by Bee Daniels
“Noah!”
Melanie looked away from the side mirror to see Julie coming out of the bar and walking over to them. The way that her blue eyes peered at them held suspicion in her gaze.
“I thought I saw you at the bar, Professor Bryant,” Julie said as she stopped in front of them.
“Oh, yeah. Just having a night out with some friends,” Melanie said. “I guess I should get back to them.”
Melanie was nearly about to walk away until Julie spoke again.
“Yeah, I saw that. But I thought I saw you get out of Noah’s truck. Why were you in there?”
Melanie froze. Julie saw that. Had she seen anything else? There was a suspicious look in Julie's eyes, but it didn’t seem like she knew anything because if she did, there would be another expression on her face entirely.
When Julie noticed Melanie's questioning gaze, she explained herself. “I just saw it by chance back there when Noah was pulling you out the back door. And you looked really upset Noah.”
Melanie doubted it was just by chance, but more so the fact that she had been watching Noah the whole night. Melanie glanced at Noah, who wasn't saying anything as he stared at Julie with a blank stare. Melanie didn’t know if it was from shock or annoyance, but she was willing to bet that it was the latter.
“It was nothing,” Melanie said. “We just had something to discuss, and it was too cold to do it outside.”
“Oh, okay,” Julie said, but it was clear that she didn’t believe her.
“Well, it was nice to see you both, but I’ll be heading back inside,” Melanie said and walked away. As she fled the scene, she heard Noah’s words clear across the parking lot even as she entered the bar again.
“Mind your fucking business, Julie.”
He was definitely pissed.
CHAPTER
41
NOAH
A
FTER PRACTICE, NOAH WALKED ACROSS CAMPUS BACK TO HIS CAR with his headphones in without listening to music. It was hard to when his mind was filled with many things. He hadn't spoken to Melanie since the night at the bar, and that was nearly a week ago. Though they had sex that night, Noah was still pissed. A part of him had done it because he wanted to punish her; the other part didn't want to lose her to some douche bag like the guy at the bar.
That night, he had been having an okay time out with friends at a party when everyone suddenly decided they wanted to head to a bar. Noah had almost left then, wanting to spend the rest of his night with Melanie watching those boring soaps she recorded in the mornings, but his friends were adamant about him staying. He came into the bar a few minutes after his friends because he was trying to find a parking spot, and the moment he did, Noah immediately noticed Melanie. How could he not? She was the most beautiful woman inside of the bar, and even some of his friends had spotted her in that sexy black dress. Noah had been pissed seeing that guy's arm on her, but even in his anger, he could tell Melanie wasn't into it.
Melanie wasn't that type of person. She wasn't a cheater, and though Noah hadn't known Melanie for long, he still knew her. She wouldn't do something like that to him, but nonetheless, he couldn't help but feel betrayed seeing her there because she never mentioned anything to him.
The thing about Melanie was that she really didn't know just how beautiful she was. She didn't see the way she captured men's interest, and it was frustrating not being able to tell people that she belonged to him. It was frustrating not having Melanie on his arm so he could show everyone the woman he cared for. He couldn't do anything to stop the men around her. He couldn't do anything at all.
It was the first time he had ever felt helpless in a relationship before.
Sometimes, he wondered what Melanie really thought of him. Sometimes, he wondered if their relationship was serious at all to her. He knew it bothered Melanie how young he was, and though she had accepted being with him, sometimes, he couldn't help but think her heart wasn't all the way in it. Their relationship was a secret, and with the way it was going, she had no plans to tell anyone. If she didn't have any plans to tell anyone now, when would she in the future?
Did she even see their relationship as something serious to her, or was he just some fucking toy to her?
Noah sighed as he made a quick pit stop to the 7/11 on campus while it was empty. Most of the time, the 7/11 was packed, but with it snowing outside and classes canceled, for once, Noah could purchase his things with ease. He brought himself a Gatorade and some snacks before leaving the store. To his surprise, when he stepped out, he saw Julie coming in. She had an umbrella over her head to keep the fallen snow from piling down on her.
"Noah," Julie said brightly. Noah was surprised that Julie was greeting him so cheerfully after what he had said to her last time. It hadn't been pretty. He had been furious that Julie had been watching him that night like some private eye, so much so, that she had seen Melanie in his truck. Melanie had been scared, and he didn't like that at all. It was people like Julie who made it hard for him to be around Melanie the way he wanted to be.
"Hey, Julie," Noah said, deciding that he wouldn't be rude to her. Most of the time, Julie was a cool girl. There was no need to be angry with her because of his own problems with Melanie. "You picking up some things and heading home?"
"Yeah, it's really cold out here, so I thought I would pick up some hot chocolate before I headed back in. I'm pretty sure they'll probably close down the campus again tomorrow if it keeps coming down like this."
They both moved to the side so people could go in and out of the store.
"Well, you should hurry up so you can make it back to your dorm safely," Noah told her, opening the door for her, so she could go inside as she had planned before.
"Um, Noah, is it possible that you can drive me to my dorm because I don't think any of the buses are running anymore?"
Noah looked around, scratching his jaw. He really hadn't planned on making any pit stops, and he wasn't in a good mood. But it was cold outside, and the snow was coming down relentlessly and wouldn't stop until the wee hours of the morning. He didn't want to take her home, but he would feel bad leaving her out here when the buses weren't running anymore.
"Okay, I'll wait for you here," Noah agreed, reluctantly.
"Thank you so much, Noah," Julie said as she quickly headed inside. Once she brought everything she wanted, they headed to his truck and pulled out onto the slushy street. Julie's dorm wasn't too far. It was only on the other side of campus, so luckily, the ride wouldn't be too long. Noah hoped that the radio would be enough to fill the silence in the truck, but Julie decided to talk.
"Would you like to come over to my dorm and have some hot chocolate?" Julie asked over the rumblings of rock music. Noah turned the volume down a little lower and said, "I'm good. I don't want to get stuck anywhere."
"Oh, yeah, right," Julie said, red flushing her cheeks, showing she was embarrassed.
Silence filled the truck again as Noah stopped at a red light, sighing deeply. It probably would have taken him nothing but five minutes on a regular day, but because it was snowing, some people were driving slower than usual, though Noah couldn't blame them. Everybody's tires weren't like his, which were built for weather like this.
"Can I ask a question, Noah?"
"Yeah."
"What is your relationship with Professor Bryant?"
Noah froze for a second as he looked at Julie in shock. He almost would have stayed there staring if it wasn't for the cars honking behind him, letting him know that the light had changed. Noah gathered his bearings and pulled off down the street.
"What do you mean?" Noah asked. "She's just my professor and friend. What else would we be?"
A part of him wanted to tell the truth. No, all of him wanted to tell the truth. But Noah knew that's not what Melanie wanted. Then again, Noah wasn't quite sure what she wanted anymore.
After his answer, Julie sighed with relief, and Noah frowned, glanc
ing at her before looking back at the road. "That's good because for a second…never mind. I don't know what I thought. But that couldn't have been the case because that would be disgusting."
Noah gripped the steering wheel as he tried to keep control of his emotions. He had a feeling of what Julie thought his relationship with Melanie was, but what pissed him off was that she thought it was disgusting. What the hell was that supposed to mean?
When they pulled up to her dorm, instead of letting her out, Noah asked what was bothering him.
"So, you thought we were dating? No, we aren't. But even if we were, what would be wrong with that?"
Julie glanced at him, owlishly before she spoke again. "Well, Melanie's an adult. What is she like thirty or something?"
Noah wanted to correct her, but he let her continue.
"Either way, she's way older than you—"
"People date people who are ten years older than them all the time."
"That's true, but she's also your professor as well too. I mean technically that makes her like a guardian to you," Julie explained, and Noah nearly rolled his eyes, annoyed. It wasn't like Melanie was his high school teacher. She was his professor for one semester. A guardian was something else entirely, and Melanie definitely wasn't that.
"What I'm trying to say is that Professor Bryant shouldn't do that. No professor should. It's their job to teach us and nothing more. On an ethical standpoint, it isn't okay either. It creates too much of a power imbalance. Besides, I have so much respect for Professor Bryant, but if she were doing that, I would look at her totally different. It would… it would just make her seem desperate dating someone that younger than her who was her student. She should be dating men her own age, not someone that young."
Noah gripped the steering wheel tighter as he gritted his teeth. He didn't want to hear Julie speak another word. Noah wasn't a child, and Melanie wasn't his fucking guardian either. And so what, she was older than him? She wasn't desperate. Melanie had men falling over her all the time, and yet she chose him. To even hear Julie speak about her like that in a hypothetical way pissed him off until he suddenly realized that the way Julie was speaking would probably be the way many people would think of Melanie.
"We're here now," Noah said, gesturing to her dorm. Julie smiled sheepishly as she slowly took off her seatbelt.
"Are you sure you don't want to come in? We could spend some time together."
Noah sighed. He should have done this a long time ago, but he thought that Julie would have been able to take the hint on her own.
"Julie, I have a girlfriend, so I really shouldn't be spending alone time with you."
"Oh," Julie said as she looked down. Instantly, Noah felt bad. He never liked to tell girls off or anything like that. It didn't make him feel good about himself. Julie was a nice girl and beautiful too, but right now, no other person had his attention but Melanie. And even if Melanie weren't around, he wouldn't look at Julie as a potential girlfriend.
"Who is it?" Julie asked.
"It doesn't matter," Noah told her, dismissively. "I just wanted to tell you because I think you might like me and might be looking for a relationship with me. But that won't happen, and I just want to be honest with you."
"Thanks for telling me," she said as she grabbed her bag and umbrella, getting out the truck, but not before slamming the door shut. Noah didn't bother to get upset as he pulled out of the parking lot. He had a feeling that he broke her heart, and he didn't feel good about that. But at least, Julie wouldn't have her hopes up high anymore, and maybe then, she would stop watching him.
CHAPTER
42
MELANIE
W
HEN MELANIE ANSWERED HER DOOR, SHE WAS SURPRISED TO SEE NOAH BEHIND IT. He hadn't spoken to her since that night at the bar, so his unannounced appearance surprised her. And though Melanie was happy to see him because she had missed him, she didn't let it show, letting him inside without a word. He had no right to be mad at her like this. Quite frankly, she didn't understand why he was so upset anyway.
"Why are you here?" Melanie asked him as she folded her arms over each other. She tried to mask the hurt she felt for this past week with him ignoring her. Every time someone had knocked on the door, Melanie thought it was possibly him and had gotten her hopes up high to no avail. Every time she received a text or a call, she thought it was him, but it wasn't. He really hurt her feelings, and she wouldn't give in to some bogus excuse as to why he ignored her like this.
When he tried to grab her hand, she stopped him, placing her hand behind her. "Answer the question."
Noah sighed as he bit his lip. "I want to apologize."
"Apologize for what? Ignoring me for this past week or being an asshole?"
"Both," he said.
"Well, you can keep your apologies and leave," Melanie said as she went to open the door, but just as her hand touched the knob, he grabbed her, wrapping his arms around her.
"Don't do this, Mel," Noah pleaded against her cheek. "I'm so sorry. I wasn't thinking straight."
Melanie tried to hold onto her anger, but as Noah held her in his arms, it was hard too, and soon, his words and warmth nearly melted all of her strength away as he turned her around in his arms, still not letting her go.
"I'm sorry, Mel. I didn't mean to ignore you. I was just pissed," Noah explained. "I just want you so bad, and sometimes, I'm afraid you're going to leave me."
"You idiot. Why would I leave you when I'm risking so much by being with you now? If I didn't want to be with you, I definitely wouldn't be in a relationship with you. You have to understand that."
"I know that now," he said. "I didn't realize it before, but now I know why you want to keep our relationship a secret, and I won't force it anymore. Just stay with me. You know I care about you, right?"
Melanie nodded, and Noah pulled her into a hug. They stayed in each other's arms, enjoying each other's warm as Melanie breathed in his scent. She really missed him.
"I'm glad you got over yourself," Melanie admitted. "Because it would have sucked to spend this snow day by myself."
Noah laughed before he picked her up, wrapping her legs around his waist. "So, you can make me watch your soap operas with you?"
He carried her over to the couch and sat down with her on his lap.
"Exactly," she said. "And don't think you're getting out of this. I saved the ones you missed."
Noah sighed, running his fingers through his hair. "You really love torturing me, don't you?"
Melanie smiled, just glad to have him back. "I do."
CHAPTER
43
MELANIE
I
T TOOK FOUR HOURS FOR NOAH TO DRIVE WITH MELANIE FROM WESTON TO NORTHFIELD, where his parents’ cabin was. When Noah told her he was taking her to a cabin for the weekend, Melanie had expected some tiny cabin in the woods that would make her paranoid that someone was going to kill her. But as Melanie climbed out of Noah's truck and looked at the cabin in front of her, she had to admit the drive had been worth it.
The cabin was huge, and from the outside alone, it looked like it could fit more than ten people in there. She wondered how many rooms there were.
“Wow,” Melanie said in awe, taking in the beauty of it all. The truck door slammed, and Noah appeared next to her with their bags in hand. He dressed for the weather in a thick hoodie, gloves, and a hat that covered his dark hair. Melanie could see that he was wearing the necklace she had given him for Christmas and smiled. He had worn that necklace every day since she had given it to him. It looked good on him in his all black.
“You checking me out, Mel?” Noah smirked cockily, flashing his dimpled cheeks. Melanie rolled her eyes. So arrogant. If she gave him an inch, he ran with it every time.
“I still can’t believe you took me to a cabin,” Melanie said. Or more so, she couldn’t believe she let him talk her into it.
After Noah and his teammates
won the game last Friday, it had gotten them a place in the Frozen Four. Noah wanted to celebrate his win with her, and his idea of celebrating was taking her to a cabin. So, Melanie left one of her classes early today, and they got on the road and headed down here. Now that Melanie took in the beautiful mountains and the fresh air, she could understand why Noah wanted to spend his time up here. Melanie wasn’t much of a mountain girl herself, but she didn’t mind indulging him if it made him happy.
“Let’s head inside,” Noah said, and they both walked inside the cabin. The inside was just as beautiful as the outside, if not more. It had a second level, and in the back, there was a pool. Noah dropped their bags by the door as Melanie walked around, checking out the huge fireplace. It was a little dusty inside, but that made sense since Noah told her that his family hadn't visited this cabin in years.
“You ready to head out and explore the town,” Noah asked her.
They had just gotten here after a four-hour drive, and Noah had driven the whole time because Melanie didn’t like driving trucks. It made her uncomfortable and nervous to be up that high.
“Are you sure you’re up for that?” Melanie asked, and Noah laughed.
“I’m not tired. I'm wide awake. Besides, I want to show you around. They have a lot of fun stuff to do in town,” he said. “Will you do me that honor?”
“Okay,” Melanie said. “Just let me freshen up.”
They both took showers and dressed. They then left out and headed into town. The fun stuff Noah told her about consisted of a sauna, which had been the relaxation both her and Noah needed, in-door rock climbing, which had been a blast. Melanie was more limber than Noah, so she beat him every time to her amusement. Shopping, where they had gone to a strip full of boutiques and stores and picked out a few things. And then, they went to one of the local restaurants that served great southern food. After Melanie and Noah both finished their ribs and Noah paid the bill, they got ready to leave when they were stopped in their tracks.