by Bee Daniels
Melanie imagined herself with someone who could give her stability and have enough time to be home with their children. One, Melanie wasn’t sure if Noah wanted any of those things. She had never seen him in an environment around children, and though some people wanted kids, sometimes they weren’t ready for the responsibility of it. And two, even if he did want them, he probably wouldn’t want them until later. How long would Melanie have to wait? How long would she have to push back her plans for Noah to be ready?
Deep down, Melanie knew she should put on the breaks with their relationship. If she wanted the simple love story, marrying a nice man, having kids together, and spending the rest of their lives together working to keep their marriage through good and bad times, then she wasn't sure if Noah was it. With Noah, she couldn’t see their future at all. But also, deep within her heart, she wanted to throw caution at the wind.
She wanted to be with Noah no matter what the future brought. So, Melanie kissed him back, falling into the abyss, ignoring every rule that she had made, ignoring her plans because she wanted him. She wanted this badly. She wanted to believe there was a future for them.
“Love me, Melanie,” Noah pleaded. “Just love me and stay by me. Don’t leave me.”
She looked into his eyes, seeing a blurry future, and decided that sometimes, life didn’t have to be planned. Sometimes, relationships didn’t have to follow a set of rules. She wanted to be with him, and that was all that mattered to her now.
“I love you, Noah,” she confessed to him. Noah blinked, surprised by her words before he tackled her, pressing kisses all over her. Melanie giggled, mist in her eyes from the feeling of being loved and loving someone else. His kisses turned feverish, setting her body on fire as Noah’s hands roamed over every inch of her body, loving on every part of her.
Technically, this should be their first time making love as Noah stroked deep inside of her, cloaking her body with his own as if she would slip away. But Melanie realized this was no different from the times before because Noah had always cherished and loved her body like this. Melanie realized that love might have been there all along without them realizing it.
“I love you,” Noah told her again as he rocked inside of her. “I fucking love you.”
Melanie moaned, her fingers tangled in Noah’s hair. He stroked in deeper and deeper until Melanie couldn't control the flame inside of her anymore, and she burst, orgasming with him inside of her. Soon after, Noah followed her with his own orgasm.
Breathing heavily, Noah whispered in her ear, "A new beginning."
Melanie smiled, just thinking about it.
“A new beginning,” she repeated back, and he kissed her again. Melanie drowned herself in the moment, ignoring every worry she ever had. They were in love, and hopefully, that love would be enough to overcome everything. Hopefully, one day, both of their plans would be realized.
CHAPTER
44
MELANIE
T
HERE WEREN’T MANY THINGS THAT SURPRISED MELANIE, BUT SHE DEFINITELY FELT IT when Alice Griffin-Walker stepped into her office. Melanie hadn't expected this visit at all, so much so that her heart raced a mile a minute. It was so loud that she could hear it, and she was sure if Noah's mom listened hard enough, she could hear it too. Melanie tried to recall if during that night at the celebration for Noah's win if she ever told Mrs. Walker to visit her, but they never did have that conversation. So, why was she here?
Melanie put a smile on her face that threatened to fall with each second that passed. She stood from her seat to greet Noah's mom, who had come to her office uninvited. Under different circumstances, maybe even five months ago specifically, when Melanie saw Noah as only her student, then she wouldn't have a problem with Mrs. Walker popping up unannounced. But now, with Melanie having an intimate relationship with her son, Melanie felt nothing but nervousness, and to be honest, a touch of fear.
She wasn't one to believe in coincidences, and Melanie had a feeling with the determined look on Mrs. Walker's face, that she didn't just happen to stumble across her office.
"Hello, Professor Bryant. You probably don't remember me, but I'm Noah's mom, Alice."
"Yes, I remember meeting you after the hockey game," Melanie said as she stepped from behind her desk and shook Mrs. Walker's hand. "I must say that I'm surprised to get a visit from you.”
"Oh, why is that?"
"Well, because Noah isn't my student anymore."
"Yeah, you aren't his professor anymore, but once is close to always, right?" Mrs. Walker said with a small smile that did not reach her eyes.
Melanie blinked, somewhat confused. "Umm, I guess, though, I doubt your son will be taking courses anymore with me. But is there any way I can help you? Are you looking for Noah?"
"No," she said, shaking her head quickly. "I came here to see you. I wanted to speak to you privately, but"—she glanced at cracked office door seeing many students pass by on their way from and to their classes—"I think it might be best that we have this conversation elsewhere."
Melanie gulped, her nerves jacking up. Mrs. Walker definitely knew. If she wanted to speak to her, she had to know about her relationship with her son. But how did she know? Noah wouldn't have told her, right? Or maybe she was jumping to conclusions? Maybe Mrs. Walker needed therapy and assumed Melanie could help her because she was a psychologist. It wasn't like people hadn't made that mistake before and asked her to be their marriage counselor, which was something Melanie didn't do. Married couples were messy and only gave her migraines.
"Well, I was getting ready to go on break soon anyway. If you want, we can go to one of the—"
"I think it would be best if it were off-campus," Mrs. Walker said with a dismissive wave of her hand, and Melanie pressed her lips together. "There's a little coffee shop just off the corner. If you could meet me there in the next fifteen minutes, that would be delightful."
Had this been anyone else, Melanie would have made a remark towards their rude gestures. No one just told her what to do on their time so rudely, but from the way Mrs. Walker looked at her, Melanie could see the false cheer in the older woman's gaze. It was weird seeing such familiar eyes have such coldness in them towards her. Melanie wasn't mistaken at all. She bit down a sigh and jerkingly nodded, watching as Mrs. Walker swept out of the door, leaving her perfumed scent behind.
Mrs. Walker knew about Melanie and Noah, and Melanie knew that when you were in the position of being guilty, you didn't get the right to be mad.
Melanie wanted to call Noah, but what good would that do, especially if she were mistaken. So, she didn't say anything and went to meet Mrs. Walker at the coffee shop she had spoken of. The air in the coffee shop was thick, nearly suffocating Melanie, but for everyone else, their breathing was fine as light-hearted chatter filled the room along with the aroma coffee and fresh pastries. Melanie and Mrs. Walker sat across from each other at a small quaint table tucked in the back of the coffee shop. Melanie nervously tapped her foot against the ground against her will as she tried to find the right words to say with hopes that she wouldn't have to say anything at all. On the walk here, Melanie's mind repeated one single word— deny. Like a melody, that single word played in her head; deny, deny, deny, and it wouldn't get out.
But as Melanie sat in front of Mrs. Walker, she found that she couldn't do that, found that she didn't want to do that, found that she was tired of lying about her relationship with Noah, and wondered when the lies would end. How long would she have to lie before the truth was brought into the light? How long would she have to pretend that there was nothing between Noah and herself? Nothing could remain a secret forever.
Mrs. Walker took a sip of her coffee before she sat it down and gracefully laced her hands together, looking Melanie straight in the eye.
"I'm just going to get straight to it. Please, stop seeing my son."
Melanie shakily placed her own cup of coffee down, wincing. She had always i
magined this moment. When she realized she had feelings for Noah, she knew this would be inevitable, a moment that would happen no matter what. But no matter how many times Melanie imagined this moment, nothing compared to it actually happening. It felt like an arrow had been shot in her heart, washing her over with shame. Melanie's face flamed up so bad that even her dark skin could not hide it, and she could do nothing to wash away that shame as her heart felt guilty and heavy, and had been feeling this way since the moment she started everything with Noah.
"I'm sorry," Melanie said because it was the only thing she could say. She looked down, unable to look Mrs. Walker in the eye.
"I don't need your apologies," Mrs. Walker said, her voice breaking as she leaned forward and harshly whispered, "I need you to leave my son alone. You're his professor. You should know better."
Melanie bit her lip as she tried to keep control of her emotions. She knew what she had to do, knew this moment would come, and yet it didn't hurt any less. The next words Melanie said made her feel hollow.
"I'll leave him," Melanie promised. Her tongue felt heavy and thick, and her heart the same.
"Thank you, Professor Bryant. I hope that we don't see each other again and that you keep your promise," Mrs. Walker said, getting up on her feet before sweeping out of the coffee shop.
Melanie sat there alone in silence, stunned, trying to wrap her mind around what just happened. But the moment it sunk in, Mrs. Walker's words and the promise she had made to her, Melanie broke. She could not stop the tears falling from her eyes. Her heart hurt, and it wasn't because of the shame. It wasn't because Mrs. Walker had all but looked at her like she was a horrible person. It was because Melanie knew it was the end. It was because she knew she couldn't be with Noah anymore. Melanie bent her head down low enough for her forehead to press against the table as she sobbed.
For so long, she had searched for love, and for a while, it had almost seemed impossible until she met Noah. She had never felt love like this before, and never thought she would experience it with Noah, but she had. She felt it every time she was with him. Noah had her heart and more. And to know she would soon lose that broke her in a way she could have never imagined.
They were so close. That day at the cabin felt like a new beginning, and the promises Noah had given her, Melanie had almost believed it. The future he presented her, she cradled it as if it were her own dream. She had let herself be swept away into a dream that would never come true.
She felt humiliated, bamboozled by her own desires, and stupid. She should have never given in. She should have never tutored Noah. She should have never befriended him. She should have never fallen in love with him.
Melanie continued to cry until she was jostled out of her own misery when she felt the table move. When she looked up, she was surprised to see Mrs. Walker again, who was grabbing the pair of gloves she had forgotten on the table. Mrs. Walker stared at her, frozen as she looked at Melanie's red eyes before her lips pressed into a thin line, and she stormed away without a word. Melanie had never felt so small in her life before, and love had gotten her to this point.
CHAPTER
45
NOAH
N
OAH BROKE HIS PROMISE TO MELANIE AGAIN.
He wasn't late again on purpose, but with the team heading into the Frozen Four, Coach Benson had been extra hard on them as of late. Coach Benson wanted them all at their best, and though it was exhausting running drills and plays, Noah couldn't help but feel the same. He wanted their team to be at their best too. He wanted to win too. Noah wanted to take the trophy and place it on his father's desk, showing him that he was a great hockey player with or without him. So, Noah stayed, practicing harder with the rest of the team until hours passed by, and he was extremely late.
The worst thing was that this morning he had taken Melanie to the university in his truck since he had spent the night again. At first, she had told him that she wanted to drive separately to Weston, but with his desire to spend more time with her, even a forty-minute drive, he insisted on her driving with him to the school. She told him not to be late, and he assured her not to worry, but now he was hours late. What had he been thinking? Once Noah realized the time, he immediately left practice and raced across campus to Prince Hall, where Melanie's office was. When he got to her office, he shouldn't have been surprised to see a note left on her door with her office lights off.
I’m taking a taxi.
Noah frowned, though he knew he had no right to be angry. He just thought it was strange that she left without even shooting him a text to tell him that she had left. Clearly, she was pissed if all she left behind was a note.
Noah sighed, balling up the paper and then tossing it in a nearby trash can in passing as he left the building. He hopped in his truck, and instead of going to his dorm, made his way over to her place. If he wanted to avoid a fight, he would have to apologize for his tardiness. He was wrong, and he shouldn't have come late, especially after he badgered her into hitching a ride with him. Hopefully, she wouldn't be upset for too long so he could spend the rest of his night with her in peace and maybe get a nice bath too. His muscles ached everywhere, and what he needed now after a long hard day of practice was rest.
But when Noah made it to Melanie's apartment, the last thing he expected was for her to be this angry. When he stepped inside her apartment, immediately, he was greeted with a box filled with his things.
“What the fuck?” he said baffled because those were the only words he could find in his moment of confusion. This was something he expected from young girls his age; childish tantrums that would result in them being upset for thirty minutes or so, give or take before they gave in and showed that they really weren’t that angry to begin with. But Melanie wasn’t one of those little girls. She wasn’t childish, and she wouldn’t waste her time putting on a show like this if she didn’t actually plan on kicking him out.
“I told you not to be late,” Melanie said, her lips pressed together in a firm frown with her arms folded together. She stood in front of him in silk cream pajamas. The thin press of her lips and the angry glint in her brown eyes told Noah that Melanie was serious. Noah couldn’t believe this was happening. It felt like he had stepped into an alternative universe because there was no way that Melanie was kicking him out for something so little.
“And I'm sorry about that,” Noah said as he closed the door behind himself, ignoring the box in front of him. Melanie couldn’t just think she was going to kick him out for something like this. “I wasn’t paying attention to the time, and the coach had been riding us hard.”
“So, that means I have to wait for hours for you? I don’t think so. You know I hate it when you’re late.”
“So, you’re trying to kick me out because of that? What? Do you need some space?” Noah asked, perplexed by everything that was happening. This morning they were perfectly fine, and they had talked about this before at the cabin. He thought she would understand now that him being late wasn't a sign of him disrespecting her or not loving her, but because hockey was important to him. Melanie had gotten upset with him before about his tardiness, but that was when they weren't in a relationship. That happened when they didn't mean anything to each other, but now, they were everything to each other.
“I’m not kicking you out,” she said, and Noah sighed in relief before Melanie continued. “We’re breaking up.”
“What the fuck, Melanie? Are you fucking serious?” Noah spat in disbelief as he dropped his bag to the floor. “Are you really going to break up with me for being late?”
Melanie didn’t respond as she continued to look at the ground. Noah couldn’t understand, and it only made him more frustrated.
“Why aren’t you looking at me?”
She sighed, tapping her foot against the floor with impatience before she finally looked at him. There was a tiredness in her eyes that hadn’t been there before when he left her this morning. She looked weary,
and Noah wanted to know what had led her to this point.
“We’re breaking up, but it’s not just because you were late. It’s because of other things too.”
“What other things?” Noah asked. “You never told me you had any complaints. How am I supposed to fix them if you don’t say anything—”
“Because these aren’t problems that can be fixed!” she snapped, stepping forward before she bit her lip, tamping down her anger. “Look, Noah. I just realized that a relationship probably isn’t best for us when our futures are different. I'm not getting any younger, and I want to get married… and I want to have kids and... I’m not going to be able to do that with you.”
“Why not?” Noah asked as he grabbed her arms. Melanie's desires were all news to him, but Noah assumed that most women wanted these things. It wasn’t something Noah could give her now because his priorities were on something else, but in the future, he could imagine calling Melanie his wife and having children with her. He tried to explain the same to her. “I wouldn’t mind having those things with you—”
“You’re too young,” Melanie said. “Don’t you get it? You’re supposed to be having fun with your friends, and soon you might be in the league. You don’t have the time to worry about those things.”
“Where is all of this stuff coming from?” Noah asked. “Why are you doing this, Melanie? This isn’t like you. Anything you want, you can have. Maybe it can’t be now, but it can happen later. What happened to our plans? We decided to be together, right? We decided that we would work through everything together. Maybe I can’t be the man you need today, but I will be. I will. Don’t do this to us.”