Is this destiny?

Noah's brain scrambled to guess why Chloe disapproved of their current sleeping arrangements.

"Do you want to go back to my place?"

"I don't want to go to that place ever again.", Chloe blurted out and bit her lip to prevent herself from saying more.

Noah nuzzled her neck with his nose. "I apologize. I will never bring up that place again. I know it's cheesy to say that I've never felt like this, but it's the truth, Chloe. Allow me to prove that in my eyes no other woman comes close to you. I will get rid of that apartment and anything else that might make you think you are not my only one."

Chloe felt guilty because Noah's words confirmed that he knew why she ran away. Wasn't she being ridiculous? She was punishing him for something he did before they got together. And she didn't want him to change, not because of her. "You don't need to do that."

"I do. I will not give you a reason to suspect my loyalty. I told you that I did things in my past I am not proud of, and I will do my best so that you don't suffer because of it. I am sorry, Chloe, I really am. I will do better, I promise…", Noah's murmurs turned into half-coherent mumbling how he loves her, and that tomorrow he will tell her everything, and then he snored softly.

Chloe let out a long exhale. It seems that he was drunk.

His free arm was around her waist and he held her closely even in his sleep.

She looked at their handcuffed hands and thought how Noah is ridiculous. Their fingers were interlaced, and she didn't notice when she stopped crying.

"Unbelievable…", Chloe mumbled, unsure if she said that to Noah or to herself.

…

The moment Chloe stirred out of her sleep, a rain of small kisses fell all over her face. What the…?

"Good morning, my little rabbit…", Noah said when her eyes fluttered open.

"Good morning…", Chloe mumbled and tried to move away from Noah, but she couldn't budge because his free hand was firmly on her back, holding her in place and their legs were tangled, and there was a detail of them being handcuffed to each other.

He inched to kiss her again and she moved to avoid him. Why was he acting like everything was fine?

Sure, she enjoyed his proximity and ended up sleeping next to him, but that doesn't mean a thing if she can't relax mentally.

Other than being unpredictable and eccentric, he also had who-knows-how-many women in his past and present, and Chloe was not willing to be part of that.

Yes, Noah helped her out, proposed, and said many nice things, but who is to say that he doesn't treat like that every woman that catches his fancy?

Chloe dared to dream how they have something special going on, and Noah said that she can redecorate his apartment… their apartment. But those condoms proved that there was at least one woman in her place not so long ago. Did he ask that other woman to redecorate as well, but he kicked her out before she got a chance to change anything? Or did she change the design and Chloe was holding and kissing Noah on the sofa that Noah's ex-girlfriend picked?

Chloe couldn't allow herself to fall for his charms more than she already had. The devastation of him moving on would leave her crippled and that was too much for her.

Did she escape her family only to end up in another predicament? At least she knew that her family is malicious, and her defenses were up, while Noah managed to get inside her mind and heart, and as much as he brought her immense joy, he also had the power to plunge her into agony.

"Uhm…", Chloe tugged on the handcuffs. "You can't keep me as your prisoner."

"You got this wrong, my little rabbit."

"I do?"

Noah gave a small nod before responding, "I am the prisoner."

Chloe was confused. "Huh?"

"I am yours to do whatever you want with me. Think of me as your fiancé or a puppy or a plant. I don't mind, as long as you let me stay by your side long enough to prove that there is only one woman in my heart, and that is you."

Chloe took a deep breath to compose herself. She can't allow herself to fall for his sweet-talking. "It doesn't make any sense. You barely know me. Why are you doing this?"

"Chloe, there are moments that touch our soul, moments we relive over and over again, trying to find secret messages embedded within because those moments changed us fundamentally and we can't accept them as a product of randomness."

Chloe stared at him, unable to muster any strength to talk. She was reminding herself to stay firm, but his words, and proximity, and those delicious lips… everything was distracting.

Noah inched closer and touched Chloe's nose with his before continuing in a whisper, "For me, those moments started from the day I met you. I remember every detail; the dress you were wearing, and the strand of hair that danced over your right cheek as we spoke, and my need to know you are safe and… desire to keep you close to me."

"Are you saying that you fell in love at first sight? With me?", Chloe asked weakly.

"I don't know if it was the first or the second one, but after I walked you home from the Chaos nightclub, I realized that I was thinking about you when we were not together. I was obsessed with figuring out if your fine was a real fine, or if you were trying to conceal that you are not comfortable. I was unable to sleep while coming up with plans on how to make you smile because you being happy made me happy as well."

Noah observed Chloe, eagerly expecting her to say something.

His dejection grew when he realized that she was silent which meant that she was not eager to take him back and continue where they left off. What happened to the engagement ring? Why did she remove it?

'Damnit!', Noah cursed internally. Finally, he fell for a woman (that's not Sarah), and she is rejecting him.

He has the looks, the status, the power, the wealth, but those things are not what Chloe was looking for. Was this karma? Is this his punishment for spending years dreaming about Sarah while disregarding other women?

Noah knew that after a lifetime of being treated as a pawn in a game she had no control over, Chloe was searching for her own identity. As a partner, Noah was supposed to provide Chloe with the space to explore herself, while offering her stability and support, but it all fell apart when she saw those stupid condoms. Chloe was insecure and instead of proving she is special, Noah ended up making her doubt his intentions.

To make things worse, Chloe loves him, yet she will choose to stay away from him in order to spare herself from a bigger heartbreak. Her walls are back up and Noah felt helplessness swelling inside him.

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