Two Weeks to Fall in Love

E. One Month of Being in Love

The first time I met Noah's mom, she cried.

In any normal situation, that would be the first flower in a red flag bouquet.

In the context of our situation though, her tears were a sign of relief, joy, gratitude. The way she squeezed my hand, and nodded her head through her sobs, it seemed like she was trying to tell me something she couldn't voice.

Thank you. Thank you for loving my beloved son.

Obviously, within minutes I was crying along with her. The hospital room was filled with the sound of sobs and laughter, a blur of emotions that felt warm and cathartic. Despite all the weird looks we got from the nurses as they passed by.

I was still sniffling as Noah drove us back home. He reached out, holding my hand in his and rubbing comforting circles with his thumb. After a few minutes of getting my thoughts and emotions in order, as he gently hummed to the melody playing on the radio, I cleared my throat.

"Thanks. For letting me meet her."

"That's my line," he said, looking back at me for a moment, the warmest smile on his face. "Thank you for meeting my mom. She refused to believe you exist until you walked into the room."

"I mean yeah, she obviously knows you," I said and snorted. Noah tilted his head with an unspoken question. "Wasn't that your plan if you didn't fall in love? To pretend for her."

"Ah," Noah muttered and then chuckled, shaking his head. "Yeah, I don't exactly feel great about planning that."

"I get it though. I think I would have done the same," I said and squeezed his hand.

Was that morally right? Probably not. Lying to a dying person never seemed like it would be a good choice. But on the other hand, the burden and guilt you'd have to carry, knowing your mom had died filled with sadness and worry... That felt just as bad. In honesty, I didn't think anyone could really know what they would do until they found themselves in that situation. Staring at the hopeless eyes of their mother as she counted down the days with dread. That kind of situation changes anyone, despite what their convictions were prior.

It was that line of thinking, so different from how I would have been before, that made me realize how much being with Noah Archer had changed me. How much having him in my life had altered it. Skyler Fox used to be the warrior of justice. So convinced things were black and white. That lying was wrong, no matter the circumstance. That if you were a good person, you couldn't do bad things.

But things were never that simple. Life was a rainbow, full of colors and circumstances and situations and feelings and mistakes. It was complex and beautiful. There was no straight line to right or wrong. It was a winding road that took you through picturesque scenery and dark forests. And that was fine. Especially if you had a hand to hold until the last stop of that infinite journey.

It could have been the influence of the boy next to me. The boy who had lived a whole lifetime in these short painful years. Or maybe I was growing up. Slow. Flawed. Messy. But getting there.

I looked at him and caught him grinning as he glanced at me.

"What? What is it?" I asked, confused.

"I don't know, it's just your facial expressions. You're cute," Noah laughed and shook his head. I felt heat rush into my cheeks. "What were you thinking about?"

"You," I said, despite the fact it just made the heat in my cheeks increase.

You and how better I am with you. But I wasn't about to say that last part out loud.