Page 54 of Pages of Amber
Until Noah had found them.
A tall glass clinked against the table. Her gaze followed the length of Noah’s arm as he placed the strawberry milkshake topped with a layer of whipped cream and two cherries before her.
“You got me a strawberry milkshake?”
She hadn’t even told him what she wanted. The minute they’d walked in, he’d shooed her off to a corner booth, insisting they’d agreed he would pay.
“With two cherries,” he proclaimed.
She blinked, her brain whirring after the events of the afternoon. “How did you know it was my favorite?”
His brows furrowed, his straw leaving his lips. His order was a chocolate milkshake topped with sliced strawberries. “You told Evelyn it was your favorite back at Coney Island. Plus, you were really specific about the double cherries.”
“Yeah, I told Evelyn. You remembered it when I’d mentioned it once?”
Noah shrugged, the casual movement threatening to push her off the edge. How could he remain normal about this while she was in mid-panic? He dropped his milkshake, tugging her note out of his bag on the seat beside him. Amber grabbed at the note, stashing it into her own bag as though it was a dirty secret no one else needed to know about. Noah watched silently, his eyes alive with interest.
“When did you start writing?”
“That’s one question down.” She zipped her bag tight. The subject change wasn’t much better. She grabbed at the milkshake so she wouldn’t return to chipping her manicure. “A while,” she answered simply.
Noah rose a brow. “How far back is ‘a while?’”
He wasn’t dropping this, was he?
“Is that really how you want to spend your second question?” He said nothing, eyes steady on her. She grasped her glass. “Since I was a kid. The first one I ever wrote was some silly tale about my dad and I on an adventure. Can’t remember how old I was, only how much I loved forming worlds, characters and places in my head. But it’s nothing serious. It’s a hobby.”
Amber hoped that last bit was convincing.
“You panicked when I saw it. I don’t know anyone who would hide a hobby to that extent.”
Did he have to be so observant all the time? He was getting close. Too close.
“You don’t know many people, Noah.” She pointed out. “It’s each to their own, right?”
Noah took a long sip of his drink. Tilting his head, he watched the short line that had formed at the counter. A woman in heels that matched the pink booths was up next. She flicked her hair, pointing long nails at the menu. The cashier scrunched her nose and began to type in the order.
“There were a lot of scratched-out lines on that page.” Amber’s gaze flew to him, but Noah kept his eyes on the front of the shop. “Why?”
Huh. Question number three packed a punch. She bit her lip. A question that sounded so simple and yet, it would lead Noah even deeper into her safe space. Funny how she wasn’t as eager to share this as she had shared her greenhouse. On a sigh, she opened up. “It’s a scene where the main characters are out at night and he’s showing her the stars. I’ve been stuck on it for a few days. I can’t quite capture the imagery of it.”
“You don’t want them to only see the stars. You want them to feel the emotion of the moment too.”
“Exactly. But I haven’t traced stars often enough to be able to convey it.”
Noah nodded. “You could google search constellations or watch videos of the night sky…” he trailed off, a lightbulb going off in his head. “Come with me.”
“What?” She jerked back at the sudden command.
“Come with me. You want to see the night sky and learn to trace the stars, right? I know the perfect place.” His voice was tinged with unusual excitement, his dark eyes flashing as he waited for her answer.
“How do I know you don’t plan to take me into the woods and leave me there?” she questioned.
Noah’s lips tipped, drawing a teasing expression onto his face. “You don’t. Guess you’re gonna have to trust me.”
Amber hesitated. The idea was intriguing. The thought of what she would tell her mom was another matter.
“I promise it’ll be worth it, m’lady.”
