by Morgan Utley
“Well, I don’t know if I would call it a date. We mostly ran anyway. Dr. Schoenborn, this is a little weird to talk about. Not gonna lie,” Peyton admitted.
“Peyton, you can talk to me about anything, you know that.” Dr. Schoenborn tried to look innocent.
“Yes, but he’s your nephew. And I don’t want this to turn into you receiving information from him about me like an extra set of eyes. It makes me uncomfortable.” Peyton felt bad telling him this, but she didn’t want any more questions about it. Especially since she didn’t know for herself whether or not it was a date.
“Peyton. I can assure you that all he told me was that he met with you, went running, and that he enjoyed his time with you. The only reason why he told me was that I had asked if he could grab me some breakfast that morning, and he told me he would be a little longer because he was at your house. I am not trying to have someone spy on you or trying to make you feel uncomfortable at all. I apologize if I made you feel that way. However, I wanted to tell you that I was very proud of you for getting out there and going out on this date or whatever it was. You took a huge step last week and made some serious progress. Regardless of it being my nephew. I still want to see how you're doing with this new step and how you're feeling, but I will try to make it sound like I’m not prying, alright?”
Peyton stared at him, and his eyebrows were still raised, but his face was much more serious.
“Okay,” she nodded, “I understand.”
“Good,” he leaned back into his chair as he had leaned forward for his little rant, trying to make a point. “And might I add? The fact that you stood up for yourself just now and told me how you really felt was also very impressive. So, Peyton, good job.”
“Thank you,” Peyton exhaled and looked at the clock to see that it had only been twenty minutes, and she had forty minutes to go.
“Well, Peyton. I think you made a lot of progress this week. Anything else you would like to talk about?” he asked.
The rest of the appointment consisted of how she was feeling or if she was interested in meeting up with any other friends or having dates. And they talked about her nightmares. He again asked if she wanted something to help her sleep through the night better, but she had no desire to be put on medication. There was a lot of quiet, too, in between each question as Peyton was still feeling a little uncomfortable that Dr. Schoenborn had known about Noah coming to her house. Not to mention, nothing else had actually happened since the run as it had been a very slow week. She thought about bringing up Chris bringing over his new girlfriend, but that would have opened up a whole other can of worms she wasn’t up to talking about. She wished that she could leave the appointment early instead of sitting in dead silence with the man, but Dr. Schoenborn told her that she was blocked out for the entire hour, and he was intent on using every minute with her.
“Well, Ms. Peyton, I think we have covered enough today. I have plenty to fill my notes. You are free to go,” he informed her, and Peyton secretly did a happy dance. She looked at the clock and saw that it was fifteen ‘til, so she was shocked to see that he had ended the session early. He must have been eager to fill his notes.
“Okay, sweet. Well, I’ll see you later then.” Peyton stood up with Dr. Schoenborn to shake hands and walked out of the office. “Oh wait, Doc, did you want me to schedule another appointment for next week?”
“Yes,” he replied, “let's plan on Thursday at the same time again.”
Peyton, feeling a little defeated, responded, “Alright, I’ll let Noah know.” Her heart sank to the bottom of her stomach.
She walked out of the office and forgot that she had to make it past Noah in order to get out of there. She took a deep breath and headed for the front desk.
Noah didn’t notice her until she was standing in front of him.
“Oh hey, Peyton! Sorry, I didn’t see you. I’ve been trying to study any chance I can get. Are you done already?” he asked.
“Yeah, we got done early today. Shoot, that reminds me, I need to call my mom,” Peyton remembered and pulled out her phone to call her mom. “And Noah, your uncle wants to see me again on Thursday at the same time. Will you make sure I’m on the calendar when you have a chance, please?” she wondered.
“Yeah, I can totally do that,” he replied.
“Thank you,” Peyton whispered once her phone started ringing.
“Hello?” her mom answered.
“Hey Mom, I got done with my appointment early. Do you mind picking me up, please?” she asked.
“Oh, are you done already? I ran to the store, and I still need to get a few more things. Are you alright waiting?”
“That’s fine. I can wait.” And then I turned my head away and whispered into the phone, “Are you trying to torture me?”
“Don’t be ridiculous!” her mother hissed. “Tell Noah hi for me!” she said cheerily and hung up the phone.
“Crap,” Peyton muttered and turned around to look at Noah. “Hey, did that time work out okay for Thursday?”
“Yes, it did,” he said. “Hey, is everything okay?”
Peyton looked at her phone and realized what he was talking about. “Oh yeah, my mom is just in the middle of shopping, and since she gave me a ride here, I have to wait for her.”
“How long do you think she will be?” he asked.
“I don’t know. Depending on how much she needs to get and how many people she sees, it could be a while. But it's okay.” She turned around and walked toward the lobby chairs.
“Peyton?” Noah called behind her.
She stopped walking and looked at Noah. “Yes?” Peyton asked and was surprised to see him standing up from behind the desk with his hand wrapped around his neck and his fist stuffed inside his pocket looking a little nervous for whatever he was about to say. Peyton decided it was cute.
“If you would like, I’d be happy to give you a ride home. My uncle doesn’t have another patient coming for a few hours, and I could use a break from studying,” Noah offered.
Peyton, being caught off guard by his offer, stammered out the next few words, “You don’t have to do that. I’m fine with waiting. I have a book downloaded on my phone I could read.” She waved her phone and gave him a little smile.
“Are you sure? You would be doing me a favor. I don’t think I could read another word. They’re starting to swirl and swim off the pages. Plus, it would be a win-win. I give you a ride home, so you don’t have to wait, and I get a break from studying. And I guess we would get to spend a little more time with each other too. So, it would be a win-win-win,” he chuckled and smiled his half crooked smile. Peyton’s face started getting hot, and she looked down at the floor to hide her embarrassment.
“Um, sure if you want to. I don’t want to put you out. It’s not like I live around the corner.” She peered up at him, and he was smiling full on as if he was enjoying the fact she was now beat red.
“The drive sounds nice. Should we go?” He pulled his keys out of his pocket and gathered up his books.
“Yeah, let’s go,” she said and followed him out the front door and to the parking lot. She looked around outside and noticed that clouds were forming, making it look like it was about to rain.
“Looks like it's going to rain soon,” Noah pointed out as if he had just read her mind.
“It does, doesn’t it?” She smiled to herself and stopped when Noah stepped in front of a dark green Honda Civic. He walked around to her side, put his books in the backseat, and opened the passenger door for her.
“Why thank you,” she said and climbed into the car, buckling her seatbelt.
Noah laughed, “You’re welcome, miss.” He closed the car door, and Peyton watched him walk around the car to the driver’s side. She couldn’t help but notice how well he fit into the dark jeans he was wearing. She quickly snapped out of her gaze once she heard the car door open, and she remembered that she should call her mom before she forgot.
“Hey, do you mind if I
call my mom real fast and let her know that I got a ride home?” Peyton asked.
“No problem. In fact, I should send my uncle a text letting him know I left…” he trailed off and pulled out his phone to do just that while Peyton pulled out her phone to call her mom. Of course, he was done texting before her mom even answered the phone. He started pulling out of the parking lot when her mom picked up the phone.
“Hello?” her mom answered.
“Hey, Mom. I just wanted to let you know that Noah is going to give me a ride home, so you don’t have to rush.” Peyton tried to sound as if it was no big deal, but she knew the moment she told her mom this, she would try to play twenty questions with her.
“He’s what? Really? That’s amazing! Are you in the car with him right now? What car does he drive? Are you on your way home right now? Is he staying at the house for a little bit? Should I plan on another person for dinner?” Her mom tried to ramble on, but Peyton knew she had to interrupt her or else the questions would never end.
“Yeah, Mom, we're in his car and on our way right now. I’ll see you when you get home, okay? I love you, Mom,” Peyton said as calmly as she possibly could. Luckily, her mom wasn’t slow and picked up on the clue.
“Do not leave anything out when I get home. I will be home in an hour.” And then she hung up the phone.
“All good?” Noah asked as she was hanging up her phone.
“Yep, it's all good. Thanks again for the ride,” she thanked him again.
“It’s no problem,” he replied. “How have you been?”
“I’ve been great. Just working at home and helping my dad out. What about you?” She was so grateful she finally had the opportunity to ask what he’d been up to because this man had made her wonder what the heck she had done wrong to make him not talk to her.
“I have been studying like crazy the last few days. I graduate in a couple of weeks, and I have boards coming up. In fact, I hadn’t left my apartment all week until today, except to come to work. Even at work, I’m trying to get some studying in.” he informed her.
This was sweet music to Peyton’s ears. The last few days she had worried that she had said something to offend him or that he just plain didn’t like her and that their run date was a huge waste of time. Instead, he had been cooped up in his apartment studying all week. He hadn’t had time to text her or do anything else. It was like Peyton could finally breathe again. Boy, her mom was going to be happy to hear this.
“I’m sorry if it seemed like I fell off the face of the earth or something. If it helps, I felt like I’ve been brought back to it now,” Noah smiled, and Peyton could feel the corners of her mouth turn up.
Peyton shook her head, “It’s okay. I figured you were busy with school or something.”
“Yeah, it's crazy, but I’m almost done, which is such a relief. It’s been a long four years,” he admitted. He stared out the windshield with his elbow leaning on the window and his hand on his mouth as if he were thinking a serious thought. Peyton figured he probably was, which made her curious.
“You have no idea,” she muttered.
“What was that?” His head whipped in her direction.
“Uh,” Peyton faltered, “I just agreed with you it has been a long four years.”
“Yeah, at least it's almost over. Well, I guess for me. What about you? Do you think things are going to get better with you?” Noah asked, looking back and forth between her and the road.
“I think so,” Peyton admitted. And for the first time in a long time, she actually believed it.
Chapter 8
The great thing about Noah was that he didn’t push Peyton into sharing any details about her personal life. Anyone else she felt would have asked, “Why have you had a hard year?” or “Why are you seeing a therapist?” For now, things were being kept simple, and she certainly appreciated it. It had almost been a year since Derek had passed, and she wasn’t ready to have this conversation with him. Instead, he asked her what music she liked to listen to in the car, what kind of car she drove, and if she had ever been pulled over. Basically, they talked about cars for the remainder of the drive and debated whether or not Rascal Flatts was really a country band or more pop.
Once they finally settled that they were a country band and he turned down Peyton's old gravel driveway, they got quiet for a minute.
“Is that your car in front?” he asked.
Before she could answer, her brother stepped out of his car with his new friend, Gloria. Chris turned around and paused for a brief moment, obviously trying to figure out whose car was coming down the driveway. Once he realized Peyton was in the passenger seat, he smiled and waved excitedly.
“Nope,” she exhaled. “That would be my brother Chris and his new girlfriend, Gloria.”
“Ah, got it. They seem nice,” he stated while Peyton put her head in her hands. Noah chuckled and put his hand on her shoulder, which gave Peyton a jolt of energy and caused her head to snap up.
She looked at him and he was smiling. “It’s all good, I promise.”
Unfortunately, Peyton had no idea what he meant by that.
“Alright, well, I better go. My brother is going to be foaming at the mouth ready to ask questions. And Gloria, well, I don’t know what she’ll do. I don’t know her all that well,” Peyton admitted and felt a little bad that she hadn’t asked Chris more about his new fling.
“Let me open the door for you,” he took his hand off her and opened his door.
“No. No, wait…” she stuttered. But before she could stop Noah, he was already out of the car and making his way around to her door. He opened it, and Peyton climbed out. She smiled at him and prayed that her brother wouldn’t say anything stupid.
“Hey, Pey Pey, what’s up? Who’s the guy?” Chris asked. He obviously wasn’t very shy.
“This is Noah. He’s the guy who ran with me on Monday, and he gave me a ride home from Dr. Schoenborn’s office,” Peyton explained.
“The one Mom was all worried wouldn’t talk to you again?” he said obnoxiously. Peyton’s ears started turning red.
“Yup, that’s me,” Noah said and waved. “Nice to meet you. You must be Chris.” He sounded so cool and calm, like what her brother just said didn’t even phase him.
“Yeah, I am! I’m Peyton’s little bro. And this is Gloria. She’s kinda my lady,” Chris smiled and shrugged his shoulders.
He put his arm around Gloria, and she waved at Noah, “Hi, nice to meet you.”
“Nice to meet you, too,” Noah waved back. “Well, I better…”
“Man!” Chris interrupted. “It’s been ages since I’ve seen you get out of a guy’s car, Sis.”
“Chris,” Peyton warned.
“Reminds me of the first time you got out of a guy’s car. It was Derek’s…” Peyton flinched. Chris either didn’t notice or didn’t care, because he kept going.
“You came home from school, and Derek had offered you a ride home instead of riding the bus. And then Dad came out the front door and started grilling him! ‘Who is this guy? Who are your parents? Peyton, why are you in his car? Why didn’t you ride the bus? Are you two dating?’ Oh, man! It was hilarious! And the poor sucker still brought you home every day despite Dad staring at him down with his arms crossed on the front porch every time. Kind of ironic after all that driving he died in a car accident…”
“Christopher!” Peyton’s dad barked. Chris’s talking came to a halt. He turned to look over at his dad, who was standing the exact way he had just described. On the front porch, with his arms crossed, and his eyes narrowed in Chris’s direction. Once Chris took in their dad's look, he whipped his head to look at Peyton, and his eyes went wide, realizing what he had just done.
Peyton hadn’t realized, but she had tears streaming down her face, and she was trembling. She tried to wipe her face and control her shaking, but the tears kept coming, and she felt like she was in her own personal earthquake.
“Peyton, I...” Chris began, but
he was interrupted again by their dad.
“Chris, come in the house, please.” His tone was flat and even, and Peyton knew anyone on the receiving end of that tone was in some serious trouble.
Chris closed his mouth and did as he was told. Gloria, obviously looking a little awkward, followed behind Chris. Clearly, he was her ride, and he wasn’t going anywhere yet.
“Peyton, honey, why don’t you come in. Thanks for bringing her home, Noah.” Her dad's voice had softened up, and he uncrossed his arms.
Peyton shook her head and tried to wipe her face again. “Yeah, thanks, Noah.” She took a quick glance at his face, and she noticed three different expressions all tied together—confusion, worry, and concern.
Seeing his face only started to make her cry more. She choked back a sob and walked into the house.
“No problem,” she heard him say behind her as she went into the house, her dad following her in.
The first thing Peyton saw when she walked inside was Chris and Gloria looking worried and guilty.
“Peyton, I’m really…” Chris began, but Peyton didn’t hear the rest of it. She let herself sob and ran upstairs to her room. She threw herself onto her bed and sobbed. She was angry with her brother for opening his big mouth in the first place. Then he made that insensitive comment about Derek’s death and thought it was okay to make a joke about it. For Peyton and anyone with a heart, that was never going to be okay. Lastly, she felt embarrassed. All of this was said in front of Noah, and she could only imagine how confused he must feel. Not to mention, this was not the way she wanted to introduce Derek to him. Her emotions kept ranging from anger to heartache to embarrassment, which all made her cry.
At some point, she fell asleep with her face in her pillow, and when she woke up, she had hair stuck to her face from her tears. Not to mention, she felt like she had been run over by an eighteen-wheeler. She laid down in her bed and looked at her phone to check the time. It read 5:03 p.m. She had been asleep for almost four hours.