My eyes drift shut as I take in the feel of her skin against my lips. Pulling back, I rush out of her room and head to my own.
Opening my phone, I dial Dash’s number. I need to speak to someone who will give me some answers, and my sister is the only person I can think of. She takes after my father, where I’m more like my mother, but Dash understands how my mind works.
“Hi, Noah,” her voice comes over the line. “How are you?”
“Hey, I’m okay,” I rub tiredly over my forehead. “Can I ask you something?”
“Sure.” I hear her move around and a door shutting.
“What is… how…” I struggle to find the right words. “So, there’s this girl…”
Dash lets out a chuckle. “And you’re confused about how you feel?”
My sister always gets me.
“Yeah.” I let out a sigh.
“Okay, let me try and explain it in a way you’ll understand. Give me a minute to think.” I listen to my sister’s breathing, then she says, “Love is like a driven force. It comes from the part in your mind that craves things, like chocolate, a hug, or getting an A on a test. As humans, we’re driven to procreate, and when you see a suitable mate, you feel attraction toward them. You crave the person, so to speak.” She pauses then asks, “Am I making sense?”
“Yeah… but,” I suck in a deep breath, then say, “the girl is Carla Reyes.”
“Oh, she’s stunning. Of course, you’d feel attracted to her. You move in the same circle. She comes from a similar background as you. She’s a suitable mate for you, and you recognize that.”
“I’m glad you think so,” I mutter.
“Stop overthinking things and enjoy the process, Noah.”
Easier said than done.
I talk with my sister for a little while longer before hanging up.
Sitting down on the edge of my bed, I let out a sigh.
Should I just go for it and see if things can work between Carla and me?
No, I should wait.
Yeah, I’ll wait and see if these emotions keep growing.
CARLA
Walking back to the suite after I overheard Forest tell Kennedy that he’s in a relationship with Aria, hurt squeezes at my heart.
So much for us being related. Were they even going to tell me?
Before coming to Trinity Academy and signing the stupid fake relationship contract, which doesn’t mean shit, we were so close. Now it feels like I’m nothing to them.
I walk to my room and grab the contract we signed. Taking the piece of paper from my drawer, I head to the living room. I lean back against the couch as my mind races to find an excuse why Forest and Aria would just cut me off like that.
Tonight I want answers. I’m done being cast aside.
I don’t have to wait long before Aria walks into the suite.
“The relationship is real?” I ask as I try to swallow back the heartache. “So much for us being best friends. Right?”
Before she can answer me, Forest comes in behind her.
My gaze snaps to my cousin. “You lied to me.”
“I didn’t lie to you,” Forest practically growls at me. “While we’re slinging accusations at each other, where the hell do you get off telling Kennedy that Aria and I are in a fake relationship? You had no right to do that.”
Feeling disappointed, I move closer to Forest. “If the two of you hadn’t kept it from me, I would’ve known to keep my mouth shut. Don’t you dare turn this on me.” I dart back to the couch and grab the contract. Tearing it in half, I try to keep from crying as I say, “This show is over. You both crossed the line and then kept it from me. What am I to the two of you? Chopped liver?” I take a deep breath of air, but it doesn’t help to lessen the pain.
“I’m sorry, Carla,” Aria says. “I didn’t want to drag you into it.”
That’s all she has to say? They’ve ignored me for two weeks, and that’s all I get?
Anger begins to whirl with the loneliness I’ve felt because they just left me. “You both dragged me into this mess the day you decided this fake relationship was the answer to all your problems. I didn’t have much choice in the matter.” I suck in a breath of air as I struggle not to cry, and then I admit how they made me feel, “You’ve been living in your little bubble since school started. I’m not even a part of the group anymore. It hurts finding out just how little you mean to the two people who were supposed to be your best friends.”
Knowing I’m about to burst into tears any second, I shake my head and turn away from them. As the first tear falls, I slam into a wall of muscle. Instinctively I know it’s Noah, and when his arms wrap around me, it becomes near impossible to not just break down and sob my heart out against his chest.
Who would’ve thought Noah would become the only person I have left to turn to?
“You both need to sort out your shit,” Noah snaps at them.
“It was all an act, Carla. One of us just forgot. Don’t worry, there’s no relationship,” Aria suddenly says.
Seriously, now she’s going to lie to me as well?
Pulling away from Noah, I turn to face her. “It didn’t look like that.”
“I know. I’m sorry. I lost control,” Aria explains while Forest looks like he’s taken a punch to the gut. “Call it temporary insanity. I’m sorry I hurt you. I love you and don’t want this to come between us. Can… can’t we forget this happened? I’ll do anything to fix things.”
Before I can reply, Noah takes hold of my hand and glaring at Forest and Aria, he says, “Sort this shit out now. It’s affecting everyone.” He pulls me down the hallway, and I’m a little too stunned to react. “Let's give them some privacy,” he mutters before he drags me into my room and slams the door shut behind us.
When Noah frames my face with his hands, and he wipes the tears from my cheeks with his thumbs, I can only stare at him.
What the hell is going on?
He must take my stunned silence for something else because he wraps his arms around me and pulling me tightly against this chest, he asks, “Is that why you said you felt lonely?”
His question yanks me out of the stupor, and it makes the heartache rise back to the surface. Nodding against his chest, I feel overwhelmed by the kindness he's showing me and from the fight I just had with Aria and Forest.
Forest didn’t even bother saying anything.
The thought makes a sob flutter over my lips, and I’m unable to keep the tears back any longer.
Noah tightens his hold on me, and pressing a kiss to the side of my head, he murmurs, “It’s okay. Shh… it’s okay. I might be an ass most of the time, but I’m here.”
His words only make the tears fall faster. It brings the realization that I’m not just crying about what happened with Forest and Aria, but also because of Noah.
All the tension of being around him and loving him but not having my feelings returned is starting to wear me thin. I want to push him away and tell him I’m going to stop loving him, but I can’t. Instead, I press closer to him, needing him more than my next breath.
I’ll never be able to stop loving this man, and it’s the loneliest feeling ever.