥 End of Chapter Hook:
Ava opens her phone to find a message from an unknown number:
"Midnight. Rooftop. Come alone."