I can feel Noah's gaze searing me before I even open my eyes, "stop staring, creep."
I feel his chuckle rather than hear it, Noah's lips caress the corner of my mouth, "I would never," he scoffs in mock offense. I smile involuntarily as he kisses my neck. I mewl at his touch, but louder than that my stomach growls.
"Right, better feed you first," Noah chuckles pulling me up.
"Can't we stay in bed all day?" I pout, holding the covers over my naked body.
"No, Delaney, you have things to see," I roll my eyes as he says my name with that familiar inflection. I get up, wrapping the sheets around my body, Noah grabs the other end and yanks them off. I gasp as my nipples pucker in the cold air. Noah smirks at me, "I should come with you, we are in a drought after all."
Noah follows me into the shower, a small grin plays on his face while he washes himself with my bodywash. He keeps his hands to himself, cleaning himself while I wash myself. He's playful, teasing me, when all I can think about is how naked we are and how much I wanted him inside of me.
However, the whole sleeve of condoms were gone.
I get dressed quickly, pulling on shorts and a sweater. I don't bother with makeup or fixing my hair. Noah and I walk out to his car and he pulls out of the parking lot.
"Where are we going?" Noah gives me a look that says I should know better than to ask and turns up the radio. He pulls into a small cafe not far from my hotel, he orders me to go sit while he orders for us. He sits across from me and a few minutes later coffee and pastries are sat on the table. My coffee is a light tan, full of cream and sugar, Noah's is almost black, maybe a hint of cream.
"And I thought your O face was good," Noah whispers suggestively and I can feel the blood rush to my face. "No, I don't think I'll ever be able to pick a favorite," he chuckles.
I pick at a croissant, the mood is shifted within me. I couldn't imagine picking a favorite thing about Noah either. We've just reconnected, what's going to happen when I leave in a few days? I know I had intentions on moving here, but what if we couldn't do long distance? What if we fell apart again before anything real could bloom.
"Hey," he calls softly, "where'd you go?"
"I-."
"You're overthinking?" Noah guesses, pinning me with a look. I would never understand how he can read me so easily. I shrug at him, not wanting to say how I feel out loud. "You're wondering what's going to happen when you go home?" I roll my eyes at him, but nod too.
Noah doesn't seem to have lost his appetite like I have, he downs a muffin in only a couple of bites. Crumbs collect in the stubble around his mouth and I smile as he brushes it away. Noah runs his hands through his hair and looks at the table before looking at me again, ready to answer, "you can't control everything, Laney."
"What if I move here and we can't stand to be around each other?" I ask, pushing my hands through my hair and tousling it to the side, a long dead nervous tick that I seem to have picked back up. "We've never been anything but volatile and toxic."
"Okay, well that's your opinion," he replies, raising his eyebrows and finishing the last of his coffee. "You remember when you asked if I had written any songs about you? The answer is most of them are about you. Maybe our beginning was a little rocky, I had to leave, Laney, but I didn't want to leave you. But you were always with me," Noah presses his fist to his chest. "Always."
"I need to make a list," I say absently, and he laughs.
"There she is," he grins, "let's go for a drive."
Noah and I walk out to his car, it's warm today with the sun shinning high in the sky, a cool breeze blows my hair around my shoulders. He settles into the drivers seat and rolls the windows down. He flips through his phone for a few minutes before he settles on music. Dark pop plays through the speakers and we head north on a two lane road. My hair whips arounds my face and I put my arm out to let my hand dance in the wind. Noah reaches across the console to place his hand on my thigh while we drive. We sing along with the radio, I'm thankful the music is loud enough he can't hear me, but I don't really care in this moment.
Everything feels right. I feel like I am supposed to be here, and maybe a little part of me feels like I'm supposed to be here with Noah. It's the perfect day, the weather is nice and the playlist is nostalgic, I'm sitting next to Noah while he drives with seemingly no destination in mind. And he loves me and I love him. I had a group of people I was excited to call friends and to get to know better. I was going to miss Finn and my parents, but I had a new family. I didn't have to give anyone up.
It was time for me to move on, it was time to start something new. I had started on a new path five years ago, Noah had been a part of my path all along. My next adventure was here, and I felt at peace feeling the certainty of it.
When Noah finally stops, we are in Santa Barbara, several hours away from my hotel and his home. We pop into a small place with a patio by the water, we each have a beer while we eat bar food and listen to the waves crash.
Today had been easy, it was like I was spending my day with Finn. We had talked and laughed and tried to leave the serious stuff for another day. I take my last drink of beer and look up to catch Noah staring at me.
"What are you thinking about, love?"
"I was thinking about how easy today was," I grin at him. It was easy because of him. He made everything just a little bit effortless. He was unserious and adventurous and he loved me.
"Crazy, huh?" he jokes and I kick him lightly under the table. "Let's get back, it's going to start getting dark soon."
The drive back is just as fun as the drive up, it feels like we are dangerously close to driving off the end of the world as we ride along the coast. The air is salty with the spray of the ocean, and Noah is playing old songs and we are screaming along with the radio. I'm no longer worried about what will happen in the future, I'm just happy to be here with him in this moment.
I turn to Noah when we pull up to his house, "this isn't my hotel."
"Nope," he grins, getting out of the car. He reaches for my hand when I meet him at the front of the car. I'm nervous about going in, I didn't want things to be weird with Nick. And what was everyone else going to think, I had shared a bed with Nick two days ago and Noah last night.
I should have known this was unavoidable, it was already New Year's eve. I should have assumed they would have a party going at the house. As we get closer to the house I can hear the light thump of bass from music being played loudly.
"I guess this is a party?"
"Yup," he says kissing my head. He finally opens the door and the house is loud and chaotic again. Jesse and Jolly are having a heated discussion, talking loudly over the music. Sage turns in our direction, she smiles when she sees me and her smile widens when she sees our hands intertwined. She gets up to greet us, pulling me into a hug while Noah holds tight to my hand. Nick looks at us and in a moment of truth I see him glance at our hands and grin at us. He comes over and kisses my cheek, Noah grips my hand a little tighter but he doesn't say anything.
I let out a breath I didn't know I had been holding, everything really was going to be okay. I get to keep my new friends and I didn't Yoko Noah and his band mate. And I get to keep Noah. Noah disappears in the kitchen and I sit with Sage.
"You guys look cozy," she accuses, I grin at Noah as he brings me a drink. "oh man, you got it bad."
"So bad," I tell her and Noah smirks at the exchange while he talks to Davis.
"So you are staying right?"
"Yeah, I'll have to go home and get my affairs in order, but I think I'm ready to call somewhere new home," I reply, not taking my eyes off Noah. He turns and catches me watching him, the look he gives me is searing and I want to blow off this party and ring in the new year a panting, sweaty mess.
"You know he's talked about you over the years," Sage starts, "Not really in name, just as someone he used to know. I know you think he helped you get out of your shell or whatever, but I think you were good for him too. He's always wondered if you would be proud of him."
"I kept up with him a little through my best friend who he still talks to, I've always been proud of him," I tell her empathically. "I never wanted anything but the best for him. It's why I had to cut ties. I think if I had tried to keep in touch with him like he wanted I would have held him back, or worse he would have resented me."
"You love him, don't you?"
"I think he's the first person I've ever loved more than myself," I reply honestly. Noah joins us on the couch, his arm drapes casually over my shoulder, but it still lights me on fire.
"You talking about me?"
"Yeah," I reply shortly, but don't say more. It's nearing midnight and everyone is waiting on the time to change, to start a new year, a new chapter.
"Good," he says, kissing me. I shake my head at him, but smile against his lips.
The party is still in full swing when Noah and I decide to call it a night. I had plans for tomorrow that I had be up early for. I made Noah a guest in the bedroom car I got on a train that travels the coast. We were going to be riding the car up to northern California and getting on another train to come back.
Noah wordlessly tosses me a t-shirt to sleep in. I quickly get undressed, Noah watching the whole time. When I slip the shirt over my head Noah sucks his bottom lip into his mouth.
"Much better," he quips before tackling me to the bed. I squeal in his arms before he tucks me into his side. Once it's dark and our breathing has synced, he speaks again, "I want to go back to Nashville with you. I want to help you get your shit together and then I want to come back here and find a place together. I don't want to live in this crowded house without you. I want to be able to fuck you on the kitchen table when I want to, and I can't do that here."
Fuck, that's heavy.
"You don't think it's too soon for that?"
"No, I don't," he says, running his fingers through my hair. "Move in with me, Laney."
I don't think any of the doubts I had yesterday carry into today, because his suggestion doesn't scare me.
"Okay, I'll move in with you."
Noah and I have to leave before anyone has even stirred in the house. I wonder idly if he was going to miss all the chaos of the house, how there was always someone there to talk to or brainstorm with. Instead he would just have me.
I had gotten a sleeper car because I wanted a private room. I enjoyed doing things alone now, but I did not want to make small talk with strangers. Noah and I sit across from each other by the large window. We order mimosas while we wait for the train to take off.
"You are such an old lady," Noah quips while he drinks his mimosa.
"That is so mean," I retort, but then get excited because the train is taking off. "Have you ever been on a train?"
"Plenty," he shrugs.
"What about a scenic train?"
"No," he rolls his eyes.
"Maybe save the judgement, then," I retort.
The train pulls out of the station, and it takes us a while to get to the coast. The cerulean sea glistens through the window while we get drunk on champagne and talk.
"What's next for you, Laney? Where do you want to go? What do you want to do?"
"I'm thinking first thing is Mexican food in San Diego, and maybe kayaking in Tahoe. Maybe I'll go to England," I say, "I don't know, Noah, I want it all. I think LA is about to just be the start. What about you, Noah? You're already selling out stadiums, how do you top that?"
"I don't have any plans to slow down, and I'm looking at all the inspiration in the world," he grins and looks down at the table, a recurring old nervous tick for him. "But first," Noah's eyes glint mischievously, "do you remember my promise all those years ago? We are technically in public, love."
Noah slides to the floor on his knees, looking up at me under his eyelashes. He bunches my skirt up over my thighs, and grins up at me.
"You wore this on purpose, didn't you?"
I try to deny it, but Noah spreads my legs with his large hands. His eyes roam over my flesh, I had decided I might need to be easily accessible and left my underwear at the hotel. His eyes darken as he buries his head under my skirt. Noah's teeth sink into the flesh of my thighs and I squirm under him.
"Better keep quiet, love, don't want to get kicked off."
I hadn't realized I was whimpering out loud, but the anticipation was killing me.
"Noah," I whine, trying to press my legs together to get friction. Noah shakes his head as he grips my thighs with his powerful arms, holding them in place. He runs his nose along the skin where my legs meet my torso, inhaling deeply. I knew in this moment I would never get enough of him. Not of his mind, his lips, his hands, his body.
Noah chuckles darkly as he slips one finger inside of me, then another. I groan at the feeling of him inside of me, my head falls back against my seat. I don't even care that I'm missing the scenery that I paid for. The jostling of the train as it runs over the tracks adds to the sensations I'm feeling in my core. Noah runs his teeth over my public bone and my body convulses involuntarily.
Finally, finally I feel his tongue on my clit. I moan, it's louder than I mean it to be, and Noah's other hand snakes up my torso, pressing it against my mouth. I moan again, because his hand over my mouth turns me on more than it should.
"Come on my tongue, love," he coaxes, working me with his fingers and his mouth. His motions working in tandem, the feeling inside picking up when the sensation from his mouth wanes and vice versa.
"I'm going to come, Noah," I mumbled around his hand, but I know he heard me. His movements stay steady until I'm quaking under him, mewling and whimpering, as ecstasy trickles through my veins, making me tingly all over.
I sag against the seat as Noah gets back in his seat, "we're going to have a discussion about you not wearing panties later," he says it like a threat, but he's smirking at me.
"Is that a promise?"
He shakes his head as he reaches for me and pulls me into his lap. "What am I going to do with you?"
It's late when we get back, it's dark in Los Angeles, and it's the last look I get of the city. Our flight was at 5 in the morning and it was midnight now. There was only enough time to get my stuff and check out. Noah and I went back to his house to wait until we could check in, we ate Taco Bell standing in his kitchen. I was more than a little tired, but I would have to wait until we got on the plane.
I hug everyone before we got a ride to the airport, Noah's hand in mine. Noah gets recognized several times in the airport and we have to stop several times for him to talk to fans. It was going to take some adjustments, getting used to people randomly stopping him all of the time, but it seemed unavoidable. Noah was doing everything he could to disguise himself.
We finally board the plane and I'm able to pass out, on Noah's shoulder, unable to care if I might drool on him or not.