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“Good,” he says, “because I like you too. I didn’t care you were using me, because I like you—a lot. If that makes me some sort of loser, I don’t care either. I’ll be your loser any day of the week.”
How can someone so big and strong be so humble? And since when am I so attracted to humbleness?
I sigh. “You must think I’m such a heartless, horrible person.”
“Nah.” He wipes my tears dry and tucks loose strands of hair behind my ears. He gives me a crooked grin. “I just think you have a vicious mean streak. But I like it when you’re mean to me, remember?”
I try to pull away, but he cradles my face in his hands, keeping me close. “There’s being mean, and then there’s being a manipulative bitch.”
He nods, still holding my face tenderly in his hands. “I know. You’ve done something shitty, I’m not saying you haven’t. You’re learning some precious lessons in life—you’re learning it’s not okay to use other people to get what you want, and that you should deal with your problemsbeforethey blow up in your face. But guess what, princess? That’s what happens when you grow up. You make mistakes, and you do your best to learn from them. If I were to make a guess, I’d say you’ve probably got many fuck-ups left ahead of you.”
I stare at him. The darkness of the park and the orange glow of the fairy lights battle one another on the planes of his face. His gorgeous bone structure is highlighted by the play of lights and shadows. He looks older, in this moment, more mature.
“How can you be so calm?” I breathe. “After everything that happened tonight?”
“Because,” he says, “if I crumpled or panicked every time I took a punch, I’d never get off the ground. Life isn’t easy, princess. The world outside your castle is tough. Sometimes, you’re going to be punched—physically or otherwise. And the only valuable thing isn’t having money or a great education. It’s strength. The ability to take a punch and keep going. Anger, resentment, revenge—where would they get me?”
He looks at me, and his eyes soften. “Trust me, Seph. If I fell apart every time something bad happened, there’d be nothing left of me. So don’t worry about tonight. Don’t worry about any of it. I’ll be fine regardless. All you have left to do is decide whatyouwant.”
“I want you,” I blurt out.
He raises his eyebrows. “But you also want to go to fashion school. You want to live well and have the freedom to do the things you like. You want to make clothes and have your own label. Right?”
“I don’t care about the money.” I grab his hands and squeeze them. “My father thinks he can use my trust fund to control me, but I don’t care about that, I—”
“Seraphina.” He laces his fingers through mine and squeezes me back. “Let’s not pretend money doesn’t matter—it does. You were born with money—I wasn’t. But that doesn’t mean I’m naïve and don’t understand the value of it. I understand it better than you, probably. It’s not easy to come by—money. And it makes everything easier. It will pay for your education, fashion school. It will help you fund your future business, your label—your lifestyle. I can live without money because I always have. But I would never make you choose between me and living a good life. Living the life you want.”
He stands up and helps me to my feet.
“Let’s head back to the hotel. I’m going to drop you off and go back home. And you should talk to your dad. Be smart. Be strong. Fight for what you want, alright?”
I nod and let him lead me out of the park. We flag a taxi, and even though we sit nestled together, we don’t speak. My mind is a jumbled mess as I try to process everything he’s just told me.
Back at the hotel, Noah collects his backpack and then bids me farewell in the atrium. He takes my head in his hands and kisses my cheeks and my forehead. He tries to let me go, but I cling to him, fingers curled around his waist.
“You’ll be alright, princess,” he murmurs against my hair. “You’re much stronger than you look.”
“I don’t want you to go,” I mutter.
“You know where I am, and you have my number. If you call, I’ll answer. If you need me, I’ll be there. If you want somewhere to stay, you have my address. And if your dad does anything to scare you or upset you, you just let me know. I’m sorry to say this, princess—but I would love to punch your dad in the face.”
I choke out a laugh. “Get in line.”
Finally, I have no choice but to let him go. He kisses me one last time on the mouth.
“Good luck, princess. I love you.”
And then he turns and leaves.
I text him as soon as I get back to my room.
Rose: I love you too x
Chapter 19
Business Bitch
DespiteeverythingNoahsaidto me, I still end up choosing him.
