Such a Fun Age

Ethereal

We got back home at 10. I was about to go back inside when Noah pulled into the McLaren's driveway with his fancy McLaren.

"You seem much happier compared to in class this morning." He said, getting out of his car.
"Well I did have an amazing evening today so why wouldn't I be much happier." I said.

He studied me for a moment.
"Goodnight Chloe."

"Goodnight Noah." I said, I was about to walk into my house but I decided to be a bit more disciplined.

I gave Noah a hug. He was a bit taken a back but accepted it and embraced me as well.
"Thank you." I said looking him in the eyes.
"Your welcome." He said pulling me in.

I stopped back, feeling embarrassed at our closeness.

"The weather is really nice tonight." Noah said looking around at the starry sky, lit up by the October full moon.

"Yeah it is.... I want to take you somewhere." I said.

"Really where?" He asked.

"C'mon" I grabbed my skateboard and my penny board which I never rode and gave it to Noah. I rode to the ocean and Noah followed after me, struggling to ride the penny board.

I got to the fence and waited for Noah to get there.

He finally caught up and I laughed at his faint expression.

"You know we can't go past the fence right?" He said.
I nodded and climbed up the wires. "Fuck the rules." I said and motioned for him to follow after me. He hesitated but followed behind me.

"This is very dangerous." He said once we were past the fence. The ocean was crashing against the short cliff and small sprays of water were hitting us ever so often.

"I know, that assured me that it's my place and only my place." I sat down on the rocks.
"Then why would you bring me here." He said, sitting down beside me.
"Because I felt like it."
"Did you ever bring anyone else here?" He asked.
I shook my head.

We stayed quiet for a while. It wasn't an awkward quiet but an intimate one. I had just shared a secret of mine with Noah which just increased our connection. We shared something that I didn't share with anyone else, this place.

"Its... weirdly calm here." Noah said.

"It is. I come here every time I feel not-so-great. The waves help me a lot and the quiet ... if you don't know where I am, I'm probably here and if you need me so badly, I wouldn't mind you coming here to find me" I said.

"Got it. Note taken." He said, smiling.

"Thank you." I said and looked over at him with my glossy eyes.

He looked at me too and scrunched his nose, looking confused.

"Thank you for taking the time out to make me feel better even though I wasn't the nicest person to you."

"Well I got something out of it too, right? We were never as close as we are right now, we aren't that close still just saying when did we see each other face-to-face? Not until you saw into my cracks and I saw into yours. Before that, we were just looking at ideas of each other, like looking at your window shade but never seeing inside. But once the vessel cracks, the light can get in and I've learned that you are very special Chloe Rae. You really are."

"I thought you changed Noah, but you really didn't. You're the same Noah from the days in the playground behind the church. The same Noah who saved me from bullies and held my hand when I was scared to go down the big slide. It is easy to forget how full the world is of people, full to bursting, and each of them imaginable and consistently misimagined." I said.

He trails his fingers across my cheek and cups it, like it's the most fragile thing ever, like I'm Ethereal.
"It was me trying to look like a bad ass. " He said and we both started laughing so hard.
I stopped and grabbed his face and pulled it in. I look into his eyes for a sliver of a second before closing my eyes and pressing my lips against his. His lips are so soft.

He pulls away instantly and I realize what just happened. I quickly stand up.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't even ask-" I am at a lost of words at my sudden actions.

"Chloe." he pulls me back down and I fall halfway in his lap and I'm in his arms, and we're kissing, at first quickly—to make up for lost time—and then slowly, because we have all the time in the world. And his lips are soft and honey sweet, and the careful, passionate way he moves them against my own says that he savors the way I taste, too.  His hands held my face and kissed me again and again.

An explosion of thoughts made me pull away. The cloud of debris consisted of remembering: that he was my best friend's brother, that I shouldn't be kissing him, couldn't be kissing him—

"Noah... I'm sorry. You're Naya's brother. This can't work." I said, standing up.

He stood up too and grabbed my hand.
"Chloe, I like you. I always have. That night of the party... it wasn't a mistake." He said.
"I'm sorry but it was." I said and pulled my arm away. I deliberately climbed over the fence and ran back home with tears flooding my eyes.