Limits |Noah Sebastian/ Bad Omens|

16: Opening up.

Authors Note: I'm back! Did you all miss me? It was a lovely week off, but I am so excited to be working on more chapters for you all. During that time off, not only did we hit 6k reads we also hit 7k reads and I truly cannot thank you all enough for the kindness you've not only shown myself, but to my stories and of course our lovely Faith. Again, thank you so-so much.

I also hope you all are okay with a small filler chapter while I get back into the swing of things.

My smile faded as fast as my eyes read that text.
'I miss you; I miss the way you'd say my name' It was my ex as a string of texts came through. Feeling the sinking feeling I had the night I left, I wanted to push down the sinking feeling.
Changing out of the dress I wore on mine and Noah's first date, I changed into sweatpants and a oversized sweater that made me feel comfortable but also safe. My ex didn't stop his texts, they kept coming through and the more intoxicated he got the meaner and aggressive they got towards me. It was hard to block him, it felt like every other week he had a new number or new phone and even when I had changed my phone he proved he could still get to me, contact me do whatever he wished—and with my line of work being on the internet, it wasn't like I could just disappear.
Seeing him calling me a whore had me though, for whatever reason I was the whore while he was the one who actively cheated on me.
Rubbing tear filled eyes I headed upstairs; it was late now and everyone most likely was asleep.

Stepping out into the backyard, I felt the damp grass beneath my feet as it was misting out—it was refreshing in a way though. Sitting on the damp hammock, I looked up at the clouds as the mist drifted by.
Whore
Wincing at the thought, it felt like he was still in my head. Swaying in the hammock a bit, I wanted to forget my ex, forget he was ever a thing. "It's a bit damp out, don't you think?" head shooting straight forward, I watched as Noah stepped out of the backdoor, he wore sweats himself as well as a band hoodie. "Why are you out here at this hour?" He checked his phone at the time.

"I wanted to feel something, I needed this" gesturing to the water droplets that now rested on my hand.

His face grew of concern as he stepped over to me, taking a seat on the hammock beside me. "Did I overstep something with our date?" he asked quietly looking to make sure there were no windows open above us in the house.

"No, you didn't trust me—it's not that" guilt writhed inside of me as Noah was even thinking of that. "I loved our date, and I'd love a second date" I nudged him.

Relaxing, or what I assumed was him relaxing, Noah nodded his head before he looked at me. "Then what is it? What is eating at you? I see you getting upset sometimes when you see your phone and then you play it off—so who's sake is It for, yours or Nicks?" His question hit me in the gut.

Eyes lining with tears, I looked back at the house. "If I tell you. . . You cannot tell a single soul; do I make myself clear?" my voice turned into that hardened stone I used to protect myself all these months without Nick around.

Shifting in his spot, he looked at me furrowing his brows with concern, "Fae, of course—what is it?" he asked gently.

Letting out a sigh that sounded shaky, Noah placed his hand on my back to let me know he was there for me. "My ex is still contacting me; he gets a phone call almost every week or a new number and he contacts me—it isn't something I can easily ignore" I began.

"How come?"

"The man took me from my friends, family—everyone I ever cared about, why do you think you, Nick or even my parents have met him? You have no idea who he is, he basically lured me like a fly to a web and then had me to himself. I grew up Noah, I am not the same Faith I was when I was younger—I needed to learn to survive because if I didn't. . ." my words soft as I trailed off.

Noah must have gotten what I was about to say as his eyes went wide. "Did he hurt you?" Noah's voice was louder than I would have liked.

"Noah, I am not with my ex anymore and it isn't a big deal now" it was a lie, and we both knew it.

"I don't care, Fae—did he hurt you?" He repeated himself, sterner this time.

My lips parted. The words wanted to collapse out of me, my heart begging me to tell someone—of all the pain that relationship had caused me, while my mind screamed at me to stop, an everyday battle I had with myself since leaving my ex. "Physically, I healed—mentally and emotionally I am still working on it" it was the best I could offer up.

Watching Noah ease back a bit sunk my heart further down within. "You were hurt?" his voice soft, "when I said you changed. . . You said you grew up; it wasn't by choice was it?" his question quiet.

Looking Noah in the eyes was something that felt difficult, almost more difficult than the night I left my ex. "It was by survival—I was nineteen, taking care of him. . . He was three years older than I was, and he had a dream that he fed me so much that I believed in everything he said, but when I noticed the pretty little words he used to tell me turned sour, by then it was too late, and the damage was done. My parents would try reaching out, asking if I was coming home for holidays or birthdays and I would have to lie to them telling them work had me so swamped, when really I nearly lost my job because he limited who I was—and I promised myself even if he could see me thriving, I was not going to let him lure me back, or even hurt me anymore" wiping away a tear I looked at Noah who's expression softened.

"I should have told you back then how I felt. . . I should have tried to step in, I thought about it, but I should have" he was blaming himself.

Grabbing his hand, I rubbed circles with my thumb. "Noah, what is important now is I am not there anymore, I am here, with you" I reminded him gently. "I also want you to keep this to yourself, I know it isn't something to be kept in the dark but for right now I need it to be, just until I feel more myself" a gentle nod of his head. "Thank you" I leaned forward placing my lips softly on his cheek.
Leading him inside, I looked up at the man taller than I was as he brushed water droplets off his sweater. "Goodnight, I will see you tomorrow" once more I leaned up on my toes, brushing my lips against his cheek.

"Goodnight, Fae" he said as we separated going our own ways.
Heading into the room of my own, I sat down on my bed feeling my phone go off, it was most likely my ex. Holding my phone up, I looked to see it wasn't him and this time a smile spread across my face.

Noah: Goodnight beautiful. Have delicious dreams, and I'll see you when you wake up.