Ryder explained quickly to make sense of the misunderstanding. "Lisa's my cousin. We studied together back in college, and we've always been close. I swear, there's nothing going on between us." He sounded almost desperate for Noah to believe him.
But Noah didn't want to hear any of it. His mind was already exhausted, and dealing with Ryder's explanations just made him feel more drained. "I'm leaving," Noah said, cutting Ryder off mid-sentence as he turned to walk away.
Ryder, seeing the bags still straining in Noah's hands, tried once more. "Noah. Let me take you home."
Noah didn't respond, his eyes focused straight ahead, ignoring Ryder's attempts as he marched away. With a sigh, Ryder told Lisa to go on without him, then quickly caught up to Noah. He wasn't going to let things end like this.
