Page 89 of Pages of Amber
Amber thanked them profusely as she stood, trying to command her body to put one foot in front of the other. She was almost scared to question if this was a stroke of luck or if things were finally turning round for her.
“And you were right.”
“About what?” She paused, her hand resting on the doorknob.
Mrs. Wilson’s smile reached her eyes. “The freesias smell wonderful.”
“And they gave me a second chance. It feels like I’m still dreaming.”
Noah chuckled, her head bouncing where it laid on his shoulder. “You earned it. I’m happy for you and for myself.”
“For yourself?”
“Yeah.” He smiled down at her. “I get to see my favorite person at school again.”
Her cheeks heated, her nose scrunching at his ensuing laughter. She rolled her eyes, the enchanting night sky bright with stars as it had been the last time she and Noah had come here. He had way too much fun with making her blush, but how could she resist blushing when he said things like that?
My favorite person.
Noah was definitely her favorite person too. He’d been at the forefront of everything from the beginning. She bit her lip as a question came to mind.
“Hey, Noah.” When he hummed in response, she continued. “Why did you ignore me the first time I talked to you? We wouldn’t have started out fighting.”
She’d told his family how they’d met, but there were gaps in the story she was eager to fill in. She had never asked for his side of things. A sigh left Noah, one that carried regret.
“I should have come clean years ago, but it all happened so fast. I opened my mouth and ruined everything.”
She turned to face him, laying her head on the blanket instead of his shoulder so she could watch the emotions play out on his face. “What do you mean?”
“That day, when you spoke to me, I was surprised you had bothered to acknowledge myexistence. You had the cutest braid and a bow in your hair. You used to love wearing bows. And your eyes, they were so blue and beautiful, I felt like I was drowning in them. Honestly, I didn’t hear a word you’d said because I was so busy staring at you. When you backed away, I thought I’d creeped you out.” A low laugh left him. It wasn’t a happy one.
“When you approached me again, I was determined to say something. Anything. An apology, a ‘hello,’ as long as you wouldn’t think I was this creepy kid who couldn’t stop staring at you. Instead of telling you that there was no need for you to give excuses for our teacher or apologize for something that wasn’t important, I said all the wrong things.”
As he spoke, the memory of that day came to her. The silence that had echoed between them. The way his eyes had widened after the words left his mouth. The angry flush that had dotted her cheeks as she wondered what she'd done to deserve his rudeness.
Her stomach twisted dangerously. “Why didn’t you say anything? Why let me take it so far? I made you into the enemy. I used to call you my nemesis! I was horrible to you.”
Noah shook his head immediately, his eyes begging her to understand. “No, you weren’t. You showed me a part of you that no one else saw. You brought out a part of me that I didn’t know existed. All those arguments and I was stuck in your orbit, unable to fight my way out. I didn’t want to.”
Her brows creased as she struggled to believe him. “But those were so many years wasted.”
His hand reached for her cheek, his warmth sinking into her and chasing away her dread at discovering the truth. “I don’t regret a single thing. Not when it brought me to you.”
She leaned into him. “Why? Why suffer through that?”
“Let’s just say, I was ready to have you hate me until the day I could tell you the truth. You finally see me.”
“Of course I see you, Noah. How could I not? We’ve known each for years.”
He shook his head softly, dark strands falling into those dark eyes that reflected the stars again. Maybe this was her favorite and not the sunset skyline picture she’d saved as her wallpaper.
“You’ve been looking, but you’ve never seen. Until now.” Even softer, he said, “Thank you for seeing me.”
Amber closed her eyes against the onslaught of emotion that swept over her. How long could she hide it when he tugged at her heartstrings with each word, each look and every touch?
She reached for him, her lips meeting his. They shared a kiss in the meadow where she and Noah had seen the true versions of each other, under the same stars that she dreamed of nearly every night. It was a dream come true to be back here with him. She never wanted to wake up, but little by little, she was learning to stop running from her reality.
Pulling back, she allowed herself to collect her thoughts, her heart thumping crazily in her chest.
