The next morning I woke up and noticed two things.
Noah was already in the shower.
It was still dark outside.
I went to pull the pillow over my head and go back to sleep when I caught a glimpse of his naked body in my peripheral vision. Though his package wasn’t in view, the rest of his body was. His ass, so fine and muscular. I couldn’t stop looking at him, running that small towel over his tall body. His hair was a mess on the top of his head, and even sexier than when it was dry.
Of course he knew I was looking. It was proven when he put that tiny towel over the front of his junk and came walking out in front of me. “Oh, good mornin’. I didn’t know you were up.”
I couldn’t even speak. Aside from probably having to go into the bathroom and change my underwear, I was completely embarrassed for getting caught staring.
I kept my head turned until I could hear the zipper on his jeans being pulled up. “I’m goin’ to grab some breakfast. You want to get up and join me?”
“Has it occurred to you that it’s still dark out?”
“It will be light soon enough. Come on, we’ve got a big day ahead of us.”
“What do you mean? I thought we were going to practice all day.”
“Woman, I don’t need practice. Besides, all eyes are goin’ to be on you anyway.”
I stood up, not realizing that I was in only my underwear. I turned to see him looking, without regret. He seemed very pleased for me to know he was checking me out. I hurried up and grabbed my clothes before shutting the bathroom door and making sure it was locked.
Then I proceeded to calm myself down enough to be able to get ready for God only knew what he had planned for me. I dressed in my second pair of jeans I’d purchased and a t-shirt that was a little more tight than I was used to.
After putting my hair up in a loose ponytail, I brushed my teeth and put on some makeup. Given the little resources I had, I was happy with my appearance. Plus I assumed he’d been joking about the long day.
We sat down at the restaurant downstairs and he paid attention to his menu instead of me. I kept glancing at him, seeing if he was checking me out. He never once looked at me, and it was driving me insane.
An older woman approached the table, pouring us two cups of coffee and sitting tiny creamer cups in between them. “My name’s Flo. What can I get ya this morning?”
“Good morning, ma’am. I’d like the pancakes with bacon, a little on the crispy side, a large orange juice and a cup of home fries.”
I giggled about all of the food he’d ordered. “I’ll just have a bagel with cream cheese, toasted please.”
She closed her little book and left us to put the order in. “Do you always eat that much for breakfast?”
“Depends if my mom makes breakfast or not.” He sipped at his coffee and then started adding sugar. “On the weekends I probably eat more than this. I burn it all off by lunchtime, though.”
“So you live at home?” It seemed like a good time to ask him something personal about his life.
“No. I have my own place.”
“You drive to your parent’s house every day for work?”
He took another sip of hot coffee. “We live on the same ranch. It’s hundreds of acres. So – no, I don’t drive to my parent’s house. My mom cooks for everyone. She’s been gettin’ up with my dad and taken care of him since they got together.”
I rolled my eyes, imagining a life like I only saw on television. “She sounds like Joan Cleaver. I didn’t know women still tended to men like that. It’s kind of crazy to me. I mean, what could your dad ever give her that would equal the amount of work she’s put into that kind of life?”
He cocked his brow. “For starters, three kids, a beautiful home, anything she’s ever asked for, and his undyin’ love.”
He’d taken offense to my comment and it shocked me. “Sorry if I upset you, Noah. You just seem like you were trying to get away from them, yet clearly you care deeply for your family.”
“My dad and I don’t see eye to eye. His idea for my future ain’t what I want.”
I understood why he hadn’t mentioned it when we talked the day before. “Coming from someone whose family is a cluster-fuck, I’d say your lucky to have them, even if they drive you crazy. There isn’t anything I wouldn’t give to have my mom back.”
I shouldn’t have mentioned it knowing that he’d want to know more. “What happened?”
“She died when I was thirteen. She’d been sick for a while and stopped responding to treatments.”
“Treatments for what?” It puzzled me why he seemed so interested.
“Breast Cancer. Well, it started with that. Eventually the cancer spread to other places and that’s what killed her.”
Noah looked down at his coffee and got real quiet. “Hey, it’s okay. You didn’t upset me. She’s been gone a long time.” I reached over and tapped on his hand, but he stood up and walked away. I watched him head out of the restaurant and pulled out his phone. He spoke for a couple of minutes and came back in and sat down.
“Sorry about that.”
“Are you alright?”
He still refused to look at me. “When I was around eleven my mother was diagnosed. She went through hell, but made it through remission. Every year she gets checked, and I can’t imagine how scary it is for her.”
I’d never met anyone that was my age when their mother had cancer. It was a horrible thing to have in common with someone, but for some reason I felt connected to him because of it. Then I was almost jealous knowing that he’d got to keep his mother and I didn’t. “Is that who you just called?”
He nodded. “I left her a message.”
“That was thoughtful of you. You’re very lucky, Noah. There’s nothing that I wouldn’t give to have my mother back, even if it were only for one day. After she died my whole life pretty much ended. It hasn’t been the same since. In fact, I can’t remember the last time I had a day where I felt completely happy. It’s pathetic isn’t it?”
Noah shot me a half-smile. “No. It’s sad, but you’re not pathetic. You’re human.”
“Yeah, the last time I checked I was.” I grabbed a ton of sugar and added it to the black coffee. “Although, I think I may have sealed my fate by driving my boyf – I mean my ex’s car into a pond. That might qualify me as crazy.”
“Don’t go back there. You said you got nothin’ there holdin’ you back. You’re lucky that people don’t depend on you. My life was set in stone before I was born. My dad knew his son would take over the business. I’ve never been allowed to voice my opinion, or even have one.”
I felt bad for Noah, and was finally understanding why he’d left. “I’ve got ten bucks to my name, since all of my money was left at my ex’s. I’m sure he’s already found it. If it weren’t for you, I’d still be in the same clothes.”
“About that,” he paused and took a drink. “We need to get you somethin’ else to wear tonight. If you want to be remembered, you should dress the part.”
“Ugh, don’t even talk about shopping, especially since I know ten bucks isn’t going to get me shit in this town.”
“I’m buyin’.”
I shook my head. “Absolutely not. Noah, you’ve done enough. I feel bad enough already. I’m going to be mailing you I.O.U.’s for the next ten years.”
He laughed at me. “You don’t owe me nothin’. All sexual jokes aside, you’re nice company. I don’t expect money, or nothin’ else. I get that you’re in a bad way. If it was goin’ to be a problem I wouldn’t have let you come with me.”
Settled on the fact that he wasn’t going to let me say no, I smiled and accepted that maybe Noah was meant to come into my life, to give me at least a couple days of happiness. After all, in a little while I’d be on stage, doing something I’d only dreamed of. “Okay.”
Our food came, and as I picked at my bagel, I watched Noah devour every bite on his plate except for one. “What?”
&n
bsp; “Where do you put it?”
“Woman, you’ve obviously never experienced pancakes before.” With a fork full of pancakes, he aimed it at my mouth. “Take a bite.”
“I don’t know where your mouth has been.” I turned my face away, but he didn’t move the fork. “I’m sure you won’t die. Just take a bite.”
I opened my mouth and let him feed me his last bite. The maple flavor of the syrup hit my taste buds first. Then the perfection of pancake filled my senses. Satisfied that I’d done what he asked, he finished his coffee and wiped his face with a napkin.
“My mom used to make these when I was little. I guess I forgot how much I liked them.”
“We’ll get more tonight after our show. I know this place that serves them all day and all night.”
“It’s a date.” I said the words without the loaded pun behind them. It was a simple saying, that came with a certain assumption.
Noah didn’t argue or correct me. “Sounds good.”
We paid for our check and headed outside where Noah hailed us a cab. I had no idea where he was taking me, but somehow I knew he’d keep me safe. It was very reassuring to feel that way, but it came with a price.
The longer I hung out with Noah, the harder it was to resist my growing desire to know more about him. I liked him, and time was only going to intensify that feeling.
Where I should have been a mess over a breakup, I’d hardly thought about my ex. I didn’t know whether to thank Noah, or runaway, because it could only mean that he was replacing all of the negative in my life. Since I knew we’d part ways that really scared me. Once he’d gone home to his family, I’d feel even more alone than ever.
Determined not to think about it, I climbed into a cab with Noah. I wasn’t going to think about what was going to happen. I was just going to have fun while it lasted and hope a friendship could come out of it.
Noah
Breakfast had been a real eye-opener for me, after hearing how Shalan’s mother died. I could feel the pain of it, as if it were my own mother’s fate. As sad as it made me feel, it had given me reason to call home and make things right.
My message was short, and I was glad she didn’t answer, so I had time to prepare exactly how I was going to apologize. I just knew I had to make peace, because one could never determine when our time on earth was up.
To Shalan, my helping her was definitely out of pity. I’m sure that had something to do with it, but I was being honest about liking her company. She was so easy on the eyes, and behind that attitude was someone I wanted to get to know. Of course, I wasn’t about to admit that to her, especially when she was giving me such a hard time about certain things. Plus I liked teasing her, making her think I was an asshole.
With the exception of my major fuck-up a couple weeks back, I wasn’t a terrible boyfriend. Time was always my downfall, because my job was so sporadic. Like a plumber, I was always on call. If the cattle broke a fence in the middle of the night, I’d be out fixing it. Committing to someone and being reliable wasn’t a promise that I could keep.
After breakfast I decided that I’d take Shalan around the city. She’d obviously never been and there was some special places to see.
The key to sightseeing in the city was to get there before all the tour buses arrived. Shalan had no idea where we were going until the cab dropped us off at the long entrance for the ferry to see the Statue of Liberty. The smile on her face definitely told me that she was excited.
After we’d gotten through security, and finally made it on the boat, I saw another side of her. She looked green immediately. “You alright?”
“I’ve never been on a boat before. Is it supposed to rock this much?”
I look over and noticed that her once flush face was now turning green. She was motion sick. “Maybe you should sit down and try to relax.”
Crowds of people filled in and the seats disappeared before she could grab one. I took her hand and led her up the stairs to one of the two open levels. The crisp morning air hit us immediately as we made our way to an open seat. We sat near the front of the boat and I wrapped my arm around her to provide her with some warmth. “The ride is just a few more minutes. Keep your eyes open. It will help with the dizziness.”
She tucked her head in between my arm and chest and looked forward. “I might have to throw up.” I started to move away, but she pulled me back. “I’ll get up if I have to. Please just sit still.”
By only luck, an older woman with a man near her same age approached us. “Is she sick?”
“The water doesn’t agree with her.”
She reached in her purse. “My daughter used to get seasick all of the time. Here take one of these pills for motion sickness. It might take some time, but it will help.”
“Used to?” It wasn’t our business, but Shalan was just trying to be nice after the woman’s kind assistance. “Did she get used to it?”
The woman smiled and looked back at the man. “She passed away a few years ago, love.”
“I’m so sorry,” Shalan replied.
“She was sick a long time, dear. She’s at peace now with the Lord. We come here every year on her birthday. It was one of her favorite places when she was little. When I saw you sitting there with that familiar hue to your face, it felt like it was a sign that she’s still with us, in spirit at least.”
“It’s very nice of you to offer. I’m sorry about your daughter. She was lucky to have two parents that cared so much for her. I lost my mom when I was a child. I too hope she’s somehow watching out for me.”
“You take care of yourself, you hear? As for us, well, we’ve taken up enough of your time. You might want to start making your way downstairs, or else they’ll drive you all the way to Ellis Island.”
“I’d like to see that place anyway. I’ve never been here before. It’s all so amazing.” Shalan excitedly announced.
I met eyes with the man, who was clearly the dad in the equation. He put his hand on his wife’s back and held it there for a moment, offering her acknowledgement that they’d gone through such a tragedy together, as parents and a couple.
I had to look away. Being young, I’d already made a ton of mistakes with relationships, but not my parents. They were still so in love with each other, and I guess for a moment I pictured them losing me or one of my sisters, and it was painful to imagine. I shot the guy a nod and turned the other way, clenching my jaw and burying those emotions deep inside where no woman would ever see.
By the time we walked off of the boat, Shalan had thanked the woman plenty of times. I don’t know why I did it, but I kept my arm around her as we walked out. I suppose maybe in the back of my mind I wanted the older parents to think that we were a young couple in hopes that, for just a little while, they could see themselves in our shoes. Maybe it was a terrible idea, it still made me feel better.
Once we’d gotten to the entrance for the Statue of Liberty, Shalan managed to get the color back in her face. I ran into a shop and grabbed her a fresh bottle of water and some crackers.
Shalan sipped on the water and looked up at the tall monument. “It’s so big. To be honest, I never knew it was actually on an island. I mean, I heard it was, but I never understood it.”
“You want to go inside? We can take the elevator if it’s easier for you.” I didn’t bring her all this way for her not to get the whole tour, but I wasn’t going to push if she didn’t feel up to it.
“Yeah, let’s go.”
We walked slowly, side by side, eager to get to the elevator and view New York in a different perspective. After waiting in line, we finally made it to the first level. Since I hadn’t bought tickets for the very top, I was hoping that Shalan was satisfied with where we could go. She seemed amazed when we walked outside, circling around the Statue, surrounded by chest height block wall. Shalan looked up first, getting a glimpse of it up close. Then she leaned over the ledge and looked all around at the city. “This is amazing, Noah. Thank you for bringing me her
e.”
I smiled and looked over at her. “I thought you might like to see it. You can’t come to this city and not see somethin’ like this.” I pointed across the water. “That there is Ellis Island. It’s where the immigrants came first. The original family names are all listed inside of the main museum part. Would you like to take the ferry there next?”
She nodded. “Yes.”
I’d begun to turn around when I felt her grabbing my hand. I turned, noticing the look on her face immediately. I didn’t wait for her to ask for it, nor did I take a breath before I acted on it.
Our lips met, slow and steady. I closed my eyes, willing to accept that this was her thank you. Right as I was about to slip my tongue in her mouth, she pulled away, staring at me the whole time.
I started to say something, but she stuck her finger over my lips. “That was for allowing me to come on this trip with you, even when you didn’t know me at all. It’s for spending money on me and taking me places that I never thought I’d be able to go. It’s for being so sweet to me on that boat when I thought I was going to puke my guts up. This trip – well, it means more to me than you’ll probably ever know.”
I smiled and kissed her hand before she could pull it away. “It’s been my pleasure, darlin’.”
“Good, now let’s go to the next place so we can get back and practice for tonight. I know I’m acting crazy, but this performance means everything to me, Noah. I just want a real chance to sing for people with a real band. I never thought something like this would ever happen.”
I smiled, understanding her excitement, but not really feeling the same kind of thrill over it. “It’s all good. Let’s head out.”
We spent the rest of the morning walking around or taking rides in cabs. After our talk at breakfast, it seemed easier to open up to her about my life. I told her about my crazy family, and how we’d always done everything together. I also explained the fight with my parents, including every detail that happened the night I left. By two in the afternoon we were both pretty exhausted. Knowing how important the gig was to her, I decided to take us both back to the hotel so we could go over song choices and rest.
Noah Page 11