No.
Yes.
Theo’s fingernails dug into his palms. He couldn’t answer. Not when the air in the room felt too thick. Not when the heat behind his eyes threatened to break him open.
“You said you wanted space,” Noah went on, slower now. “Okay. I’ll give you somespace. But I need to know what the fuck I did so I canfix it,Theo.”
“I don’t know!” Theo snapped, sharp and fast. His voice cracked again, and this time, it was from the sob that wanted out and couldn’t fit. “I can’t do this again, alright?I can’t.”
Noah’s face softened—pity,and Theo hated it.
Everything went hot, then cold, as Theo stood. The chair legs scraped across the hardwood and the sound tore through him. He barely heard Noah move.
Noah stepped forward.
One step. Not too close.
“I’m not whoever else you’ve been with,” he said. “I told you this. Whatever happened, I wishedyou’d—”
Theo’s throat burned. His eyes stung. His whole body felt like a raw nerve, waiting for someone to press down and sayoops.
“I said leave.”
Noah hesitated. Then nodded, slow. “Okay,” he said, soft enough it nearly didn’t register. “But I’ll be here, baby. Whenever you decide you wanna talk.”
He didn’t slam the door when he left.
Theo stood there, surrounded by the scent of Noah, and the sickening, familiar echo in his chest that saidyou did the right thingandyou fucked upin the same goddamn breath.
The door slammed shut behind him. Final. Hard. Noah slammed it again just to feel something.
It didn’t help.
He was stuck in this damn hotel room, keys in one hand, phone in the other, and his heart completely fucking shattered somewhere back in Theo’s apartment.
It was too quiet. The AC unit hummed steady in the wall, fake calm. Peaceful in that creepy, waiting-for-a-jumpscare kind of way. The light over the bed flickered like it was debating on dying, then didn’t.
His chest hurt. There was a goddamn piano wire wrapped around his ribs, yanking tighter every time he even thought about Theo. Which was constant.
He looked down at his hands. He was still holding his phone like an idiot. Still waiting for something—anything.
No messages. No read receipt. No sexy typing dots. Nothing.
He chucked the phone across the room without thinking. It hit the picture—shattered the glass—and slid onto the floor with athunk.
Not satisfying enough. Not even a little.
Noah shoved his fists into his temples and started pacing like an animal.
Okay, okay, think. Where did I fuck it up?
Had he looked toohappy? Was the breakfastone step too far? Everyone liked eggs, right? Theo had four cups of coffee, which meant he didthatright.
Fuck. He hadn’t even kissed him—he’dbarelytouched him. Just a little nudge of their ankles. A smile. That’s it.Theowas the one who clung onto him earlier.
And now Noah was here. Alone. In a fucking Hyatt Regency with white goddamn walls and a space in his chest where Theo used to be.
He stopped pacing, muscles twitching. He didn’t think—he moved. His fist slammed into the wall beside the TV with a loud, drycrack. Plaster crumbled around his knuckles. A hole bloomed there, jagged and ugly, and it feltgood.