My Silent Devotion

Chapter 2: The Breaking Point (Nora)

“Bro, it’s too cold out here. Please, can we go back inside?” Lily complained, her voice gratingly loud.

Instead of answering, I scooped up a ball of snow, holding it up threateningly with a mischievous look on my face.

“Nora,” she warned. “No. Nuh-uh. Stop. No.”

I smiled wider and chased her down the sidewalk. I stopped in my tracks, aiming to throw, when I was scooped up from behind and hugged tightly.

“Run, Lily! Don’t look back!” my boyfriend, Josh, hollered, laughing.

“You ruined my fun!” I whined, turning to look into his chocolate eyes.

Josh just laughed and smiled at me, warming me from the inside out. “Ruined your fun, huh? How did I do that? She was already cold and complaining, so it couldn't have been that fun.” As he talked, his playfulness vanished, replaced by a condescending bite. Just as suddenly as the warm, happy feeling had appeared, it was gone—replaced by ice. “And plus, it’s not like you were going to hit her; your aim sucks,” he continued.

“Really? Why do you have to be so patronizing?” I asked, my voice devoid of emotion.

Lily returned, having heard the latter half of the conversation. “You take everything too seriously, Nora. He was just saying not everyone likes to have balls of ice thrown at them—hence, me.”

Great. Now they were ganging up on me. I turned and looked at Lily. “By all means, you can have him, since you’re both always on the same side.” I knew it was petty, but this wasn't the first time she and Josh had teamed up against me.

“Babe, come on. You know I love you and only you,” Josh jumped in, trying to diffuse my anger.

I turned to him with a glare. “No. You have been a total d**k to me for the last three months; I won’t put up with it anymore.” Every chance he got, he either shot me down or berated me for something as trivial as laughing. It was always, “You’re too loud,” or, “You’re being ridiculous.” But today was the furthest he’d gone.

“You’re being stupid, Nora. I’m not being a d**k when you do f****d-up and stupid stuff.”

I turned to walk away. “I’m not doing this right now. I need to get homework done.”

“Really, babe? You’re being ridiculous!” he called out.

“Yeah, and I’m done being ridiculous around you for now. I’ll see you at the party tonight,” I called back.

I headed to my apartment to get ready. As I walked, I felt a tingly sensation on the back of my neck. I didn’t turn around; I kept my gaze fixed on the salt-stained pavement, my pulse thrumming in my ears. The sensation wasn't just the cold air; it was the heavy, prickly weight of eyes boring into my back. When I reached my apartment door, I risked a glance over my shoulder, but the space behind me was empty. I brushed off the sensation and walked inside.

The party was in full swing when I arrived. The bass thumped in my chest, but it was nothing compared to the crawling sensation of someone still watching my every move. I scanned the room for Josh’s dark hair, ready to apologize, when I spotted him in the kitchen. He was hunched over a laughing Lily, his hands braced against the counter on either side of her waist. My heart constricted as Josh leaned down and placed a searing kiss on Lily.

I watched, the music fading as the roaring sound of my heart drowned out everything else. As if he could feel me watching, Josh looked over his shoulder and froze. The color drained from his face so fast it was like I had slapped him.

“Nora, baby, please... it’s—it’s not what it looks like,” he choked out, walking toward me. He reached for my hand, but I jerked it back.

“Don’t touch me, asshole,” I said loudly. The party came to a halt. “You say it’s not what it looks like, but tell me this: did I or did I not just see you kissing my best friend?”

“ANSWER ME!” I screamed.

“Nora, please. People are watching. Let’s not make a scene.”

“Make a scene? You made a scene when you decided to kiss the b***h standing by the kitchen counter! You made the scene, Josh, not me.”

Josh flinched, his face twisting into a mask of mock concern. “Nora, you’re being ridiculous. It was just a kiss.”

“Just a kiss? Was it 'just a kiss' while you had your tongue down her throat while I was telling you I felt like I was being watched? Was it a f*****g game to you, Josh?”

The back of my eyes stung, but I refused to shed a tear. Josh’s expression hardened. Now that he was backed into a corner, his panic turned back into sharp condescension.

“There you go again,” he said, his voice dropping to that smooth, patronizing level.

“The paranoia, Nora. ‘I’m being watched, I’m being followed’—honestly, it’s exhausting. Maybe if you weren't so obsessed with your own imaginary dramas, you’d have noticed that I’ve been over this for weeks. Maybe you need to go to a mental institute and get your head straight.”

A few people in the crowd laughed. Lily looked on with a sickening cocktail of guilt and satisfaction. Josh looked around, basking in the approval of the room.

Then, a voice cut through the room like a spear. “Really, Josh? A mental institute?”

A man in a hoodie stepped forward, the light finally hitting his face. He was striking, but in a way that felt dangerous. Those ocean-blue eyes were fixed on me, intense and unblinking, before they shifted slowly toward Josh. His presence felt like a physical weight.

“That’s a bold diagnosis from a man who spent the last three hours checking the hallway every ten minutes to make sure his girlfriend wasn't coming.”

“Who the hell are you? And how do you know my girlfriend?” Josh asked, his voice shaking.

“Ex,” I corrected.

Infuriated, Josh raised his hand as if he were going to strike me. On instinct, I closed my eyes, bracing for the sting. The blow never came. I opened my eyes to find the stranger’s hand wrapped around Josh’s wrist, frozen inches from my face.

“Bad choice,” the stranger rumbled.

He stepped into Josh’s personal space, forcing him back against the kitchen counter.

“You’ve spent three months using words to bruise her,” the stranger said, his voice dropping to a whisper.

“But you will not lay a single finger on her. Not today. Not ever.”

Josh pushed the stranger away. He didn't even stumble.

“I want to know who the hell you are!” Josh exclaimed.

The man ignored him, looking at me over his shoulder.

“Nora, let's go. We're done here.”

“I'm not going anywhere with you. For all I know, you could be worse than Josh.” I stood my ground, taking a defiant step back.

“If you'll excuse me, I'm going to walk home. And Josh, don't contact me again. We're done.”

I walked out. I heard footsteps follow, but I turned around, having none of it.

"I'm going home by myself. If either of you follows me, I'll call the police. I mean it."

I walked out of the house, and for once, neither of them followed.