Chapter 5 Em #2
“I-I-I had to get out of the apartment. I-I’m gonna get a cab.
Uber. Something,” I said, my voice finally breaking into a sob.
“I d-didn’t mean to interrupt anything. I’m s-sorry.
” I hung up, my eyes squeezing shut as tears came.
This was mortifying. I didn’t want the entire crew to know how na?ve I was, how foolish.
My phone buzzed, Noah’s name popping up. “Noah, it’s—”
“I’m coming to get you right now.”
“No, it’s okay, R-really.”
“Emily, stay the fuck where you are and share your address with me. I’m in my car now, so stay on the phone with me.”
“What about Miles?”
“He’s passed out and has four people who are actually more helpful in an emergency than I am. Address. Now.”
I tucked myself further into a nook in the alley and sent him my location with shaking fingers. Sassy whined and shook her fur, getting my already soaked clothes even more wet. “Wait, Noah. I can’t!”
“You can’t what?”
“I have my dog!”
“Okay?”
“She’s wet. We’ll ruin your car.”
“Emily, I don’t give a shit about my car. You’re outside in a terrible storm. Destroy my car for all I care.”
My teeth chattered as the rain came down even harder. I thought about my room, my stuff. I’d just moved in there too. And of course, Noah was here, coming to help. At least he already thought of me as a hot mess.
“Hey, are you okay?” he asked, his voice softer.
“Fine, yeah.” I swallowed and wrapped my arms around myself, ensuring Sassy’s leash was safe in my hands. “Just rattled. It happened so fast.”
“I’ve heard that can happen. Hey, almost there, alright?”
I didn’t respond, but he stayed on the phone, breathing with me until a black SUV pulled up, headlights cutting through the rain.
Noah jumped out of the driver’s seat before I could even wave. He wore sweats and a Rampage hoodie, hair damp from the rain, jaw set. The storm had soaked him through, but he didn’t seem to care. His eyes swept over me once, and they narrowed.
“Jesus, Em,” he said, voice low and sharp.
“I didn’t plan the flood, Abbott,” I said, words shaky but automatic.
He didn’t smile. He took the trash bags off my shoulder like they weighed nothing and tossed them into the back seat. His hoodie clung to his shoulders, rain running off in streams. “This all of it?”
“Yeah. Mostly.” My voice cracked on the word. “My machine’s done for. Half my sketches too. I grabbed what I could.”
He paused. The streetlight hit his face, the rain tracing lines down his cheek, and for a second he didn’t look like the Rampage’s starting lineman.
He looked like my friend—the guy who once helped me move dorm furniture up four flights of stairs and made it seem easy.
The guy who held me when I cried about my ex in college.
“Get in the car,” he said quietly.
“Wait, why? What are you doing?”
“Em,” he said, steady but soft. That tone always disarmed me. “Get in. I’ll run up to your place to grab what I can. What unit?”
I told him and moved into the front seat, letting Sassy sit in the back.
The blast of heat hit me like a shock. Sassy jumped into my lap, shaking off water and immediately fogging the windows.
The car smelled faintly like coffee and leather.
Noah’s phone was still open on the console, GPS blinking from my location.
Rain hammered the roof while I sat there, shaking. My fingers itched to go after him, but before I could decide, the driver’s door opened, and Noah slid back inside. He dropped another duffel at my feet—my pillow, two pairs of shoes, and one of my design boards wrapped carefully in a towel.
He was breathing hard, hoodie plastered to his chest. “That’s everything that wasn’t floating.”
I swallowed hard. “You didn’t have to do that.”
“Yeah,” he said quietly. “I did.” He started the car, wipers working overtime. “You’re not staying in a hotel tonight.”
“I can crash somewhere else, Noah.”
“I have an extra room. Too much space.”
“Noah, you don’t have to—”
“Em.” He glanced at me then, his eyes were wide, almost frantic. They were darker than normal, wide and filled with worry. “You just lost your place and half your stuff. Let me help.”
My chest tightened. God, I’d leaned on him so much back then. It would be okay to do it one more time. “Just for tonight.”
“Whatever you need.”
I stared out the window while we drove, trying not to cry again.
The city blurred in streaks of yellow and red, wipers beating steady.
My jeans clung to my legs, cold against my skin.
My mind wouldn’t stop looping through everything—my machine, my designs, the water pushing through my apartment destroying it all.
Noah didn’t talk. He didn’t need to. The quiet felt heavy but not uncomfortable. Like he knew I needed silence more than comfort right now.
When we pulled into the underground garage of his building, he killed the engine and looked over at me. “You okay?”
I nodded, my throat not quite working.
He sighed, his usual grin nowhere in sight. “Let’s get you upstairs.”
The elevator was warm, and the faint smell of detergent hit as soon as the doors opened into his floor. His condo was bigger than I expected—clean but lived-in. A throw blanket lay on the couch, a few toy trucks near the wall.
I hesitated in the doorway, soaked and awkward, clutching Sassy’s leash. “Are you sure about this?”
“Positive,” he said, kicking off his wet shoes. He motioned toward the hallway. “Bathroom’s straight down there. Towels are in the closet. I’ll grab you some dry clothes. Please, go warm up. You’re shaking.”
I looked up at him, my throat tight as so many emotions steamrolled over each other. “I don’t know how to say thank you. For coming to get me. Letting me and Sassy stay here.”
“You don’t have to.” His voice dropped again, quiet but certain. “You’ve had a hell of a night. You don’t owe me anything.”
He turned before I could respond and walked into the kitchen. I heard the click of the fridge, the sound of water running. I stood there for a moment, dripping onto his hardwood floors, the weight of everything catching up. I wanted to cry and throw up, but my mind went numb. I’d lost everything.
My dad’s words echoed in my mind. You’re not ready to live alone in the city.
He was right.
When I finally moved, Sassy followed me down the hall, tail wagging tentatively.
The bathroom light was soft, the tile cool under my feet.
I showered for warmth, then changed into dry clothes and wrapped my hair in a towel, staring at my reflection in the mirror.
My face was blotchy, my eyes swollen. But under the exhaustion, there was relief.
When I came back out, the condo was quiet except for low voices in the living room.
Ivy was sitting on the edge of the armchair, and Sloane and Oliver were on the couch beside Noah.
They all glanced up at once when I appeared in the hallway wearing his oversized sweatshirt and socks that didn’t match.
Sassy trotted ahead of me, tail wagging once before curling up at my feet. “Oh my god, she’s so cute. Sassy is her name?”
I nodded, and Ivy bent down, making kissing sounds until Sassy strutted up to her. “Oh who’s a good girl? You’re a good girl!”
I smiled. People always turned to mush around my girl, Sass.
Ivy kissed Sassy’s head before leveling her gaze at me. “You scared the shit out of us. I’m so glad we were here so Noah could come get you.”
“I’m okay,” I said, even though my throat tightened around the words.
Sloane shook her head, her expression gentle but firm. “Okay is relative. You’ve had a rough night. Sit for a minute.”
I did. The cushions sank around me as Noah brought me a mug. “What’s this?”
“Lavender tea, caffeine-free of course.” He smiled, but it was the half-one. The one I knew wasn’t real.
I sipped my favorite tea, curious why he had this type. I carried the tea bags around like candy in college, since my throat got dry so often. I loved late night tea and talking, and knowing Noah had some lying around warmed a small chip in my heart. “T-thank you, Noah.”
He frowned but gave me a curt nod.
Ivy continued petting Sassy as she stared at me. “You’ll be safe here for the time being. We’ll check on your apartment in the morning. Insurance, building management—whatever you need, we’ll help however we can.”
The kindness in her voice caused tears to well up.
I blinked fast, focusing on the cup in my hands.
I didn’t know Ivy that well or Sloane or Oliver, yet they were being so kind right now.
My siblings and I were all close, but we were all over the place, and life got in the way often.
Seeing this kindness from people I hardly knew almost set the tears off.
Noah’s hand brushed my knee, just a light squeeze like he had done so many times before, before I could respond. “You should rest,” he said softly. “I’ll kick them out.”
Sloane glanced between us and seemed to read the unspoken thing hanging in the air. She stood, nudging Oliver with her elbow. “We’ll go. Text us if you need anything. Either one of you. Ivy gave me your number, Em, since you’re part of the team. I’ll text you so you have mine.”
Ivy squeezed my shoulder once more and whispered, “You’re family now, okay?” before following them out into the hall. The comment stuck with me, warming my heart because my family was just too damn complicated.
The door clicked shut, leaving just me, Noah, and the sound of the rain easing against the windows. And the way he stared at me, my nerves suddenly doubled in size.