Beneath the Moonlit Rain

Part 5: Unfinished Conversations

The morning light crept into the small cottage, cutting through the remnants of the storm as soft golden streaks. Lila stretched on the sofa, her sketchbook still resting on her lap. She had dozed off sometime in the early hours, the pencil slipping from her fingers.

Her gaze fell on the drawing she'd finished in the quiet of the night. Noah's likeness stared back at her, rough yet unmistakable. The lines of his jaw, the weight in his eyes, the rain that framed him like a second skin it was all there.

She traced a finger over the page, a mix of emotions stirring inside her. She hadn't planned to draw him, but it was as if her hand had known before her mind did. There was something about Noah she couldn't shake, something she didn't understand but couldn't ignore.

Pushing the sketchbook aside, Lila rose to her feet and moved to the kitchen. The smell of coffee would be a good way to start the day, she decided, shaking off the remnants of sleep. As the coffee brewed, her mind drifted back to their conversation from the night before. His words, his presence they lingered like the fading echoes of a melody.

What was he running from?

The sharp knock at her door startled her.

Lila froze, the sound pulling her out of her thoughts. She wasn't expecting anyone, and it was too early for most people in the small town to stop by. Her heart quickened as she approached the door.

When she opened it, she found herself looking at a woman a stranger, yet familiar in a way that Lila couldn't place immediately.

The woman was tall and elegant, with dark hair swept back into a sleek ponytail. Her clothes were immaculate, sharply tailored in a way that screamed city sophistication. But her eyes were what caught Lila's attention: piercing and searching, like they were peeling away layers to see what lay beneath.

"Lila, right?" the woman asked, her voice cool but not unkind.

Lila nodded slowly. "Yes. Can I help you?"

The woman's lips curved into a faint smile. "I'm Eleanor. A... friend of Noah's."

Lila blinked, taken aback. Eleanor's words felt deliberate, as if she had chosen them with care.

"I'm sorry to drop by unannounced," Eleanor continued, glancing past Lila into the cottage. "Is he here?"

Lila's confusion deepened. "No, he's not. He left last night."

Eleanor's smile didn't falter, but there was a flicker of something else in her expression disappointment, perhaps, or something darker.

"Of course," she said, brushing a hand over the sleeve of her jacket. "I thought he might have stopped by again this morning. He has a habit of disappearing when you least expect it."

The way she spoke about Noah made Lila uneasy, though she couldn't quite pinpoint why. There was a familiarity in Eleanor's tone, an intimacy that hinted at a history Lila knew nothing about.

"Can I ask what this is about?" Lila said carefully, her hand tightening on the edge of the door.

Eleanor tilted her head, studying her. "I'm just trying to keep an eye on him. He's been... struggling lately."

The words hung in the air, their meaning as vague as Eleanor's expression.

"I should go," Eleanor said suddenly, stepping back. "If you see him, let him know I was looking for him, will you?"

Before Lila could respond, Eleanor turned and strode down the path, her heels clicking against the damp stones. She disappeared around the bend, leaving Lila standing in the doorway, questions swirling in her mind.

What kind of history did Eleanor and Noah share? And why had Noah never mentioned her?

As she closed the door, Lila felt an unfamiliar twist of jealousy and unease. She hated how easily her thoughts were consumed by someone she barely knew, but she couldn't help it. Something about Noah drew her in, even as her instincts screamed for her to keep her distance.

Her coffee had grown cold by the time she returned to the kitchen. She poured herself a fresh cup and sat at the table, her gaze drifting to the sketchbook again.

Her phone buzzed, pulling her attention.

It was a message from Noah.

Hey. Are you free later? Thought you might want to grab lunch. My treat.

The casualness of his words felt almost absurd after Eleanor's visit, but a part of her couldn't deny the small flutter in her chest.

Sure, she typed back after a moment. Where?

His reply came almost instantly.

There's this spot near the cliffs. I'll meet you at noon.

Lila set her phone down, her pulse quickening. Whatever was going on with Noah, she needed to figure it out. She wasn't sure why, but she felt drawn into his orbit, as if their stories were intertwined in ways she didn't yet understand.

The hours passed slowly as she prepared for their meeting. She tried not to think too much about Eleanor or the implications of her visit. Instead, she focused on the moment ahead, telling herself it was just lunch.

By the time she arrived at the cliffs, the sun was high in the sky, casting the ocean below in shades of blue and green. The wind tugged at her hair as she approached the small café perched near the edge, its wooden tables scattered across the grass.

Noah was already there, leaning against the railing with a casual ease that belied the tension she'd seen in him the night before. When he saw her, he straightened, his lips curving into a smile.

"Hey," he said, his voice warm.

"Hey," she replied, her heart doing that annoying fluttering thing again.

They sat at a table overlooking the water, the sound of the waves crashing below filling the spaces between their words. Noah ordered for both of them, surprising her with his familiarity with the menu.

"I come here a lot," he explained, catching her questioning look. "It's one of the few places in town where you can actually think."

Lila nodded, her gaze drifting to the horizon. "I can see why."

For a while, they talked about nothing in particular childhood memories, favorite books, the quirks of the town. It was easy, the kind of conversation that felt like slipping into an old rhythm even though they'd only just met.

But as the meal wound down, Lila couldn't ignore the questions pressing at the back of her mind.

"Noah," she said, her voice hesitant. "This morning, someone came to see me. A woman named Eleanor. She said she was a friend of yours."

Noah's expression froze for a fraction of a second before he recovered, his smile tightening.

"What did she say?" he asked, his tone carefully neutral.

"Not much," Lila admitted. "She was looking for you. Said you'd been struggling."

Noah leaned back in his chair, his gaze darkening. "Eleanor likes to meddle."

There was an edge to his voice now, a sharpness that hadn't been there before.

"She seemed worried about you," Lila pressed gently.

Noah sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Eleanor and I... it's complicated. She means well, but she doesn't always know when to let go."

Lila wanted to ask more, to understand the weight behind his words, but something in his expression told her it wasn't the right time.

"Thanks for letting me know," he said finally, his voice softer now. "I'll handle it."

Lila nodded, though she couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to the story than he was letting on.

As they left the café and walked back toward town, Noah's mood seemed to lighten again, his easy smile returning. But Lila couldn't ignore the lingering shadows in his eyes, the ones that seemed to hint at a past he wasn't ready to share.

And for reasons she couldn't explain, she wanted to be the person he trusted enough to let in.