Let Yourself Fall

twenty

Noelle

"Noelle, you're breaking my hand," Damien says as he walks beside me, looking as dashing as always in his blue jeans and white shirt. Hair messy and face flawless – what a sight.

"Oops!" I say and let go of his hand. "Hey now. I didn't say let go of it completely." He grabs it again and laces our fingers together. I wish I had my hair up in a ponytail, rather than leaving it down in a messy mane of curls. Well, it's too late for that now. I take a few calming breaths and nod. Okay, I can do this. "Let's get this over with," I say, and Damien knocks on the door. "Oh, please don't sound so excited." He chuckles. After a few seconds, a tall blonde man with mischievous glimmering green eyes and a crooked smile opens the door. "There you are. We were wondering if you'd even show up." He grabs Damien on his shoulder and shakes his hand. "Hey man, how much did you pay her..." – he winks at me – "to accompany your sorry ass?" Damien glares at him. "Funny. Chuck, this is Noelle. My girlfriend." "Kidding, just kidding, man. Relax." And faster than I can blink, Chuck reaches out for me and lifts me up to his chest, my legs dangling in the air. "Ow!" I manage to say before he chuckles and whispers in my ear. "We're really glad he has you. We were starting to get worried." I immediately feel myself starting to relax. "Thank you," I say breathlessly. Maybe this party won't be so horrible after all. "Hands off!" Damien growls, and his friend lets go of me.

"I was just saying hello to my new best friend. No need to get your panties in a twist. Come on in then. Everyone's waiting for you guys."

Chuck leads us through the house, and if the two of them wouldn't walk so fast right to the glass door, which I assume is the exit to the garden... I'd want to stay in here for a while and look at everything. It's beautiful. You can tell whoever lives here has a lot of money, but... it's not showoffey-decadent. It's homey and just really, really lovely. Chuck lets the glass door slide open, and we all step out onto the porch.

I gasp. That's definitely not what I had expected, and I immediately feel guilty for having such prejudices. This isn't a fancy, stuck-up, snobby, uptight rich people party. It's a barbecue. Everyone's casually dressed – both men and women. Some men have a beer in one hand and a burger in the other, while others sit around a big wooden table playing what seems like poker. It's nice. It looks fun. I think... I think I may even be able to like it here. "It's not that bad, is it?" Damien whispers in my ear after kissing my cheek. "No, it's not." I laugh breathlessly. "Come." He grabs my arm and drags me down the stairs. "Let me introduce you to everyone." And that's what he does. Literally, to everyone. Every time he introduces me as his girlfriend, a proud smile plays around his lips, and everyone is less surprised than I thought they would be. Apparently, he has talked a lot about me.

"It's so nice to finally meet you, Noelle. We've heard so much about you," says Chuck's pregnant fiancée, a lovely petite brunette named Milli. "It's really nice to meet you too." I smile shyly. Damien and Chuck have gone to get our burgers, and now I have to talk to her alone. I haven't embarrassed myself yet. So far, so good. "You know he really loves you. It warms my heart to see this." "I... um," I say awkwardly, and she laughs. "Sorry, I'm a little too direct. I've known him my whole life. Chuck, Damien, and I have been friends since we were 3. He's like my brother, and it's just nice to see him happy." Before I can say something, our men join us again. "Yeah man, we thought you made her up so we'd stop bugging you about finally getting serious." Chuck chimes in while holding Milli tightly to his side. "Stop being such an ass, Chuck." Milli scolds him, and it's official: I like her. I chuckle lightly and take a sip of my apple juice while Damien mutters something incoherently. Yes, I'm definitely going to like it here. "He knows I'm joking, sweetheart." He kisses her temple. I sigh as I watch the scenario in front of me. I can't believe I was so afraid of not fitting in, and now here I am sitting around with Damien's friends, and I feel like... I'm a part of this. They've accepted me, they've been nothing but nice, they include me in their conversations, and I've never felt more comfortable around so many people. It's always been Finn and me. Yes, I have a few people I occasionally hang out with, go for a coffee, shopping, etc.