~Season 6~ (ignore Noaquie Xx)
Noah's eyebrows bunched together as he looked at the phone in front of him. Something was off about the snapchat he was looking at, but he couldn't quite place it. It wasn't unusual for Richelle to send her late night snaps from under the light blue covers of her bed.
Or her evening snaps.
Or her 'right after she got home from practice' snaps for that matter.
Noah smiled a bit at that thought, but hey, Richelle worked harder than anyone he knew; she deserved as many naps as she could squeeze into her schedule. He cursed quietly to himself as the timer ran out and the picture closed. He instinctively held down on the screen to replay it, knowing she'd ask about it but figuring he'd brush it off as an accident. Noah studied her face but again ran out of time. He cursed Richelle (not for the first time) for not letting her snaps have the infinite timer. There wasn't anything specific in her snap, but his instincts were telling him something was wrong. And his instincts were usually right when it came to Richelle. He had known her since they were just babies skipping around Studio B, and they had only continued as best friends since.
He pursed his lips as he considered his next move. He might have been wrong, maybe nothing was the matter. He could already see her making fun of him for replaying her snap, ("Aw, did you really wanna see my beautiful face again?") and if he paired that with genuine concern for her wellbeing....well he'd never hear the end of it.
His concern won, and he took a quick pic and typed out a simple:
'r u ok?'
He kept his eyes on his phone and watched as she opened the snap. The minute he was on opened felt like the longest minute of his life, and he let out a breath he didn't know he was holding when he got a response. He quickly opened it and read the reply:
'Honestly? Not really. Just stressed out. Like more than normal lol'
Noah's pride flared for just a moment at being able to read her expressions so well before he closed Snapchat and switched over to his texts. He scrolled to find their conversation and smiled when he landed on it. Their last text was from a couple weeks ago: he had sent a picture they had taken of the two of them after she had earned her place on the Ballet Duet. She had replied with a simple heart emoji, a message that—at the time—had sent butterflies through his heart and exactly zero rational thoughts to his brain. Looking at it now had a similar effect, and he shook his head to get back on track. He began to type.
Noah: R u dressed?
Richie: ...What?
Oh. Right. Probably should've added more to that. Oh well, no other choice now but to push on.
Noah: If ur not dressed get dressed
Noah: I'm coming to pick u up
Richie: What?
Noah: You need to destress! And lucky for u I am a newly minted driver
Noah: Come on it'll be fun, and it's not even midnight yet
Noah: I'm already on my way Richie
Noah was at her house in five minutes, not even checking if Richelle has sent a reply. When he finally parked up and bothered to check, he was relieved to see she had (a thumbs up emoji) and so he quickly typed out that he was outside. He waited a few seconds, nervously tapping out a beat on the steering wheel, before he saw her gate open, her house dark and dead to the world. Richelle was wearing a large sweatshirt and the same pair of cozy pyjama pants she always wore to sleepovers; Noah smiled as he saw the too-long sleeves hanging past her hands, her opening the passenger door and giving him a small, tired smile.
Noah smiled back, "Hey."
"Hey." She looked down at her hands after she buckled the seat belt, as Noah put the car in drive and they set out. "Is this your car?"
He laughed a little, taking a turn, "Really Richie? That's the first thing you ask? Not 'where are we going Noah?' or 'are you sure this isn't kidnapping?' "
"No, I trust you."
Noah tried to hide the euphoria that swept over him, but the corners of his mouth turned the slightest bit upwards. "This isn't my car, it's my mum's. Believe me if I had the money to buy a car it would not be a minivan."
"What would--"
"Mustang," he answered before she even finished the question. She smiled that quiet smile again into her lap and Noah could've died happy right there. They rode in a comfortable silence for another minute or two before Noah pulled into a parking lot and shut off the engine.
"We're here!"
He hopped out and opened the door to the backseat. Richelle looked up at where he'd brought them, her eyes roving over a large field framed by gentle trees with a graffitied wall off in the corner, and a singular wooden picnic table next to it.
"Where is....here Noah?"
"This is Parkour Alley, the finest stress reliever in Toronto, and the best place for stargazing, James showed me a while ago." he said, reappearing out her window and opening her door. She looked warily at him and he held out his hand, a blanket he had packed now tucked under his other arm. "Come on, you said you trust me don't you?"
Her lips curled up and she took his hand in his.
"I do."
The smile Noah had been repressing the last time she said she trusted him was now unstoppable with the added bonus of her hand grasping his. God this girl was going to be the end of him. He shut the door behind her when she got out. She turned towards the field, but he gently tugged her towards the back of the car. She looked at him confused, clearly thinking they were heading to the table.
"Are you crazy Richie? It's been raining all day, the grass is probably sopping wet. And that would not be good for those comfy pjs you got going on there."
She rolled her eyes at him, "I was in bed Noah! Until you kidnapped me and took me to a random field in the middle of your neighborhood. I'm pretty sure every horror movie starts like this."
"Wouldn't know, hate them, too scary," Noah replied without guilt as she rolled her eyes. He then proceeded to throw the blanket onto the roof of the minivan and climb up. He turned around once he was on the roof, watching Richelle step up onto the bumper of the minivan. "Need any help?"
"Not from you, scaredy cat," she jabbed as she continued to hoist herself onto the roof. Noah laid out the blanket and laid down, crossing his legs and throwing his hands under his head. Richelle sat cross legged next to him.
"Come on Richie lay down, you can't see the stars sitting up like that."
She rolled her eyes but put her legs out in front of her and laid down next to Noah, who made sure to scoot away from her so there was still a gap of a few inches between them. They lay on top of the blanket for a little while, just silently gazing at the stars.
The sky was clear, the night was cool, and Noah Erlick could die a happy man. He allowed himself for a moment to dream. One day, maybe he wouldn't have to scoot away. One day, maybe he wouldn't have to let go of her hand as they climbed up. One day, maybe he could turn his head away from the breathtaking heavens above them, and gaze openly at something infinitely more beautiful.
But not today.
Romance could wait, today he was just her friend, and while he wasn't necessarily satisfied with that, he'd take the platonic best-friendship every day over losing her.
"I love looking at the stars, it's like dancing for your eyes."
She let out a small giggle beside him as he broke the silence. God it was adorable.
"Yeah, it's really nice and quiet out here," she answered, letting out a content sigh as she relaxed further.
"You feeling any less stressed Richelle? I can take you home if you want."
"Yeah," she breathed, then quickly realized that wasn't enough. "I mean, yeah like I'm less stressed not like yeah like I wanna go."
Noah felt his heart flutter again at hearing that she wanted to stay, because truth be told he was willing to stay here with her until the sun came up, and then maybe the rest of his life after that.
"What was getting you all....razzled?"
"Razzled?"
"Work with me Richie."
She gave him a look that he couldn't quite decipher, before she looked back upwards towards the sky. He wanted to add that she didn't have to talk if she didn't want to, but she began before he could.
"Elliot asked me to Prom today."
Noah swallowed and kept his eyes pointed up. He knew this already, he had seen the pictures of the two of them smiling together on Jacquie's Instagram story earlier, but hearing her say it hurt just as much. He hadn't been surprised when he found out, because Elliot had told her that he had feelings for her a month ago by leaving a big bouquet of flowers in her locker, it must have worked, they had been hanging out a lot since then.
"That's great Richelle. He's a great guy."
She let out a deep breath beside him before answering in short bursts. "Yeah he is. He's great. He's really great. We like a lot of the same things, and he's just as determined as I am with dance, and he's....great." She took a pause, and Noah saw out of the corner of his eye that she had closed her eyes tight. "I guess I'm just worried that I'm gonna screw it up somehow. That I'll, I don't know, say the wrong thing or laugh at the wrong part of the joke or something. And Prom is such an official date and we haven't had like, the 'are we boyfriend girlfriend' talk and when we dance what if my hands are too sweaty or something and it's just all so difficult Noah!"
He lay quietly for a bit as she finished her spiel. It was weird, Richelle was usually so confident and relaxed around boys, she had more guy friends than girls. There was something about this that just didn't sit right with Noah. He started to speak but she cut him off by rolling onto her side and asking him a question.
"Are you coming in our group to the dance?"
"Yeah I think I probably will. Henry is going with Amy, and Amy's in your group right?"
Richelle nodded. The only girl she really trusted was Piper, and Piper and Amy were tied at the hip.
Earlier, Noah had decided not to go to the dance after finding out Richelle wouldn't be going alone, but Henry had told him flat out that he was coming and he'd make sure he had a good time instead of wallowing in his own self pity at home. Going in the same group as Richelle and her date wasn't really his idea of a good start to that mission, but Henry was already willing to sacrifice some of his own time with Amy at the dance to look after his mopey butt, so he couldn't really complain.
"Good, that'll be fun," Richelle said, giving him a small smile.
Yeah, sooooo fun, he thought.
They both grew quiet as Richelle relaxed onto her back.
"Can I give you some advice?" Noah asked a little sheepishly, which was not a trait most people would associate to his personality, he was usually as confident as her—just significantly less scary. Richelle looked over at him and nodded, and Noah continued. "Sorry if I'm out of line. I know I've not had the best track record with girls, but when I think about crushes and relationships and stuff, I always think I want something that feels easy to me. Like I don't have to worry because I know they won't care if I make a mistake, which is good because I make a lot of them. I don't know, Elliot's a good guy, but it just sort of seems like you have all this stress about him when he should be taking away that stress. Your partner should be someone who can always calm you down."
Richelle stays quiet after he finishes, and Noah has three fears:
Number one: She figured out he has a major crush on her due to his rambling.
Number two: She's mad that he's questioned whether her not-a-boyfriend is a good match for her.
Number three: She was so bored by him that she fell asleep halfway through.
They're both quiet for a little while longer, Noah listening very carefully to see if he can hear her snoring. He doesn't, but he does hear her voice coming quietly from the other side of the roof of his mum's minivan.
"Who calms you down Noah?"
Noah's breath catches in his throat and he tries to figure out what to say. Somehow they've been friends for over ten years with Richelle flat-out avoiding his love-life, she never seemed interested and so he stopped asking for her advice. His brain can't quite figure out how to avoid the question, so he settles on a joke.
"Well my mum makes pretty good cupcakes and that usually works...."
"Noah...."
"Oh wait a minute! Richelle Nolet were you trying to ask who I like?"
Richelle rolled her eyes at him but raised her eyebrows a bit to ask again. Noah looked up at the sky, hands still folded under his head, and answered as relaxed as he could.
"Well I mean I'm usually a pretty calm person. I mean not like calm calm, but I don't really get stressed out that often. But, when I am overwhelmed, just talking to her makes me feel better. I can just look at her smile and my heart slows down and I feel like everything's good in my life again. I love her laugh... it makes me want to forget everything else except the things I can do to hear it again. And these stars?" He points upwards, giving her a side wards glance, "They've got nothing on her eyes. Looking into her eyes is like being cozy on a cold day. Sitting inside with fluffy socks on, curling up under a blanket by the fireplace and your body feels more comfortable than it has any right to be. Your insides feel so warm when the outside is so cold. And you just feel safe. And happy."
Noah let out a deep sigh, a smile breaking out across his face as he closed his eyes, barely breathing his next words,
"She's amazing."
Another short silence comes between Noah, Richelle, and the galaxies above them. With his eyes still closed he feels Richelle touch his bicep gently, before she asks with a whispered, curious tone,
"Does she know, Noah? Does she know how you feel about her?" Her voice breaking it's so quiet.
He thought he heard a bit of uneasiness in her voice but he probably imagined it. In his head, Noah saw himself turning to her and telling Richelle that it's her. That she is the only one who makes him feel so special and peaceful. That being with her is better than cuddles with his cat and dancing in the rain all rolled into one.
But not tonight.
Tonight he's her friend and he's helping her destress, as a friend, not as a guy with a motive. Although he supposed he did have a motive, that the idea of making her happy was enough incentive to do anything she needed him to.
"I don't think she does," he answered her, opening his eyes and bringing himself back to reality. They lay for another few minutes before Noah asked if she was ready to go (he knew she was, he heard her yawn). Richelle gave him a nod and he helped her climb down the back of the car. After she was down he bunched up the blanket in his arms and jumped down. They drove back to Richelle's house to the tune of Taylor Swift's latest album, them both choosing to merely hum along instead of their usual chaotic belting.
It was quiet, but like everything he did with her, it was comfortable. He parked on the curb in front of her house (thank God all the lights were still off) and gave her a goofy grin. She smiled back, thanked him, and opened her door to leave. Noah's smile faltered a bit as she hopped out of the passenger seat, already feeling that the car was emptier without her. She was about to shut her door, but hesitated and looked him in the eyes.
"You should tell her how you feel."
"One day I will, when the time is right." She nodded at him and his smile was less goofy, and more genuine. She shut the door and walked up to her locked gate, disappearing from his view after she typed in the code and slipped through, closing the weighted wood behind her as quietly as possible. He took a moment to sigh, completely head over heels in love with the girl with the oversized sweatshirt and cozy pajamas. He whispered aloud to himself in the quiet car,
"One day I will."
~~~
Cute fluff