Noah didn't sleep that night.
Not after Ava knocked on his door.
Not after seeing her standing there in the hallway.
Not after the look in her eyes.
The look that said everything neither of them could say aloud.
He had spent hours staring at his ceiling.
Thinking.
Overthinking.
Trying to find a solution that didn't exist.
Every path ended the same way.
Someone got hurt.
The only difference was who.
And Noah was beginning to realize something terrifying.
No matter what happened, he wasn't capable of letting Ava go.
The next morning felt strange.
Not bad.
Not awkward.
Just different.
Like the world had shifted slightly during the night.
Ava felt it too.
The moment she walked into the kitchen.
The moment she saw Noah.
Their eyes met.
And suddenly everything from the pre
