Vivian found she couldn’t stand silence. It used to be her refuge, a space to think clearly. But tonight, clarity was her enemy.

  The Airbnb was too quiet. The nature outside was sleepy. The sound of bugs humming was not distracting enough.

  She sat curled up on the loveseat, dressed in the faded t-shirt and shorts she’d managed to salvage, nursing a cup of tea she hadn’t tasted.

  Everything kept circling back to one thing.

  Serena.

  Vivian had barely had a moment to pause since everything unraveled. Constant survival, Noah's presence, his unsettling intensity—all had kept her thoughts at bay.

  But, tonight, after the club, Noah had been lost in his own thoughts. And while he showered, Vivian found herself wrapped in the quiet of the Airbnb. There were no more distractions. And the thoughts were brutal.

  I’m sorry.

  I’m sorry I wasn’t smart enough, fast enough.

  What have they done to you? Are you alone, frightened, wondering why I’m not there?

  …Do you know what happened to Vince?

  Vivian felt the blood rush from her face. She couldn’t imagine breaking the news to Serena that Vince was dead. That she had seen it.

  Absently, she stared at the cup in her hands, watching the light from the lamps reflect in its swirling depths.

  The memory of Serena stepping in front of her when Serena’s father had drunk too much again flashed through her mind.

  “Don’t touch her, hit me instead.”

  Serena had always been the strong one.

  If it was the other way around, Serena would probably have found her by now.

  And there was also that terrifying fear, that she was already too late.

  Vivian set down her cup with trembling hands, pulling her knees tighter to her chest. The ache for answers, for closure, for Serena's familiar strength, was unbearable. She squeezed her eyes shut, willing the haunting thoughts away, desperate for peace.

  Guiltily, she wished she could stop thinking about everything. She wanted to shut her eyes and pretend this was just a terrible dream. The fear and anxiety felt like an odd, icy tingling that spread down her arms and across her back—a creeping sensation that made her want to claw at her skin. She just needed it to stop.

  She heard the shower shudder to a stop. Moments later, Noah emerged, his bleached hair damp, sweatpants slung low on his hips, a t-shirt draped carelessly over one shoulder.

  Barely thinking, his eyes searched for her and found her. Vivian could feel his gaze bore into the back of her head, but she was too tired, too emotionally drained to move.

  Noah understood; tonight, the weight of tomorrow’s uncertainty crushed them both.

  Without a word, Noah settled on the opposite side of the loveseat, allowing a small distance. For once, not sitting so close to unnerve her.

  They sat in silence, together but apart.

  Vivian closed her eyes, resting her chin on her knees. Noah’s weight on the love seat did something to her. Strangely familiar as always, it muffled the chaos in Vivian’s mind. Just enough for her to exhale slowly, the tension in her shoulders to relax.

  Beside her, Noah leaned back, nostalgia washing over him. It was as if he was back in Harbor House again. He could almost hear the hum of the old tv, almost smell the dusty carpets. Vivian was just as she’d been back then, close but not too close, her hair a veil over her delicate face.

  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

  The quiet between them was still the same, strangely comforting, but heavy. As if the weight of both their thoughts combined wrapped around them like a blanket, instead of choking them.

  His gaze lingered on her—the curve of her cheek, the length of her eyelashes, her small, soft lips. A wry smile tugged at his mouth. Even now, she looked like a doll.

  He wasn’t sure who was moving when he felt his arm stretching across the gap between them. Was it Noah Fang? Or was it Noah Wen —still trapped in that group home?

  He reached out, fingers lightly grazing her cheek. Vivian’s eyes fluttered open and met his gaze.

  This Noah was different. His eyes were dark but vulnerable, lost. He looked younger, exhausted, almost pleading—as if she were the only thing keeping him afloat.

  Vivian recognized that look immediately, because it was the same as her own.

  They were both drowning.

  Instinctively, Vivian uncurled her legs and leaned towards him, cupping his face softly in her hands. Neither of them spoke. No words were needed. Two drowning souls knew exactly what they needed.

  To breathe.

  Her lips met his first, softly, tentatively. Noah responded immediately, his hand sliding around the nape of her neck, deepening the kiss with a quiet urgency. Vivian melted into him, a tightness coiling in her belly. Didn’t want to spiral into her dark thoughts. She just wanted to touch him, to feel him, to lose herself, forget it all. She arched into him, her fingertips travelling across the line of his jaw, savouring the feeling of his skin, then down his neck, across the firm muscles of his shoulders, his skin still damp from the shower.

  Her featherlight touch ignited something in him. His arms tightened around her, holding her as if letting go would break him. Tonight, he didn’t want to possess her—he just wanted to hold her, taste her.

  Gently, he pulled her onto his lap, her legs straddling him. His lips teased hers, tasting, drawing out her tongue with slow tenderness. His hands slid down her sides, fingertips grazing her waist, brushing the curve of her breasts. Vivian gasped against his mouth, pressing herself closer, feeling his hardness beneath her, stirring an unexpected need. Her hips moved instinctively, grinding against him, her breath quickening.

  Noah groaned softly, breaking the kiss to trace warm lips along her throat. His hands were under her shirt, pushing up her bra so he could trace his fingers around her stiffened nipples. Vivian couldn’t hold back a soft cry, arching further into his touch.

  Vivian’s soft cry spurred him on. He lifted her shirt over her head, leaving her bare in the cool air, skin tingling. His hot lips closed over one nipple, nibbling and sucking until he drew out a deep moan from her as she dug her fingers into his shoulders.

  His hand cupped her other breast, fingers pinching and flicking as he sucked the other deep into his mouth. Vivian found herself making breathless little noises, helpless under his touch.

  Suddenly his lips broke from her breast as they claimed her mouth once more, his hands squeezing her tight.

  “Are you sure?” His voice was hoarse, gravelly and breathless. He pulled away to look at her face.

  But Vivian wasn’t looking at him, her eyes heavy lidded, cheeks flushed with need. Her breath kept coming in short bursts as she clung to him.

  At the sight of her, Noah felt that familiar possessiveness rise sharply inside him again. Watching her unravel, writhing helplessly in his arms, ignited a fierce need to ensure no one else would ever see her this way. She was his, and his alone. There could be no one else. It was always going to be them, from the moment they first met at Harbor House.

  Her shy smiles, her quiet laughs, her sharp quips, the way her eyes narrowed during their heated debates—and now this: her lips parted, wanting; her thighs open, inviting. All of this belonged solely to him.

  He gripped her chin firmly, tilting her face down to meet his gaze. “Viv, are you sure?” he repeated, because he needed her to understand that there would be no going back.

  Vivian gazed at him, eyes dark with longing, her breath unsteady. She understood what he asked —not just for tonight, but for everything that lay ahead.

  And she realised that she had already made that choice, from the very moment she chose to disappear with him. Because the darkness in his eyes mirrored the darkness in hers. Because he’d never once looked away, never flinched when she let it surface.

  She kissed him harder, fierce and unrestrained, removing any space for doubt. “Yes,” she breathed against him.

  Noah’s reaction was instant. He lifted her effortlessly, her legs wrapping around his waist as he carried her to the bed. Her back met the mattress with a soft bounce, and he was there, kisses fluttering down her neck, hands deftly removing her bra.

  Her hands found the muscles of his chest, exploring as they drifted down to hover at the waistband of his sweatpants.

  But he pushed her hand aside roughly, and then with his other hand, pulled down her shorts and underwear. Vivian gasped as his mouth suddenly found her core, his hot lips enveloping her.

  He kept her there, teasing, probing, bringing her to the edge only to pull back, nibbling on her inner thighs. Vivian arched up, suppressing breathless cries as pleasure shot through her in waves.

  This was everything Noah had imagined, yet he still needed more. “Look at me,” he demanded, his voice low and commanding.

  Vivian, lost in sensation, eyes tightly shut, could only respond with a helpless whimper.

  Not enough.

  Noah leaned over her, his thumb pressing harshly onto her clit without warning. Vivian’s hips jerked upward sharply, her eyes flying open, instantly locked onto his.

  “Look at me, Viv,” he warned softly, dangerously. “I’m not going to tell you again.”

  Her eyes fluttered open, locking with his—dark, intense, unflinching. He held her gaze fiercely, watching her eyes widen and darken with desire as his fingers slid deep inside her.

  Her cries were the sweetest sound he’d ever heard in his life.

  His hand moved faster, harder, drawing ragged breaths from her, matching every thrust. Her body trembled, surrendering completely to the relentless waves of pleasure cascading through her. All the while, his eyes never left hers, his dark, intense stare taking her apart, amplifying each sensation she felt within her inner walls until she thought she might shatter entirely.

  “Please,” she gasped, her fingers digging into his shoulders so tightly her knuckles turned white. “Please, Noah.”

  Her words drew a dark, satisfied smile from him. In one swift motion, he withdrew his fingers, her wetness still clinging to his skin, and removed his pants.

  When he finally buried himself inside her, Vivian groaned deeply, instinctively wrapping her legs around him, urging him even deeper.

  They moved together, breaths ragged and desperate. She tightened her arms around him, holding onto him as if she’d never let go, matching the rhythm of his thrusts, relentless and consuming. Heat surged through her veins, curling her toes as the pleasure coiled tighter and tighter within, until she could barely draw a breath.

  He lost all control, driving himself into her relentlessly, again and again. Each thrust harder, faster, deeper, the slick, heated sounds of their bodies coming together filling the room, raw and unrestrained.

  They moved together, their bodies perfectly aligned, matching each other’s rhythm. With each deep thrust, Vivian’s grip tightened around him, her cries spurring him on. Finally, everything crashed over them at once—Noah let out a deep, throaty growl as Vivian held him even tighter, thighs locking firmly around his hips, fingers digging desperately into his back. The tension shattered, sending waves of pleasure cascading through them both, leaving them panting and breathless, their sweat blending together on the sheets beneath.

  In the bed, Noah sank into her, arms wrapped protectively around her as he settled back, pulling her close. Her body still shivered softly, the aftermath of their coming together lingering in gentle tremors against his chest.

  Breathless, he pressed a tender kiss into her hair, breathing her in deeply. Her scent, her skin, her taste—everything about her was etched permanently into his being now. He knew he’d never grow tired of her; she was part of him, bound so deeply she would never escape.

  No words passed between them. None were needed. Their bodies tangled comfortably, their breathing slowing to match.

  The thoughts that haunted them both gave way to exhausted relief, both souls weary and spent.

  For tonight, they allowed themselves to simply breathe.