The two men shook hands, polite smiles masking the current beneath.
Ren's hand slid lightly around Noelle's waist, pressing her subtly to his side as he turned to meet Ethan's gaze. The contact was possessive but quiet, an unspoken claim that anchored her in place.
"Nice to meet you," Ren said evenly.
"Likewise," Ethan replied, then glanced back at Noelle. "Hard to believe we're bumping into each other like this again."
Mei Ling's laugh came a beat too fast. "Total coincidence, right? Anyway, we were just heading for coffee downstairs… join us!"
Noelle's heart gave a small, confused stutter. Again? As they began walking together, her thoughts spun. Ethan's easy greeting, the way Mei Ling had jumped in so quickly…
Ren's body remained close, his hand still resting at her waist, a quiet but firm reminder of his presence. Even as he smiled politely and followed the conversation, the subtle pressure of his hand reassured that she was with him.
Noelle shot her best friend a questioning look. Mei Ling avoided her gaze, focusing on adjusting her bag strap instead.
She knew. Noelle realised. She knew and she didn't tell me.
Beside her, Ren walked quietly, his calm expression giving nothing awa. However, when their eyes met for a second, she caught a flicker of curiosity, maybe even a trace of protectiveness.
The four of them found a small table by the window of a café on the mall's ground floor. Afternoon light slanted through the glass, catching on the steam rising from their cups.
Mei Ling kept the chatter flowing, her tone just a little too bright: talking about new holiday projects, travel plans, anything to fill the silence. Noelle smiled and nodded where she could but Ren could tell she was quieter than usual. Her fingers traced the rim of her cup, eyes not quite meeting Ren's.
Ethan, on the other hand, seemed determined to lead the conversation.
"So, Ren," he began casually, leaning back in his chair, "how did you and Noelle know each other?"
Ren calmly answered. "From school."
"Must be nice, spending all that time together," Ethan continued. "Does she still goes to Universal Bookstore? She used to talk about that place a lot."
Ren gave a small, polite smile. "No, not really. School keeps us busy."
Ethan chuckled. "Busy's good. You must know her pretty well by now."
That earned him a quick glance from Noelle, her posture stiffening slightly. Mei Ling jumped in with a forced laugh. "Ethan, you're interrogating the poor guy."
"What? I'm just making conversation," he said lightly, though the way his eyes lingered on Ren made it clear it was more than that.
Ren stirred his coffee once before meeting Ethan's gaze. "I suppose you could say I know her as well as she lets me," he replied evenly.
The silence that followed was subtle but sharp. Even Mei Ling faltered for a second before recovering with another burst of cheerful talk about a recent movie.
Noelle offered her friend a grateful smile, but Ren didn't miss the faint tension in her jaw...or the way she seemed to sit closer to him after that.
When the coffee cups were nearly empty, Ren glanced at his watch. "We should get going," he said gently. "Didn't you need to pick up that purchase from earlier, Noelle?"
She blinked, then caught on immediately. "Right—yeah, I almost forgot."
They stood, exchanging polite goodbyes. Ethan offered a friendly nod; Mei Ling gave Noelle a small, unreadable look.
As they walked away, Noelle exhaled softly, shoulders relaxing. "Thanks," she murmured.
Ren looked over, faintly amused. "For rescuing you, or for not answering all his questions?"
A quiet laugh escaped her. "Both."
He smiled. "Thought so."
They walked in silence after leaving the café, the echo of their footsteps blending with the low hum of weekend chatter. Noelle kept her eyes forward, grateful just to be out of that booth and away from Ethan's too-familiar smile.
But she could feel Ren's quiet beside her and it wasn't peaceful, just heavy.
Finally, he spoke.
"So," he said, voice deceptively calm, "you and Ethan seem to know each other."
Noelle hesitated. "We've met before, yeah."
"Met," Ren repeated, like he was tasting the word. "He seemed pretty comfortable for someone you've just met."
She turned to look at him. "Ren…"
"Was that before or after he started dating Mei Ling?"
The question came sharper than she expected, his tone no longer even.
"Before," she said quickly. "It was a long time ago. He asked me out a couple of times but I said no. That's it."
Ren stopped walking. The noise of the crowd dimmed around them.
"He asked you out," he repeated flatly.
"Yes," she said carefully. "But like I said, I turned him down. It didn't mean anything."
He gave a short, humourless laugh, looking away for a second. "Funny how he conveniently forgot to mention that. Or how Mei Ling forgot to tell you she's dating him now."
"Ren—"
"No, I'm just trying to understand," he cut in, his tone low but edged. "You said no to him, he ends up with your best friend and now he's sitting there acting like you've got some shared secret. You don't find that odd?"
Her heart thudded uneasily. "Of course I do. But you're reading too much into it."
He turned back to her, jaw tense. "I'm not reading into anything. I saw the way he looked at you."
Noelle blinked, caught off guard by the sharpness in his eyes. "Ren…"
"He was testing me," Ren said, voice low and sharp. "Every question, every smile... it wasn't curiosity. He wanted to know if you've already been with me. If I've been inside you. If I'm just another guy screwing you for a night."
The possessive tone in his voice made her pulse stutter.
"Why are you angry?" she asked softly.
His answer came out before he could filter it. "Because I don't like the idea of some guy looking at you like that."
That silenced her.
Ren ran a hand through his hair, exhaling hard. "I'm sorry. That came out wrong."
"No," she said quietly, watching him. "It didn't."
Her words made him turn back, surprise flashing across his face. Before he could say anything else, before he could argue or apologise again, she stepped forward, closing the distance between them.
"I'm—" he started but the rest of his protest vanished the instant her lips met his.
It wasn't a careful kiss. It was sudden, bold, full of everything she hadn't said. About the frustration, the reassurance, the fierce affection that had been building between them. His breath caught, the world narrowing to the warmth of her mouth and the stunned, electric stillness between them.
For a heartbeat, he didn't move. Then instinct overrode everything else. All his anger, his confusion dissolved as he kissed her back, his hand finding her waist almost without thought. The sound of conversation around them dimmed, replaced by the thundering of his own pulse.
When she finally drew back, the faintest smile curved her lips. "Now," she said softly, "do you believe me?"
Ren blinked, still trying to remember how to breathe. The sharp edge in his expression had vanished, replaced by something unguarded and dazed. "You can't just—" He stopped, then gave a breathless laugh. "You can't just do that in public."
She tilted her head, eyes bright. "You were overthinking. I needed a faster way to get through to you."