EPISODE 8: A Night to Forget
1464 Words
Noah's POV
The hardest part about losing someone wasn't the moment they walked away.
It wasn't even the moment they said goodbye.
It was everything that came after.
The empty space they left behind.
The small habits you didn't realize you had built around them.
The moments when you instinctively reached for your phone because you wanted to tell them something, only to remember there was no one waiting anymore.
That was what I hated the most.
The silence.
I sat on my bed, staring at my ceiling while my room remained completely quiet.
Too quiet.
For two years, my life had been filled with Ethan.
Good morning messages.
Random calls.
Late-night conversations.
Small jokes only we understood.
And now...
Nothing.
I picked up my phone and stared at the screen.
His name was still there.
Ethan.
A part of me wanted to call him.
Not to argue.
Not to beg.
I just wanted to hear his voice.
But I couldn't.
Because I knew hearing him would only remind me that he wasn't mine anymore.
I locked my phone and dropped it beside me.
I needed a distraction.
Anything.
My fingers moved before I could overthink it.
I called Ava.
---
The call barely rang twice before she answered.
"Let me guess."
I smiled slightly.
"Hello to you too."
"Noah, you're calling me randomly at night. Either you're bored, hungry, or you're overthinking again."
I looked away.
She always knew.
"Maybe all three."
Ava laughed.
"You're impossible."
For a moment, I just listened to her laugh.
It was comforting.
Ava didn't treat me like I was fragile.
She didn't constantly remind me that I was hurt.
She just treated me like Noah.
The same Noah she had always known.
Then I said:
"I want to have a good drink."
There was a pause.
Then Ava laughed even harder.
"You?"
"Yes, me."
"The same Noah who complained after one drink because it was too strong?"
"I have changed."
"No, you haven't."
"I have."
"You once apologized to a plant because you thought you scared it."
I frowned.
"That was one time."
"And you were sober."
I couldn't help it.
I laughed.
A real laugh.
The kind I hadn't had in days.
Ava became quiet for a second.
Not because she was surprised.
Because she was happy to hear it.
"Okay," she finally said.
"Let's go out."
I smiled.
"Really?"
"Yes."
"You're not going to give me a lecture?"
"No."
"Are you sure you're Ava?"
"Don't annoy me before I change my mind."
I laughed again.
And for the first time in a while...
I felt a little lighter.
---
Ava's POV
I knew Noah.
I knew the difference between him smiling because he was happy and him smiling because he didn't want anyone to worry.
Tonight, he needed a break.
Not because one night out would magically erase Ethan.
It wouldn't.
But because Noah had spent too much time thinking about someone who wasn't thinking enough about him.
I wanted my friend back.
Even if it was just for one night.
---
Before leaving, I stopped by Liam's room.
He looked up from his laptop.
"Going somewhere?"
I nodded.
"I'm taking Noah out."
His expression changed slightly.
The guy from breakfast.
The guy wearing his shirt.
Then I added:
"I need a favor."
Liam already knew.
"No."
I laughed.
"You don't even know what I'm asking."
"Yes, I do."
I crossed my arms.
"Really?"
"You're going to ask me to pick you up later."
I tried not to smile.
"Maybe."
Liam shook his head.
"You're going to get wasted."
"I won't."
He gave me a look.
I sighed.
"Okay, maybe."
He leaned back.
"Ava, this isn't the first time I've picked you up from a club or pub because you couldn't get yourself home."
I laughed.
"That was a long time ago."
"It was last month."
"Details."
Liam shook his head, but he was smiling.
"Send me your location when you're ready."
"I knew I could count on you."
"Don't make me regret it."
---
THIRD PERSON POV
Later That Night
The club was alive.
The music was loud.
The lights flashed across the room.
People danced without a care in the world.
And for the first time in days...
Noah wasn't trapped inside his own thoughts.
Ava made sure of that.
She dragged him onto the dance floor.
"Noah, stop dancing like that."
He looked offended.
"What is wrong with my dancing?"
"Everything."
He laughed.
"You are so mean."
"And yet you still love me."
"Unfortunately."
They laughed.
They took pictures.
They made jokes.
They drank.
Ava watched as Noah slowly started becoming himself again.
The Noah before the heartbreak.
The Noah who smiled easily.
The Noah who wasn't constantly looking like he was trying to hold himself together.
But then...
Everything changed.
Because Ethan was there.
Sitting with his friends across the room.
Noah saw him immediately.
And the smile disappeared.
Ava noticed.
She didn't need to ask.
She already knew.
"Noah..."
He looked away.
"I'm fine."
Ava sighed softly.
She knew that sentence.
It never meant he was fine.
But she didn't push.
Instead, she grabbed his hand.
"Come on."
She pulled him back toward the dance floor.
"Tonight is about you."
Noah smiled faintly.
But Ethan was still there.
And no matter how much he laughed...
Part of him was still watching.
---
Hours later, Ava and Noah were both drunk.
They were laughing over something neither of them would remember the next morning.
Ava suddenly looked at him.
"Okay."
She pointed at him.
"We need to leave."
Noah frowned.
"Why?"
"Because I know us."
She picked up her phone.
"And I know tomorrow we will regret everything."
She dialed Liam's number.
But her fingers were too loose.
The phone slipped.
Noah caught it.
The call connected.
"Liam?"
There was silence.
Then:
"Noah?"
Noah laughed.
"How did you know?"
Liam immediately knew.
"Are you drunk?"
"No."
A pause.
Then Noah laughed.
"Maybe."
Liam sighed.
"Where are you?"
Noah tried explaining.
But the words came out messy and unclear.
Liam was silent.
Then he understood.
"Stay there."
A pause.
"I'm coming."
---
Noah didn't know when he stood up.
He didn't know when he started walking.
He only knew one thing.
He needed Ethan.
Even if it was just for a moment.
He reached Ethan's table.
His balance failed him.
But Ethan caught him.
"Noah?"
The moment Noah felt his arms around him...
Everything he had been holding back broke.
"Ethan..."
His voice cracked.
"Please."
Ethan looked at him.
"Noah, you're drunk."
"No..."
Tears filled Noah's eyes.
"Please don't leave me."
Ethan looked uncomfortable.
"Stop."
"No, please."
Noah held onto him.
"I miss you."
Ethan looked away.
"You need to go home."
"I don't know how to do this without you."
His voice became smaller.
"I don't know how to just stop loving you."
For a second, Ethan looked affected.
But he still didn't know what to do.
"Noah..."
"Please don't give up on us."
Ethan tried pulling away.
"Noah, you're drunk."
But Noah didn't let go.
Until finally...
Ethan freed himself.
The movement was too sudden.
Noah stumbled backward.
And before he could fall...
Someone caught him.
Strong arms wrapped around him.
Liam.
---
Liam looked down at Noah.
The same Noah he had seen sitting quietly in his kitchen.
The same Noah with tired eyes.
The same Noah who looked like he was carrying a weight nobody else could see.
Now he understood.
His eyes moved toward Ethan.
And his expression turned cold.
A glare filled with disappointment.
Because now he knew.
He finally understood why Noah had been like this.
Someone had hurt him.
And that person was standing right there.
Liam focused back on Noah.
"You're okay."
His voice was calm.
Noah was still crying.
But slowly...
He calmed down.
When his breathing finally became steady, Liam bent down and lifted him into his arms.
Bridal style.
Ava stared.
"Liam..."
"Follow me."
---
Outside, Liam opened the car door.
"Ava, passenger seat."
She nodded.
He placed Noah carefully in the back seat.
He buckled the seat belt around him.
For the first time that night, Noah looked peaceful.
His eyes were closed.
His face relaxed.
No tears.
No pain.
Just sleep.
Liam looked at him.
And for a moment, he forgot everything else.
The sleeping Noah looked different.
His face was softer.
His lips slightly parted.
Liam's eyes lingered for a second longer than they should have.
Then reality returned.
He immediately looked away.
"What am I thinking?"
Noah was hurting.
He was vulnerable.
The last thing Liam wanted was to cross a line.
He closed the door.
Walked around to the driver's seat.
Started the engine.
And drove away.
Leaving Ethan behind.
And taking Noah somewhere safe.
- Writer
