Noah

by Justine Elvira

  This chick thinks she's going to be engaged to Noah one day?

  I think I'm going to be sick.

  Trying to look indifferent I chime in. "Last I checked Club Desire doesn't do engagement parties."

  I'm just stating the obvious.

  Noah's demeanor instantly changes. He stands taller, loosening his grip around his date as his eyes narrow on me. "What is your problem?"

  "I don’t have a problem. I just want to make sure your date knows that your club isn’t the type to hold fancy celebrations...but I'm sure she assumed that already since she probably works for you." It would explain her inappropriate outfit.

  Noah's eyes narrow further and his cheeks flush in anger, something that I've always found irresistible. His brown eyes never leave mine as he directs his next words to his date. "Xaria, why don't you go inside and get something to drink, while I finish talking to Skye. I'll meet you in a few minutes."

  The way he viciously spits out my name makes me cower a little in fear. Maybe I went too far with that last dig.

  Xaria watches us both with a puzzled look on her face, but she doesn’t question Noah. Instead she turns around and walks back inside the same way she came out.

  Once we're alone, Noah takes a step towards me. I quickly thrust my hands in front of me with my palms out. "Can we not do this tonight. It's my engagement party for God's sake."

  He ignores my request and takes another step, and another step, until there are no more steps to take and he's standing right in front of me. I inhale his scent and I'm immediately dizzy with all the memories I have associated with that smell. I shouldn’t be out here with him. It's not right...it isn't fair. But as his hand comes up to cup my cheek in a familiar act of tenderness, and his fingers grip my chin to bring my eyes up to meet his, I'm immediately reminded of why we work...and why it's so hard for me to see him here tonight.

  "No, Skye. Today is your unbirthday party. You just want to tarnish the day with the celebration of your engagement."

  He leans in and his lips brush against mine, and God help me, I kiss him back. I kiss him back because I want him. I kiss him back because I need him. I kiss him back because I love him.

  Anyone at this party could come out here on the patio and they would see me cheating on my fiancé, but in the moment I don't care. I've spent a long, dreary day without Noah and I miss him terribly. My body and soul are finally at peace now that I'm in his arms and lost in his embrace.

  He slides an arm down my back until he reaches my ass and then he squeezes softly, the satin of my dress rubbing deliciously against my flesh. His touch burns into my skin underneath, but it also sends off alarms.

  I shouldn’t be doing this. Not here. Not now.

  I reluctantly pull away from his mouth and push him off me. Inhaling a long deep breath, I attempt to control my breathing.

  "Why do you keep fighting us, Skye?"

  "Because it's wrong, Noah. What we're doing is wrong."

  "It's not wrong, Skye. Everything in my life finally feels right when we're together. I know you feel it, too."

  I do feel it, too. That's why this is so hard.

  "You should go find your date," I spit back at him angrily. I need a moment to collect myself before going back inside to stand near Caleb and celebrate. Noah should be making out with the chick he brought with him.

  "You're jealous," he says knowingly.

  "What? No." I let out a humorless laugh, revealing just how jealous I actually am, and then Noah laughs a loud, genuine laugh. He finds this funny.

  "Yes, you are. You're jealous. Doesn't that tell you something, Skye? Don't you realize that your feelings for me aren't just going to go away because you made a bad choice? Your brain picked Caleb, but the rest of you picks me."

  "Caleb's a good man, Noah. He's done nothing to deserve my lack of loyalty to him. He deserves better than what he's getting from me right now. I should be with him inside that party right now. Not out here with you and jeopardizing my future."

  I don't give him a chance to fight me on this as I storm past him with my head down. I can't believe I just kissed him.

  "Is that all you care about...jeopardizing your future with him? What about the future we could have together if you just gave us a chance?"

  I stumble on my heels as I absorb everything he just asked me, but with my head held high I walk back inside to find Caleb, ignoring Noah's questions.

  My eyes are blurry from the tears I'm desperately trying to hold back and my head is foggy from the emotional disaster I've put myself in, when I run into someone as soon as I'm back inside the golf club.

  When I look up there's a stunning woman in front of me. Her hair is a pile of wild long tresses of unending curls, yet it seems perfectly tame. She looks like she just walked out of a shampoo commercial. Her lips are perfectly plump, and her face and body are flawless. She smiles a perfect, toothy grin with her pearly white teeth and I'm trying to place her, but I've never seen her before. Why is that since this is my engagement party? I should recognize my guests.

  "Skye! You look beautiful tonight," she greets me, clearly knowing exactly who I am. When I eye her, clearly confused, she introduces herself. "I'm Paula. I work with Caleb."

  It takes a split second to put the name and face together.

  This is Paula? This is Caleb's work-wife? She's...gorgeous. She's physically flawless from head to toe. In my head I pictured her twenty years older, several inches shorter, and with a little more weight on her. Caleb said he invited a few work friends but I never expected him to invite Paula.

  "Hi, Paula," I say smiling, holding back from grinding my teeth at the small amount of jealousy I feel right now. Caleb could have told me she was a knock-out. "It's so nice to meet you." I extend my hand to her but she wraps her arms around me instead and hugs me in a friendly embrace.

  “This party is beautiful. You did such a great job organizing it."

  As I mumble out my thanks and pull out of her embrace, my nostrils are assaulted with the strong scent of coconut. It must be a lotion or perfume she's wearing, or maybe part of a body spray, but that's not why my body stiffens and I feel like I've been punched in the gut. They say your memory is your strongest tool and I believe that because my memory brings me back to the last time I smelled that scent–two months ago when Caleb came home from work. He was covered in the scent of coconut and I dumbly assumed it had to do with the smoothie he drank.

  Were Kendall and Noah right? Was I that blinded by the lies Caleb told me that I missed all the signs that were right in front of me? Suddenly, I begin to doubt every word Caleb's ever said to me. The only way for him to have smelt this much like her is if they were close enough to be rubbing against each other–being intimate. It's so clear now. The only thing I don't understand is why she lied for him.

  We're standing about a foot apart and I lift my chin confidently, arching my shoulders back and looking her straight in the eyes. I state my next words as a fact, not a question. "So it is true. You're sleeping with Caleb."

  Her cheery disposition vanishes as her perfect smile is replaced with an indifferent grin. "It doesn't mean anything, Skye. It's just sex."

  She's not even trying to deny it. Here she is, standing in front of me at my engagement party, and she doesn't seem to have a remorseful bone in her body for sleeping with my fiancé.

  Oh God...why didn't I put it together before? She said it in her texts that night I found out about her. She never wanted a relationship with Caleb. She just wanted sex. Of course she'd lie for him. He probably called her ahead of time to warn her she might have to lie for him.

  How could I have been so stupid to miss all of this?

  "Skye, Caleb loves you. What he and I have is purely sexual. We're...scratching an itch because we're physically attracted to each other, but he goes home to you because he loves you–"

  "Get. Out." My voice is harsh as the two words venomously pass my lips.

  "Skye," she pleas.

 
; "Now!" This time my voice is raised as my shout echoes out across the room. Several heads turn our way but thankfully Paula has enough sense to leave before making an even bigger scene.

  She turns in her high stiletto heels and marches her perfect figure away from me and towards the front of the golf club. Several people are still watching me and I smile at them, hoping it will be enough for them to go back to whatever they were doing before.

  As I take in a few deep breaths to compose myself, my eyes meet Caleb’s from across the room and immediately my smile fades...and he looks terrified. He begins to walk towards me so I quickly turn around and head back outside, forgetting Noah is still out here from before. He's leaning against the railing and looking out across the golf course when he hears my heels on the patio and turns around.

  The tears I've been trying to hold back all night, tears for Noah and what could have been, and now tears for Caleb, finally fall. I can no longer hold back my sadness.

  "Skye? Are you okay?" Noah begins to walk towards me when the door opens again and Caleb enters the patio.

  "Skye, let me explain," Caleb begs. When he spots Noah he suddenly stops.

  Noah's eyes flicker from me to Caleb, and then back to me as I sob uncontrollably. Then he's no longer in front of me as he rushes towards Caleb. "You stupid motherfucker!"

  His fist collides with Caleb's pale cheek and Caleb stumbles backward, unsteady on his feet. "What the fuck, man?"

  "What did you do to her?" Noah's voice comes out low and rough. It's scary enough to have me a little worried for Caleb.

  "I didn't do anything, Noah. Mind your own fucking business." Caleb's voice comes out muffled as he holds on to his cheek.

  Noah ignores Caleb's request and gets back in his face. He grips Caleb's dress shirt in his fist and shoves him back against the brick wall of the building. "She's fucking crying at her own engagement party and then you come out after her, begging her to hear you out. You did something and I want to know what."

  Their faces are inches apart and Caleb turns his face to the side and spits out blood that has accumulated in his mouth before turning back to Noah. "You can never mind your own business, can you? I get that the two of you have a long history of friendship, but she's my girl. You need to back off, Noah, and know your place."

  "I'm not your girl," I interrupt from behind Noah. Both men look over at me; shock resonates on Noah's face and Caleb looks angry.

  "The hell you aren't. Let's talk about this, Skye. Don't throw this all away because of what that whore said."

  Noah's fist tightens on Caleb's shirt and he pulls him slightly forward before thrusting him back against the wall again. "Shut the fuck up,” Noah spits venomously in Caleb's face.

  "Let him go, Noah. He's not worth it," I command as I wipe the tears from my eyes. Noah reluctantly lets go of Caleb's shirt and takes a step back, as Caleb adjusts his clothing and wipes his mouth with the back of his hand.

  Ducking away from Noah he takes a few steps toward me but I step back with my hands held out in front of me. "Just go, Caleb. There's nothing to say."

  "That's not true, baby. You haven't even heard my side of the story."

  "I don't need to. Paula confirmed everything for me, making what I read all those weeks ago pretty clear."

  "You don't know what you're doing. We're at our engagement party, Skye. We're getting married. I still want to marry you."

  “Well, you should have thought about that before you slipped your dick into another woman."

  I feel something brush against me and I look to my right to see Noah standing by my side. I've been so focused on my conversation with Caleb that I didn't even notice Noah move beside me, standing next to me for support.

  Looking back at Caleb I add confidently, "It's over, Caleb."

  "Don't say that. You'll change your mind. You'll forgive me."

  "Forgive you and then what? You can cheat on me all over again? That's not going to happen. I've let you control this relationship and walk all over me for long enough."

  "Skye, you–"

  "She said it's over, Caleb," Noah interrupts, moving slightly in front of me and blocking my view of Caleb. "I suggest you go quietly before I'm forced to beat the life out of you and make a scene."

  Moving my head to look over the right side of Noah's upper arm I watch as Caleb glares at Noah and then his eyes settle on me. After a moment of contemplation I see the second he’s made up his mind. Turning to go back inside he mumbles, "You fucking bitch. You aren't worth it."

  Noah must hear him, too, because he lunges forward to confront him but I'm faster. Wrapping my hands around his hips from behind, I pull him into me and speak against his back. "His family and friends are inside, Noah. Beating him is not worth the assault charges."

  I can feel the tension in his back as my cheek brushes against the tight muscles. I continue to hold him this way until he's calmed down and then I release his hips and take a step back. He turns to face me and his beautiful brown eyes are filled with sadness, and maybe even pity for me.

  It’s just a reminder of all the mistakes I've made. Mistakes I made six years ago, mistakes I made a month ago, and even the mistake I made last night and then again this morning. My mistake wasn’t sleeping with Noah and cheating on Caleb in the process. As I look into the face that's comforted me since I was a child, I realize the mistake was leaving Noah this morning and choosing Caleb and our silly engagement instead.

  I chose wrong and hurt the man in front of me in the process. The realization has me sobbing all over again. Noah wraps his strong, muscular arms around me and coos comfortingly in my ear. His hands glide up and down my back, attempting to soothe away the sadness. Once my tears have dried, he pulls away slightly and looks me in my puffy, swollen eyes.

  "Do you want me to take you home?"

  I'm afraid to answer, unsure of what my voice will sound like so I silently nod my head yes.

  Instead of walking back inside, he pulls his phone out and sends a text. Pushing his phone back in his pocket he grabs my hand and we walk out the side gate of the patio and onto the grass. It's pitch black out so I grip his hand a little tighter as my heels dig into the ground. We walk around the outside of the building all the way to the front entrance.

  His date is standing near the revolving door and when we get close he lets go of my hand and takes the few remaining steps toward her. I stand back to give them a minute of privacy.

  They talk quietly and she smiles at him in understanding. In the dim light of the entrance I get a good look at her and have to admit she's really pretty...and maybe I was a little harsh on my judgment of her earlier tonight. She seems to genuinely care for Noah and doesn't seem mad at all that he's out here with me.

  She hands him my black Michael Kors purse and black dress coat and then he leans in and brushes his lips against her cheek. He turns back in my direction and my eyes connect with his date's. She smiles sweetly at me before lifting her hand to wave goodbye. I have no idea what Noah just said to her, but I hope he let her down easily. She seems like a genuinely nice woman.

  When planning the engagement party I made sure to arrange for cabs to be out front to take anyone who drank too much home. Noah opens a door to one of the cabs for me and I never thought I'd need one to go home in. He slips inside next to me and gives the driver a familiar address. It's not his address, though–it’s the address to Kendall's place.

  I wonder why we're not going back to our apartment complex? There's no way I'll spend another night in my apartment with Caleb, but I thought after tonight, after ending things with Caleb, that Noah would want me with him in his place. I know it's been less than an hour since I found out Caleb's been cheating on me, but this revelation is the news I needed to move forward with Noah. Doesn’t he see this? Doesn't he realize that we can finally be together now?

  He might be afraid to make the first move. Maybe he doesn't want to be with me anymore. He did look cozy with his date, and he kissed her goodnight
before getting in the cab with me. Maybe he wants to see where that relationship could go. I might have blown the one chance I had with Noah when I left his bed this morning to be with Caleb.

  As I'm replaying all the scenarios in my head, I realize something I didn't realize before. I'm not faultless in the break off of my engagement tonight. I got so angry with Caleb for cheating on me with Paula, but I cheated on him, too. I've slept with Noah several times while involved with Caleb. And if I'm being honest with myself, although Noah and I only started sleeping with each other recently, my heart’s always been his. So in a sense, I've never been truly faithful to Caleb.

  My heart softens towards him a little as I grasp what a hypocrite I've been. Sure, Caleb was just sleeping around for the fun of it, but maybe that makes what I did worse because mine was a battle of the heart and not just fulfilling a lustful attraction.

  As I'm processing how horrible I've been, Noah's voice interrupts my thoughts. "I texted Kendall. She left the party and is on her way to her place so we're only a couple minutes ahead of her."

  I ask what's been bothering me since he gave the driver Kendall's address. "Why aren't we going back to your place?"

  He drags a hand through his unmanageable hair before bringing two of his fingers to his beard and playing with the coarse hair. "That's not a good idea, Skye."

  "Why not?"

  "Because you should be with your best friend right now."

  Scooting my body closer to his in the back of the cab I lay my palm against his chest. With that small touch I feel a rush of anticipation spread throughout my body. My fingers play with one of the buttons on his dress shirt as I look up at him under my long eyelashes. "But you're my best friend."