N O A H

I pull up to Sarah's place, my heart pounding in my chest. The wedding plans have been hanging over us for days, and it feels like everything's moving faster than I can keep up with.

Ryza's been keeping me busy with the arrangements, but every time I try to focus on that, my mind keeps drifting back to Sarah. And Ryan.

I step out of the car and walk up to the door, knocking a little harder than I intend. I know I shouldn't be this mad, but lately, every time I think about Ryan being around Sarah, something inside me snaps. The jealousy, the anger, I can't shake it.

When the door opens, Sarah's face is unreadable, her eyes tired but clear. She doesn't smile. She doesn't even look surprised to see me.

"Hey," I say, trying to keep my voice steady.

She steps aside without a word, letting me in. I'm already mentally bracing myself for whatever is coming.

As soon as I walk inside, I see him. Ryan. Standing there, acting all too comfortable in Sarah's space. His presence alone is enough to set me off, but when I look at Sarah, I see the look on her face, the one that says she's thinking, processing, maybe even questioning everything.

"What's he doing here?" I ask before I can stop myself, my voice sharp.

Sarah turns to me, her eyes cold. "Noah, not now."

But I can't stop the words from spilling out. "He's manipulating you, Sarah. You can't see it, but I can. He's using you, playing with your mind, just like he always does."

Her face hardens, the anger flashing in her eyes as she takes a step toward me. "Stop blaming Ryan for everything, Noah. You don't know what's going on between us. You don't understand."

I feel my temper flare, my fists clenching at my sides. "I don't understand? How could I? He's been hovering around you for weeks, making everything worse, making you question everything. You're just letting him control you."

"I'm not," she snaps. "I'm trying to figure things out, Noah. I need space to think about everything, about us. About what I really want."

Her words hit me like a slap to the face. She's asking for a break. She's saying she needs time.

I open my mouth to argue, but she holds up a hand. "Please, just go. I can't do this right now."

"Sarah-" I start, my voice breaking with frustration.

"No, Noah. I'm not sure about anything. I don't even know what I'm feeling anymore. I need time to figure it out." Her voice cracks, and for a moment, I feel the rawness of her emotions, the pain beneath her words. But even that doesn't stop me.

"I'm not going anywhere. I care about you, Sarah. But I can't just stand by and watch him manipulate you." My tone is harder now, the anger rising inside me, making it impossible to hold back.

She stares at me, her expression hardening. I stand there, staring at the door, trying to process what just happened.

The pain of it all hits me at once, sharp and cold. She asked for a break. She doesn't even know what she wants.

And Ryan? He's the one who keeps getting in the way, like a shadow in the background, twisting everything.

Ryan's standing there, watching me with that smug expression on his face, the one that makes my blood boil.

"You really think I'm manipulating her?" he taunts, crossing his arms over his chest.

I can't hold it in anymore. The words come out before I can stop them. "You're always manipulating her, Ryan. You've been doing it for so long, and I'm sick of it. She deserves better than you. She deserves someone who's not trying to control her every move."

He smirks, but there's a coldness in his eyes now. "You think you can give her that? You think you're the one who can fix her, Noah?"

I take a step closer to him, my fists clenching again. I can feel the anger in my chest, suffocating me. "I don't need to fix her. But I sure as hell know she's better off without you in her life."

Ryan doesn't say anything, but there's a sharp glint in his eyes as he steps forward, his voice low and dangerous. "You've got no idea, Noah. You have no idea what's really going on."

The words I want to say hang in the air, but I know they won't change anything.

Sarah doesn't want to hear it. She doesn't want to hear me. And as much as I hate it, I can't force her to feel something she doesn't.

"Noah, please leave."

"But Sarah..."

"Don't make me beg."

I turn around and walk away, the frustration and hurt overwhelming me.

It's all because of him.

I slam the door behind me as I step into the office, my chest tight with frustration. The anger from earlier still simmers in my veins, burning hotter with every passing second.

My hands are shaking, but I force myself to take a seat, trying to calm down. It doesn't work. The more I think about Sarah, her face when she shut me up, her cold words, the way she asked for space, the more it eats at me.

Leelo is sitting across the room, glancing up from his phone as I storm in. His eyes narrow as he takes in my expression, the irritation radiating off me. He knows me too well.

"You good, boss?" he asks, though he already knows the answer. He knows me better than anyone.

"No, Leelo," I snap, rubbing my face in frustration. "I'm not good. Sarah asked for a break."

Leelo doesn't flinch, just sits back in his chair with a sigh. "She did, huh?"

I stand up abruptly, pacing in the small space of the office. "Yeah, she asked for a damn break. She said she wasn't sure about anything, and-" I break off, my voice thick with anger,

"She didn't even want to hear me out. She said it in my face, Leelo. And Ryan is the one that gets to swoop in and control her, to keep her tangled up in all this mess."

Leelo stays silent, watching me, his expression unreadable. When I finally stop pacing, he leans forward, resting his elbows on the desk.

"You know why she did it, right?" he asks quietly.

I pause, looking at him, my stomach dropping. "What? You mean you understand?"

Leelo sighs again, this time with more weight. "You're not seeing it, Noah. You're too caught up in the anger to see what's really going on."

"What the hell does that mean?" I snap, my patience wearing thin.

"It means you're not the only one struggling here, Noah," Leelo says, his voice low but steady.

"Sarah's been through a lot. She's been hurt, and maybe she just needs time to process things. She's not ready for the kind of relationship you're offering her right now. It's too much."

I shake my head in disbelief. "But she asked for me, Leelo. She told me we could be something. Now she's pushing me away. She said she needed space, but I-"

"You're not listening," Leelo interrupts. "Sarah is confused. She's been through things she hasn't even told you about. She doesn't know what she wants. And pushing her harder is just gonna make things worse."

His voice rises. "You're going to have to give her time. And that doesn't mean you're going to lose her. It just means she needs to figure things out."

I feel a sharp pain in my chest at his words. My mind flashes back to Sarah's face when she told me to leave. The hurt in her eyes. The same hurt I'm feeling now.

"You're telling me to just wait?" I mutter, staring at the ground. "You think she'll come back to me if I wait around? She asked for a break, Leelo. I'm so damn tired of waiting."

Leelo's gaze softens. "I'm not saying wait forever. But you have to respect where she's at, bro. Pushing her isn't going to fix this."

He stands up. "You're both broken in different ways. She's been through hell, and you...you're hurt because you care about her. That's normal, but it doesn't mean you get to rush her into something she's not ready for."

I swallow hard. "I just don't understand," I admit, my voice cracking. "I feel like I'm losing her, like she's slipping away, and I can't do anything about it. I thought... I thought we were getting closer. But now she's just shutting me out, and it hurts, Leelo. It hurts so damn much."

Leelo watches me quietly, and for the first time, I realize that he's not just offering advice. He's trying to help me understand something that I've been too blinded by anger to see.

"I know it hurts, Noah," he says softly. "But you're not the only one who's broken here. Don't forget that."

The weight of his words settles over me, and I feel the tightness in my chest ease, just a little. But it doesn't make the pain go away. I'm still standing at the edge, watching everything I care about slipping through my fingers, and it's tearing me apart.

"I just want her back," I whisper, barely audible, the words leaving my mouth before I can stop them.

Leelo doesn't say anything for a moment. Then he walks over to me, and claps me on the shoulder.

"Then give her the space she needs. Let her figure out what she wants. She's not going to run away from you, Noah, but she's not going to come back if you keep pushing."

I nod slowly, though it feels like my heart is still breaking, still cracking apart with every word. The thought of waiting, of not being with Sarah right now, makes me sick.

But Leelo's right. I can't force her into something she's not ready for. Not when she's already so hurt.

I take a deep breath, trying to pull myself together. "I'll try. But I don't know if I can just sit back and wait forever."

Leelo smiles grimly. "It's not forever. Just...don't screw it up by pushing too hard. She's worth waiting for."

I nod again, even though it doesn't feel like enough. I don't know if I can be patient. I don't know if I can sit by and let her slip further away.

But for now, that's all I can do.

Motherfucking, Ryan!!!