Noah stepped out of the cab and into the bustling airport, his phone pressed to his ear as he half-listened to the conversation on the other end. Liam was already waiting for him at the entrance to the terminal, looking effortlessly composed in his sharp business attire. His expression softened slightly as he spotted Noah, and the usual tension between them melted away in the quiet of the airport's hustle.

"Hey, you made it," Liam said, offering Noah a brief but warm smile. "Flight's not for another hour, but I figured we'd better get through security early."

Noah hung up the phone with a frustrated sigh, running a hand through his hair. "I swear, the people who think I'm free to chat all the time never know when to stop calling," he muttered under his breath. But when he glanced at Liam, he tried to mask his frustration with a smirk. "Well, at least you get to sit in the quiet of a terminal while I try to keep my life together for a few hours."

Liam chuckled lightly, his eyes scanning the terminal around them. "It'll be fine. Just breathe. You'll be in London soon enough."

Noah nodded, grateful for Liam's calming presence. They walked together to the check-in counter, chatting briefly about the logistics of the project in London, both of them slipping effortlessly into business mode as they went through the motions. After getting through security, they found a quiet spot by the gate and settled into their seats.

As Noah was about to check his phone for the umpteenth time, it buzzed in his pocket. He glanced at the screen, his stomach dropping slightly when he saw the name. Emma. He hesitated for just a moment before answering.

"Hey, Emma," Noah said, trying to sound casual.

"Noah," her voice was tight, laced with a concern he couldn't ignore. "Why didn't you tell me you were going to London? I went to your office to surprise you—with your favorite tea, no less—only to find your desk empty. When I asked one of your employees where you were, they casually mentioned you were already on a flight to London."

Noah froze, his thumb hovering over his phone screen. He'd been so caught up in work and the whirlwind of the trip that he'd completely forgotten to mention it. He let out a small, nervous laugh. "Ah, I forgot to mention it. It kind of slipped my mind with everything going on. You know how these trips are."

There was a long pause on the other end of the line. Emma wasn't angry, but her tone was still sharp when she spoke next. "You forgot? You didn't think to tell me?"

Noah winced. His first instinct was to lighten the mood with a joke, his usual way of deflecting uncomfortable situations. "Well, you know me. The international man of mystery and all that," he said with a playful chuckle.

There was a long silence on the other end. Noah braced himself for the explosion, but Emma's voice was more wounded than angry. " Noah, don't joke right now. This is becoming a pattern. You always pull away. You can't just keep throwing gifts or grand gestures at me when you forget the little things. You don't even bother to tell me the important stuff. I feel like I'm just a side note in your life—like I have to chase after you for any kind of attention."

Noah's heart sank. She wasn't yelling, but her words hit harder than any outburst. It was the truth, the one thing he had been avoiding. He wasn't good with emotions, with sharing his thoughts. And now Emma was calling him out on it, and rightfully so. But how could he make her understand that he didn't mean to distance himself? He liked her, and he thought he loved her. He just...didn't feel love for her as much as he thought he should love someone? He could not even explain it to himself, so how could he explain it to her?

He glanced up at Liam, looking far more composed than Noah felt. For a brief moment, Noah felt completely out of his depth, unsure of how to navigate the growing tension with Emma. So, he did the only thing he could think of—he mouthed to Liam for help, a helpless expression crossing his face.

Liam caught the gesture and immediately stepped in. He was calm, always calm, even in the face of uncomfortable moments like this. Noah handed him the phone, and Liam put it on speaker phone.

"Emma," Liam said, his voice smooth and professional, but with an edge of warmth that made it clear he wasn't just some stranger. "This is Liam. Noah's been caught up in the work, in the project, but that's no excuse."

"I'll...I'll try to do better," Noah added.

Emma's voice softened, but there was still an edge. "Noah, it's not just about you being busy. It's about you pushing me away when things get hard. You hide behind work or material things to cover up the fact that you don't let me in anymore. I don't want your gifts, Noah. I want you. I want you to be here, to be emotionally present with me."

Noah felt the heat rise to his cheeks. He had been doing exactly that—hiding behind distractions, behind work, behind any way he could avoid dealing with his feelings. And now Emma was right in front of him, asking for the one thing he wasn't sure he could give: vulnerability.

"Emma, he never meant for you to feel that way," Liam said. "I know Noah's been distant and doesn't always know how to handle things, but it's not about you. It's about him."

"I'm sorry," Noah added.

Emma was silent for a moment, and Noah could hear the weight of her disappointment in the pause. "You can't just ignore things and hope they go away, Noah. It doesn't work like that. You need to take responsibility for your actions. For once, stop deflecting, stop pretending everything's fine when it's not."

Noah swallowed hard, feeling the sting of her words. This wasn't something he could laugh off, wasn't something he could buy his way out of. He had to face it.

"I'm sorry, Em," Noah said, his voice tight with sincerity. "You deserve more than...this."

Emma's voice was soft but firm when she responded. "I need you to take responsibility, Noah. Not just apologize, but show me that you're going to change. That you're going to stop running from everything, from me, every time things get hard."

Noah closed his eyes for a moment, letting her words sink in. She was right. He couldn't keep hiding behind distractions, behind gestures meant to cover up the emotional gaps he'd left. "I will," he promised, his voice steady now. "I will show you. I'll do better."

There was a pause, and when Emma spoke again, her voice was softer, though still edged with caution. "I hope you do, Noah. I really do. Have a safe flight. And...just don't forget about us while you're there."

Noah's heart sank, but he nodded even though she couldn't see it. "I won't, Emma. I promise. I'll be better."

As the call ended, Noah sat back in his chair, the weight of the conversation pressing on him. He turned to Liam, who had been quietly observing the exchange. Liam didn't say anything at first, but after a moment, he gave a small, knowing nod.

"You're not the best at handling emotional stuff, are you?" Liam said, his tone neutral but understanding.

Noah chuckled weakly, shaking his head. "Yeah, I guess I'm not." Noah smiled faintly, feeling a rare moment of vulnerability. "Thanks, Liam. I don't know if we would've stayed together without you."

Liam shrugged, a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "It's no problem. You'll figure it out. Just... don't forget to tell people where you're going next time."

Noah laughed, the tension in his shoulders easing. "Yeah, yeah. I'll make a note of it."

As the conversation shifted back to the project, with both of them diving into the technical details of the upcoming meetings in London, Noah couldn't help but feel a strange sense of relief. Despite the rocky start to his evening, despite his failed attempts at managing his relationships, something about Liam's calm, steady presence made it all feel a little more manageable.

They sat in comfortable silence for a while, the buzz of the airport fading into the background as they prepared for the flight ahead. And for the first time in a long time, Noah realized that having someone like Liam by his side—someone who was unflinchingly reliable in the face of the messiness of life—might just be exactly what he needed.