Echoes Of The Unseen

EOTU -ONCE

Noah and Reverie were at the convenience store -again. But this time, it wasn’t the one at school. This store was located in the residential area near Reverie’s house.

"Convenience store. Again," said Reverie sarcastically, looking at Noah. This boy couldn’t go a minute without food. Well, she couldn’t either. That’s why they were friends.

"You sound like you don’t like food, that’s a crime and a red flag," Noah said, rolling his eyes as he looked through the racks of chips, while Reverie stood right next to him, watching the food he was picking. It had been about five minutes of him just looking at chips before moving to the next aisle filled with different snacks.

"Guess which one of these is my favorite snack," Noah said, holding up two kinds of chocolate, looking at Reverie’s indifferent face with enthusiasm. He smiled brightly at her, while she gave him a disgusted look in return.

"As if I care what kind of junk you’re putting into your body," she said, rolling her eyes as she picked one of the chocolate bars and walked away, searching for popcorn to eat while watching movies at her house later.

He followed her, laughing. "Wow, harsh. Eh, look! You’ve got to try these chips, they’re life-changing," said Noah, pulling her sleeve toward another rack of chips.

She, being pulled, just went along with it, resigned. "The only thing I need in my life is real food. Not whatever you’re trying to sell me," she said, but still grabbed the chips, making Noah smile wide.

---

They had bought their snacks and were now paying for them, heading back to Reverie’s house, still in their school uniforms.

It was evening now, and they stopped for a moment to watch the sunset before entering Reverie’s house. They had planned to watch a movie with their group of friends, but Danielle and Theodore couldn’t make it. Danielle was taking care of her sick grandmother and had to take her to the hospital, while Theodore was busy with homework.

Now, it was just the two of them, ready to dig into their snacks and watch the movie. There was a scene where the female character was being bullied, and her male friend came to her rescue. Suddenly, Noah broke the silence.

"You know, out of everyone at school, you’re probably the only one I don’t mind hanging out with," he said, his face serious, still staring at the TV screen, watching the movie intently.

Reverie laughed at his straight face, especially since he kept feeding himself non-stop, his lips reminding her of a bunny. Yeah, that cute smile.

"Gee, I'm honored. Should I start engraving that on a trophy?" she replied.

"Hey, I'm serious! It's not every day I find someone who can tolerate me for this long," he said, pouting his lips while looking at her.

"Yo! What's with that pout? This isn't the Noah I know," she said playfully, scooting back.

Noah laughed for a moment before continuing his act. "You don't love me anymore," he said with a sulky face that obviously didn't suit him. It was cute though, with his glasses and that 'innocent face.' But still! Imagine your guy best friend acting like a clingy girlfriend. Yeah, I know, goosebumps.

"You're lucky I have a lot of patience. Now, should we get more snacks or what? You're eating everything like a vacuum cleaner."

Noah’s mouth was half-full when he responded, a playful glint in his eyes. "Whoa, whoa, that’s offensive," he mumbled, still chewing, laughing through the words.

Reverie smirked, folding her arms across her chest. "Oh please, Noah. You practically inhaled those chips in one go!" She stuck her tongue out at him playfully.

Noah's eyes widened in mock offense, and without warning, he grabbed the nearest pillow from the couch and swung it at her, the soft impact making Reverie gasp in surprise. "You did not just hit me with a pillow!" she said, feigning shock, eyes narrowing as she grabbed her own pillow in retaliation.

She launched it straight at his head, hitting him squarely, sending chips flying out of his hands as he dodged back. Noah burst out laughing, holding his stomach. "Okay, okay! Truce-" he started, but Reverie wasn’t having any of it. She tossed another pillow in his direction.

"There’s no truce in war, Noah!" she declared, already laughing as she leaped off the couch and ran to the other side of the room, clutching another pillow for protection.

Noah shook his head, amusement dancing in his eyes. "You really want to do this?" He stood up, towering over her, pillow in hand. The air between them thickened with playful tension as he stepped forward slowly, pretending to be serious. "You know you're no match for me, right?"

Reverie grinned mischievously, taking slow steps backward toward the kitchen. "Big talk for someone who's about to get wrecked!" She swung the pillow at him, but Noah dodged with ease, grabbing her wrist in a quick movement and pulling her back toward the couch.

Suddenly, the room erupted into chaos. They darted around the furniture, pillows flying in every direction. Reverie ducked behind the coffee table, trying to shield herself from Noah’s relentless attacks. "You’re relentless!" she shouted, laughing uncontrollably, out of breath from both the running and the absurdity of the moment.

"Told you, no mercy!" Noah responded, his own laughter echoing hers. He was grinning so wide it hurt his cheeks, watching Reverie try to fend off his pillow assault with her makeshift defenses.

The room was filled with their giggles, both of them caught up in the pure, carefree joy of the moment. It was as if all the stresses of school and life had melted away, leaving just the two of them in this world of playful banter and silly antics.

Suddenly, Reverie made a mad dash toward the kitchen, thinking she could escape. But Noah was quick to react. He darted after her, and before she could reach the door, he grabbed her by the arm, spinning her around. They both tumbled onto the kitchen floor in a heap, the soft thud of their landing followed by more laughter.

Lying there, tangled up on the floor, Reverie let out a breathless sigh. "Okay, okay… you win."

Noah rolled onto his back, staring at the ceiling, still chuckling. "Victory is mine," he said dramatically, lifting his hand in the air as if to savor the moment.

For a moment, they lay there, side by side, the energy between them shifting from playful to something quieter, more peaceful. The setting sun filtered through the windows, casting a golden glow over them. Reverie turned her head to look at Noah, a soft smile playing on her lips. "You’re such a dork, you know that?"

Noah grinned, glancing over at her. "I’ll take that as a compliment."

They stayed there in comfortable silence for a while longer, their laughter finally settling into gentle breaths. It was moments like these that reminded Reverie how important Noah had become in her life. Sure, he could be annoying, and sure, he ate like a vacuum cleaner, but he was also one of the few people who could make her forget about everything and just live in the moment.

Finally, Reverie nudged him with her elbow. "Come on, vacuum cleaner. Let’s clean up before my aunt gets home and sees the mess."

Noah sat up, groaning dramatically. "Alright, alright. But you’re helping," he said, offering his hand to help her up.

As she took it and stood up, they shared one last grin, knowing that even though the fun was over, the comfort of their friendship would always be there, a constant in the chaos of their lives.

'I’m glad to see you smiling like this again because of me, after everything with that breakup.'

- 16JUNE2004