Noah.

"Noah! N–Noah..."

Anabel’s voice sounded distant at first, like it was coming from the end of a long tunnel. It echoed faintly, layered over the noise inside my own head. I hadn’t even realized I had drifted away from the present moment until her voice sharpened with urgency.

"Noah!"

I blinked.

The room came back into focus.

Her face was right in front of me, her brows drawn together in confusion and concern. I must have been staring blankly ahead, lost somewhere far from the bed, far from her, far from this conversation.

"What’s wrong with you?" she asked, studying my face closely. Her eyes moved over my features as though searching for cracks, like she expected to see something physically broken.

I forced a slow breath.

What was wrong with me?

I wasn’t actually fine.

Not even close.

My body might have recovered enough to sit upright, to speak, to argue, but my mind was restless. Uneasy. Burning with thoughts I didn’t want to acknowledge out loud.

I mustn’t let Maria develop any feelings for Daniel.

The thought came sharp and possessive.

Daniel.

His calm demeanor.

His composed authority.

The way he stepped in without hesitation.

That kind-hearted approach he was using, I knew it well.

Too well.

It was strategic, a gentle tone, protective stance, silent strength. It was effective, It made people feel safe.

I could use it too.

I knew how.

I knew how to lower my voice just enough, how to soften my gaze, how to make my presence feel like shelter instead of pressure.

But with Maria, I never wanted to pretend, the love I have for her is genuine. It wasn’t a tactic, It wasn’t a strategy, it wasn’t a competition move.

It was real.

And that was why the thought of Daniel standing beside her unsettled me so deeply.

Why did he join the competition in the first place?

The question surfaced suddenly, suspicious and heavy.

What does he want from Maria?

Was he truly defending her out of righteousness?

Or was there something else beneath it?

And more importantly...Was Maria safe with him?

The idea of her trusting him... smiling at him the way she smiled at me... looking at him with that quiet admiration...made my jaw tightened.

"Maria and Daniel are a pair..."

Anabel’s voice cut through my spiraling thoughts.

Or did it?

For a second, I couldn’t tell if she had actually said it or if my mind was fabricating the words out of fear, but the phrase rang loud enough in my head to ignite something sharp inside me.

A pair.

The image was immediate and unwanted.

Daniel beside Maria.

Close.

United.

Choosing each other.

Something inside my chest snapped.

"Enough!" I shouted, my voice erupting before I could control it.

The sound filled the room violently.

Anabel flinched instantly, her shoulders jerking at the force of my voice. Her eyes widened in shock.

But I didn’t look at her.

I couldn’t.

Because if I did, she would see it.

The anger.

The jealousy.

The possessiveness I wasn’t ready to explain.

Her last words, or what I thought were her last words, had stirred something dangerous in me.

"Anabel, I need to be alone. Please leave," I commanded, my tone sharp and final.

"Noah...!" she tried again, her voice softer now, almost pleading.

"I said leave!" I yelled once more, my patience completely gone. "I want to be alone!"

Silence fell heavily between us.

Without waiting for her response, I turned and lay flat on the bed. The movement was abrupt, almost defensive. I shut my eyes tightly, as if blocking out the room would somehow quiet the chaos inside my head.

My breathing was uneven, my fists clenched at my sides.

Maria and Daniel are a pair.

I scoffed as the words replayed again, taunting me.

I hated how deeply it affected me, I hated that the mere possibility made my chest burn. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

I had no proof.

No confirmation.

And yet the thought alone was enough to unravel me.

I wasn’t angry because Daniel defended her, I was angry because I didn’t want him close enough to defend her, because I didn’t want her looking at him with gratitude, because I didn’t want to share space in her world.

Maria was mine.

Not in a way that confined her.

The door remained closed for a few seconds longer. I could sense Anabel still standing there, hesitating.

If anything, they settled deeper, embedding themselves into my chest like something stubborn and unresolved.

I pressed the back of my hand against my forehead, trying to steady myself. I couldn’t let this turn into something irrational, but I also couldn’t ignore it.

I wasn’t going to stand by and watch someone else take what I had already decided was mine.

After a while, I heard the retreating sound of her footsteps.

Slow at first.

Then softer.

Each step growing fainter as she moved farther away from the bed.

I kept my eyes closed, listening.

The air shifted slightly.

And then the door clicked shut behind her.

Silence followed.

A heavy, suffocating kind of silence.

I exhaled slowly, trying to let the tension leave my body with that breath. The room felt larger now that I was alone, yet somehow emptier. My thoughts returned immediately to Daniel, Maria, the competition, the word defended echoing like a taunt inside my skull.

I dragged a hand over my face.

I needed space.

I needed to think.

But before I could sink fully back into my spiraling thoughts, I heard it...the door opening again.

"I said I want to be alone...!" I shouted, pushing myself upright, irritation flaring instantly.

But the words died on my tongue.

Because the figure standing at the doorway wasn’t Anabel.

It was Maria.

Everything inside me shifted in an instant.

My posture changed.

The anger that had been burning so fiercely moments ago faltered.

Without thinking, I moved toward her.

I crossed the space between us quickly and grabbed her hands tightly, almost desperately. My fingers wrapped around hers firmly, holding on as though she might vanish if I didn’t anchor her there.

She looked startled by the sudden movement, but her expression softened almost immediately.

"Noah, are you fine?" she asked, her voice laced with unmistakable concern.

Her brows furrowed.

Her eyes scanned my face carefully.

And in that moment, standing this close to her, feeling the warmth of her hands in mine, I was certain.

Anabel had been wrong.

Maria would never hurt me.

Never.

The thought settled deep in my chest with absolute conviction.

She gently loosened her hands from my grip, though not in rejection, just enough to move them freely. Her palms hovered over my shoulders, my arms, my chest, as though checking for injuries I couldn’t see.

She was searching for bruises, for wounds, for signs of harm.

Her touch was light but urgent.

Her gaze flickered over my face again.

"You scared everyone," she murmured softly, almost to herself, as her fingers brushed along my arm.

Concern.

It was there again.

Clear as day.

Unfiltered.

And then....like an unwelcome intruder...Anabel’s voice echoed inside my head.

"Maria and Daniel are a pair..."

The words struck like a spark against dry wood.

My jaw tightened.

"Arrghhhhhhhhhhhh!" I screamed internally.

Never.

The denial was immediate.

Violent.

My thoughts rebelled against the image that tried to form in my mind, Daniel standing beside her, speaking for her, defending her without hesitation.

Her hands were still moving lightly over my chest, searching for any trace of injury.

And the thought refused to leave.

Pair.

Together.

Close.

My pulse began to race.

Her fingertips brushed against the center of my chest, and that was it...that was when something inside me snapped.

Before I could think...before I could reason...my hand shot out and caught her wrists.

Her eyes widened slightly in surprise.

In one swift motion, I stepped forward, guiding her backward until her back met the wall. The movement wasn’t rough, but it was decisive. I pinned her there, my hands still holding hers above her waist, the space between us vanished.

I could feel her breath.

Warm.

Sweet.

Her eyes searched mine, confusion flickering within them, but I didn’t give myself time to hesitate, didn’t give her time to speak.

The thought of Daniel.

The jealousy.

The possessiveness.

The fear of losing her.

It all surged at once.

And without wasting another second, I leaned in and captured her lips with mine, the kiss wasn’t hesitant, it wasn’t slow, it was urgent, demanding, a silent declaration.

Mine.

My grip on her wrists loosened slightly as I shifted one hand to her waist, pulling her closer instinctively. The other moved to cradle the side of her face, as if afraid she might pull away.

I needed her to understand.

I needed her to feel it.

That whatever anyone else believed, whatever rumors circulated, whatever defenses Daniel offered, she belonged here...with me.

My heart pounded violently against my ribs, and I was sure she could feel it where her chest pressed lightly against mine.

For a split second, the world narrowed to just this. Her warmth, her scent, her presence.

And the certainty that I wasn’t going to let anyone step between us.

Not without a fight.