The sun casted it's warm vibrant rays all across my face, as I lay on a blanket sprawled out beneath me. It was peaceful here, far enough away from the hustle and bustle of the growing city that the only reminder it's there is from the light roaring of cars every once in a while. It was a heavy contrast from what I have come accustomed to in the last few years. I can hear the birds singing faintly from somewhere in the distance, the wind whistling slightly as it picks up its pace. The aroma of autumn lingers in the air as the trees have begun shedding their leaves. It's a relief to be able to have this much needed time to myself. The last week has been nothing shy of chaotic and I needed this moment to bring myself back to reality.
"Roni! There you are" Noah's voice pulls me out of my trance as I hear his heavy footsteps descend down the porch steps as he come towards me.
"Yes?" My tone is inquisitive as I bring myself up onto my elbows, and remove my sunglasses from my eyes.
"Oh nothing really. I'm just bored" he admits with a small shrug as he lowers himself to sit beside me on the polka dot blanket I'm perched on.
"Any plans for the day?" I ask in hope to spark up some kind of conversation. Since we went to the fair yesterday things have been good between us, which was a relief. It was almost unbearable to have to live in the thick fog of awkwardness that we managed to create. It was hard enough figuring out how to handle not only having him back in my life after so much time and trauma, but the newly ignited feelings I have towards Noah make it much more difficult to do so.
I was just happy to have my friend back, regardless of any one sided emotions that were involved. I was willing to suppress those, for the sake of just having him back in my life.
"Well Nick wanted to do some band shit, but honestly I just want to hang out with you. You have to hang out with Nana all day, and no offense to her, but she can get a little stale" he admits as he begins to fidget with a piece of grass, twirling it between his thumb and index finger.
"Oh so you only want to hang out with me out of pity" I inquire jokingly.
"Well when you put it that way, it sounds bad" his admittance comes with a slight chuckle as he drops his attention from the ground and back to me. A smile pulling at his lips as he gazes at me with his beautiful mocha eyes.
"You can go if you want or need to." I tell him with a small sigh. Last thing I want is for Noah to feel guilty for leaving me to be alone. It's not his obligation to keep me company when no one else can, or to fill my boredom.
"Why don't you come with me? It's pretty nice out so maybe we can have a little cookout thing" he suggests with an enthusiastic tone, his eyes widening with eagerness.
I contemplate the idea momentarily, not sure if I'm up for much company today. Although the boys and I got on well at Orie's the other night, we were all drunk. Being sober with the group might be completely different. Folio and I have become great friends, but I can't be glued to his hip all evening. The idea alone makes my heart race unpleasantly, the palms of hands getting moist with nerves. I want to say no, but the moment I look up and watch the excitement that paints Noah's face I can't stop my heart from swelling.
"Sure. Let's do it" I finally give in, causing him to cheer out in victory. He stands on his feet quickly and does a little jig of glee.
"We can leave in like 15? If that works for you?" He suggests after his moment.
"Yeah that's plenty of time" I stand as I speak, picking up the blanket and folding it neatly into fours.
Once I get to my room it doesn't take me long to get myself together. Im not bothered to throw on anything besides an oversized band tee and some spandex shorts. I give myself a quick glance over in the mirror on my wall, seeing myself fall into view. I can't help but feel slightly exposed in my outfit of choice. Not that it's provocative in any way, but the cool air hitting my skin causes the worst kind of goosebumps to arise on my flesh. I manage to push the vomit inducing feeling to the side, before finishing myself off with a pair of socks and sneakers.
Thankfully the bruise on my face is almost completely diminished, so I don't bother to cover it with anything other than a dab of heavy concealer and I'm ready to go.
I make my way downstairs and into the small living room that's connected to the kitchen. Upon entering I'm met with Missy, her eyes glued to an unfinished puzzle that lays scattered on her coffee table. She's completely fixed on it, so much so she doesn't hear me when I enter the room.
"Hey, whatcha working on?" I try not to startle her with my abrupt entrance. Watching her head snap up in surprise, her eyes wide from being completely enthralled for who knows how long.
"Oh hunny hi! " she finally speaks up after a moment "I just started this yesterday and I'm having the hardest time getting this one side together" her admittance comes with a frustrated scoff as she removes her glasses from her face and places them on the coffee table.
Without a word I walk over to sit beside her, taking a moment to observe the area she is having difficulty with. She is attempting to put together an ethereal scene of a vibrantly setting evening sun that sits behind a large willow tree. For only getting started yesterday she's made quite impressive progress, all but one corner is put together strategically. I examine the pile of puzzle pieces that wait to be put in their rightful place. Trying to find the ones that seem like they could fit together to make up the last bit of the sky. I can see where the difficulty laid, the sky scenery is made up of vibrant hues of blue, pink, and orange; making it hard to tell one piece apart from another.
After a moment of examination, I'm able to pick out a handful of pieces I'm positive will fit together. Sure enough they do and just like that half of Missy's troubling corner is put together.
"Oh you still got it, sweetie!" Her tone is bursting with enthusiasm as she sings me my praises. Growing up I was always able to assist her in her puzzle solving problems. I figured she would have a hard time after the countless hours she spent starring at one thing for far too long, and would ultimately end up getting lost in a trance.
"I never mind helping" her flattering causes me to blush softly, my face getting hot.
I hear Noah before I see him enter the room, his larger than life frame causing the floor to moan ever so slightly under the sudden pressure. He enters through the threshold without saying as word, his eyes scanning over the two of us huddled together on the sofa. He totes a beaming smile as he gazes over us, his hair pushed back out of his face allowing the full beauty of it to be show cased.
"Don't tell me you wrapped her into ANOTHER puzzle" he remarks with a small chuckle, his eyes bouncing between us.
"Well, she's just so good at them" I can't help but chuckle at her honesty.
"she basically put together that one" Noah says as he brings up his pointer finger and shoves it in the direction of one, of many, completed puzzles that hang neatly on one of the living room walls.
It was one Missy and I did together when I was 16. A beautiful picture of a starry night hanging up pridefully reminding me of the priceless pain staking hours we spent putting it together. I say we lightly, however remembering the fact that Missy was ready to throw it out after a few hours of not being able to even get it started. That was until I came over that evening, and was able to get the boarder together in under an hour.
"Don't remind me" Missy's tone is a bit more serious as she lets a small disapproving sneer fall from her lips. Her reaction evoking a deep chuckle from Noah, in which I mimic with one of my own.
"Well I'm glad my frustration brings you both so much joy" this time she speaks with an over dramatic tone, eyes flicking in annoyance and arms crossed over her chest defensively.
Her passion for her hobby is admirable, but her overly defensive demeanor is a bit ludicrous.
If it wasn't for Noah's over the top performance, my laughter would of subsided. However, hearing his continuous cackle that rattles throughout the room makes it hard to contain my own. We end up in a rowdy laughing fit together, my hands gripping my stomach as painful guffaw ripples through me.
We leave the room in a fit of laughter after Missy gets fed up with our shenanigans and shews us away, causing tears to prick at the both of our eyes as we try to calm down.
"Ready to go?" Noah asks between jagged breathes he takes in sharply.
I just nod my head yes, not being able to form any words as I steady my breathing and compose myself. Nothing was funny enough to invoke such a reaction from us, but that didn't stop us from goofing around like we always used to do. It felt damn good too. We walk out of the house together and into his car, taking the 15 minute drive to Orie's air bnb in a comfortable silence, the radio humming lowly in the background. The smile that has plastered itself on my face never once leaving as I watch the trees and passing cars flash across my cracked window in a blur.
It's a comely day, the sun shines brightly and the wind has a warmth to it making the unpleasant mood that's been looming over me melt away. It felt good to let loose for a day, not to have any worries on my mind.
I glance over at Noah, watching as the open window pushes in a fast breeze that whips his air around in every direction. His mouth moving along to whatever was playing on the radio. He has his dark eyes fixed on the road, as his inked hand clutches the steering wheel. This beautiful specimen has been in my life since I was five, and it took me until now to see how beautiful he truly is both internally and externally. Why I never felt this way about him before is beyond me, I must of been immune to his lore.
When we arrive at Orie's we aren't inside long before being bombarded by all five men.
"Thank fuck you're here. We need these last minute edits that Bryan did approved by you before we can send them off to Alt press" Nick is the first to speak at Noah. His tone is stern as he lets out long sigh of relief. When it comes to the inner workings of the band, the usually frivolous nature of Nick diminishes and he becomes earnest.
"I came over as quickly as I could" is all Noah offers back before nonchalantly tossing his set of keys down onto the countertop. He makes his way over to his group of friends, offering me a quick wave before departing to the living room.
I silently observe the boys huddled around a laptop. They all click through photos of each individually and all together as a group. Giving their yes's and no's or offering some input to make them more to their liking. After a while they finishing making their notes, attaching it all to an email to send back to Bryan.
~.~.~
Noah's POV
I let out a small sigh of relief, thankful to be done with the tedious task. It only took us about thirty minutes to sort through the handful of photos Bryan sent over, but a simple task is never just that with these fucks.
Thankfully we were done, and we could start the next part of our evening. I stand from the sofa slowly, my knees crackling slightly when I do so.
Fuck I'm getting old.
I watch as Folio mimics my actions, and heads towards the kitchen to spark up conversation with Veronica. I observe him intently as he begins to smile widely engaging in some kind of discussion. I know they're just friends, but I see the way he looks at her when she isn't paying attention. How he intently watches her lips when they move. Don't get me wrong, he's a great guy and that is a fact. All the years I've known him he's never been anything shy of a gentleman to every woman he's encountered, and an all around pleasant person. There's a part of me that can't help but hate that his attention is on her. Watching as they join each other in stomach clinching laughter, or have little inside jokes lights a fire inside of me that I've never felt before.
I want to protect her at all costs, considering the fact that I failed to do so before. I know I can't be to blame, she made her own decisions at that point in time and there wasn't anything I could do to stop her or detour her mind. But I can't help but get this nagging feeling out of my head that if I would have at least done something. Showed up at her dorm, then maybe it would have been so different. I was too preoccupied with my life, and mad at the fact that she through everything we had away that I couldn't bring my selfish self to do it.
I sigh, trying to push away the red hot anger that pulses through me when I watch Folio grab Veronica's hand in the midst of their conversation and make my way over to them.
"You did not!" I hear Veronica call out in a fit of giggles. Her laughter is soft and gentle like a beautiful symphony when it falls into my ears.
"I swear! I can't believe no one stopped me. I was a drunk fucking mess" Folio's face is red when he speaks, the laughter between the two causing him to be flush.
Once Veronica notices my presence she peers up at me with starry eyes as a toothy grin falls over her features.
"Hey Noah!" She beams brightly, her dainty figure leaning up against the marble counter.
"Sup" I offer back as I grab a water from the open pack on the floor. I know my tone is cold, and I'm surely coming off like a prick. I can't help but feel hot lava pulsing through my veins at the sight of the two.
"Are we gonna start cooking soon? Im starved" she admits shyly
Her actions come off bashfully as she points her eyes down towards the floor, her right hand coming up to scratch at the nape of her neck.
I can't help but melt at her mannerisms, her unintentional virtuous nature making my heart swell and beat rapidly against the hallow encasing of my chest.
"I'm actually about to start cooking some burgers up. Wanna help?" I offer causing her head to snap up at me , eyes wide with excitement.
"You actually trust me to help?" She inquires with a small chuckle. Causing memories of when we were teens and tried to have our own makeshift 4th of July cookout. She insisted she knew exactly what she was doing, but instead ended up burning everything in her attempts.
"Well, I'll be there to assist this time" I assure as I walk over to the fridge to grab the cooled patties.
If I'm being honest, I don't necessarily need her help but anything to get her away from folio long enough to calm the storm that's raging inside of me at the sight of the two of them.
She follows me outside to the large patio, a small grill sits neatly in the corner. She aids me in lighting it up, watching the red hot flames come through the openings of the cooking grates.
"So how have you been feeling lately?" I ask as she slaps the first piece of raw meat onto the grill, it sizzles loudly at the contact.
She looks at me for a moment, I can see all the wheels turning in her head as she ponders over my question. I know it's a loaded one, and probably one that's beyond my comprehension and perception of difficult. But I want her to always know she has me to lean on if she needs, or wants.
"I've been fine. Finally able to catch my breathe after the craziness" I know she isn't being completely honest with me and I can tell by the way she's making an obvious effort to look everywhere but in my eyes. Regardless, I don't push her any further. I know it can't be an easy situation to be in let alone talk about.
She just seems to move so much differently than before. Her head hangs low, and she avoids any and all forms of attention. A big contrast to the loud and bubbly girl she once was.
I'm pulled from our conversation by my phone vibrating against my leg, and without another word I'm pulling it from my pocket.
Natalie : 1 Image
The small snippet being enough for me to get the gist, seeing the minimized picture of her fully naked body. I swallow down a thick lump that forms almost instantly in my throat at the sight. Without replying I shove the device back into my pocket. My head going a million miles as I try to rid the thought from the forefront of my mind.
"I hear you guys are starting a big tour here soon. That's really fucking awesome" she speaks up after a moment, causing my attention to shift back to her.
"Yeah it's gonna be amazing. We get to play a few shows over all over the country."my throat is dry as I speak, but that doesn't stop me from getting a little elated talking about it. For the first time in our careers we get to make multiple stops across the entire country, rather than keeping it short with a few in one specific area.
"Well I'm really proud of you guys. You all deserve it" she says sweetly as she looks up at me with one of the few genuine smiles I've seen play at her lips.
"Thanks Roni. You'll have to come to a few"
—-
HOLY FUCKING SHIT!!!! WE ARE AT 1K READS. I COULD CRY IM SO HAPPY AND PROUD AND JUST FUCKING GRATEFUL. THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH!!!
This was more of a filler chapter, but still felt necessary to include so you can get a little snippet into Noah's mind and feelings. I'm trying to get chapters 13-15 finished up before I post the next part, so with that being said the next update will probably taking me a little longer. Thank you guys again for the continuation of support throughout this all. Like I've mentioned before, I doubt myself a lot in regards to my writing but knowing so many of you enjoy my work really makes me excited about writing again!
-XX J