Chapter 5: The Rift Widens

Ava avoided Noah for the next few days. She told herself it was for the best, that ignoring him would make it easier to move on, but deep down, she knew she was just running. Running from the past. Running from the memories. Running from the way her heart still ached when she thought of him. But Noah wasn’t making it easy. She saw him everywhere. At the bookstore. At the coffee shop. Walking past campus as if he was just as lost in thought as she was. It was as if the universe had decided that ignoring him wasn’t an option anymore. It all came to a boiling point on Thursday evening. Ava had been walking home from class when she saw him leaning against the iron fence that lined the street near her apartment. He wasn’t looking at her, but there was no doubt in her mind that he was waiting. Her feet faltered, her breath hitching. She could turn around. Take the long way home. But something in her—pride, anger, exhaustion—kept her moving forward. Noah’s head lifted as she approached, his dark eyes unreadable. “Hey.” Ava exhaled sharply. “Are you stalking me now?” He didn’t smile at her sarcasm. “I needed to talk to you.” “You could’ve texted.” “You never respond.” She crossed her arms. “Take the hint, then.” He sighed, raking a hand through his hair. “Ava, please.” Something in his voice made her pause. He wasn’t just here to push his way back into her life—there was something more, something heavier weighing him down. Against her better judgment, she relented. “What do you want, Noah?” His throat bobbed as he swallowed. “Something’s wrong.” Ava’s brow furrowed. “What?” “I don’t know how to explain it,” he admitted. “But things don’t feel… right.” She stared at him, waiting for elaboration, but he didn’t offer any. Frustration flared in her chest. “Noah, I don’t have time for cryptic nonsense.” “I think we’re in danger.” She scoffed. “Oh, now you care?” “I never stopped caring,” he said, his voice lower now, rougher. “I just thought you were safer without me. But I was wrong.” Ava clenched her jaw, every emotion she had tried to bury surging to the surface. “You don’t get to say that now. You don’t get to walk back into my life and act like you suddenly give a damn.” Noah took a step closer, his expression unreadable. “You have no idea what’s coming, Ava.” She shook her head. “I don’t want to know.” She turned away before he could say anything else, before the walls she had built cracked any further. But as she walked away, a shiver ran down her spine, and for the first time, she wondered if maybe— just maybe—Noah was right. Ava spent the rest of the night pacing her apartment. The rational side of her told her Noah was just being dramatic, playing into some guilt-ridden fantasy where he still had a role to play in her life. But something about the way he had spoken, the tension in his body—it unsettled her. She tried distracting herself with work, but the words on her laptop blurred together. She tried watching TV, but every show felt meaningless. Even music, her usual escape, felt hollow. Around midnight, she gave up and threw on a hoodie, deciding a walk would clear her mind. The streets were quiet, bathed in the glow of streetlights. She took a deep breath, inhaling the crisp night air, willing herself to calm down. But the feeling of being watched never left her. At first, she thought it was just paranoia. But as she turned a corner, she caught movement in the reflection of a shop window—a shadow, just out of sight. She spun around, heart pounding. No one was there. She swallowed hard, shaking her head. Get a grip, Ava. But she walked faster. By the time she reached her apartment, she was practically running. She fumbled with her keys, slammed the door shut behind her, and locked it. Her breathing was ragged, hands trembling slightly. She pressed her back against the door, closing her eyes. Maybe Noah wasn’t just being paranoid. Maybe something really was coming.

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