"Rowan… let me go."
Y/N's back hit the wall this time. The sound echoed louder than it should have, sharp enough to make her flinch.
Rowan didn't touch her.
That was worse.
He stood too close—close enough that she could feel his breath, smell the familiar cologne that now made her stomach twist.
"Why are you shaking?" he asked quietly. "I haven't even done anything."
"Because you're not listening," Y/N whispered. "I said no."
His eyes darkened.
"You always say no like it's a challenge," Rowan replied, voice low, controlled. "Like you want to see how far I'll go."
"That's not fair," she said, panic rising. "I'm your girlfriend, not something you get to claim whenever you want."
His jaw tightened at that word.
Girlfriend.
"Exactly," he said. "Mine."
She tried to step sideways. He blocked her path without touching her, arm braced against the wall.
"You don't own me," Y/N said,
forcing strength into her voice.
Rowan smiled—but it was thin now.
Strained.
"I gave you safety," he said. "I stood between you and the world when you were breaking. Do you know what that costs a man?"
"I didn't ask you to save me," she snapped. "I asked you to love me."
His expression flickered—hurt, then something darker.
"This is love," he said. "You just don't recognize it because you're afraid of wanting me."
"That's not true," Y/N said, tears gathering. "I'm afraid of you right now."
Silence.
Heavy. Dangerous.
Rowan leaned closer, his voice dropping into something almost tender.
"Don't say that," he murmured.
"You're safe with me."
Her hands shook at her sides.
"Then move," she said. "If I'm safe, you'll move."
For a second, he looked like he might.
Then his hand slammed into the wall beside her head.
Y/N gasped.
"You don't get to pull away whenever it suits you," Rowan said, breathing uneven now. "You don't get to make me feel like I'm begging."
"I'm not your cure," she cried. "I'm not here to fix whatever's wrong with you."
His eyes burned
.
"You're the only thing that ever made it quiet," he said. "Do you know what it does to me when you say no?"
"That's not my responsibility," she whispered.
Something snapped behind his eyes.
"You're mine because you chose me," he said sharply. "You stayed."
"I stayed because I trusted you," Y/N said. "And you're breaking that."
That stopped him.
Not because he felt guilty—
But because he felt threatened.
"You're thinking of leaving," he said softly.
Y/N didn't answer.
He stepped back slowly, running a hand through his hair, a short laugh escaping him.
"You always look like that when you're scared," he said. "Like you're already halfway gone."
He opened the door and stepped aside.
"Go," he said calmly. "Take space.
Cool off."
Her heart pounded.
"And when you come back," he added quietly, eyes never leaving her face,
"don't pretend you don't want me.
That hurts more than your no."
Y/N rushed past him, hands trembling, one thought screaming in her mind—
Love shouldn't feel like a cage.
And somewhere deep inside her, a memory stirred.
A boy with bruised cheeks.
A voice that never demanded.
A safety that didn't suffocate.
And for the first time—
Y/N understood...