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“That sounds great! Kurt has always warned me about the street vendors here, but if you’re recommending it, then it must be good. Especially after that coffee shop you showed me.”
Noah seemed to stiffen at my words, “Who’s Kurt?”
Was that jealousy I detected in his voice? I wanted to test the waters slightly.
“He’s my best friend.”
“Do you see him a lot?”
“I live with him.”
I noticed Noah’s jaw tighten. I wondered if I was pushing it too far, but I wanted to see just how much he liked me. Some might have seen it as cruel, but I saw it as research.
“What’s he like?”
We started walking down the street, “Incredibly good-looking and ridiculously intelligent. The perfect man to a lot of people.”
“And to you?”
“Of course. He’s my best friend. I will always support him and be his biggest cheerleader.”
Noah was now absolutely rigid. I knew I couldn’t toy with him much longer or risk him getting actually upset.
“Have you ever had anything more than a friendship with him?” he looked me dead in the eyes as he asked the question.
His seriousness was enough to make me laugh. I tried to hold onto my ruse a little bit longer, but I knew it was hopeless.
“No, and I never will. I’m afraid his homosexuality gets in the way of that.”
Noah was speechless for a moment, stopping still on the sidewalk as he processed my words. When he turned to face me, I was relieved that he had a smile on his face.
“He’s gay? Were you teasing me this entire time?”
I nodded while giggling madly, “Yup. I just wanted to see how you’d react. Green isn’t a good color on you, sir.”
He soon joined in with my laughter, “Oh, you’re a sneaky one. Now I know there’s more than meets the eye of your innocent face and girlish ways. I’ll have to watch out for you.”
“Try to keep up,” I grinned as I continued walking.
Our laughter and jokes followed us through our lunch break as we bought our burritos and strolled about the park side-by-side. The weather was beautiful, befitting of the time I spent with him. When we finally paused to sit down, I could feel my whole body emanating my joy. As though I was glowing with happiness.
“So, tell me a bit more about yourself. How did you end up in Cherrywood Falls?”
“Well, it was the obvious choice. My parents are old hippies that raised me on a farm. I love them to pieces, but they did shelter me from the real world a bit too much. When I started school, I was bullied for being different. That’s actually how Kurt and I became best friends. The farm girl and the gay black boy were pushed into a corner and stuck together ever since. Hell, I didn’t even get my first kiss until I was 19. The only thing that kept me going, other than Kurt, was art. I’ve always been creative, and art is my passion. That’s why I found an internship at Lavender Bricks Design and moved to the city to stay with Kurt.”
Noah gently laid a hand on mine. I hadn’t realized up until that point that I had started to cry. Tears streamed down my cheeks, which I hurriedly wiped away. I couldn’t believe I had just cried in front of my crush! I couldn’t believe I had blown it already.
“Don’t be ashamed of your pain. Own it. It’s made you the person you are today. The beautiful, charming, and intelligent woman I see before me. I’m sorry you had to go through all that suffering, but I’m glad it brought you to me.”
He gently tilted my head up so that I looked him in the eyes. His kindness and understanding warmed me at that moment. I was awed that he had made my painful past into something beautiful. It was as though he had dulled the bitterness in my soul. And in its place, a bud of hope blossomed. Hope for a future with him.
“We had better get going,” he frowned as he looked at his watch, “Yet again, I appear to be making you late.”
I smiled, “That’s okay. You’ve given me a lot of inspiration for my work in the studios. Can I walk with you to your office? I’d like to see where the infamous Mr. Rover gets to boss people about.”
Noah smirked, “Sure. It’ll give the office something to gossip about.”
Yet again, I found myself at ease as I walked alongside him through the park. I didn’t take notice of anything or anyone else around me, just him. It was as though my body were a compass, and he was North. By the time we exited the park and stopped outside his monstrously tall building, I felt like I was floating.
