UNRAVELED

8

After class ended, I felt a knot of tension still coiled tight in my chest. The silence between Noah and me hung heavy in the air, and I could feel the weight of it pressing down. I gathered my things, preparing to leave, but I wasn't even halfway to the door when I felt him approach behind me.

"Lila" his voice was quiet, almost like he didn't want to stop to talk to me

I stopped but didn't turn around. I wasn't sure if I was ready for this conversation, not after everything that had just unfolded in class. but something in his tone made me pause.

" we need to talk," he said, his hands shoved into his pockets.

"Now you want to talk?" I shot back. "After ignoring me for a whole two weeks?"

He winced, just barely, but I was enough to make me believe that maybe he wasn't as indifferent as he'd been pretending to be. "I know," he said, his voice low.

"I screwed up, but we need to get out of here and talk" he ordered.

I raised an eyebrow. "get out of here? we still have classes"

he shrugged. "you really want to sit through another lecture after what just happened in there?"

I hesitated, but he had a point. "where would we go?"

He smiled, the kind of smile that made me feel like I was walking into something I might not be able to control. "anywhere, we'll figure it out, come on"

There was a pull between us, something undeniable. I took a deep breath, the rational side of me screaming to just walk away. but then I thought about the past two weeks, the silence, the confusion and I knew I couldn't just let this go. not without understanding what had changed.

without another word, Noah led the way out of the school and I followed, we hopped into his car the leather seats cool against my skin. Noah started the engine, and with a quick glance at me, he asked, "anywhere specific you want to go?"

"surprise me," I said, my voice sounding more confident than I felt

He grinned and pulled out of the parking lit, driving with the kind of controlled recklessness that seemed to define him. I didn't ask where we were going, and Noah didn't tell me. it felt like a challenge, like he wanted to see if I'd trust him.

after driving for what felt like an eternity, the houses got bigger, more spread out, and I did not recognize this part of town from when I last saw him argue with his parents. was this their second estate?  I could tell we were heading into a wealthier part of town.

Noah hadn't said much during the drive, just played music softly in the background, the sense between us comfortable but filled with a sort of anticipation I couldn't quite shake,

Finally, we pulled into a long driveway, that led up to a massive house- a mansion, really surrounded by perfectly manicured lawns and tall gates. My eyes widened as I took in the sight of it, it was beautiful sleek and stylist, with a massive driveway and an even bigger front yard. Noah turned off the engine and glanced over at me..

"Noah," I said slowly, "this isn't the same place I've been to before."

He shrugged, "yeah, this is my place. but my parents owned a few houses in the city,  they like to keep options I guess"

"a few houses?" I repeated, trying to wrap my head around it, "you said your parents owned a few businesses, what is your last name?"

"It's Hastings" he said quietly. "Noah Hastings.

The name hit me like a lighting bolt, Hastings, it was more than just a name; it was a brand. A name that carried weight, power and influence. I'd seen it on the covers of financial magazines, splashed across headlines, and whispered about in hushed tone. it was the name of a family that owned half the businesses in town.