Chapter Five: I Love You
1039 Words
“What just happened?” Noah asked, breaking the silence, his voice low.
“I think we just crossed a line,” Marina replied, her heart still racing.
“Maybe,” Noah said, stepping closer again, a hint of mischief in his eyes. “But maybe it’s a line worth exploring.”
Marina bit her lip, torn between the exhilarating unpredictability of their connection and the reality of their circumstances. They were still neighbors, still in a building where every argument echoed through the halls. But something had changed, something that could either ignite a new passion or lead to more chaos.
As they exchanged a lingering glance, Marina's breath caught up in her throat.
Cough.....
"I will take my leave." Marina managed to excuse herself and run into her room, leaving Noah behind, who was drooling in confusion.
When Marina entered her room, she could listen to her heartbeat and discovered her red cheeks.
"What just happened?" She kept repeating the same question without getting the preferable answer.
The next morning, they bumped into each other in the laundry room.
"Go...." Noah tried to greet her, but Marina walked out on him, which surprised him. She went back to her room and shut the door to his face.
With each passing day, they began to enjoy each other’s company. Arguments turned into playful banter, and they found themselves laughing more often than usual. One afternoon, the landlady informed them that she would be expecting an important guest, Noah, and Marina were assigned to prepare the dish.
In that situation, Marina challenged Noah to a cooking duel, both determined to outdo the other.
“Prepare to lose!” she declared, her eyes gleaming with competitive spirit.
“Bring it on,” Noah smirked, and for the first time, the kitchen felt like a place of joy rather than conflict.
Meanwhile, Marina wasn't good at cooking yet but she wanted to challenge Noah. Along the way, she mistakenly cut herself and she bleed immediately.
"Ouch!"
When Noah saw her finger, he almost lost his mind. "Are you okay?" Without wasting her response, he sweeps her feet off the ground. Placing her on the kitchen cabinet, he opened the tap and washed her blood.
When he was done washing, he wiped it off with his dress without hesitating, which got Marina staring at him in amazement.
"Are you hurt? Is it painful?"
Noah only asked a question, but their eyes got locked instead, and the kiss memory brushed over their mind.
Silence emerges as they become lost in each other's gaze. Unable to resist herself any longer, Marina pushed him closer, and Noah also grabbed her waist. Their lips were one inch away when the door made a sound, bringing them back to reality.
They let go of each other quickly and the landlady entered.
Their landlady, noticing the change in their interactions, began to meddle. “You two are quite the pair,” she commented one day, a knowing smile on her face. “You should hang out more!”
Marina and Noah exchanged uneasy glances. “Yeah, we’re just… neighbors,” Noah replied, trying to downplay the situation.
But the more their landlady pushed, the more they found themselves drawn to each other, their mutual annoyance turning into a shared secret.
It's a feeling that can't be denied.
Later that week, they bumped into each other in the hallway. “Hey,” Noah said, his voice softer than usual.
“Hey,” Marina replied, her heart racing. They stood for a moment, the silence stretching between them, filled with unspoken words.
“You know, sometimes I feel like I’m just drifting,” she admitted, her gaze fixed on the floor. “Like I’m stuck in this loop.”
Noah nodded, understanding more than she realized. “I get that. I’ve been running for so long, it’s hard to know what I’m really after”
Marina cleared her throat and found the right words to compose herself. "Will you be available tonight? I'm planning to watch a movie in my room, so..."
Noah interrupts instantly. "Yes, I'm in!" He already responded cheerfully before he realized the tone in his voice. It was obvious that he was happy about it.
"No problem then, I will be waiting for you"
In a presidential suite, Nathan paced back and forth. He had ordered a thorough search for Marina, and so far, the results were dismal.
“Check every corner!” Nathan barked, his voice echoing off the concrete walls. “I want updates, and I want them now!”
Two of his men, Jake and Leo, exchanged uneasy glances before nodding and heading out to comb the nearby streets again. Nathan slammed his fist against the metal table, rattling the scattered maps and photographs of Marina pinned up like wanted posters.
“Boss, we’ve been everywhere,” Jake said hesitantly, returning moments later. “No one’s seen her. It’s like she vanished.”
Nathan’s eyes narrowed, a storm brewing within. “Vanished? She can’t just disappear! She’s not a ghost; she’s a target!” He ran a hand through his hair, frustration boiling over.
“Look, we’ve got people on it,” Leo replied, trying to defuse the situation. “We’ll find her. We just need more time”
The word time annoys him, causing him to throw the bed lamp in the direction of Leo.
“Get back out there!” Nathan commanded, his voice low but seething. “I want every inch of this city searched. If you have to turn it upside down, do it!”
The men scurried away in fear.
Nathan clenched his fist; he wasn't ready to let go when it came to Marina. She belonged to him and they were engaged!
In the evening, while watching a movie, Marina felt Noah’s arm brush against hers. A shiver ran down her spine, and she pulled away slightly, avoiding eye contact.
“Sorry,” he said quickly, pulling his arm back. “Didn’t mean to.”
“It’s okay,” she replied, her heart pounding.
As they lay on the couch, watching the flickering screen, Marina turned to Noah. Without thinking twice, she uttered.
"I love you”
- Writer
