Two Weeks to Fall in Love

15. Two Weeks to Remember the Moment

It was 7.36 PM and my nerves were so bad my leg refused to stop bouncing, even after I smacked my knee against the glove compartment.

Well, at least until Noah lightly pressed his palm against my knee. I stared at him in surprise, and he glanced back at me as one corner of his lips quirked up before shaking his head.

"You'll hurt yourself if you keep that up," he said, and a second or two later removed his hand again. "In case I need to point it out again, I'm not actually taking you somewhere remote to murder you, and yes, I am aware you have the Find My Friends app."

After looking at him for a few more seconds, I just motioned my hand toward the dirt and passing trees around us.

Noah chuckled and shrugged. "Never said I wasn't taking you somewhere remote."

Right. Just that he wouldn't murder me. Phew, what a relief.

Only currently, my biggest worry was being alone with him in a remote area, rather than the fear of having my organs sold on the black market. And yet after leaving the populated areas of town, he kept driving for another 15 minutes.

"You know, we could do something simple like oh, I don't know, go to the movies, get some fast food, stuff like that," I muttered, trying to figure out where he could be taking me, but nothing we passed by seemed familiar. Knowing him it was definitely not going to be anything ordinary.

"Where's the fun in that?" he said, and I heard the gentle hum of laughter in his voice.

"I'm getting the feeling that you have a thing against an ordinary existence." I narrowed my eyes, trying to see his expression.

His brows furrowed for a second before he shrugged.

"Life's too short for ordinary. So much to do, so little time." His voice still sounded upbeat, even though I was sure I saw a flicker of pain flash across his face.

"I mean, 80 or 90 years doesn't seem so little to me," I said and watched his hands clench against the wheel.

"Not everyone has that kind of time," he countered and sighed, running a hand through his hair.

His tone lost its upbeat note, becoming sober and withdrawn, and the loss I felt at that made me regret bringing up the subject. In my defense, I didn't really think it was a topic that would cause that kind of reaction. One part of me, the part growing smaller each day, insisted I'd finally struck a nerve and should keep digging. The other part of me, the part that didn't like the painful expression on his face, shot that idea down without even entertaining it.

That wasn't me. I wasn't the kind of person that would poke someone's open wound with a stick. I was the person that would help you bandage it and help it heal.

At least, that's who I used to be, before my pride and anger got me into this mess.

Now, I wasn't even sure who I was anymore. A person capable of hurting others? A person that would date someone just to reveal their secrets to the world?

I didn't expect Noah to be such a decent guy, let alone one that I kind of almost got along with him. The type of guy that swats my shield of sarcasm away as if it's an annoying mosquito. A part of me was still hoping for the other shoe to drop. For him to show me that he was, in fact, the kind of guy I painted him out to be in my head.

"Here we are," he said, turning right onto a dirt road and breaking me out of my downward spiral.

I stared ahead, my eyes wide as I recognized what we were driving toward.

A variety of exotic, luscious trees and plants, like a magical oasis, rose up behind a fence in front of us. I couldn't remember the last time I visited a botanical garden.