[BL] Dear Hushand, I want divorce-Chapter 126: Later, therapist

Noah tugged Ryder’s arm hard, his pulse quickening with nerves as he dragged him away. "Let’s go. You’re making a scene."

Ryder’s eyes flared with anger, his muscles tensing as he watched Damon walk away with a smug look. "I’m making a scene? You heard what that bastard said to you!" Ryder’s voice rose, his irritation palpable. "He insulted you to your face, and you’re telling me I’m the problem?"

Noah was tense, but his voice remained calm, though there was a deep frustration simmering under the surface. "Ryder, you’re not helping the situation either."

"Not helping?" Ryder scoffed, yanking his arm free from Noah’s grip. "You blow up on me for every little thing, but when some asshole calls you—" he stopped, his jaw clenching, "—when he says that garbage, you don’t say a damn word!"

Noah’s shoulders slumped slightly, and he looked away, his gaze dropping to the ground. The mood between them thickened with tension as Ryder waited, his chest still heaving with anger. But Noah remained silent.

Ryder huffed. "What, no defence? You’re just gonna let him say that shit about you and do nothing?"

Noah’s lips pressed into a thin line. He didn’t want to talk about this. He didn’t want to dig up old wounds, especially not with Ryder. But as the silence stretched, Noah finally sighed. He turned his face slightly, avoiding Ryder’s sharp gaze.

"That guy..." Noah started quietly, his voice barely above a whisper, "he’s my senior."

Ryder blinked, thrown off by the unexpected response. "Senior?"

Noah nodded, his face tightening. "We were...friends. There were three of them. Damon and two others. We were close. Real close." His voice cracked slightly at the memory, but he forced himself to continue. "I thought I could trust them."

Ryder’s brow furrowed as he listened, the aggression draining from his face as Noah spoke.

"One night, I...thought I could tell them. About me. About being gay." Noah swallowed hard, his voice growing thicker with emotion. "I thought they were my friends. Thought they’d get it. But they didn’t. They...they reacted like I was disgusting. They ended the friendship, just like that. And then they didn’t stop there."

Noah’s fists clenched as he continued. "They spread rumours. Told everyone I’d sleep with anyone who’d ask. That I was a whore."

Ryder’s jaw tightened, the anger simmering just below the surface again, but this time it was different. This time, it wasn’t for himself—it was for Noah.

"I was bullied," Noah continued, his voice sharp with a mixture of pain and bitterness. "Every day. For weeks. People looked at me like I had some disease. And the people who I thought cared? They were the ones who did it." Noah’s lips curled bitterly as he glanced up at Ryder. "So don’t talk to me about standing up for myself. You have no idea."

Ryder stood there, staring at Noah, his usual arrogance and playfulness nowhere to be seen. He hadn’t expected this—hadn’t expected the weight of Noah’s past to crash down between them like this.

Noah shifted uncomfortably under Ryder’s gaze, feeling exposed in a way he hated. He glanced up and caught the look in Ryder’s eyes—a look of...pity.

Noah’s face twisted with frustration, and he rolled his eyes, trying to brush it off. "Don’t give me that look. I didn’t tell you this for sympathy."

"I’m not pitying you," Ryder said, his voice unusually soft. He stepped closer, his eyes serious. "But why didn’t you tell me before?"

Noah’s body stiffened, and he snapped his head toward Ryder, his eyes flashing with anger. "What do you mean, why didn’t I tell you? What good would it have done? It’s in the past."

Ryder tilted his head, studying Noah for a moment. "You told me you weren’t gay."

"Because I’m not," Noah shot back, his voice harsher than he intended. "I’m not...not anymore."

Ryder raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Not anymore?"

Noah’s hands balled into fists at his sides as he spat out his next words, anger bubbling beneath the surface. "Yeah. It was a phase, okay? A stupid, messed-up phase. Nothing good ever came from it. All it did was ruin my life." His chest heaved as he looked Ryder in the eyes. "I’ve moved on."

The rawness of Noah’s words hit Ryder like a punch to the gut. He could see the trauma, the pain, the defensiveness, all wrapped up in that aggressive declaration. It wasn’t that Noah had moved on—it was that he’d buried it so deep that he refused to confront it.

Ryder, for once, didn’t have a snarky comeback. He just stood there, watching Noah try to hold it all together. There was no teasing glint in his eyes, no smug smile playing on his lips. Just silence.

Noah, too, seemed taken aback by his own outburst. He exhaled, his shoulders slumping slightly as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Look, just drop it, okay? It’s not something I like to talk about."

But still Ryder’s jaw tightened when Noah dismissed his past as a mere phase, the words hitting a nerve. "A phase? You really think this is just some passing thing?"

Noah stood firm, crossing his arms, unwilling to back down. "Yeah. For me, it was."

Ryder’s anger steamed just beneath the surface, but instead of snapping back with his usual sarcasm, he did something Noah didn’t expect. He sighed, running a hand through his hair as his expression darkened.

"You know," Ryder began, his voice unusually steady, "I don’t see my parents anymore. Haven’t spoken to them in years."

Noah raised an eyebrow, caught off guard by the sudden shift. "Why are we even talking about this? I don’t—"

But Ryder cut him off, his gaze piercing. "Because I get it." He paused, his voice softening just slightly, the anger giving way to something deeper. "When I came out to my parents, I thought they’d be supportive. I thought...they’d understand."

Noah blinked, feeling an odd tension in the air. He didn’t know why Ryder was sharing this with him—of all people—but for some reason, he found himself listening.

"They didn’t, though," Ryder continued, his voice low but steady. "Instead, they took me to the doctors. To shamans. To whoever they thought could ’cure’ me. As if there was something wrong with me that needed fixing." His lips curled into a bitter smile. "My dad would beat the shit out of me, thinking he could knock it out of me. And my mom? She’d just watch."

Noah stared at Ryder, stunned into silence. He couldn’t picture Ryder—the smug, confident, arrogant Ryder—being in that situation. It felt surreal.

Ryder gave a small, humourless laugh. "They tried everything. But here I am. Still into guys." His eyes met Noah’s, sharp yet filled with something that bordered on vulnerability. "It’s not a phase, Noah. Being gay isn’t a sin. It’s not a crime. And it sure as hell isn’t a disease. You don’t ’get over it.’ You just...love who you love. And that’s it."

Noah was stunned, not just by Ryder’s story but by the fact that Ryder was even capable of saying something so raw, so personal. For a moment, they just stared at each other, the silence speaking volumes.

Noah’s heart raced a little faster than usual as he searched Ryder’s eyes. For once, there was no smugness, no arrogance—just honesty.

Noah felt a laugh bubble up in his chest, surprising even himself. His cheeks flushed slightly as he chuckled, breaking the intense atmosphere. "You really think we can be friends just because you’re getting all...deep on me?"

Ryder blinked, the serious moment abruptly shattered. His lips twitched into a grin. "I’m not trying to make friends. I’m just saying—"

"Yeah, yeah," Noah waved him off, rolling his eyes. "You have some tragic backstory, and now we’re supposed to bond or something. I’m not falling for it."

Ryder raised an eyebrow, leaning in with that signature smirk returning to his face. "Oh, really? ’Cause it looked like you were starting to fall for something, alright."

Noah’s smile widened as he glanced at Ryder. "Don’t get ahead of yourself, asshole. You might’ve gotten me to listen, but I’m still not sticking around for more of your deep talks."

Ryder chuckled, clearly amused. "You’re so full of shit."

"Fuck off!"

"Wow, I’m deeply hurt. Come give me a hug! A close hug where I could feel your body in my arms."

With a playful grin, Noah turned to leave, walking away as if the conversation had never happened. But before he was fully out of sight, he raised his hand and flipped Ryder off without looking back. "Later, therapist."

Ryder’s laugh echoed through the aisle as he called after him, "You’re welcome for the free session!"

Noah didn’t look back, but a small smile played on his lips. Maybe Ryder wasn’t as terrible as he thought—at least not all the time.

But there was no way in hell he was going to admit that.