A Neighbouring Romance

34 - truths

Long, long, long due awaited update - but I made it absolutely worth your time I promise. To my wonderful readers, if you're still here, I love you all, and thank you for being here <3

Enjoy <3

Hope's P.O.V

"I hate you. I hate you." I spit the words out, my hands shaking with the weight of my anger. "You're going to be just like your father. You'll never be anything more than him!"

Noah stumbles away from me, like I've just slapped him around the face. As soon as I've said the words I want to take them back, as soon as I see the look in his eyes I want to sob and beg him to forgive me for the cruelty.

Does he deserve to break just because I love him?

His eyes raise to meet mine in a burning glare. It makes me wish that the ground could swallow me into itself, to take me away from everything, from myself.

He spits out his next words, words that wish to ingrain themselves into every crevice of my brain. "You'll never look me in the eye again Hope Evans. Just you watch. I hope you live a long and miserable fucking life, with nobody by your side."

My eyes fly open as I rise up from the bed I tried so hard to fall asleep in, my body trembling as I begin to register the nightmare. I squeeze my eyes shut to hold back the tears, my chest rising and falling with the deep breaths that I take, and with a swift rake of my eyes around the room, I remember where I am.

The time tells me I've only been asleep for fifteen minutes.

I need to get out of here. Find some air.

Noah catches me just outside the room and my stomach hurtles fifty feet into the ground.

"I'm going for a run." And you better not follow me.

I feel my throat constricting and I take a gasp of air quickly. It's not quite night yet, but the sky darkens into a navy blue as lights bounce off the white snow beneath me.

I try to move my feet forwards but the ground blurs as tears begin to fill my eyes.

No. No. No.

Why can't things just be fucking normal?

The anxious energy courses through me and builds into a panic attack, already settling and embedding its roots in my veins, pushing the adrenaline through, and breaking me.

My legs tremble and I force myself to move through the snow as my chest tightens into itself. The street is long and silent, but I'm glad nobody is here, the snow masks my tears better than anything else.

I try to compose myself regardless, but I struggle until I finally make it to a quiet clearing, it's cold, and the wind is so harsh. I look up, sniffling, and my heart stops.

It's Noah.

He looks angelic, his hair a mess and his white shirt untucked from his trousers. In his hands he holds a pile of crumpled papers.

With a sharp intake of breath, I realize, and he looks up at me, his eyes are hard and unfeeling, reddened in what I can only deem as anger.

"What are these?" He thrusts them up into the air frustratedly as he stands up to face me.

I know exactly what they are, but I shake my head at him and look down. My whole body is trembling and my head spins.

"I don't know." I lie, my voice a mere whimper.

He looks at me and his hand slowly reaches to the floor, grabbing one of the papers into his hand, fingers tightly scrunching the edge of the page.

"Dear Noah." He starts, reading the page mockingly as I shut my eyes.