Izzy & Noah ✔️

Forty-Five: Stay a Little Longer

The walk home feels like a reset—a chance to sift through the mess of thoughts stirred up in therapy. Should I prepare better for these sessions? Anticipate the questions, rehearse the answers?

Probably not. I am who I am. My past is unchangeable, my mistakes carved into time. All I can do is accept, forgive, and keep moving forward. Relationships, though—they're the ultimate puzzle. Complex, fragile, and unrelenting.

My phone vibrates, pulling me out of my thoughts. I glance at the screen.

A familiar-yet-foreign number flashes. Where have I seen this before?

"Hello?" I answer, my voice tinged with caution.

"Izzy? Where are you?" A familiar male voice rushes through the line, warm and a little hurried.

"Noah?" My heart stumbles, recognition sparking instantly.

"Of course. Were you expecting someone else?" His tone is teasing, but I catch the faintest edge of worry underneath.

"No, it's just... I don't have your number saved yet," I admit, cheeks burning with a mix of embarrassment and guilt. Shouldn't I have done that already? He's my boyfriend, after all.

"Unbelievable," he says, his laughter soft and low. "Save it right now. I'm your boyfriend—it's non-negotiable."

A smile tugs at my lips despite myself.

"Where have you been for so long?" His voice softens, laced with genuine concern.

"Did you miss me?" I shoot back, half-teasing, half-earnest.

"Yes," he says simply, no hesitation. "Where are you?"

"Just outside the block, coming back from my psychologist."

There's a beat of silence before he speaks again. "How did it go?" His question is light, yet there's an undercurrent of seriousness.

"Exhausting," I admit, my voice quieter now. "You know me—it's not easy talking about...everything."

"I know," he says, understanding threaded into every word. "But I also know you're stronger than you think."

I glance up as I approach our building and spot him through the window of our apartment. He's leaning casually against the frame, phone pressed to his ear, a crooked grin lighting up his face.

Mine, forever.

He waves, and for a moment, the weight on my chest feels lighter.

But...
No. I push the thought away, burying it somewhere I can't reach right now.

I step inside and close the door behind me, shrugging off my coat. "Miss me, even a little?" I ask, leaning into the teasing note in my voice.

"More than a little," he replies, pulling me into his arms the moment I'm within reach.

His hug is firm, grounding. I inhale deeply, pressing myself closer to him. My heart races, and for a fleeting moment, the world feels whole.

I close my eyes. If only time would stop. Just us. No worries, no fears.

But then, to my horror, a tear slips down my cheek.

Noah pulls back slightly, his brows furrowed in concern. "Izzy, what's wrong?"

"I don't know," I whisper, the honesty raw in my voice. "It's just...everything. Today was a lot."

He wraps his arms around me again, holding me as if to shield me from whatever storm is brewing inside.