Is this destiny?

Chloe's mind was spinning. Did Noah kind of say that he likes her? What was in that sauce that covered the steak to make her hallucinate these things? Or was it in the water? She stared at her hand that was resting against Noah's chest, her fingers interlaced with his, and it all appeared unreal.

But regardless if this was real or drug-induced, her response would be the same. "I don't have a weekend to give."

Noah looked at Chloe with concern obvious on his face. Why did she say that like there is an expiration date set on her life? "What do you mean?"

"You were in my apartment earlier. The seniors from the Long family know where I am, and they will not let me go.", Chloe reminded him. "Thank you for dinner, and for everything you've done for me so far. I need to pack so that I can leave before they return."

Noah's hold on her hand tightened, indicating that they are not done, and he had no intention to let her go. What did she mean by packing and leaving? Her words were final, and he got restless.

"Where will you go?"

"I don't know yet. Relatives are out of the question and they know all my friends so that is also not safe. I need some time to figure it out, or…" Chloe lowered her head and didn't say more.

"Or?" Noah urged her to continue talking and the thundering feeling in his chest told him that he will not like what she was about to say next, but he had to hear it.

"Or I can accept my fate and return to the family."

"You mean… to marry that man?", Noah spoke with difficulty.

Chloe smiled sadly. "It's not a big deal. Many people have arranged marriages and it works out. Who knows? Maybe he is a good man, and I will be happy."

Noah was upset. How can she say that it's not a big deal? "You don't look happy."

"I just need some time to adjust. I will be fine."

Noah's heart cracked. She used the 'fine' word again, and that means it will not be fine.

His anxiety was mixing with anger. Why is Chloe giving up? The readings from Eve-lens told him many times that Chloe is attracted to him, why is she ignoring her own feelings?

He wanted to tell her that she can't return to her family, because in that case HE won't be fine, and there was a good chance that he won't be able to forget about her, even if she is happily married to some other man.

"What if you won't be fine? What if you can't forget about me?"

Chloe's eyes widened at Noah's words. Did he just insinuate that she is in love with him? How bold! Sure, she is attracted. Noah is a handsome man; many women would be attracted to him. But, love? That is a totally different thing.

"I still didn't decide if I will go back to my family.", Chloe said. "I might leave Los Angeles and go far away, but I need to think about it. I came here believing that it will work out and it didn't, so I need to figure out what to do before I make my move. Doing things without planning will get me to make mistakes and they will find me again."

"Give me a weekend, Chloe.", Noah persisted.

Chloe was not willing. How she saw it, with them spending a weekend together, there are chances that they end up quarreling, or they remain in this strange limbo of almost-friendship that is laced with attraction, or maybe they realize that they could be a good couple.

Chloe was not sure if Noah will develop feelings for her, but she was aware that the more time she spends with him, the difficulty of staying away was increasing as her mind was entertaining the possibilities that shouldn't happen. Regardless if she returns to the Long family or leaves Los Angeles to hide, her attachment to Noah will only make her suffer. It's better to stay away.

"Why? What are you trying to accomplish?", Chloe asked.

Noah remembered Aiden's words about following his curiosity and understanding his feelings toward Sarah, and Noah knew that Aiden's advice was right because if Noah and Chloe stop here, he will dwell on the questions like, what if she was the one? What if he never feels like this again? And he was in agony at the thought that he will not see her again… or that she might belong to some other man.

"I don't know.", Noah admitted. "But I know that if we don't do this, both of us will regret it."

Chloe shook her head in disapproval. It's not that she didn't want to spend time with Noah, but she had more pressing matters to think about. "I will regret more if they catch me and drag me back home forcefully. I need to leave and find a safe place to think, and I can't stay for another few days. Now they know where I am and that I'm rebelling. They will not delay in coming after me."

Noah wanted to help Chloe, but in order to do so, he needed to understand her situation. However, Chloe was shutting him out, unwilling to share her burden and he knew that he needed to get her trust first. But… how he can get her trust if she wants to leave?

Noah was quick to come up with a solution. "For this weekend, don't go back to your apartment. I will take you somewhere safe. Like that, your seniors won't find you and they won't be able to stir any trouble. At the same time, you will get time to think about your next move without rushing into anything. If after the weekend you still want to leave, I will arrange security to escort you while you pack your belongings and they will ensure that you can get out of Los Angeles safely."

"Noah…", Chloe called.

"What?"

"Can you let go of my hand? It's numb."

"Oh…", a sound escaped Noah's lips. He was excited and anxious and didn't realize that he was still holding Chloe's hand against his chest and squeezing it to the point of obstructing her blood flow. "Sorry…"

Chloe was happy to flex her hand, even though she liked when Noah held her.

Noah looked at Chloe expectantly. "So? What do you say about my idea? Will that work for you?"

Chloe thought about his proposal. She was not interested in the weekend-company game Noah was asking for, but she liked the idea of a safe place where she can stay and think about her next steps. That was exactly what she needed. However, she wanted to clarify a few things first.

"What kind of a safe place are you talking about? I don't want to end up stuck in some basement."

Noah smiled, realizing that she is considering his proposal. "Don't worry, it's not underground." He paused and looked at her purse. "It will be for the best if you power off your phone. If your family is set to find you, it's fairly easy to get someone to track you through the GPS."

Without objecting, Chloe turned off her phone. She wondered if that was how her seniors found her, earlier that evening.

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