cowboy like me // noah bridges

1 - wilmington, nc

It's been 6 years since I last saw Noah Bridges. We were inseparable- at least that's what I thought. We were like Bonnie and Clyde, partners in crime. His family was mine, and mine was his. To each other, we were best friends, we were everything. Until he left.

6 years ago

"Sadie, you coming?" It was a beautiful day in Wilmington, the small town we had grown up in together. It was the fourth of July and Noah and I had gone exploring in the woods surrounding his family's house. "What exactly are we looking for?" I called back after him, pushing my way through the brush. He chuckles. "You'll see." I shake my head. He always does this. He loves leading me on these wild outings to go do who knows what- sometimes I think he doesn't know himself. It was one of the things that I loved about him, no matter how much it annoyed me at the time. He hums to himself as we walk, him in the lead and me trailing behind cluelessly. We go on for about 15 minutes or so when he finally stops and turns to me, his finger to his lips. He pushes aside a hanging branch and motions for me to look. "I don't see anyth-" I start but he grabs my arm and points. A doe was grazing by the creek, stopping every so often to look over her shoulder. "She's beautiful," I whisper. He smiles at me. "I've been watching her. She comes here almost every day. I think it's her favorite spot, I know for sure that it's mine." I chuckle quietly. "What do you do back here?" He shrugs. "Just sit and think about life. Get away from the world for a bit." "I thought that's what you did at batting practice." I playfully shove him. "Okay, you got me there. Well when I need to get away from the guys, I come here instead." "Huh." I turn back to the doe. "How come you didn't show me before?" I ask. He looked down at the ground and I knew he felt guilty. He rarely hides things from me. "I just- well-" He seems unsure of what to say. "Never mind, it doesn't matter." I reach out and gently turn his head to face me. "Are you okay?" I can tell when he's upset about something; he avoids eye contact and his sentences sound flustered. "No, yeah. Everything's good." He clears his throat. "Hey, I wonder if dad's done with the burgers. You wanna go see? I'm starving." Another sign: changing the subject. My stomach grumbles and I decide to let it go. He's not good at keeping secrets anyway, I think. I'll find out eventually.

"Noah, put that burger down!" Mrs. Bridges smacks his hand and takes the plate. "We have to wait for everyone to get here," she says. He rolls his eyes. "Who's coming, anyway?" "Let's see, the four of us, plus Sadie's family, Aunt Celine and your cousins. Oh, and your dad invited some of his friends from work." "Great, sounds like a party," he mumbles. Mrs. Bridges sighs."Don't be that way, Noah. I know you don't always get along with your cousins but I'm sure it'll just take some time." He turns his back to her and mouths "It'll just take some time," to me while twirling his hair around his finger. I stifle a giggle. "Be nice," I mouth back. He smiles and shrugs. "You wanna play ball while we wait?" he suggests. I shrug. "Why not?" He smiles and slowly backs away. "Last one to the batting cage gets a spoon of hot sauce?" He asks. Our usual bet. Before I can answer he turns and runs across the yard at full speed. "You really are something else," I say as I run after him.

"And the winner is... Noah Bridges, number 22 of the Wilmington Seahawks." "You always win," I say breathlessly. "And you're always a sore loser," he laughs. "Yeah, yeah," I mutter. We get into the cage and he gets his glove, I get the bat. "You got any big plans for your 18th birthday?" He asks as he puts his glove on. "I was thinking just grabbing some food and going to the beach," I say. "Just us. I can't think of anyone else I'd invite." "What about Linley and Cooper?" Linley and Cooper were some close friends of ours, and they're also they're dating each other. "I don't know," I sigh. "You know they'll be like "you guys should date" or "you two would be so cute together." I don't wanna deal with that more than I have to."

"Okay, okay. I guess you're right. It's your birthday, so they don't have to come if you don't want them to." I smile at him. We spent the next twenty minutes with him throwing the ball and me hitting it. I had just hit the last ball when Noah's phone goes off. "Hold up," he calls and I drop the bat. He checks his phone, then looks at me. "Mom says everyone's here, let's go get some grub." "Okay, sounds good," I say. "And let's go get you your spoon of hot sauce because I know how badly you want it." He smirks at me. I roll my eyes. "I'm gonna get you back one of these days," I say. "Uh-huh," he says. "I can't wait until you do."