Ava stared at the message on her phone, her fingers hovering over the screen. The words from Noah seemed so final, as if he knew something was wrong, as if he was waiting for her to come to him for answers. But the nagging feeling in the pit of her stomach told her that something was off.
Without overthinking, she grabbed her jacket and slipped out of her room, determined to confront him. She needed answers, even if it meant facing the truth she wasn't ready to hear.
The air outside was cold, biting at her skin as she made her way to the small café where Noah always met her. The familiar smell of roasted coffee beans filled her senses as she pushed open the door, her eyes scanning the room for him. There, sitting by the window, was Noah. His expression was unreadable, his eyes glued to the coffee cup in front of him.
Ava hesitated for a moment, unsure if she was prepared for what was coming. But she couldn't turn back now. Slowly, she approached the table, taking a seat across from him. He looked up, his face softening as soon as he saw her.
"Ava," he said quietly, his voice thick with an emotion she couldn't quite place. "I'm glad you came."
She swallowed hard, the weight of the unknown pressing down on her chest. "Noah, what's going on? Why did you send that message? What do you need to explain?"
Noah sighed, his fingers tracing the edge of his cup. "There's so much I've kept from you, Ava. Things I never wanted you to find out. But now, I think you deserve to know the truth."
Ava's heart pounded in her chest, her mind racing. She wanted to reach out and grab hold of his words, to make sense of everything, but there was a fear lodged deep inside her. What if the truth shattered everything they had built together?
He continued, his voice low and steady. "I wasn't honest with you, not in the way I should have been. There's a part of my life that you don't know about, and it's something I should have told you from the beginning."
Ava leaned forward, her breath caught in her throat. "What do you mean, Noah? What part of your life?"
Noah's eyes flickered, a flicker of guilt passing over his face before he looked away. "It's complicated. It involves people you don't know. People who might be closer to you than you think."
The words hung in the air like a dark cloud, and Ava's mind raced, trying to make sense of them. Could it be possible? Was there something she wasn't seeing, something lurking in the shadows?
Before she could ask another question, the door to the café slammed open, and a tall figure entered, his gaze scanning the room. Ava's breath hitched when she saw who it was.
Liam.
Her ex.
His presence sent a chill down her spine, memories of their tumultuous relationship flashing in her mind. He caught sight of Ava and Noah at the table, and for a moment, everything seemed to freeze. His eyes locked onto hers, and a smirk played at the corners of his lips.
"Well, well," Liam said, his voice smooth and laced with a hint of mockery. "It seems like I'm interrupting something... important."
Ava felt a rush of emotions hit her all at once—anger, confusion, and fear. The last person she wanted to see in that moment was Liam, but there he was, standing in the doorway like he owned the place.
Noah's expression darkened, and Ava could feel the tension building between the three of them. This was no longer just about Noah's hidden truth. This was about something much bigger. Something she wasn't prepared for.
Liam stepped closer, his eyes never leaving hers. "You've always had a way of getting tangled up in things you don't understand, Ava," he said, his voice low and dangerous. "And now... you're in deeper than you think."