Getting Lucky (A Lucky Novella)

by Gioertz, Karina

  He was just coming around to meet me when he caught sight of me and stopped in his tracks. His face seemed to transform in slow motion as it went from unexpected to stunned to the biggest smile I had ever seen him have. He was looking at me the way I had always dreamed a man would look at me someday and it felt better than I could have ever imagined. Noah adored me. And if I ever had a moment of doubt again all I would need to do was look in his eyes. It was all right there. I couldn’t believe I had never seen it before.

  “Wow,” he said as he held out his hand for me to take. The moment my palm landed in his, I felt a gentle pressure in my hand as he gripped it with a tender force and led me straight to him until my chest was pressed to his. Our legs intertwined with one another and our lips met in a deep kiss that seemed to reach me at my core, bringing to life emotions I had stuffed away so long ago I had forgotten they even existed. Never had I felt as vulnerable as I did in that moment. And never had I felt so safe at the same time. Against all odds and in spite of every vow I had made to remain in control of myself and my heart always, I had done the unthinkable and given it to Noah. He held all the power in his hands. With my every essence in his grasp to do with as he chose, I clung to him tightly, knowing he would protect what I had given him with everything he had.

  Chapter 7

  First Time

  We arrived at the Mona Lisa just as the early dinner crowd was already clearing out. I was immediately taken with the place and its charm as the hostess led the way to an indoor balcony overlooking the downstairs where a pianist played live music to set the mood.

  When we reached our table, I was delighted to find that it was a cozy little booth decorated with vines and little white sparkling lights that made you feel as though you were a million miles away in some small town in Europe. I could tell by Noah’s repeated nods of approval that he was equally impressed with the place.

  From there, things only got better as we indulged in what could very well have been one of the greatest meals of my life. All throughout dinner the conversation level was fairly low as our focus remained primarily on the food. There was a lot of oohing and aahing as each course began, followed by plenty of you- have-to-try-this’s and oh-my-GOD-this-is-SO-good’s. It wasn’t until we reached the dessert stage of our dinner that the conversation took an interesting turn.

  “So,” Noah began as he slowly dipped a large strawberry into the melted chocolate. “Do you remember our first kiss?”

  I was right in the middle of deciding whether to start with the brownie or the giant marshmallow when I had to put the debate on hold to look up at him.

  “Seriously? Out of the two of us, I’m pretty sure I’m not the one who pretended they forgot about it.” I shook my head to shame him further and then stabbed the brownie with my fork. Chocolate over chocolate couldn’t be wrong.

  “Then you don’t remember,” Noah replied calmly, the tell-tale signs of a grin working their way over his face.

  I was just about to take my first bite when I had to stop again.

  “Excuse me?”

  “The kiss you are referring to was not our first kiss.”

  Much to my disappointment, I felt my own hand lower itself toward the table as I temporarily placed my perfectly dunked brownie down onto a plate.

  “What are you talking about? We never kissed before that.”

  Meanwhile, Noah wasn’t taking any breaks as he finished his strawberry and went on to dip a large chunk of pineapple.

  “The first time we kissed was seven years ago. We had only known each other for a few weeks when a bunch of people from work met up downtown to hit the bars together. I remember I was already out with the crew when you showed up with Kylie, that cocktail waitress you used to hang with.” Noah took a moment to take another bite before he continued, “Of course you went straight for the dance floor. Naturally, I followed. It took three hours, but eventually we wound up at a table alone. And that’s when you kissed me.”

  “I did not!” My mind was racing through old memories as if they were stacked flash cards in one of those little thumb theaters.

  “Are you calling me a liar?” he asked, grinning from ear to ear now as he sucked the excess chocolate from his pineapple before it had chance to drip. That’s when it hit me. The flash card with the lost memory, I mean. I came flying straight from the deck and landed right on top. There was no mistaking it. Noah had been right. Well, sort of.

  “You mean the night you tricked me into kissing you!”

  “Oh please. Like you would have fallen for that if you hadn’t really wanted to kiss me,” he countered.

  “I most certainly did not want to kiss you! In fact, kissing you couldn’t have been further from my mind. I remember the whole thing. You were going on about how misunderstood you were by women. Then you gave me some sob story about not getting enough attention as a child and how you needed nurturing and THEN you ended your little spiel by giving me the most pathetic pout I’ve ever seen before begging me for a kiss on the cheek. What did you call it? Oh yeah, a random act of caring. I already knew you were trouble, but I felt so sorry for you after that, so I kissed you right as you turned your head!”

  “You liked it and you know it,” Noah whispered as he lowered himself over the table to get closer to me. I leaned in to meet him. This time the kiss came as no surprise.

  “Couldn’t have liked it that much. I didn’t bother kissing you again for a long time,” I said smirking. Noah just blew it off.

  “You liked it. You just needed some time to accept it.”

  I had finally gotten around to my marshmallow. I had plenty of time to contemplate my next move as I chewed the gooey sticky sweetness.

  “Alright then. How about the first time we hung out? Do you remember that?” I asked, fully anticipating to watch Noah fall flat on his face.

  “At work or out?”

  “Out.”

  “Okay, that’s easy. Pizzeria a block from the bar. We were there for so long we closed the place down. Didn’t even notice until our server told us we had to leave and we saw all the chairs up on the tables. After that, we headed to IHOP. Stayed there until you had to get ready for your Astronomy class in the morning.”

  Damn. He was good. I didn’t even bother responding.

  “My turn again?” he asked as he watched me shove a chocolate covered graham cracker in my mouth. “I’ve a got a good one. First time we fought. Remember that?”

  “What? That’s not a good one! Besides, we fought anytime we had a conversation that lasted longer than five minutes.”

  “I’m not talking about our perfectly healthy bickering or exchange of insults, I’m talking about the first time you were really pissed at me.” I watched as Noah went for the banana. I was starting to wonder if he was purposely eating all the fruit and leaving me the most decadent choices of all. Like the tiny bites of cheesecake I was going for next.

  “Okay then. First time we really fought was at work. I was filling in for one of the cocktail servers and you were working the bar. We were slammed when I came to you with an order for a drink you didn’t know how to make. I told you exactly what to put in it, but you didn’t believe me. You insisted on tracking down D. and getting the recipe from him. I waited for that drink for nearly ten minutes. By the time you finally made it, I was so far behind on all my tables it took me two hours to get caught up again and find my rhythm.”

  “Yup. You didn’t talk to me for nearly a week,” Noah said, looking slightly wounded from having rehashed the event.

  “Kind of stupid, really. I don’t even know why I stayed so mad for so long. I think I thought you were mad at me too. It wasn’t until you came in on your day off and said a quiet hello as you went by that I realized I was the one keeping us from moving passed it.”

  Things got quiet for a little while as we both concentrated on what was left on the dessert platter. It was Noah who finally broke the silence.

  “Okay, you’re right, that was a stupid one.
Let’s change it up a bit. First time you thought of me as a friend – ”

  “Oh, I like that one. Alright. First time I knew we were friends was when you hunted me down at the back of the bar while we were working to tell me that your high school girlfriend was in the bar. You told me all about how the two of you had been serious and how you thought you were in love with her until you found out that she was cheating on you. I knew then that you thought of me as more than just another walking vagina.” I set down my fork, surrendering to my stuffed belly. “Your turn. First time you thought of me as more than just a friend.”

  Noah’s fork was still hovering over the last piece of cheesecake when he thought better of it and decided it would be okay to waste one tiny bite. He slowly placed his fork down on the folded napkin beside his glass. Then he looked up at me and smiled.

  “The first time I thought of you as more than just a friend was the day you walked in the bar looking for a job. But, I’m guessing that’s not what you’re asking. You want to know when I thought of you as more than a friend after we were friends. When it was no longer about just sex.”

  I nodded.

  “Yeah. That moment has come, right?”

  “Yes, it came already. Probably a lot sooner than you think. I was at work. We hadn’t opened yet and I was in the back helping D. with inventory when I smelled it. Your perfume. You weren’t even supposed to be there that day, but you came to get your schedule. Without even thinking, I stopped what I was doing and made a beeline to the source of the sweet scent. The closer I got to you, the closer I wanted to get. Then, when I was standing beside you, breathing you in, I knew it would never be enough. I’d always want more.”

  I couldn’t believe it.

  “I remember that day,” I whispered, surprised to suddenly feel so overwhelmed with emotions.

  “Yeah?” Noah looked at me with an intense curiosity building in his eyes.

  “Yeah. I’ll never forget it. The way I felt to be so wanted. You threw some lame pick up line at me, but I didn’t even care. There was something different about you that day, like you were under some sort of spell. I’d never drawn a man in that way before. Not like that.” I stopped and turned my gaze down toward the table. I could vividly recall that moment. It was one I had replayed in my mind hundreds of times over the years. “And yet, I knew you weren’t really mine…not then anyway.” I managed a weak smile as I lifted my eyes to meet his again.

  Noah’s hand reached out to hold mine as he said, “You’re wrong. I’ve been yours since the first time I saw you. And of all the ‘first time’ memories I have of you and me that one will always be my favorite.”

  Chapter 8

  All In

  The days that followed seemed to race by in a slow motion blur. A contradiction of sorts I realize, but try as I might I can find no other way to describe how it felt. Noah and I went on our own little adventure as I set out to show him all the things I had felt to be special and unexpected treasures found only by those who knew where to look. While we attempted to make use of every minute of our time on this trip, each moment seemed to etch itself into my mind permanently. I laid awake at night reliving each magical memory of the day passed while Noah slept at my side, his left hand always resting in mine as though it had finally found where it belonged after searching aimlessly for an eternity.

  Before I knew it, or felt remotely ready for it, reality returned in the form of two moving guys and a giant moving truck first thing on Wednesday morning. I felt strangely anxious as I watched the two men come marching into my home, one with a clipboard in hand and taking notes, while the other went about opening and closing my cupboards and drawers and lifting various objects, presumably to get a feel for their weight and durability.

  Noah studied me as I hovered over the men like a hawk about to pounce on its prey. With a mocking grin resting far too comfortably on his lips, he placed his hands on my shoulders and began to lead me from the room.

  “Wait, where are we going?” I asked as I watched him reach for my keys.

  “We’re getting your crazy, control freak ass out of here so these men can get their work done in peace,” he said and he shoved me out through the front door before I could put up so much as a fight.

  “What if they break something? I need to at least tell them not to touch Grandma Pearl!” I said, my arms reaching out toward the now locked door blocking my path.

  Noah scooped his arm around my waist while I was still facing the opposite direction and carefully moved me onward, walking backwards as I went and watching the distance between myself and my stuff increase with each step I took.

  “It’s an urn, Lucky. Not many people need to be told not to touch one of those,” he said as I finally turned around, prepared to come willingly, if not happily.

  “You better be right,” I grumbled. I mean, what he was saying made sense. If it was anyone else, I wouldn’t be going out of my way to handle the scorched remains of their dead body.

  Still holding the keys, Noah opened the door to the passenger side for me before walking around to the driver’s side and getting in as well.

  “So, where are you taking me?” I asked. I couldn’t help but be curious to see if he could actually find his way around after having only spent a few days here. For the most part, Boise had proven to be easy to navigate. Most roads ran in blocks and for every one street you traveled to get somewhere there were at least ten others that ran parallel to it. Except, of course, for those few streets that had apparently been built as an afterthought around things that were already there. Rather than route them to go around, or under, or over…they simply stopped in one spot and then picked up again a few blocks down. If you didn’t know about this minor hiccup in the roadmap, it could really screw with you. I remember the first time I tried to visit my friend, Sharon, on my own. I had been to her house a few times before and felt pretty confident about where it was, but having always been a passenger in her car, I hadn’t actually made the drive myself. Well, when I finally did, it turned a fifteen minute trip into the most infuriating hour of my life as I kept driving around in circles, baffled by the fact that the road she lived on had dead ended before I was able to reach her house. I repeatedly made the same drive down the same road, searching for the driveway I had missed somewhere, only to find out much too late that while I was on the right road, I needed to take several more after it stopped to find where it began again.

  With the experience still fresh in my memory, I was eager to see where Noah intended to take us and how efficient he would be at actually getting us there.

  “Don’t worry, I know where I’m going,” Noah said as if on cue.

  “Whatever you say,” I replied, now positively hoping he would get lost just so I could laugh at him. He was entertained on my behalf plenty of the time; I was due for a good chuckle at his expense. When he pulled off of the road again thirty seconds later and parked the car in the Diner’s lot just a few feet down from where I lived, I sighed with disappointment.

  Noah looked at me funny.

  “What? You have an aversion to pancakes all of a sudden?”

  I shook my head and slowly smiled, “No, pancakes are good.”

  “Alright then.”

  Noah nodded, confirming for himself that he had made the right call in bringing me there. Then he proceeded to get out. We met at the trunk and locked hands as he walked up to the front doors together.

  After breakfast, Noah drove back to the apartment only to insist I leave again, fully intent on keeping me away from my own home at all costs. He assured me countless times that my belongings were in good hands and not to return until I got the say so from him, which he promised would arrive via phone call the moment the moving men were done.

  With nothing to do and no one to talk to, I crawled over into the driver’s seat of my car and crept out of the parking lot at a mere 5 miles per hour, giving Noah ample amount of time to change his mind, which he did not!

  I drove aroun
d for a bit, circling the block and unable to really relinquish all control of the situation to three men until I concluded that there were better ways to waste my gas. Since I had already officially resigned from my job over the phone as well as through a proper resignation letter, the only thing left to do regarding that whole situation was to clean out my classroom. I had planned to save the task until the last possible minute, and if at all feasible to avoid the un-pleasantries of saying good bye to everyone yet again. However, given the unexpected opening in my schedule, now seemed as good a time as any to simply face the things I loathed head on.

  Class was still in session, but recess was coming up shortly and it would allow me the time I needed to get in and get out without too much hoopla surrounding my departure. It’s not like I had that much to pack really. My desk contained a handful of personal items, and while most of the educational décor I had placed around my class room had been paid for by yours truly, I had no use for it beyond the school and I certainly didn’t need to schlepp it all cross country when I didn’t even have a class room waiting for me on the other side.

  I sat outside in the parking lot and carefully watched the building. The second I saw the doors open and the students spilling out of the class rooms into the open courtyard, I made my move. With a ducked head and the general appearance of someone who foolishly thought they could remain invisible in the bright light of day simply by turning their heard, I jogged over to the main building and disappeared inside. A few times I heard my name being called out quite distinctively and yet, I had zero qualms about doing the confused head turn and then running onward as though I thought I had misheard. When I reached my destination, I quickly pulled open the door and fled inside.

  An older woman with short brown hair was busy wiping off the dry erase board when I came flying in. She looked up from her task, startled by my sudden and somewhat frantic appearance.