chapter 17

Perfect. Here's a dual-layer Chapter 17 of Beneath the Same Roof — action-packed, emotionally raw, and game-changing. Ava and Julian set the trap, but what follows forces them to question everything: Can love survive being hunted?

---

📖 Chapter 17 – Set Fire to the Silence

Word Count: ~1,700 | Dual POV – Ava & Julian

---

AVA

The note sat on top of my books like it belonged there.

But it didn't.

It was invasive. Personal. Violent in its silence.

> You should've paid. Tick, tick.

Photo: My parents. My phone. My home.

Tyler wasn't just threatening to expose us anymore.

He was inside my life.

Inside my space.

Watching every move.

I slammed the locker shut so hard the metal shook.

Julian found me minutes later, eyes locked on mine.

I didn't even have to say it. I just handed him the note.

His face darkened.

"I'm done playing defensive," he growled. "We end this tonight."

JULIAN

We skipped school.

Got the cameras. The mics. The decoys.

Tyler was greedy — and arrogant. That was our advantage. He'd come again. He needed to feel control.

So we gave him a reason to come back.

We left a message on the same burner thread:

> "We have half. Tonight. Midnight. No cops. Meet us at the same alley."

Then I texted Tyler directly from a second fake number.

> "Bring proof it's destroyed. No proof, no deal."

Ava looked at me. "You really think he'll show?"

I nodded. "He thinks he's winning."

AVA

We parked in the same spot.

Heart in my throat.

Hands gripping the steering wheel until they ached.

The camera was set behind the dumpster.

The mic was wired beneath the loose plank on the fence.

And Julian — my beautiful, furious, reckless Julian — walked into the dark with a metal bat hidden in his coat.

JULIAN

Tyler was waiting.

Same hoodie. Same sneer.

But this time, I wasn't scared. I was furious.

"You bring the money?" he asked.

I tossed a wad of fake bills onto the ground.

"You bring proof?" I countered.

He smiled and held up a flash drive.

"Everything's here. Videos, photos, backups. You pay, I vanish."

"No copies?"

"Not unless I die."

I stepped closer.

"I'm counting on it."

I grabbed the flash drive and punched him square in the jaw.

He hit the ground, hard.

"You threatened her," I said, voice low and shaking. "You violated her."

Tyler laughed through blood. "She was already dirty. Just helping the world see it."

My boot slammed into his ribs before I could stop myself.

Behind me, Ava screamed, "Julian—stop!"

AVA

I pulled him back by the jacket.

His chest heaved. His knuckles were split open. But his eyes... they scared me.

Not because he looked wild — but because he looked right. Like violence was the only language he could speak in this moment.

"Julian," I said softly, "we got him. That's enough."

He looked at me, then at the blood, then at the flash drive in his hand.

Slowly, he stepped back.

We called campus security — anonymously.

Left Tyler there with the fake bills and a knife planted on him.

We knew he'd get caught.

Knew the cameras we placed would "accidentally" capture his extortion attempt.

And by morning, the school would know who the real threat was.

JULIAN

In the car, Ava was silent.

I reached for her hand.

She didn't flinch, but she didn't hold me back either.

"You okay?" I asked.

"No," she whispered. "But I will be."

At her house, we sat in the dark. No music. No parents. Just us.

The adrenaline was gone. And all that was left was a hollow ache.

She leaned into me. Bare legs pulled over my lap. Hoodie too big. Hair messy.

"You scared me tonight," she said.

I swallowed. "He said things. About you. I saw red."

"I know." Her voice cracked. "And part of me... loved how far you were willing to go."

"But?"

"But I'm scared of what this is turning us into."

I kissed her, soft and slow.

Not out of lust.

Out of desperation. Out of hope. Out of needing to feel like there was still light in us.

Her lips met mine like a sob in the dark.

We undressed each other slowly.

No rush. No roughness.

Just skin. Breath. Heartbeats syncing.

AVA

When Julian was inside me, it felt like silence finally made sense.

Like this — this closeness — was the only safe thing left.

His hands roamed my body with reverence.

Like I wasn't just his girl — I was his home.

Our bodies moved slow. Deep. Tender.

Not hiding. Not performing. Just being.

After, we laid there. Bare. Quiet.

"I don't want to live in hiding anymore," I whispered.

"You won't have to," Julian said. "Not after tonight."

"I meant more than that."

I turned to him.

"I want to be yours. Not halfway. Not when no one's looking."

His fingers brushed my face.

"You already are."

🖤 End of Chapter Hook:

The next morning, Tyler's arrest makes headlines.

The video goes viral — he's expelled. Humiliated. Discredited.

Ava and Julian? Free… but exposed.

Whispers swirl. Classmates stare. Teachers avoid them.

And then a message arrives from Julian's mom:

> "We need to talk. Now."

She knows.

And she's not letting this go.