Phoebe

I wake up with a jolt covered in sweat. My body hurts, and I know I have to pick up my sisters soon from the airport. I carefully turn to the side, grabbing my phone and looking at the clock. It is only three in the morning, and my sisters won't arrive until seven. I sigh, placing my phone next to me looking around the room lit up by the machine he has me hooked up to.

I notice Noah asleep in the uncomfortable chair next to the bed; he has his arms wrapped around himself almost like to warm himself. I painfully sat up, feeling my ribs wrapped up in a bandage as well as my ankle. I look at the machine, finding the volume button. I lower it until I can't hear anything and quietly take off the cords. The ones on my chest are practically glued on, so I leave them on me. I get off the bed and pull the blanket with me. I gasp at the pain in my ankle, gently limping over to Noah. I am trying hard not to wake him as I cover him up. I practically tiptoe out of my room, into the kitchen and open up the fridge.

I grab the orange juice, feeling an ache from my ribs. I try reaching for the cabinet doors, but my ankle says otherwise. I am on my tiptoes just wanting a glass of orange juice. I look around, stopping at the dining room chairs. I limp over, grabbing a chair and slowly pushing it across the floor. Please, don't scratch up the wood... I push the chair up against the sink and slowly get on top of it, trying not to cause any pain in my ankle. I am on the chair, with my knee on the counter, I grab a glass closing the cabinets when I hear heavy footsteps walking into the kitchen.

"Phoebe Elizabeth! What are you doing?" Noah yells at me, making me freeze in place. I look at him, confused as to why he is yelling at me. I go to step off, but he quickly runs up to me, grabbing onto my bare hips. "Don't you dare!" Noah's deep voice is making me feel a certain way as he helps me to the floor. I don't like being yelled at it makes my eyes water.

I quickly make my way around him, not looking at him. I put the glass on the counter, pouring myself a glass of orange juice. My hands are shaking slightly, making me stop what I am doing. Phoebe, control yourself... I hear Noah moving the chair back to its rightful place, and walking up behind me. I grab my glass, getting away from him. If I look at him, I will cry-

I limp back into my room, grab my pills and take them. I don't know when the last time I took them, but all I know is I am in pain, and I want the pain to stop. My sisters will be here in four hours, and I need to get Noah's apartment ready for them. I finish off my drink and wait for the drugs to kick in. After sitting on the bed for over ten minutes, thinking about the phone call from Jay, the drugs are in full effect. It feels so good not to be in pain- I stand up, grab my phone and start Spotify. I put my headphones on and start my only playlist.

I take out some of my clothes, from the closet and the drawers making some room for my sisters. I place them onto the bed and make my way into the living room. Noah is sitting on the couch, and I know I need to talk to him, but I can't.

"Phoebe?" I hear Noah ask, looking at me. I hire the volume, ignoring him and walking back into my room. I already know what he is going to say and I don't know how to deal with this? I've never lived with a man like Noah. Phoebe, go out there and tell him what you need to do-

I open the door, and Noah's bare chest greets me. Why is he shirtless? I catch myself looking him up and down, but Noah quickly grabs onto my chin, making me look into his dark brown eyes. Those beautiful brown orbs stare into me as the song "Hungry Eyes" from the movie Dirty Dancing plays in my headphones. I quickly pull them out of my ears, pushing him off of me.

"Don't touch me," I whisper, walking back into my room. Noah follows me as I unplug the headphones and put my phone back on the charger. It is five in the morning, and I still have a lot to do-

"What did you just say?" Noah stands close behind me, grabbing my wrist. Not forcefully, but enough to make me turn around.

"I said, don't touch me." I try to pry his hand off my wrist, but his grip gets tighter. Noah is making me look stupid for trying to fight against his touch.

"What did I do, Phoebe?" Noah asks, pulling me close to him. I need his hands off of me- I am trying my hardest to pry his hand off of my wrist, getting angry. I start punching his chest, but nothing is working. I go to slap him in the face, but he grabs both of my arms and pulls me into his bare chest.

"Let. Me. Go!" I yell, fighting against him. Noah doesn't say anything, except hold onto me. "Let me go you- son of a bitch!" I yelled through gritted teeth, starting to kick him in the legs. Nothing is working- he is like a damn wall. I am completely defenceless, so I stop fighting, just wanting him to let me go.

"Are you done?" Noah's monotoned voice angers me more, but I nod my head. I look down at the floor, waiting for him to let me go. When he does, I go to slap him, but he quickly grabs my wrist again. "I can do this all day, Pheobe." Noah brings my face to him, looking me straight in the eyes.

"I'm done," I say through gritted teeth, unsure at why I am still angry. Is it because Noah yelled at me? Or is it something deeper? He let go of my wrist, grabbed my clothes on the bed and takes them into his room. I stand there, with my arms crossed over my chest, breathing funny. Noah comes back into the room, looking at me. I grab my side and sit down on the chair. I look down at my ankle, and it's throbbing.

"Are you-"

"Don't." I stop him, not wanting him to take care of me. I'm sick and tired of being a damn patient... The way Noah looks at me, the same way he is looking at me now. Like I am fragile and weak. Noah gives me a look about to say something, but instead, he grabs the rest of my clothes and takes them into his room. I grab my pills and other things I don't want the girls to find and limp into Noah's room. I watch as Noah places my clothes into his drawers.

"What side do you usually sleep on?" I whisper, not looking at him.

"Left," Noah says, closing the drawers. I nod my head, realizing I slept on the left last night. I hold onto my side and making my way to the right side of the bed. Some people like to sleep on certain sides of the bed, unlike me though. I can sleep on any side of the bed. I sit down, placing my pills on the side table. "What time do you have to be at the airport?" Noah asks, standing at the edge of the bed. I can't help but think of how gorgeous he looks shirtless and how he might look completely naked.

"Um- seven-thirty," I reply, shaking my head at the dirty thoughts. "I still have to clean the kitchen and make sure we have enough food." I stand up, not putting any pressure on my right leg, but Noah steps in front of me. "Noah-"

"Phoebe, sit down." Noah towers over me as always, making me feel intimidated. I shake my head, not confident at all. I know he is angry at me as much as I am mad at him. "Gosh- why are you so stubborn?" He says through gritted teeth, clenching his fist as if he is trying to control himself. I see his arms move up, and my reflex is to fall to the floor.

When I don't feel anything, I hesitate to look up. Noah is still towering over me as I sit on the floor in a small ball. He is looking down at me with pure confusion; I quickly apologise unsure of why I did that. Noah would never hurt me-

"Why do I keep doing that?" I whisper, feeling the tears fall onto my face. I shake my head, forcing myself off the floor. Noah goes to touch me again, but I hold my hands up, making him take a step back. "I- I don't- I'm sorry," I say, repeating it a few times. Noah doesn't say or do anything. He holds his palms up in front of his chest, just like he was doing at the Hospital.

"I'm not going to hurt you," Noah says, reminding me of the Hospital, again. "It's okay, just relax." Noah inches closer, making my anxiety worse. I am afraid he is going to tackle me- I wipe the leftover tears, looking around the room quickly. I see two escape routes out of this situation... One of them is to jump over the bed and to the door. But Noah is fast and could tackle me on the bed. The other one is quicker, but risker, he could grab me and hold me against the wall.

Or I could stand here, and let him hold me. Either way, he will end up having to hold me and treat me like his patient.

"I know you won't hurt me." I whisper, "I just, I can't stop from flinching." I shake my head, changing the subject. "What time is it?" I ask, needing to focus on something else besides my anxiety. Noah quickly glances at his watch then focuses his attention back on me.

"Six-fifteen," Noah says making me nod my head, "You aren't gonna let me leave until we discuss this, huh?" I question, and Noah nods his head, so I continue, "And you're willing to tackle me?" I ask, and Noah nods his head again. "Okay." I hold my hands up, slowly backing up and sitting down on his bed.

Noah looks at me strangely, expecting me to fight him, he hesitantly walks over to me and sits down. I look into his eyes for a second, and I can tell he is on edge, ready to pounce at any second. And I know Noah will win every time...

"Tell me what's wrong, Phoeb's. Tell me what I did- I want to fix whatever it is." Noah says, making my heartache. I am not used to men saying that. I haven't even heard my Dad say that to my Mom. I look at Noah confused, unsure why he is so determined to help me and fix things.

"I-" I stammer, my eyebrows knit together, "I have been pretty anxious lately, especially with my sisters coming and the whole Jay thing. I- I just. I'm anxious and upset." I honestly say, and Noah doesn't interrupt me, keeping his eyes on mine. "I am angry at you because you yelled at me and treated me like your damn patient... You always treat me like your patient." Noah goes to say something, but I stop him, "I know- I am your patient, and that I keep fucking up my body! But I want to pick up my sisters, and forget about everything I am dealing with right now."

"I understand- and I'm sorry for yelling at you." Noah's hand reaches up to my face slowly, making sure I don't flinch and puts his hand on my cheek. "Can I be honest with you for a second?" Noah asks, and I nod my head. "You are my patient," I don't know why, but my heart hurts at that statement, "But you mean more than that." I look at him confused, he moves his hand from my face, shaking his head, "I just, gosh this is embarrassing. I just haven't been with a woman in over ten years. So this is all new to me."

"I guess we both have things to learn," I whisper, looking down at his hands in mine. His thumbs are making slow circles on the top of my hand. "I'm sorry about trying to slap you." I look into his beautiful brown eyes.

"I'm sorry, I will do better." Noah smiles at me, making me grin. "Let's go pick up your sisters." I give him a questioning look, "I am not letting you go alone, especially not after that phone call from that motherfucker." He stands up, helping me to my feet.

I nod my head, always feeling safer with Noah. This is going to be interesting... I watch as he pulls a grey t-shirt over himself, his toned back muscles making me bite my bottom lip. He puts on a brown coat and turns around. I am feeling a bit bolder, so I don't hide the fact that his body affects me. Noah leaves, coming back and wrapping my ankle in an ace bandage. Once he is finished, he stands up and looks around the room, unsure of what to do.

"I will wait out here," Noah says, and I shake my head. I want him to see me, really look at me. I am completely sober, and I know exactly what I am doing. I walk to the dresser and pull out a pair of jeans and a white button-up shirt. I strip out of my clothes and change into fresh clothes. I turn around, and Noah's eyes are dark and filled with lust.

"Let's go," I say, turning around, grabbing my phone and walking outside of his room. I grab my jacket off the hook by the door and slowly put it on. My ribs are irritated by the fact I had to put on a new shirt and had to bend over to pull my jeans on. I swear I looked like an idiot, but Noah didn't say a word.

I turn around, seeing Noah putting on a pair of boots. I go to bend down to pick up mine, but he stops me by bending down and grabbing my leg. He helps me into my shoes and tied them, leaving my right shoe loose enough for the bandage to fit. As he stands up, his large hands glide up my legs making me shiver. His eyes meet mine, and all I can think about is how I want to feel his hands on my naked body...

"Let's go," Noah repeats what I told him earlier, and he grabs my keys. "I will drive." He smiles, and I nod my head following him outside of the apartment.

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• If you liked this chapter, please consider giving it a vote and answering the questions below. •

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Hello, my lovely readers! I am back home from my eight-day cruise, which was so needed. I was able to relax and get out of my writer's block. Lots of ideas have been flowing through me, and don't worry; I wrote them all down. I hope you enjoyed this exciting and long chapter.

Questions:

1. Why do you think Noah hasn't been with a woman in over ten years?

2. Where do you think this confidence came from?

3. What do you think Phoebe's sisters will think of Noah?

Thanks!

- Anna