Love Beyond Borders [ON-GOING]

CHAPTER 8: TWIST AND TURNS

---SATURDAY---

It had been a week since I last spoke to Draven. He was avoiding me, and I couldn't help but wonder if it was because I had confessed my feelings and asked him to be my boyfriend. Was he uncomfortable with my feelings?

Suddenly, I noticed someone had followed me on social media. His name was Noah, and I saw that Draven was also following him. Was this one of Draven's friends? I decided to follow Noah back, and before long, I received a message.

--CONVERSATION--

"Hey, I'm Noah, Draven's friend. He's working a full night shift and can't open his phone, but he'll talk to you later. I'm with him right now!" Noah replied.

I took a moment to look at his profile. He was a nerdy type but undeniably attractive. Did he have a girlfriend?

"It's fine; I was busy too," I typed back, lying to cover up the fact that I was just waiting for Draven to call.

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Elena," Noah replied.

Elena? I recognized that name; it was how Draven had first spelled my name when we started chatting. Maybe Draven mentioned it to Noah.

Sighing, I felt sleep tugging at me, but I needed to stay awake. I missed Draven too much to let him slip away.

My phone suddenly rang, jolting me from my thoughts. I quickly checked my appearance in the mirror before answering.

"Hey, Draven! I'm sorry, I was eating and couldn't answer your call," I said, feeling a little guilty for the lie.

"It's okay! You haven't met my best friend yet; this is Noah," Draven replied, turning the camera to show Noah.

Well, Noah was handsome and charming. Was it a trend for Australian guys to be so attractive, even the nerdy ones?

"Hello, Noah! Nice to meet you," I smiled at him, noticing a hint of embarrassment on his face.

"I'll leave you both to chat. I need to get back to work. I love you, Eileen," Draven said before handing the phone to Noah, leaving an awkward silence in his wake.

"So, Elena, what time is it there?" Noah asked, breaking the tension.

Wait, why was he calling me Elena? I thought about asking him, but I decided to go with the flow.

"It's midnight here; it's 8 PM there, right? That's a four-hour gap. Can I ask you something?" I said, curious.

"Sure, Elena! Ask away," Noah replied.

Before I could speak, Draven popped back into the call.

"Hey, Eileen, I need to go. I need my phone back, but I'll call you later. Bye!"

Then I heard a girl's voice say, "Hey, babe."

The call ended abruptly. Who was that? My mind raced, was Draven seeing someone else? I tried to brush it off as I felt a wave of exhaustion wash over me.

NOAH'S POV

"Hey, babe," Draven's boss said as he returned to the call.

Babe? What did that mean? Was Draven dating someone else? I thought he was interested in Eileen.

I was about to ask Draven, but he whispered to me that his boss was just being friendly and it was all in test.

After that, I told him I had to go. It was getting late, and I needed to rest for my travels tomorrow.

NOAH'S HOUSE

As usual, my parents were off on a business trip. I knew they worked hard for my future, but it often left me feeling lonely. I had aspirations of becoming a doctor or an attorney; my dad had high expectations for me.

I couldn't help but think about Eileen. She was so beautiful, especially when she smiled.

I decided to stalk her Instagram a little more.

Scrolling through her posts, I noticed she had a penchant for books, particularly "Desperate Characters" by Paula Fox.

I also saw she enjoyed crime and fantasy novels.

Then I spotted a familiar face in one of her photos. Was that her dad? Why did he look so familiar? I couldn't quite place it.

Feeling bold, I decided to send her a message.

"Good morning, Elena. Wait, should I call her Eileen instead? She might notice the difference since I called her Elena when we first chatted."

I took a moment to type and hit send.

"Good morning, Eileen! I hope you slept well!"

Then I headed downstairs for breakfast, hoping my mom had brought home something good.

"How's school going, Noah? Your dad and I just got back, but we didn't see you. We went out for dinner. I tried to reach you, but you didn't answer, so I got takeout your favorite!" Mom said.

"Thanks, Mom! Where's Dad?" I asked, noticing the absence.

"He's with a business partner, discussing some important matters. He probably won't be home until tomorrow, so don't wait up for him," Mom replied, heading upstairs.

I started eating my taco, mentally preparing for my conversation with Eileen. As I checked my phone, I saw her reply.

"Hey, Noah! I'm still a bit sleepy, but I saw your message. I had a good sleep. I'm going back to bed, but we can talk later, okay?"

"Okay, Eileen! Talk to you tomorrow," I replied, but there was no follow-up message.

I looked at my wall, grappling with my feelings. Should I tell her I was the one she matched with, even though I had pretended to be someone else?

But as I thought about it, I realized I was starting to really like Eileen. My feelings were complicating things; I wished I had just used my own picture from the beginning. How was I supposed to navigate this growing connection when I was starting to fall for her?

To be continued...