Ivy's POV:
I certainly wanted to see my mom. I just didn't expect to be going home so soon. It's strange because, in normal circumstances, I would never feel comfortable in a foreign country, and I would definitely not sleep at ease anywhere besides my own cozy bedroom.
My journey here, however, had been nothing but pleasent, so far. This place feels unusally and oddly homely.
And I'd be lying if I said I wanted to leave soon.. or ever.
Maybe it's the warm weather of California, or maybe it's the immensity of the house I'm staying at. Or maybe, just maybe, it's due to the presence of a certain person. And you might guess who that is.
Noah was currently behind the wheel and I was caught in my own thoughts, which basically consisted of wonder. I was desperately curious to know our destination so I couldn't quit wondering what it might be.
I stretched back in my seat then took a quick peek at Noah. He looked particularly hot while driving, a gray t-shirt tightly clenching his muscles.
Nothing exceptional, I thought. The guy looked hot in everything.
Other than that, he seemed highly focused on the road ahead. Good thing I suppose.
Minutes later, the car ride had gotten to an end and we were getting off. We were on a sideroad but the place wasn't completely deserted.
There were about five or six cars in the parking area, and I noticed a pair of stairs a little further.
"- Come on! " Noah said locking his car.
He then took my hand and we walked up the stairs. We reached the top of the hill and soon the sourrounding landscapes came to view. They were so scenic and delicate. It was basically a mountanious area.
I looked up to see that the sun was gradually going down, and the sky was this resplendent color. The burning light of the sun had gotten dull and looked like a huge disc of orange and red. The orange was mingling with the light blue color of the sky, producing a vast contrast of colors. It was like watching a screen changing its colors.
The scene was mesmerizing and truly beautiful. It intensified the beauty of the landscape and certainly completed the perfect image of the sunset I have always read about in books..
I was so taken with the scenery that I didn't notice the huge white block letters standing on stilts spelling HOLLYWOOD in one of the hills. Now that's definitely something !
I never thought I would live to see an actual landmark.. let alone a famous one.
I would have crossed that from my bucket list, except that.. I didn't have one.
If I thought that was all, I was wrong.
I turned around to face the other side of the hill, my back now facing the Hollywood sign, and my astonishment only grew wider. Wow! was my only exclamation.
The skyline of Los Angelos was utterly distinct and in full view, just above the horizon. And let me tell you that, the city looked emphatically astonishing at night.
Rigid skyscrapers laid elegantly under the moonlight. Bright lights peered from the windows of the thousand occupied buildings, making the city look exceedingly iluminated with all kind of sparkling fluorescent lights.
The traffic wasn't hard to define either. The movement of the vehicules never ceased.
In all, the city looks so bright, so vivid... so alive.
-" So, what do you think?"
I started at the voice and I could literally feel my heart in my throat.
-" Damn it Noah, you scared me to death! " I cried out.
-" Good thing you didn't pee yourself." He replied, adopting a conceited smirky tone. "I'd hate to see you walk home."
This time he sounded stern; no doubt meaning his words. His car is too expensive to be ruined.
-" Aww, how considerate of you! " I retorded, my voice dripping with sarcasm.
-" So funny Simmons. Now aren't you going to answer my question? "
Question? What question?
Oh right, that question !
-" The view is breathtaking. I've never seen anything like this before ! " I spoke with sincerity and, by the significant nod he gave me, I assumed that he shared my vision of ideal beauty.
We studied the area a little longer, before he decided we should get going. I waited for him to hold my hand again, but my expectations didn't turn out to be true.
I left feeling awfully disappointed.
Soon we were, once again, on the road, having the longest drive of our lives. I don't even remember taking this long when we headed here earlier. Whatever.
Shortly after, boredom had gotten the best of me, and I somehow ended up gawking at Noah. I couldn't help but notice his eyes. They were beyond perfect.
They weren't exactly brown. They were the color of coconut shells. No. They're more like the color of hot chocolate with flecks of hazelnut, or the color of dark roasted coffee beans.
It's pretty funny when I think that some people look at brown eyes as boring, and claim that they lack the fun and audacity of colorful eyes. It is outrageous. How can they describe brown eyes as uninteresting? Brown eyes are like a transparent lake. You are unable to see what lies at the bottom, and that's where the mystery consists.
Though brown eyes may be common, they hold distinct stories.
Noah's head spinned unexpectedly and those same eyes met mine.
Shit. He caught me staring.
Surprisingly, I didn't look away and avoid eye contact like I would normally do. Our gazes were locked for a good few seconds until a vague noise echoed in our ears. We broke eye contact and stared wide-eyed and horrified at the fallen rocks in the lane ahead, sudden realization dawning in our brains.
My heart started pounding at an increasingly rapid pace. My first instinct was to emit a loud piercing scream. Noah, on the other hand, remained calm and managed to swerve in a brisk sharp movement right in time to avoid the enormous boulders. The tires resounded with a shriek and the car screeched to a halt.
Woah, that was close.
And thinking that we almost got crushed because he was staring at me.
We both hopped out straight away. Noah came rushing by myside.
-" Are you okay ?! " As soon as he said that, a slight frown creased his brow. Although he tried to remain composed and act cool and all, I could still discern a notion of fear mixed with concern in his voice.
-" Besides from the sickly feeling welling up in my throat and the fact that I might have a panic attack, I'm fine." I responded with a palpable sense of irony.
A grin spread across his face, making his eyes lit up, and that was all it took to make all that illness in my throat go away.
After a long examination of his car, Noah came to a conlusion: we were stuck.
Okay honestly that was my reasoning; brief and simplified, whereas his was a bit more .. mechanical ?
He mentioned something about the battery being weak and the need of jumper cables, and he said that in order to fix the problem we needed to use the power of a good battery, and since there were no such things as car service or mechanics here, we wouldn't be getting that. Meaning we're stuck.
See? I had a point.
Noah was now digging through his back pocket. I watched as he took out his phone, held it closer so it was displayed at his eye level then returned it back to its original emplacement.
"- Great. No reception." He annouced with a dismissive shrug.
"- There has to be some kind of building nearby.." I stopped mid-sentence as I scanned the area. I saw nothing but desert land. We were litteraly in the middle of.. nowhere.
-" It's almost nightfall. Let's look for civilization." Noah instructed and I obeyed. There was no way I'd be spending the night here, as appealing as the thought of sleeping under the moonlight sounds.
-" But that's how people die in movies! "
I protested. The thought was quit frightening, causing my human body to shiver.
Noah raised an eyebrow suspiciously as to question my sanity.
-" And what makes you say that? " He asked.
-" This is the perfect scene for a murder, the timing and location are both convenient. At least that's according to my extence horror-movie knowledge. " I retorded.
He let out a chuckle, looking slightly amused by my response, before coming up with yet another question.
-" So we'll die at the end? "
-" Well one of us; the hero, has to stay alive for season 2 ". I instantly responded.
That said, I followed Noah who was already rushing off alongside the pavement in his usual rythm that I have pretty much gotten used to. He moves quickly yet steadily, with short steps.
The guy has some pretty long legs.
The area was creepy to say the least. The road -if you could call it so- was abandoned, dirty, and roughly tarred. It had no paint. It was plane gray, cracked and pot-holed. No wonder there were no cars passing by.
After one good hour of walking, we finally spotted a building. It was a motel.
Thank God for that. I would give anything to get some rest right now. My toes were litteraly on fire. I had to walk, jog actually, for miles. You could imagine how exhausted I was.
Noah had a little chat with the receptionist who stood behind the counter, then reached to the keys she handed him.
-" We're staying for the night. They're calling a tow truck first thing in the morning." He announced once he was next to me.
I nodded in response, then he gestured for me to follow him.
As expected, the motel wasn't very large. In fact it was one of the smallest houses I've ever been to. Not that I was complaining in anyway. All I wanted right now was a bed.. and a roof. No British showers, no fancy tubs, no nothing.
There were external stairs that lead to a second floor, a second row of doors, that looked like the building inspector was either bribed to pass it or dunk on the job.
Noah opened the door that lead to our room, that was also accessible from the parking lot. The bedroom was an en suite, with two separate beds. It wasn't fully furnished but for now it was largely sufficient.
-" I'll go get some food. In the mean time, you can shower." Noah declared.
-" Um..I don't really have other clothes so I'd rather not shower right now. But yes get us some food, please."
I haven't realized how hungry I was. I haven't eaten anything since our meal at Starbucks this morning. Now that I think about it, I was very hungry.
Shortly after, Noah came back with two burgers, two cokes and two matching t-shirts.
I bolted the food hurriedly and uncouthly, with little chewing. I was well aware that this wasn't the healthiest nor the best mannered way to eat but honestly, who gives a fuck. The emptiness in my stomach mattered more than anything. It was similar to that emptiness in your heart when missing a loved one.
Yeah, food has that effect on me.
After we had both devoured our meals, Noah handed me the t-shirt he had bought. It was plain white and it said 'I ♥ California'.
-" Sorry. It's all they've got. " He said while slightly lifting his shoulders in a shrug.
-" It's totally fine with me, as long as it's comfortable. " I retorded.
I think it's pretty obvious that I'd choose comfort over trend. Like honestly I don't get people who think the other way round. I mean, girl, eventually it's you who's going to be walking in those heels. So why go for someone else's satisfaction instead of your own comfort? Do you really feel the need to bare such pain in order to please others and make an impression !?
It's pretty stupid if you think it through.
Anyways, I took the piece of clothing and headed to the bathroom where I slipped it on. The t-shirt was super large and comfortable, just as I hoped it would be.
I went back to the bedroom where Noah was just about to change into his. I whirled just in time before he gets half naked. I regretted my movement immediately. What a shame, I should've looked! I mentally cursed myself for turning away my gaze then sighed in desperation. It would've been a nice view though.
Damn it hormones. Control yourself !
-" What's making you blush? "
Now that had definitely taken me aback. I looked at Noah's puzzled expression and the wide grin that he wore. Ugh. I wanted to wipe that smug grin off his face so bad.
But seriously why did I have to blush right here, right now ? Stupid, stupid brain.
-" I did not blush! " I cried out. That is so credible Ivy. He would have actually believed you.. except that he wasn't blind!
My subconcious and I had one thing in common for sure: sarcasm.
-" Oh you sure did". His tone held way too much amusement. He surely does enjoy my embarassment. "So tell me, what is it that you were thinking about huh? "
Come one Ivy, think of something. Fast!
-" Uh.. I was just thinking about.. er.. all the famous places that we haven't seen yet.. Yeah, like eer.. like the Walk of Fame. Those stars are pretty legendary.. Yeah I was just thinking about that.. " I stummered in a rush.
Noah just raised a sceptical eyebrow at me, one that said 'oh really'. He was probably not buying this. I wouldn't blame him though. I really sucked at lying.
-" Yeah you sure were. " He said mockingly. "But don't worry we're definitely going to see that, as soon as we get out of here. " He added, sounding overly sure about his statement.
-" Don't make promises you can't keep. " I hissed at him.
-" Why not? "
-" Because, according to the movies, you'll die."
He let out a loud laugh, followed by snorts. Thank God; I'm not the only one who does that.
-" Does your whole life revolve about movies or what? " He somehow managed to ask in between his laughter.
-" Sort of". I answered admittedly.
So what? I did enjoy movies. And I'm one to take things very seriously.
-" You're so weird". He said, eyeing me strangely.
After another round of bickering and a bunch of Noah's comments about me being 'unusual', we were both worn out and decided it was time for sleep.
He sat on his bed while I laid in mine. My eyes were shutting close when he decided to speak up:
-" Hey Ivy. You're not going to get pervy with me while I'm sleeping, aren't you?"
What the heck ? Is this dude for real ?!
-" Oh my God Noah! Are you claiming that I'm a pervert !? "
-" Well I'm a guy, an incredibly sexy one. And you're a girl, obviously. And it might just get hot with me in here and.. "
-" Okay, okay, shut up! " I cut him off.
-" Just saying. " He retorded, shrugging his shoulders in a light movement.
-" Good night Noah." I spoke with a yawn. I really needed to sleep. Like now.
-" Say Ivy, are you really willing to go back to Korea ?"
Ugh. Did he not get the hint behind my good night? And what kind of question was that anyway ?
-" Yeah Noah, of course I am. I have family and friends there. " I responded in a duh tone, emphasizing every word.
-" What if.. what if I.. "
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Hellooo guys!
First of all thank u for 1k readers, I still haven't processed that thought. I'm soo happy. You guys are incredible. THANK YOU ♡
Now I know some of you are very pissed at me. I am very very truly deeply sorry for the long wait :( I've been so caught up with school, exams & basically just life. I hope this longish chapter makes it up for you.
If not, the next one will :( Although I'm not sure when it'll be uploaded . No promises this time hehe. But I can assure you It'll be worth the wait. Hopefully not a long wait though :P
Finally, Vote, Comment ! Dear silent readers, I really love you but prove your existence by voting.
Votes make my day :')
It's 1am btw. I wanted to finish and upload this one today no matter how long it takes. Well if that doesn't prove how much of a nice caring person I am then I dunno what does. Hehhe jk :D
Sincerely,
Mouna ♡