Tale of tree house

Echoes of the past Part 3

He heard her voice and knew it was Lilly. He calmed his posture and came back to his senses. He was wearing a black leather jacket. He came near, and dang, Lilly saw him after six damn years. But she was frozen and couldn't speak. He said again, "Hi Lilly, what are you doing here at this hour? Don't you know it's dangerous out there?

Lilly was not in her mind. She saw him after six years. She came here for him, and he was pretending to be normal. She snapped out of it and said, "Hi Noah, how are you doing?"

He ignored her question and went to a tree. He tried to climb it, but the tree was too huge. He came back and asked her to go back because there was no other way.

Lilly felt very hurt. "What kind of man is he? I came all this way for him, and he's sending me back?"

"Noah, how can I go back? It's 1 AM, and it's raining."

Noah, acting very normal and in a calm tone, said, "Lilly, there's no place around here. You'll have to go back or wait until morning." Then he turned and started reversing his GMC.

Lilly's eyes filled with tears. "Is this the same Noah I knew?"

She shouted, "Are you really going to leave me helpless like this, Noah?"

Noah, who had his head out of the window while reversing, suddenly stopped, got out of the car, and said, "Okay, I'll drop you at a hotel."

Lilly silently took some things from the car and got in. Noah started the car, reversed it, then turned and stopped in front of a wooden cabin that looked very eerie.

Lilly looked at Noah and asked, "What kind of hotel is this?"

Noah didn't answer. He took Lilly's luggage and went inside the cabin. He turned on the heater. Lilly, still standing, asked Noah, "Whose place is this?"

Noah noticed Lilly's clothes were wet. She might not have decided whether to come inside. He said, "This is my cabin. I often stay here at night. You should change your clothes."

Lilly's heart pounded loudly. Noah noticed and said, "Hmm," and went into another room. The next moment, Lilly screamed and ran outside, saying there was something inside.

Noah came running and Lilly hid behind him. Noah asked what was inside. Lilly pointed, and Noah took out his gun and went straight to the room she indicated. There was a large frog inside. Noah took it out and said, "You can change now. You'll catch a cold."

Lilly locked the room, changed her clothes, and came out. She was wearing an off-white sweater and trousers that looked very nice on her. Noah said, "Lilly, I'm leaving. Lock the door from inside. In the morning, a driver will come and you can go with him."

Lilly was about to faint from hunger, headache, cold, and Noah's cold behavior. Angry, she said, "I can't stay here alone."

Noah replied, "Why? What does a successful businesswoman have to fear, a frog?" and looked at her with disdain.

Lilly felt completely shattered by his tone. Clearing her throat, she said, "I will be scared alone in the jungle. Please either take me with you or stay here. I'll sleep on the sofa, and you can sleep in the room. I'm very tired and hungry."

Noah told her, "Everything is in the kitchen." Lilly said, "Thank you," and asked him to clear the sofa so she could sleep.

Noah's POV:

Seeing Lilly by the car, I was very surprised. She hadn't thought of me in six years. What was she doing here tonight? She was a very famous businesswoman now, everyone knew her. She even had a very nice car. But I remembered how I had been rejected. Seeing Lilly, I couldn't react the way I had imagined. Instead, I became bitter and even ruder. Maybe it was my heart pushing me to act this way.

She was hungry and asked him to go inside the room so she could sleep. This wasn't the Lilly he knew. The old Lilly would make a fuss when she was hungry—she would get angry, fight, and cry. Who was this person now who quietly asked to sleep?

Noah cleared the sofa and went inside the room. When he came back, Lilly was already lying on the sofa. He handed her a blanket and went to the kitchen. He made some coffee and a cheese sandwich, poured two cups of coffee, and came back out. Lilly wasn't asleep. He placed the cups on the table and said, "Here, eat this." He sat down as well. Lilly quickly sat up and started eating. She drank the hot coffee, and as Noah watched, she seemed to come alive.

She started asking, Where did you go so late at night? I thought you might have gotten scared in the rain.

Noah said, No, I was here. I didn't realize it was going to rain. I had actually gone to drop off my fiancée.

Lilly's cup slipped from her hand, and coffee spilled on her hand. She didn't know if the tears were from the pain or the hurt, but they started flowing. She ran to the kitchen and put her hand under the water. Noah followed her, grabbed her arm, and turned her towards him.

Is it burning a lot? he asked.

Lilly just nodded. She pulled her hand away from his grip and went back to the living room. After that, there were no more words between them. Lilly tried to sleep, and soon morning started to break. She gathered her things, and just as she was about to open the door, Noah came out of the room, looking fresh and handsome after a shower.

Are you going to walk? It's very far. I'll drop you,he offered.

Lilly said, Thank you, you've already done so much. No, it's okay. I need to go before my father gets worried. He doesn't like having breakfast alone." She got into her car in silence, her heart full of questions. She knew she had no right to ask or complain since she was the one who left.

Noah broke the silence, What brought you here?

I came to see you, Lilly replied. I thought I should ask for your forgiveness. I found you on the way, so I thought I'd do it now. Noah Frederick, I'm sorry. I didn't realize how deeply I hurt you. I didn't know our teenage love would be so strong.

Noah suddenly stopped the car and said, Hey, what are you talking about? I've moved on. Bringing it up again is just making me remember things I don't want to.

Lilly looked as if she had been struck by a snake. The pain and regret were overwhelming, but she held her ground, determined to make him understand how sorry she was.

He was sitting close to her, and she could smell his cologne. But he wasn't hers anymore, and she knew it was her own fault. Noah said, "Hey, why don't you meet Dad? He'll be happy to see you. He misses you a lot. If you don't mind, spend some time with him. It will make him happy."

Lilly wanted to hear this. She had always gotten along well with his dad. She agreed, "Okay." When they reached home, Noah's dad and Samantha gave Lilly a warm welcome. Breakfast was ready, but even though Lilly was hungry, she didn't feel like eating.

After breakfast, she decided to rest for a while in Noah's room and soon fell asleep. The whole room was filled with his scent. She didn't know when she fell asleep, but in the afternoon, Noah knocked. When there was no answer, he came in and saw Lilly sleeping, hugging his blanket. He was instantly transported back to the past when his mom was alive. Lilly used to sneak into Noah's room to sleep, claiming it as her own space.

Noah watched her now as if seeing her after many years. Despite being together since last night, he had kept his feelings in check and didn't want to feel anything for her again. Just then, Lilly's phone rang, waking her up. She saw Noah standing there and quickly sat up, saying, "Sorry, I didn't realize when I fell asleep. I couldn't sleep last night."

Noah nodded, and Lilly left the room. She asked Samantha for her bag so she could change and went to the guest room. When she came back, refreshed, Noah and his dad were having coffee. She took a cup and joined them. His dad was very happy to see her, and even Noah felt something strange stirring within him.