?? ?????

when they reached her front door, amara hesitated for a second before glancing at noni. "do you want to come in?"

he raised a brow, his smirk returning. "you sure?"

she rolled her eyes. "just come on."

noni followed her inside, keeping his steps light to avoid making noise. the house was still, and amara quietly led him up the stairs to her room. once inside, she hung up her coat and kicked off her shoes, setting them neatly to the side.

noni, meanwhile, wandered over to her vanity, eyeing the collection of lip glosses and random knick-knacks scattered across it. "your setup's impressive," he remarked, lowering himself into the chair.

"you're so easily entertained," she replied, lying back on her bed and watching as he began spinning himself in the chair like a bored kid.

"you're not wrong," he said, chuckling as he gave the chair another push with his foot, spinning himself halfway around before stopping to face her. "but i've gotta admit, this chair's kind of fun."

"you're ridiculous," amara said, shaking her head, but there was a smile on her lips as she propped herself up on her elbows to look at him.

"just making myself at home," noni teased, leaning back and giving the chair one final spin before it stilled. he turned to face her fully, his expression softening as their eyes met.

amara tilted her head, watching noni with a faint smirk. "so, how are your hoes?"

he blinked, caught off guard, before raising a brow. "what hoes?"

"oh, you know," she said nonchalantly, twirling a loose strand of hair around her finger. "the blonde chick you're always entertaining."

noni let out a small sigh, leaning forward in the chair. "she's... more of a distraction, honestly."

amara raised her brows, "a distraction?"

he nodded, rubbing the back of his neck. "yeah. nothing serious, though."

she studied him, "and what about me? you wanna use me for a distraction too, don't you?"

noni's head shot up, his eyes locking on hers. "what? no. it's not like that with you."

"then what is it?" she challenged.

noni hesitated, leaning back in the chair, his fingers drumming lightly on the armrest.

"because," she continued, her voice quieter but no less piercing, "it feels so weird. like, you finally got the girl you wanted, but then you came back to me. for what? To play some sort of game or something?"

"but that's the point, amara," he cut in, his voice rising slightly before softening. "i got the girl. i got madison. and it still wasn't enough. i still wasn't... fulfilled."

"what are you saying, noni?"

he met her gaze,he hesitated, running a hand down his face like he was trying to gather his thoughts.

"i'm not sure," he admitted, his voice low, almost pained. "but just... give me another chance. i'll change for you. i swear, i'll do whatever it takes because i cannot keep going on like this. you drive me crazy, amara."

he leaned forward, elbows on his knees, "you're in my head all the time. i'll be at training, and i'll mess up because i'm thinking about you. i'll be out with my boys, and i can't even focus on what they're saying because all i can see is your face. and don't even get me started on when i try to sleep—it's like my brain doesn't know how to shut you off."

her breath hitched, and she opened her mouth to respond, but he wasn't done.

"and yeah, maybe i've messed up. i know i have. i made a stupid choice, thinking i could play games to get back at levi, but it wasn't worth it. it wasn't worth risking whatever this is between us. you make me feel things no one else does. i've never had this with anyone else, amara. not even close."

he ran a hand through his hair, "just... please. give me another chance. let me prove to you that i can be better. for you. i'll do whatever it takes."

amara got up from her bed, stretching dramatically before walking over to her wardrobe. "hmmmm," she hummed, dragging it out as she hung a jacket on the rack. "i don't knowww."

her tone was playful, but she didn't look at him, keeping her focus on rearranging a few hangers.

noni leaned back in the vanity chair, watching her ,

"you're enjoying this way too much."

she smirked but didn't respond, brushing past him as she returned to her bed, her arm grazing his shoulder.

"amara," he warned, but she ignored him, sitting on the edge of the bed with a teasing grin.

when she stood up again, pretending to look for something on her desk, he'd had enough. his hands found her waist, pulling her toward him. he guided her to sit on his lap, his grip firm but gentle. their faces were inches apart, "please, amara," he said, his voice quieter now, almost a whisper.

her breath hitched as his hands rested on her waist

amara's gaze softened as she let out a small sigh, one of her hands slowly came up to cup his cheek, her thumb brushing against the curve of his jaw in a gentle motion.

"noni," she began, her voice quieter now. "i genuinely don't know."

her touch was light, almost hesitant,

"i don't know what to think, what to feel. everything with you is... confusing." she kept her hand there, her thumb tracing faint circles on his skin.

noni leaned forward, his lips meeting hers in a kiss that was slow at first, before deepening with an urgency they both couldn't suppress.

amara's hands quickly found their way to his shirt, her fingers curled, gripping the fabric, pulling him closer and deeper towards her, as if she couldn't get enough of him.

his hands slid around her waist, holding her tightly, the feel of her against him was grounding

——————————————————-

a note from nes:

last update of the year!!

happy new year!!!

marc guiu book next?