AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“What? Did I get naked in front of an entire class all for you?” A piece of steaming cheese falls to her chin, and she quickly licks it away before adding some red pepper to her pizza. “Don’t flatter yourself.” Her ribbing words produce a smile.
I chuckle. “Okay, so how long did you know you were going to do that?”
“I booked tonight the first time I checked out the center, but after the other night, yeah, I hoped bringing you along would make my intentions clear. Posing in that class wasn’t just about me anymore.”
“What were your original intentions?”
“I already told you I was all about trying new things. Well, I have a list. I call it my Orbit List. Both attending an art class with a nude model and being the nude model were on my list of things. Every item on my list is about pushing my boundaries, and I’d say those classes were way outside of my comfort zone.”
I take a bite before asking, “Orbit List?” I have no idea what that is.
“It’s a list for me to finish in a year. One orbit around the sun.” Noah takes a pull from her soda and wipes the grease from her hands.
“Makes sense. What else is on your list?”
“A little of this and a helping of that.” Shyness is hidden in her words.
“So, you are willing to pose naked but not tell me what’s on your list?” My words are light and have a hint of laughter in them.
“Exactly. Plus, you’ve probably seen enough of me for one evening.”
I don’t think I’ll ever see enough.
“Fair enough. Answer me this then. Why?”
“Why what?”
“Why did you make the list?” I pick my pizza back up and take another bite.
“I didn’t want to waste any more of my time. I want to see and do as much as I possibly can in this next year. I don’t want anything to ever hold me back again.”
It doesn’t take a brain surgeon to figure out that this list really means something to Noah. I don’t know what’s shaped her, but the pieces of herself that she’s sharing right now are important. So, I lean in to give her my undivided attention.
“What held you back in the past?”
“I grew up in an orphanage.” She doesn’t expand. There are no other words telling me what she means.
“Tell me about it.” I reach across the table and take her hand.
She stares at our linked fingers for a brief pause before she speaks, “It’s weird. Everything I can tell you about the way I grew up can also be followed by a contradiction. I was surrounded by other children but was still pretty lonely. I shared a room with five other girls. I never ate alone. There was always someone to play games. Sometimes, we’d have movie nights or giant slumber parties, and all the kids would set up sleeping bags in the entertainment hall. But they were always strict about lights out . . .”
Her hand flinches inside mine, and she looks around the restaurant, obviously uncomfortable with the topic in such a public setting.
“Let’s get out of here. You can tell me the rest while I walk you home.” Keeping hold of her hand, I rise from the table and pull her to me. My arm goes around her shoulders, and I keep her close as we leave the pizza place and walk down the street.
“Go on, Noah. I’m listening,” I urge in a soft whisper.
“Despite being surrounded, it was isolating. I never saw my mom after the age of six. The only people who cared for me were people who were paid to watch after me. We went on a few trips into town over the years, but a couple of visits into town is nothing like really experiencing life outside of the place that I lived. School was even worse. The other kids didn’t understand me. How do you explain not having parents to another little kid whose parents are their whole world? I was different from them and navigating it in hand-me-down clothes and secondhand school supplies. So, yeah, it was isolating.”
“You lived with your parents before six?” The now familiar smell of cake batter wafts from her hair, and I take a deep inhale of the sweet scent.
“Well, my mom. She gave up her parental rights, and I haven’t heard from her since, except for a letter that showed up right before I left Seattle. I haven’t been able to bring myself to read it though.”
“Maybe one day,” I tell her.
“Yeah, maybe,” she halfheartedly agrees.
Outside her house, Noah looks up at me with so much hope, and I’m beginning to understand where that strong-willed belief comes from. I pull her against me and press my lips to hers to say good night. Our second kiss is even better than the first and I’d be willing to wager that every kiss will only get sweeter with time.
