"I belong to no one," she whispered, though her eyes betrayed the battle she fought within herself.
Her defiance cracked when he slid against her in one deliberate motion, a jolt of pleasure stealing the strength from her body. A whimper slipped out before she could stop it and her hands clenched around his. Ren holding his gaze at her as he drove himself into her over and over again and arched his eyebrow as if to ask her.
He was inches away, his tone low and threaded with challenge. "Say it," he murmured, his thumb tracing the edge of her jaw. "Tell me you're mine."
Noelle's breath caught, but her eyes stayed clear, steady. "You'll have to do better than that," she whispered.
Ren's lips curved into a faint, knowing smile. He leaned in, not to conquer but to coax. His kiss brushed the corner of her mouth, light as a secret. "Better?" he breathed.
"Ren…!" she gasped, her composure crumbling as he picked up his pace. Her resolve wavered and he saw it. His smile deepened.
Her voice breaking into breathless confession. "I'm yours. You hear me? I've always been yours."
The words hit him like a match to kindling. His grip on her tightened, his forehead pressed to hers as he kissed her with a passion that was almost feral, a release of every held-back fear and frustration. Their bodies moved in sync, no space left between them, every clash of lips and brush of skin sealing the truth she'd finally given him.
"Noelle," he groaned against her mouth, pouring every ounce of devotion, of victory, of relief into her. "Mine."
"Yes," she gasped, the word ripped from her in a rush of heat and surrender. "Yours."
And then there were no more taunts, no more resistance as passion and desire took over, leaving only the two of them burning through the last of their doubts until nothing remained but the certainty of what they were to each other.
The storm of passion ebbed slowly, leaving them tangled together, breaths ragged, hearts still racing. Ren's forehead rested lightly against Noelle's and her hands traced absent patterns over his back, grounding herself in the warmth and reality of him.
After a long moment, she reached for her phone, fingers trembling slightly. She typed a quick message to Mei Ling, hesitating over the screen: "Why is everyone thinking that I've gone to the movies with Daniel?" She hit send, then set the phone aside, letting herself sink fully into the quiet after the storm.
Ren shifted slightly, wrapping an arm around her shoulders, pressing her closer. "You don't have to explain to anyone," he murmured, his voice still husky. "Especially not now."
Noelle tilted her head up, meeting his gaze. "I know… I just need to find out what's going on."
Noelle leaned back against the headboard, Ren's arm draped across her shoulders, his hand brushing lazily against hers. The quiet after the storm of the morning felt heavy and intimate, the kind of space where honesty could finally creep in.
"I… I guess we should talk," Noelle began, her voice hesitant. "About… us. About what this means."
Ren turned his head, brushing a soft kiss across her temple. "Yeah," he murmured. "I've been thinking about it too. I don't want to assume anything. I like you, Noelle. A lot. But I don't want us to be upset about each other because we don't know how the other person thinks."
Noelle's fingers twined with his. "I like you too," she said quietly. "But… I've never really… been in a relationship before. I don't know what's normal or how much is too much."
Ren chuckled softly, shaking his head. "You don't have to know anything. We can figure it out together." His thumb brushed across the back of her hand, slow, deliberate. "We'll set our own rules."
She looked up at him, eyes wide. "But… I don't want to feel like I overstepped. But I don't want to think you're only here because I happened to be around."
Ren's hand lifted to cup her cheek, thumbs brushing lightly across her skin. "Noelle… I'm here because I like you. You are my choice. Ask me anything you want to know."
Her cheeks flushed and she bit her lip, hesitating. "Even… even when I get scared to ask or when I overthink everything?"
"Especially then," he whispered. "I want to be the person you can trust to stay, even when you're scared. Even when things get messy."
Noelle smiled, shy but reassured. "I guess… that means we can start slow? Learn each other's habits… our routines… little things?"
"Slow is fine," Ren said, grinning, eyes twinkling with mischief. "Don't think I will be declaring over the school PA system that you are my girlfriend."
She laughed, rolling her eyes. "Then how would Daniel know that I'm taken?"
"I've taken you more than once now. I can do it again if you need any reminder." Ren's eyes twinkled. "But seriously, the guys in my team knew that we are going out. Short of branding my name on you, I don't know what I need to do."
Noelle whispered, "Would you tell me about your day too? The good, the bad and the ugly? Can I ask you about your likes and dislikes, your family and so on?
He leaned closer, pressing his forehead against hers. "You'll tell me. I'll listen. And we adjust. Together."
They fell into a comfortable silence, Noelle tracing patterns along the muscles of his arm, Ren keeping his thumb rubbing circles over her hand.
Finally, she whispered, "I like this… us… figuring it out."
Ren smiled softly, the tension in his chest easing. "Me too. And you don't have to worry about anyone else. I'm yours, Noelle. Just… promise me you'll tell me if you're uncomfortable or unsure. I don't want to make you feel trapped."
She nodded, a smile tugging at her lips. "I promise."
"And I'll do the same," he said, sealing it with a gentle kiss on her forehead.
Noelle shifted slightly in Ren's arms, as she inhaled his scent. "Hey…" she began cautiously, her voice soft. "About… Sunday morning."
Ren's brow furrowed just a little. "Hmm?"
"When you… got that call and left," she said, biting her lip, "I was kind of… left on my own. I mean, I know it was probably important but I just… I don't know, it felt sudden."
Ren sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Yeah… sorry about that. I didn't mean to make you feel left out. It was last-minute to settle a family thing. I didn't want to bother you with it or drag you into something you wouldn't enjoy."
Noelle nodded, letting her fingers linger against his arm. "I see… I just wondered. I guess I wasn't sure if it was something huge or critical but you just bolted."
Ren smiled softly, tilting his head to brush a kiss against her temple. "It's complicated," he murmured. "Honestly, I just… I wanted to resolve the matter quickly but hasn't anticipated that it would take all day. I should've told you. I didn't mean to make you worry."
Noelle felt her chest tighten at his words. Regardless of what he said about having no secrets, he's not divulging any details and Noelle doesn't want to press on. "I get it," she whispered, leaning closer. "I just… it made me realise that even when we're together, we're still figuring this out. Our routines, our timing… everything's new."
Ren's fingers intertwined with hers, giving her hand a gentle squeeze. "We are. And that's okay. We'll figure it out together. I promise, I'll try harder to keep you in the loop. I don't want any misunderstandings between us."
Noelle smiled, a small sigh escaping her lips. "I know… I just needed to say it. You will tell me if something is bothering you, right? I want to be there to share the difficult times too, you know."
Ren leaned down, pressing his forehead against hers. "I get it. And thank you for telling me. Now… how about we forget about calls, Sunday worries and just focus on us for a while?"
She chuckled softly, nodding. "Yeah… I'd like that."