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She'd never been praised like that before! But she'd never been good at anything aside from the piano before, either. From the beginning, her identity had been wrapped in being a pianist—nothing else. It didn't matter that she spoke two languages fluently—English and Italian—or that she was well-read and had amassed a great deal of general knowledge.
No, there had never been anything more to her than the piano.
"Really?" He sounded incredulous. "I find that hard to believe. Remember when we did that joint reading of the Odyssey? You made such great points about it. I won't deny that I might have used some in the class discussion."
Noelle blinked, replaying every word he'd just said in her mind. Her cheeks reddened just as her mouth became dry.
"You did?" she whispered, giddiness taking shape inside of her.
"You're not mad, I hope? But the points you made about Penelope were just too good."
"No, of course not," she hurried to say. "I guess I'm flattered," she admitted, but she didn't tell him no one had ever told her she'd madegreat points.
It was a compliment she would keep close to her heart and cherish.
"You should be. In fact, I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts about this one, if you want to read it together, that is," he offered, and she could sense a little hesitation.
He didn't want to impose on her with his schoolwork, not realizing that sheloveddiscussinganythingwith him. And the more intellectually stimulating, the more satisfying the discussion was.
Sometimes, it felt like something akin to having their minds open up, connecting to one another through a pure vibrational energy that made them think—be—in sync.
It was an ineffable phenomenon that spoke to her core. A giddiness that had nothing to do with the fact that he might be a handsome man—though she imagined he was—and everything to do with the fact that she found hismindbeautiful, and he found hers in return.
"What is it?"
"It's a more obscure work, called The Plumed Serpent by D.H. Lawrence. I chose it because it overlaps with my area of study."
Blue had shared with her that he was interested in ancient Meso-America and wanted to study ritual tools used in the area for his dissertation. She'd offered to listen to him talk about the subject whenever he wanted since she might learn a thing or two about the customs of the area.
"Count me in, Blue," she added cheekily, already curious about the contents of the book.
And with that, they jumped straight into the tv show. Noelle with her flaming hot Cheetos and diet coke, and Blue with his preferred snack of Pirate's Booty.
The conversation flowed naturally as they reacted to scenes and discussed events from the episode. But in no time, they were done, and Noelle felt her pulse speed up at the thought of ending the call too early.
Blue had become her safe haven, their interactions the only thing she was looking forward to in the day. And every time, she attempted to draw out the conversation more—anything to chat with him for a few more minutes.
"Are you going home this weekend?" she suddenly asked.
"Yes," he sighed. "My mother has been pleading with me nonstop to come."
He'd shared that his relationship with his mother was strained because of how she behaved with his other siblings.
"At least you have a mother who cares," she muttered under her breath.
"I'm sorry," he said after a moment. "I know my mom has good intentions when it comes to me, but I can't forgive her for everything she's done," he sighed.
"I think I'd rather have someone who was a villain but put me above everyone than someone who would sacrifice me in a second."
"Do you?" Blue mused. "Maybe theoretically, but she didn't hurt random people. She hurt my siblings whom I love."
"Maybe I am more selfish than most, but I would still choose that over nothing," Noelle admitted, almost embarrassed. "Wouldn't you want someone who accepted you and loved you for who you truly are?"
"But that's the thing. My mother may love me because I am her son, but that's never stopped her from trying to mold me into who she wants me to be. Yes, she loves me, but I don't think she's ever stopped to really look at me—to understand me," Blue confessed, the words pouring out of him and revealing the depth of his issue with his mother.
"Then maybe we're in the same boat," Noelle said softly. "Everyone in my life has tried to change me one way or another. I've never had someone accept me for who I am—at least not without always criticizing me for what Icouldbe."
"And it doesn't work like that," Blue agreed.
