The plane's engine roared softly in Mira's ears, but her mind was far louder.
She was going back.
Not for good. Not yet. But she needed to see Noah. She needed to know if the storm inside her would calm once she saw his eyes, once she heard him say her name in that steady, grounding way.
David hadn't said goodbye.
When she'd left her uncle's house that morning, his car was gone. No note. No lingering stare. Just absence.
And maybe that was his answer.
As the city skyline of Lagos came into view beneath the clouds, Mira clutched her seat's armrest. Home. This chaotic, noisy, beating place. It had shaped her, pushed her, and punished her. Now it might heal her.
Her phone buzzed with a message.
Noah: "I'll be at the arrival gate. Take your time. I'm not going anywhere."
She hadn't told him the exact time she was flying in.
She smiled.
When the wheels touched down, a quiet breath left her chest. She collected her bag, heart thudding, pulse racing.
And then she saw him.
Noah stood alone, his hands in his pockets, his eyes searching. The moment they locked with hers, he moved—quick, deliberate, urgent.
They met halfway.
He didn't ask any questions.
He didn't demand explanations.
He opened his arms, and she walked into them.
"I don't know what this is," she whispered into his shoulder. "I'm still confused."
"I don't need you perfect," he said. "I just need you here."
Tears burned behind her eyelids.
They left the airport, not saying much. There was a strange peace between them, like two people sitting quietly in the eye of the storm.
Later that night, in his apartment, Mira sat on the balcony, sipping tea while the city hummed below.
Noah joined her with a blanket and wrapped it around her shoulders.
"I saw him," she said, not looking at him.
"I figured," he replied calmly.
"He apologized."
"Did he ask for you back?"
She nodded slowly.
"And?"
"I didn't say yes. But I didn't say no either."
Noah took a slow breath, then reached for her hand. "I won't fight for a place in your heart, Mira. But I'll be here until you choose."
Tears fell silently.
Because he wasn't just home.
He was everything she never thought she'd find again.