Summer Love (An Emotional Small Town Romance) ~NOAH CENTINEO~

Chapter 6

"No matter what I do during the day, at morning and night I feel the same." 

-Noah Centineo, 5.17.20

"Hazel! I've been looking all over for you! How are you holding up?" He began as he stepped towards me.

"I'm fine I guess? I made a new friend and we spent the day at the beach..." I responded, slightly confused at his tone.

"Oh, so you haven't had a chance to check your social media? There's a picture of us from the fair that's been going around. Actually, it's trending everywhere..."

"Well I'm not much of a social media kind of girl. I try to stay low key. But Katy did show me some tweets this morning," I nervously tugged at my hair and looked down at my feet.

"I know how harsh people can be online, so I wanted to make sure you were okay. I'm sorry your photo got leaked. I didn't want to do this to you." He reached out and took my hands, and I looked up into his eyes with surprise.

"What? You mean...you're not embarrassed? I know your friends probably saw the photo..." I trailed off. He looked at me with surprise, and then endearment.

"You thought I would be embarrassed? Of you?" he said with a chuckle. "You're the most amazing girl I've ever met. You're so different from those other girls. Different in a good way. You don't care about social media or fame or any of the things the other girls would use me for. You see me for who I am and I could never be embarrassed by that."

My eyes widened as I took in everything he said. Noah Centineo likes me? Not like that, I'm not that dense. But as a person? Maybe.

"Wow that's really kind of you. Um, do you want to hang out tonight?" I asked nervously.

"Yes! I would love to!" He fished out a tattered journal from his satchel. "I've actually been meaning to work more on my poems. Do you want to have a writing session?" he asked hopefully.

"That sounds fun!" I exclaim. I make us some tea and we settle down on the back porch. We settle into a silence, the only sounds were the birds chirping and the scraping of our pencils on the paper. Usually, silence would make me uncomfortable. I would have found a way to avoid being alone with a person I didn't know that well. But with Noah, things were different. The sounds of his breath and occasional shuffling only made me feel more at home.

A few hours passed and we started to finish up our works.

Noah looked at me mischievously. "Soo you're gonna read yours first right? It's only fair since you've already heard one of mine"

My face reddened. I never share my poetry with anyone but Katy. But Noah's curious brown eyes with amber flecks were so enthralling I knew I could trust him.

"If you show me yours, I'll show you mine" he flirted.

I blushed even more.

Okay here it goes.... I cleared my throat and began.

                               I hear them echo through the halls.

             Whispers, escaping their lips and floating around me.

                     I shudder under the weight of their hurtful words.

                              They surround me, I am in darkness.

                  I will never be understood by these people.

                              I am an outsider, forever looking in.