Author note: Ethan's apartment is above^^^ :) Also, I love how half of you ship Ethan and Issy and the other half can't stand Ethan. Sorry to throw a love triangle in there, but I warned you there would be clichés heheh.... Enjoy the chapter!

"This is the last of your stuff?" Ethan asked me as he wheeled my third and final suitcase into the living room.

I was still gazing around at his apartment in awe, but I nodded slowly. It was absolutely breathtaking--the decor was minimalistic but homely, with creamy grey sofas embellished with black and silver cushions, and a huge grand piano in the corner of the room. The wooden floorboards were smooth and cool under my bare feet, but yellow lamps dotted around the place made the whole room feel warmer.

And the view... I could have stood and stared at it all night. It was even better than the view from Griffith Observatory, if that was possible.

"Woah." I breathed, tearing my eyes away from the scenery to look at Ethan.

He smiled. "Come on, let me show you your room."

We walked past a gigantic modern kitchen, a dining area with a table large enough to fit at least twelve people, and five closed doors. A few seconds later, Ethan pushed open a handsome set of double doors and revealed one of the most breathtaking bedrooms I'd ever seen. The king sized bed sat on a raised platform was the main feature in the room, but the huge television screen mounted on the wall and the fluffy beige rug looked just as luxurious. Everything in the room was a shade of brown or white, including the gossamer curtains that hung from the ceiling to the floor and hid a million dollar view of the city. Though the room was immaculately clean, it felt warm and homely, like it was just waiting to be lived in.

"And how much did you say you wanted for rent?" I asked once I had located my voice again.

"$700 a month should be enough to cover your half of the bills and such." Ethan informed me, and I only noticed now that he had pulled off his coat and rolled up the sleeves of his white dress shirt. He looked different this way; younger and more relaxed, like a normal twenty-two year old and not the business-savvy man I knew him to be.

"Are you sure $700 is enough? I want this to be fair." Didn't these types of apartments cost millions of dollars to purchase? Seven hundred a month seemed far too cheap to be staying in a place like this. Most of the places I had looked at were asking for a minimum of $850, and that was just for a shady room in a dodgy neighborhood with a roommate who may or may not be a psychopath.

"It's fine Isabelle, stop worrying. Now I'll leave you to get settled but if you need anything just let me know. Is it okay with you if we grab take out for dinner?" Ethan asked, and I informed him that that sounded perfect.

"Thank you, Ethan, for everything you've done for me." I said sincerely, placing my hand on his arm. His eyes softened and he placed his own hand over mine.

"Anytime."

He let himself out and closed the door behind him as I got to work unpacking my belongings. My clothes only filled up a quarter of the walk-in robe, and my small bag of toiletries looked meagre in the giant en suite. I had a feeling that living in such a spacious apartment was going to take some getting used to.

When Ethan knocked lightly on my door an hour and a half later, I had unpacked everything and was sat on my new bed, flipping through channels on the plasma screen.

"Come in!" I called out, and the door creaked open.

"Delivery for Miss Conway?" Ethan asked, holding up two bags filled with what smelt like Chinese food.

My stomach growled in response. "You are an angel, Ethan Black, I'm starved."

Ethan lifted an eyebrow playfully and flopped down beside me on the bed, handing me one of the bags.

"What are you watching?" He asked, nodding towards the TV as I opened a container of vegetable dumplings and fished around in the bag for some chopsticks.

"Friends."

"Which one?"

"The One Where No One's Ready. Possibly the best episode of friend ever made." I said pointedly as I shovelled food into my mouth in what I knew was a very unflattering manner.

Ethan snorted and I turned to him with a surprised smile. He grinned back at me mischievously. "No way, The One With Ross' Tan is the best by far."

"That was an excellent episode," I agreed, "but nothing tops season one."

Ethan pursed his lips. "So you're a girl who goes for the originals." He mused.

Not knowing how to reply, I turned back to my dumplings and continued to eat.

When I had finished those, I dug through my bag and discovered some Kung Pao tofu and Kung Pao chicken. I looked up at Ethan, who shrugged casually. "I wasn't sure if you were a vegetarian."

I smiled at his sweet gesture for a moment before tucking into the tofu and snuggling down into my bed for warmth.

***

I woke up with a jolt, suddenly laced with confusion as to where I was.

And why it was so hot in here?

Seriously though, it was uncomfortably warm.

I lifted my head and blinked a few times, taking in my surroundings before realizing that something was pinning me against the bed. My hand reached out tentatively and found smooth skin, and I exhaled in relief.

Oh, it's just Noah.

I closed my eyes and settled back down onto the pillow, tracing my my fingers up and down Noah's bare chest. I smiled and pulled myself closer to him, pressing my lips against his bicep. Noah made a small sound in the back of his throat and shifted so that both of his arms latched around my middle and he was cocooning me with his warmth. It felt so good to be back in his--

I shrieked.

My eyes flew open as reality struck, and I pushed myself onto the floor.

The boy in my bed sat up quickly, running a hand over his auburn hair. "Isabelle?" He called out groggily, and I stared at him with wide eyes.

Ethan squinted into the darkness, his shoulders slumped before he fell back down onto the bed and closed his eyes.

When had we fallen asleep? When had Ethan's shirt come off? I stood up and quietly tiptoed out into the hallway, making my way to the sofa where I planned to stay until morning.

Sleep evaded me though, and I found myself unable to stop replaying in my head what had just happened. Guilt washed over me like a wave, worsening with each breath I took. Moving in with Ethan was one thing, but sharing a bed was an entirely different story.

It wasn't fair on Noah or Ethan what I was doing, and I had to talk to Noah and figure out where we stood.

I pulled my phone from my purse, which I had slammed down on the sofa in my hurry to unpack, and dialled Noah's number. It was one in the morning in Pennsylvania, but I needed to talk to him desperately.

I didn't care anymore about that stupid night where I had waited in his dorm for him, or that he had only contacted me twice this whole time. I just needed to hear his voice and sort out what was happening between us.

I was sick of not knowing where I stood.

"Issy?" He answered on the fifth ring, sounding wide awake despite the time.

"Noah, yeah it's me." My voice sounded shaky even to my own ears.

There was a pause. "Are you okay? What's wrong?"

I ran my hand over the stitches in the sofa. "What? No, I'm fine, everything's fine I just... I just needed to talk to you." I confessed.

"Oh."

I sighed. "What are we doing Noah? What's going on with us?" I asked helplessly, pulling my knees up under my chin.

"You tell me." Noah's voice suddenly hardened, sounding completely different to how he had a few moments before when he'd been asking if I was okay.

I recoiled. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"You're the one who moved halfway across the country Isabelle, not me." He said hotly, and I could hear the anger building up in his voice.

Well this was certainly not how I thought this conversation would go. I lay my head in my hands and closed my eyes.

There was a silence that seemed to drag on forever.

"What do you want me to say, Noah?" I asked quietly.

"I don't want you to say anything. I wanted you to stay, and you didn't. You didn't choose me. So that's that."

More silence.

"I didn't think I had to make a choice." I choked out through gritted teeth, forcing myself not to cry. "I love you Noah. That hasn't changed for me."

Noah sighed, and I heard his breath release into the phone. "I don't know if that's enough anymore, Isabelle."