Chapter15 By the time a month of classes had passed , Lydia Rivers was finally breathing easier . One Saturday night , her roommates dragged her out to Harborlight Bar , a cozy pub near campus . The lighting singer strummed soft chords , and the whole place hummed with a mellow ease . was warm , an acoustic Lydia ordered a Virgin Mocktail and had barely settled into her seat when a familiar profile caught her eye behind the bar . Noah Sterling . He wore a black shirt with the sleeves rolled to his forearms , moving with practiced ease as he shook and poured . In the glow of the bar lights , his sharp features looked even more striking . She raised her hand , ready to wave - when a sharp voice broke through the music . " Hey ! What the hell kind of drink is this ? " A drunken man slammed his glass against the counter , pointing an accusing finger at Noah . " You trying to rip me off ? " He lurched forward , hand out to shove Noah's shoulder . Lydia didn't think she just moved . She caught the man's wrist , twisted sharply , and forced him back two stumbling steps . " Sir , you can talk it out , " she said , planting herself between him and Noah . Her voice was even , but there was steel beneath it . " Putting hands on someone isn't the way . " Humiliated , the man's face reddened . He swung a sloppy punch at her . Lydia slipped aside , hooked her foot behind his ankle , and with a deft tug sent him crashing into a chair . In one clean motion she pinned his arm against the wooden backrest . མི་ རྒྱ་ མ་ དེ་ ཕ་ མས་ པ་ ས Two years of taekwondo in high school , plenty to handle one belligerent drunk . " One more stunt and I'm calling the cops . " She pulled out her phone and let him see the screen . His glare darted from her steady eyes to the crowd of onlookers . The fight drained out of him . Muttering curses , he shoved away from the chair and staggered out . Lydia exhaled , turned to reassure Noah - only for him to stride over and seize her wrist . His brows knit hard . " You're bleeding . " She glanced down . A shallow cut marked her skin , where the man's cuff button had caught her . Blood welled in tiny beads . " It's nothing , " she said lightly , trying to pull her hand back . " Just a scratch- ' Her words broke off as Noah vanished behind the bar . " } He returned moments later with iodine swabs and Band - Aids . Guiding her to a seat , he crouched on one knee and dabbed carefully at the cut , each touch feather - light , as if afraid to hurt her . " Don't be so reckless again , " he murmured , lashes shadowing his eyes . " If you got seriously hurt ... what then ? " The tips of his ears had gone pink again , his fingers warm against her skin . Something shifted inside Lydia's chest . She softened , her voice quiet . " I couldn ' just stand by while someone pushed you around . " Noah froze for a second . Then he bent back to the task , sealing the bandage a little too quickly , pulling his hand away as though her skin had burned him . From that night , something between them changed . Chapter15 68.18 % Three evenings a week , Lydia brought her homework to the Copper Kettle Diner , waiting until Noah's shift ended so they could walk back together . When group projects tangled her up , they camped in the library , shoulders bent toward the same laptop screen until Noah's steady explanations untied every knot . Some mornings , when she overslept and skipped breakfast , a Club Sandwich would turn up in her backpack . She didn't need to ask who put it there . One afternoon , while organizing group research materials , Lydia accidentally knocked Noah's notebook to the floor . She bent to scoop it up - and froze when the inside cover slipped open . A remittance slip was taped neatly to the first page . The recipient . St. Gabriel's Home , a children's charity back in the States . The sum was far from small . At the bottom , in tidy handwriting , was the sender's name . Noah Sterling . Chapter15