Noah’s Three weeks.
That was how long I had been staying with Amelia and Clara.
At first, I thought the days would drag.
Instead, they disappeared.
Ethan had settled into the new routine surprisingly well.
He spent his mornings with his aunts, played until he was exhausted, and somehow convinced Clara that every snack he wanted was absolutely necessary.
He’d learned to say “please” in the most theatrical way possible, dragging the word out until Clara caved almost every time.
I had even started sleeping better.
Not perfectly.
But better.
The constant pressure in my chest had eased, the kind of quiet I hadn’t realized I’d been missing until I finally had it again.
At least, until my phone rang.
I looked at the screen.
Ashford Biotech — Human Resources.
My stomach tightened.
I answered.
“Hello?” “Mr.
Everhart?” “Yes.” “We’re just checking in regarding your leave.
Everything is still in order, but your temporary leave will end in approximately one week.” I closed my eyes.
One week.
I’d known it was coming.
Still, hearing it made my chest tighten.
“Thank you for letting me know.” “You’re welcome.
We’ll send the return-to-work details shortly.” The call ended.
I stared at my phone.
Going back meant seeing Adrian again.
After everything that had happened, I wasn’t sure I was ready.
“Something happened?” I looked up.
Amelia stood in the doorway.
“My leave ends next week.” She immediately understood.
“Ah.” I put my phone down.
“I don’t know if I can go back.” Clara appeared behind her.
“Because of Adrian?” I sighed.
“Because of everything.” Neither of them laughed this time.
Amelia walked over and sat beside me.
“You don’t have to decide tonight.” “But I do eventually.” “Yes.” She squeezed my shoulder.
“But don’t make a decision because you’re afraid.” I looked at her.
“That’s easy for you to say.” “No, it isn’t.” Her expression softened.
“You’ve been protecting yourself for a long time, Noah.
Sometimes protection becomes another kind of prison.” I looked away.
I hated when she was right.
She had always been like this — the one who said the thing I didn’t want to hear in exactly the tone that made it impossible to argue with.
That evening, Ethan was playing on the floor when my phone buzzed again.
I expected another work message.
Instead, it was Adrian.
Your leave ends soon.
I stared at the message.
I typed: I know.
His reply came a minute later.
Are you coming back?
I didn’t answer immediately.
My fingers hovered over the keyboard.
Finally, I wrote: I think so.
The three dots appeared.
Then disappeared.
Then appeared again.
Finally: Good.
I frowned.
That was all?
I waited.
Nothing.
I locked the phone.
“Ridiculous,” I muttered.
Clara glanced at me from the couch.
“What?” “Nothing.” She smiled knowingly.
“Adrian?” I didn’t answer.
She laughed.
Later that night, I tucked Ethan into bed.
He grabbed my finger.
“Daddy.” “Yes?” “Uncle come?” I sat beside him.
“Not tonight.” He frowned.
“Tomorrow?” “I don’t know.” He looked disappointed.
I brushed his hair back.
“You miss him?” He nodded.
“Miss Uncle.” My chest tightened.
I hadn’t expected a two-year-old’s simple honesty to hurt this much, but it always seemed to land harder than anything the adults in his life said out loud.
“I know.” I kissed his forehead.
“Sleep now.” When I walked out, I found Amelia waiting in the hallway.
“He really loves Adrian.” I nodded.
“He does.” “And Adrian loves him.” I looked at her.
“Don’t say that.” “Why?” “Because I don’t know if it’s true.” Amelia folded her arms.
“Maybe you should stop deciding what Adrian feels.” I looked away.
She smiled gently.
“You can’t control his heart any more than you can control your own.” There was something almost fond in the way she said it, like she’d been waiting years for the chance to tell me exactly that.
I didn’t respond.
Because deep down, I knew exactly what my heart was trying to tell me.
I just wasn’t ready to listen.
The next morning, I received an unexpected message.
Not from Adrian.
From the university.
There was a formal invitation waiting for me.
A former professor was organizing an academic event, and several members of Ashford Biotech had been invited.
Including Adrian.
I stared at the invitation.
My first instinct was to decline.
Then I remembered Amelia’s words.
Don’t make a decision because you’re afraid.
I slowly placed the phone down.
Maybe it was time to stop running.
Not toward Adrian.
Not yet.
But toward the life I had abandoned — the version of myself who had once had a future here, before everything had folded in on itself.
And perhaps, when my month away ended, I would finally be brave enough to face whatever waited for me on the other side.
I stared at the invitation for what felt like forever.
The university event wasn’t mandatory.
I could decline it.
I could stay here with Amelia and Clara until my leave ended, return to work afterward, and pretend the invitation had never existed.
But something inside me refused.
Maybe because I was tired of running.
I picked up my phone and accepted the invitation.
The moment I did, regret washed over me, sharp and immediate, the kind that makes your stomach drop before your mind has even caught up with what your hands just did.
“What did I just do?” “You accepted it.” I nearly jumped.
Clara was standing behind me.
“How long have you been there?” “Long enough.” She smiled.
“Good.” I frowned.
“Why are you happy?” “Because you’re finally doing something for yourself.” “This isn’t necessarily for myself.” “Then who is it for?” I didn’t answer.
She already knew.
That afternoon, I took Ethan outside.
The weather was warm, and he spent most of the time chasing bubbles while Amelia sat nearby, her laptop balanced on her knees, glancing up every few minutes to make sure he hadn’t wandered too far.
I watched him laugh, his whole body chasing after something that kept disappearing the moment he got close.
For a moment, everything felt simple.
Then he stopped.
“Uncle!” I followed his gaze.
A delivery driver was standing near the gate.
Ethan had mistaken him for Adrian.
My heart sank.
He looked at me.
“Uncle?” I crouched beside him.
“That’s not Uncle Adrian.” His little shoulders dropped.
“Want Uncle.” I pulled him into my arms.
“I know.” He rested his head against me.
I closed my eyes.
This was becoming harder.
Not easier.
Every small reminder of Adrian seemed to carve the same groove deeper, and I was running out of ways to pretend it wasn’t happening.
That evening, I received another message.
Adrian: I heard you’ll be attending the university event.
I stared at it.
Noah: Who told you?
Adrian: The organizers.
I sighed.
Of course.
Noah: I’m only going because I was invited.
His response came quickly.
Adrian: I know.
I waited.
Another message appeared.
Adrian: I’ll respect your space.
My chest tightened.
I typed slowly.
Noah: Thank you.
I almost put my phone away.
Then I added: How are you?
The moment I sent it, I regretted it — it felt like opening a door I had only just managed to close.
His reply came.
Adrian: Better.
Then: Adrian: But I still think about that night.
I stopped breathing for a second.
My fingers went cold.
I didn’t know what to say.
Another message appeared.
Adrian: Not the kiss.
My heart beat faster.
Adrian: The night before it.
I stared at the screen.
He remembered something.
Not everything.
But something.
I quickly locked my phone.
“No.” I couldn’t deal with this tonight.
I walked into the kitchen, where Amelia was preparing dinner.
She looked at my face.
“What happened?” “Nothing.” She put the knife down.
“You’re doing that thing again.” “What thing?” “Trying to carry everything by yourself.” She said it the way she always did — not as an accusation, but as something she’d been repeating since we were kids, back when I’d insisted on handling every scraped knee and broken toy on my own too.
I sat at the table.
“Adrian said he remembers something.” Amelia became still.
“What?” “He said he remembers the night before the kiss.” Her expression changed.
“Which night?” “The night I went to his apartment.” Neither of us spoke.
I looked down at my hands.
“I don’t want him to remember.” “Why?” “Because I don’t know what he’ll do when he does.” Amelia came over and sat beside me.
“Maybe you should find out.” I shook my head.
“What if the truth changes everything?” She looked at me.
“Noah, the truth already changed everything.” I swallowed.
She was right.
It had changed my life two years ago.
It had given me Ethan.
It had brought Adrian back into my life.
And now, somehow, it was waiting for us again — patient, persistent, refusing to stay where I’d left it.
That night, I lay awake long after everyone else had gone to sleep.
I thought about the university event.
I thought about Adrian.
I thought about Ethan, and the way his face had fallen when he’d mistaken a stranger for the man he missed.
And I thought about the message.
The night before the kiss.
What had Adrian remembered?
I didn’t know.
But for the first time, I wasn’t sure whether I wanted him to forget.
Maybe some truths weren’t meant to stay buried forever.
Maybe it was finally time for both of us to face them.
Whatever waited on the other side of that university event, I couldn’t keep pretending it wouldn’t find me eventually.
Noah is slowly realizing that hiding from Adrian isn’t making his feelings disappear.
And now he’s accepted the invitation to the university event… which means they’re going to be in the same place again.
But wait— Adrian remembers something.
Not the kiss.
Something from the night before.
What exactly does he remember?
And why does Noah seem so afraid of him remembering?
We’re getting closer to the truth, but we’re taking our time with it.
Nothing is being revealed too quickly.
Also, Ethan asking for Uncle Adrian again had me like: THIS CHILD IS NOT HELPING DADDY MOVE ON.
Thank you for reading, commenting, voting, and supporting the story!
Your support means so much.
See you in Chapter 22!
— Ari1