38. Drowning The Noise.

Rose’s POV

I didn’t even realize how long I had been walking until the cool foreign breeze brushed against my cheeks.

This new city smelled different....less crowded, less familiar, less everything I had been used to.

Maybe that was why I chose it.

Maybe that was why the moment I drove past the tall sign that said Welcome , something inside me whispered, Start over here.

I didn’t know if starting over was even possible, not with how loud my thoughts still were… but I was trying.

Trying was all I had left.

My new apartment wasn’t far from the first set of shops I had seen while driving in earlier.

I didn’t even unpack everything....just dropped the bags on the couch, breathed in the scent of fresh paint, and stared at the wall because silence was already too much.

Too empty.

Too open.

Too easy for memories to crawl through.

That was when I saw the small paper flier on my counter....the one my new neighbor slipped under the door earlier.

A cozy bar with live music.

Friendly staff.

Good drinks.

And below that, bold letters:

Fable’s Bar ....Two blocks away.

Maybe that was what I needed.

Something casual and noisy enough to drown my brain a little.

Something that would distract me from seeing his face every time I blinked.

So I grabbed my small purse, tied my hair into a loose bun, and left the apartment.

---

Fable’s Bar sat at a corner, warm lights glowing against the cool night.

It wasn’t loud or crowded....just busy enough to feel alive.

When I stepped inside, the soft hum of conversation floated through the room like a warm blanket. A guitar played quietly from a speaker somewhere. Not sad music… but not too cheerful either.

Exactly what I could handle.

I found a seat at the bar.

The bartender, a middle-aged woman with curly red hair, looked up with a tired smile.

“You new here?” she asked gently.

I nodded. “Yeah. Just moved in today.”

“Well… welcome to Fable’s. What can I get for you, sweetheart?”

I didn’t even know. Alcohol didn’t fix anything....but it numbed for a moment, and a moment was enough right now.

“Something light,” I said. “But strong enough to feel.”

She chuckled a little. “Got just the thing.”

When she turned around to mix the drink, I exhaled slowly.

The seat felt too big.

The air too cold.

My body too tense.

I kept rubbing my palms together, telling myself to relax, that this was a new city and nobody here knew me.

Nobody here knew what I had gone through. Nobody here knew Adrian.

Except my brain refused to forget him.

The bartender placed a pale golden drink in front of me, with a tiny slice of lemon hanging on the rim.

“One sip at a time,” she said, walking away.

I stared at the drink for a moment before lifting it to my lips.

And just like that, memories burst open.

---

Flashback.... The time we mated.

Adrian’s fingers brushing chest.

His bold voice telling me to leave that night.

Me acting nervously because I didn’t know what was go on...I didn't want to believe he existed....men who looked like danger but felt like safety.

---

I blinked fast and took another sip.

No.

Not again.

Not here.

I tried focusing on the piano sound playing in the bar. It was soft, barely noticeable unless one listened deeply. But my heart wasn’t cooperating. I tried closing my eyes and imagining I was someone else, somewhere else.

But somehow, Adrian’s shadow found its way through the cracks.

I sighed and leaned my elbow on the counter.

“This was a bad idea,” I muttered to myself.

But I didn’t stand up.

Something told me if I went back home right now, I’d break down. The empty walls of the apartment would echo my thoughts too loudly. My heart felt swollen in my chest. I needed the bar, even if the bar didn’t need me.

I took another sip and let the bitterness roll across my tongue.

I didn’t like drinking. Never did. But this wasn’t about liking...it was about surviving the night.

I pulled my phone out, saw Adrian’s name still saved in my blocked list, and immediately locked the screen again. I’d promised myself I was moving on. And moving on meant going forward, not looking back.

I forced myself to take a deep breath.

“You’re okay,” I whispered.

“You’re getting your life back. You got a new job. You left the old one. You’re trying.”

But the more I listed those things, the more it felt like I was reciting someone else’s progress, not mine.

I took another half sip and dropped my head into my hand.

---

The drink warmed my chest a little, loosening the tight knot behind my ribs.

But the space around me suddenly felt… strange.

Quiet.

I didn’t even notice at first because I was too lost in my own head.

But gradually, I became aware of something else...the way some people were staring.

Two barmaids whispering while glancing at me.

A man at the corner narrowing his eyes like he was trying to place my face.

Another bartender giving me short, uneasy looks.

It wasn’t the normal kind of staring.

It wasn’t admiration or curiosity.

It felt like… annoyance.

I frowned.

What did I do?

I wasn’t loud.

I wasn’t disturbing anyone.

I was literally just drinking in peace.

I shifted uncomfortably and tried to ignore them.

But the stares didn’t stop.

One of the waitresses walked past me with a tray, and when she thought I couldn’t hear, she muttered under her breath,

“Not again…”

Not again?

What did that mean?

I tried brushing it off, but irritation clawed up my spine. I wasn’t doing anything wrong. I came to drink quietly, to mind my business, to clear my mind.

Why were they acting like I brought thunder into the room?

Another man whispered something to the bartender and nodded in my direction.

The bartender didn’t look at me, but I saw the shift in her expression....tight, uncomfortable, almost apologetic.

That was it.

I wasn’t going to sit here and let strangers make me feel unwelcome when all I was doing was trying to breathe.

I took the last gulp of my drink...not gracefully, not slowly, just to be done...and stood up from my stool.

As I grabbed my purse and walked toward the exit, I could feel their eyes following me.

Every step made my annoyance grow.

I didn’t need this.

Not today.

Not after everything.

The cold night air hit me as soon as I pushed the door open.

I stepped outside and shut it firmly behind me, breathing hard.

“What is wrong with these people…” I muttered, shaking my head.

I didn’t even want another drink. I just wanted space. Air. Something to drown out the replay of memories in my head....Adrian freezing time, Adrian saying he didn’t love me, Adrian pushing me away. Every version of him lately was cruel in a different way.

But leaving the bar brought those memories right back up again.

I walked slowly down the sidewalk, the pavement tapping lightly under my shoes. It wasn’t late-late, but the street felt quieter than expected. A breeze swept my hair across my face, so I pushed it back irritably.

My chest ached in that familiar way....the way that always came when I remembered too much.

I told myself I left him behind.

I told myself I was moving to a new city to start over.

I told myself I was strong enough.

But the truth?

The truth was sitting in my throat like a heavy stone.

You don’t erase someone like Adrian.

Not in a week.

Not in a month.

Not even in a new city.

I hated that he still had this effect on me.

When I reached the end of the block, I stopped near a streetlamp and leaned against the cold pole, closing my eyes.

“I’m fine,” I whispered again.

“I’m fine. I’m fine. I’m… trying.”

But the more I repeated it, the more my voice trembled, and the more the night air stung my eyes.

I didn’t cry though.

I refused to.

Crying felt like giving the past more power.

I straightened up, inhaled sharply, and wiped my face.

Fine or not, I wasn’t going back to the bar.

And I wasn’t going back to the past.

So I kept walking toward my apartment, forcing my steps to be steady even though my heart wasn’t.

Tonight wasn’t about forgetting him.

It was about surviving him.

And I was still here.

Still standing.

Still moving.

Even if it hurt.