by Bee Daniels
48
NOAH
N
OAH BANGED ON MELANIE’S DOOR, DETERMINED NOT TO LEAVE UNTIL SHE OPENED IT. It took him a two-hour drive to make it her apartment from his hometown, and there was no way he was going to leave without speaking to her. Noah knew she was here because he saw her light in her window when he pulled up. At first, he had allowed her to ignore him because he thought the breakup was something she had wanted, and he wanted to respect that even if he didn't agree with it. But now that he was aware of what happened that led to their breakup, he wouldn't accept it.
A door ripped open, but it wasn't Melanie's door. It was her next-door neighbor, an older white woman, who had a puppy in her arms as she glared at him. "Do you know how much noise you’ve been making? You woke up my baby."
Noah assumed 'Baby' was the Yorkie in her arms, but Noah didn't give a fuck about her dog. All he cared about was Melanie, and he wouldn't stop banging on this door until she came out.
"I know how much noise I've been making, since I'm the one making it," Noah said. The woman's eyes widened with shock as she sputtered, clearly offended by his words. Noah banged on Melanie's door one more time before it opened.
"What the hell are you doing, Noah?" Melanie asked, glaring at him before she gave an apologetic smile to her neighbor. "Sorry about that, Martha."
"Melanie, I don't know who your friend is." Noah rolled his eyes. "But the next time he makes this much noise, I'm afraid I'll have to—Hey! I was still speaking!"
Halfway through Martha's rant, Melanie pulled him inside of her apartment before slamming her door.
"If I didn't answer the door, that means I don't want to speak to you," she said as she glared at him.
"Tough shit," Noah spat out, "because I want to talk to you."
"There's nothing to talk about," she said, folding her arms together, stubbornly. "We already broke up."
Noah decided to get straight to the point. He was tired of this act. "Did you speak to my mother?"
Melanie froze, her arms dropping at her sides as she stared at him before she bit down on her lip. Noah shook his head. So, it was true. He couldn't believe something like this happened behind his back without him knowing.
"I know you spoke to her."
Melanie sighed. "Yes, I did," she admitted, "but it changes nothing."
"How does it change nothing?" Noah barked in disbelief. "She told you to break up with me. You didn't break up with me because you wanted to. Why didn't you tell me? We could have talked about this!"
"Because it doesn't matter if your mother told me or not. I didn't break up with you because of what she told me. Ultimately, it came down to my decision."
Noah looked at her in disbelief as he felt pain in his chest again. Though he was angry finding out the truth, he had been relieved to know that the reason Melanie broke up with him wasn't because of him. But with the way she was speaking now, it seemed as if he were wrong. "So, you wanted to break up with me?"
Melanie looked at him sadly, her big brown eyes filled with tears. "Noah, when I'm with you, I feel shame. It's not even about your age. I could deal with you being younger than me, but I can't deal with the fact that you were once my student. How can I even go about telling people that? How can I tell my mother or father or my friends that I'm dating my student?"
"But I'm not your student anymore. You act like I'm a high school student. Yeah, maybe it's taboo for a reason, but you don't have to tell people that if you don't want to."
Melanie snorted with mock laughter. "You're a freaking hockey player that's about to go pro. Your parents are famous! Soon, all of your information will be out there, and all it's going to take is one Google search, and people will know. It's best for both of us if we break up."
"No, it isn't," Noah said, frustrated by everything she was saying. He was tired of hearing this. All he wanted was Melanie. What was the problem with that?
"Noah, you're a handsome young man who will soon have celebrity. A bunch of women will throw themselves at you, and you'll forget all about me. And I'll eventually find the one who is right for me."
Noah grabbed her, pulling her to him and embracing her. "Why can't I be that right man for you?" he asked against her lips. "I don't want anyone else but you. Why can't you understand that?"
He kissed her deeply, holding her face to his as she struggled until she stopped, allowing him to kiss her. "I love you," he told her in between kisses. "I don't want to lose you."
Melanie ripped her mouth from his. "You're selfish, Noah. All you can think about is yourself. What about me? What about what I'm going to go through? The world isn't going to say anything about you, but I'm going to be the person torn to shreds when all of this blows up in our faces."
"Who cares about everyone else?" Noah asked, and Melanie shoved him away angrily.
"I care!" she yelled, pointing at herself. "Your mom is the first roadblock, but what about everyone else?"
"We'll plow through them too. I don't care what my mother says. She won't stop me from being with you. We'll fight all of them if we have to."
"I don't want to," Melanie said, shaking her head as she stepped back from him. "I'm tired."
He opened his mouth, ready to protest again, but she turned her back on him. He wanted badly for her to understand that he meant every word he said. If she were willing, he would plow through every obstacle in their way the same way he was on the ice with his opponents. He would go against the world to be with her. But she didn't want to fight with him. She didn't want him as much as he wanted her. Noah stood there momentarily stuck between wanting to stay, kissing her worries away, and accepting that some things weren't meant to be. Maybe they should have never started this thing and had remained friends. Noah made his decision and hugged her from behind, kissing her neck.
"Noah," she warned. "I'm serious. We're over."
"I know," Noah said, though it hurt him to admit it. "That's why it hurts even more because I understand why."
Melanie didn't reply, but he felt a hot tear fall on his arm. But Melanie's tears didn't matter because her resolve would not change, and Noah knew it just like she did. It was over, and she would not let him back in her heart again. Noah kissed her cheek, one more time, nuzzling her soft skin before leaving, resigning himself to the fact that this was the end of the road for them both.
CHAPTER
49
MELANIE
“I
DON’T KNOW HOW YOU CAN BE SO SMART YET SO STUPID, MELANIE.”
Melanie rolled her eyes, ignoring her friend as she continued to scroll through the TV guide to see what she would watch next. She didn't feel good today and had canceled her classes. She was sure her students were thrilled about that. It gave them a much-needed break, and Melanie had to be honest, she needed the break herself. She felt drained.
It had been two weeks since she had broken up with Noah, and she had definitely seen better days.
"So, you're just going to ignore me, huh?" Abigail said as she plopped down next to Melanie on the couch.
"That's exactly what I'm going to do," Melanie retorted as she settled on the food channel. Maybe watching Barefoot Contessa would take her mind off her own worries. But that would be impossible with Abi here.
"Did you at least watch the game last night?" Abigail asked.
Melanie wanted to lie. After all, she should be moving on from Noah by completely ignoring his existence. But last night, while she was scrolling through the TV Guide, she couldn't help but land on the hockey channel and saw last night's game. Weston's team won, but it definitely wasn't a win to be celebrated. The arena had been filled with blood lust, and Noah led the charge. He was the most aggressive she had ever seen him play, and he had been plowing through his opponents, and at one point, his own teammates. Noah and Josh almost got into a fight and had to be placed in the sin bin together. That was a sight to see, considering that they were arguing back and forth.
She knew Noah didn't like Josh and vice versa, but it looked like they were ready to draw blood. The sports commentators were ripping him to shreds for his aggressive, sloppy plays. It got so bad that Melanie had to turn it off. It was hard seeing Noah like that. He was angrier than she had ever expected.
She knew that he would be angry and that it would take him some time, but she never thought it would affect his game in this way. It made her chest ache, knowing that she was the cause of it. It had never been her plan to hurt him, but then again, she had no one but herself to blame. She should have never let things get this far anyway.
Hopefully, by the time they had their final game, Noah would be able to move on. It couldn't keep going on like this, or he would lose the championship. If they did, Melanie didn't know how she would ever be able to forgive herself. Though they weren't together anymore, Melanie still wanted what was best for Noah. She still wanted him to be able to accomplish all of his dreams with or without her there.
"Y'all both should end this soap opera now," Abigail said, and Melanie glared at her friend. "Just be together already. Stop worrying about other people."
"That's easy for you to say."
Since Melanie had known Abigail, her friend had always done what she wanted, no matter what anyone else had to say. Not many people were like that. Not many people could go around without the validation of others around them. But Abigail was different. She never let what other people had to say about her bring her down. Melanie didn't know if she could be the same way.
"I'm not made of stone, you know," Abigail said in a matter-of-fact tone. "Some words hurt me, but I just realize that it's a matter between being happy or being miserable because of other people's opinions. Which one would you choose?"
Here she was the psychologist, spending years in college, studying as much as she could, but her friend made more sense than her. Abigail had a point, and the answer was clear. But everything was easier said than done. Ignoring the opinions of others was like ignoring a fly in your face; in the beginning, you can pretend it's not there, but eventually, you get up to find something to swat it down with.
Melanie pressed her lips together and pretended like she was overly interested in what was on TV, but Abigail continued.
"I only have one life to live, and I want to live that life my way, according to my rules, not to anyone else's. To be honest, if Noah were younger than eighteen or a high school student, then I definitely wouldn't encourage you at all. I have boundaries and morals, even if it doesn't seem like it."
Melanie snorted, and Abigail playfully smacked her arm. "But Noah isn't a boy. You taught him in one class, and it wasn't like you gave him any personal favors because of it. You always gave him the grades he deserved based on what he did and was never biased. I don't see the problem with your relationship."
"You can say that because you know me, Abi. You know I'm not that type of person, but other people don't know that. And even if they do, they'll still make up their own stories regardless. I'm just not sure if it's worth it. Who's to say that my relationship with Noah would even last? Should I even be putting myself through all of this? Besides, what is he going to do, stop speaking to his family for me? I would never ask him to do that for me."
"It's his choice, so you don't have to ask him to do that," Abigail explained. "All of you are treating Noah like he can't make decisions for himself. Let him make that choice, not you. You have a choice between going to the finals or not."
Abigail dug into her wallet and presented her a ticket to the game. Melanie shook her head.
"I'm not going," she said.
"It's your choice," Abigail said as she stood off the couch. "Now, I'll see you later because I'm going to meet up with Andrew later on."
"Don't do something I wouldn't do," Melanie said sarcastically.
"Girl, you don't do anything," Abigail said back as she left, leaving Melanie alone to her own thoughts as she stared at the ticket on her table.
CHAPTER
50
MELANIE
W
HEN MELANIE HEARD A KNOCK ON HER DOOR, she glanced up from her paperwork, expecting to see one of her students. But to her surprise, in her doorway stood Coach Benson, waiting for her to invite him in. Melanie quirked a brow, wondering why he was visiting her. She hoped this wasn’t another attempt to ask her out on a date because right now, she wasn’t in the mood for being polite. These late few days, she had been a bit crabby, so much so, that most of her students were afraid to ask her for anything.
“How may I help you, Coach Benson?” Melanie asked, placing her pen down to the side.
Coach Benson took his hat off as he stepped inside her office, making sure to close the door behind himself. “I just wanted to drop by and thank you for all you have done for Noah.”
“You’ve already thanked me before,” Melanie said, her brows knitting together in confusion. “Besides, there’s no reason to thank me for something that happened last semester.”
“I know,” he said. “I didn’t come here just to thank you. I’ve also come to ask you for another favor.”
“I hope you don’t have another athlete you’re asking me to tutor because I won’t,” Melanie said, firmly. She doubted it would turn out like it did the last time. That was the exception of just Noah himself. But she also wasn’t going to tutor anyone period. Next semester, she planned on dropping her schedule to one class so she could focus on her next book.
“No, it’s not that. Besides, I’ve told my players to avoid your classes,” he said jokingly, and Melanie shook her head with a small smile.
“Then, what’s the favor?”
“I want to ask you to come to the game this Friday.”
Melanie blinked, surprised. “Are you asking me on a date? Because if that’s the case, I must—”
“No, no,” Coach Benson said, shaking his head. “I don’t think my pride can handle another rejection from you. I’m asking you to go for Noah.”
Melanie’s small smile had thinned to a line as she looked at Coach Benson. Her heart beat against her chest as she looked down, fiddling with her pen. So, he knew.
“I don’t like hockey,” she said, hoping he would take the hint and leave.
“You like Noah, and that’s all that matters to me.”
“Look,” Melanie said, sitting up in her seat. “I don’t know where you got this information from but—”
“I have eyes, Melanie. I’m not blind. Every time I mentioned your name, Walker looked like he wanted to strangle me, and every time I tried to woo you, he would appear.” Coach Benson shrugged sheepishly. “And then, Noah’s father came to talk to me about you.”
Melanie sighed, sitting back in her seat as she shook her head. Her career was over. This was exactly why she should have never started anything in the first place. Soon, everyone would know, and then the school board would want to talk to her so they could fire her quietly before it got out to the whole nation about what she had done with their star hockey player.
“Don’t get your panties in a wad. He didn’t tell me any details, but I know Allen, and he’s a one-woman man who loves his wife. If he’s asking me about another woman, it’s for a reason. No one else in this building knows anything but us.”
“Look, Coach Benson. Noah is a great hockey player. He was before he had ever met me, and he’ll continue to be without me. He doesn’t need me there. I just want to put this all behind as I’ve been trying to do.”
“But Noah needs to be great right now,” Coach Benson said as he stood. “He needs you to do that. Look, I don’t know all about the details, but I’ll tell you like I told Allen. I know that you’re not that type of woman. I know that if anything happened between you two, it’s because of something special and that you didn’t do it because of some crazy hormones that you can’t control.”
Melanie bit on her lip as she stood. “I really think you should leave, Coach Benson.”
&nb
sp; “Every great player has someone by their side, and for Noah, that person is you. And without you, he’s losing it. Please, be by his side again. Just please, think about it.”
He took his leave, and when he got to the door, Melanie told him, “Don’t hold your breath.”
Coach Benson nodded, and Melanie watched his back before plopping down in her seat. She wouldn’t look back.
CHAPTER
51
NOAH
I
T WAS GAME DAY, AND THE AIR WAS DIFFERENT TONIGHT AS ALL THE HOCKEY PLAYERS stood inside the locker room listening to their coach speak. Noah was a bundle of nerves as he rocked back on forth on the heels of his feet, his mind in a different place. With everything in him, Noah wanted to win this game. He worked his whole life for this moment, and now was the time to prove himself to everyone— to his parents, his hometown, the naysayers, the recruiters, even to his new agent, and show that he was worth it; that he would help his team win the entire series. Noah would prove that he deserved to be on any professional hockey team out there without the help of his father's name.
"I just want you boys to go out there on the ice today and give it your all. Play like you never ever played before; skate like this will be your last time. Show the world out there why we made it to this point. Give them a show and show why we are the Falcons. I believe in you all, and I'm glad to be your coach."
Rumbles and shouts were made throughout from the players. The lockers were shook, creating an energy in the room that they would take out onto the ice soon. Coach Benson's words gave the team the motivation they would need out there when they went against their opponents.
"Now, go out there and give it your all," Coach Benson said. Everyone shouted and slapped the coach's hand as they filed out of the locker room, ready to play the game. Noah was the last one left, and he stopped in front of the coach before he left.