Leave Me Breathless

Chapter 9

Present

After a long hot shower I emerge from the bathroom to an empty room. I'm not sad that he's gone. Oh who am I kidding, I'm fucking shattered. What doesn't destroy you leaves you broken right. I get dressed and prepare myself for the embarrassment of buying the morning after pill. It means other people will also be witness to my idiocy.

"I saw Kai leave not too long ago. You okay No?" Shay asks as I make my way to the kitchen.

I look at her and my throat closes up. I inhale and shake my head no and in an instant I'm in her arms, tears rolling down my cheeks as I silently cry into her chest.

"I think he told me that he loved me." I manage to get past the tears.

"Honey, if you aren't sure that he told you, then he didn't. I hate to be the one to tell you this, but you only exist, when it's convenient for him, when he can get away from his girlfriend. Where is he now Noah? Would he have left if he loved you?"

Her words cause a sob to rack through my body and I realise how pathetic I really am.

"I love him."

"I know you do honey. But he's going to break you, and in order to heal this wound, you need to stop touching it."

I might have worn a path outside of the drug store by my pacing. I take a deep breath and enter making my way to the back where the attendant is.

"Hi, I'd like to get the morning after pill please." Confidence is key.

"Sure, name please," Sam, I know this by the name tag, asks.

"You n...need my name?" I stammer.

"Yes. You're only allowed to take the morning after pill once in like every few years so we have to ask to prevent girls from using it as a contraceptive." Sam continues.

"Um okay, it's Noah. Noah Harlow."

Sam turns around and goes to get the pills.

"There are two pills, take one now and one eight hours later. You have up to three days to take it just in case you need time to think about it. And Noah, you might want to get an AIDS and STD test done as well." Sam says to me with absolutely no maliciousness yet I can still feel my entire face heating up.

"That won't be necessary, but thanks Sam."

2015

"If it isn't Noah Harlot." I'm shoved against the shoulder by a girl I don't know. This has been happening quite a bit since Kai and I have started dating.

"Really bitch! This isn't fucking high school. Get over it." I shout at the retreating figure. I have to hand it to her though, Noah Harlot, she gets credit for being original.

I dump my bag on the floor then drop onto Kai's bed exhaling loudly.

"Hey babe, you okay?" Kai asks and I can hear the concern in his voice.

"Shitty day. Tell me something amazing that made you happy."

"Noah Harlow."

"What?"

"You asked me to tell you something amazing and that makes me happy. So, Noah Harlow is amazing and makes me happy."

I can feel my face turn red as Kai continues to stare at me.

"How do you still manage to make me blush?"

"I have no idea, I'm just lucky I guess." And he pecks me on the nose.

"So I got called Noah Harlot today." I state matter-of-factly.

"Are you serious? By who?"

"Don't get angry babe, it was just some random cheerleader who thinks she has rights to you. And as much as I hate it, I guess it's part of what I get for dating the star QB."

He kisses my forehead, my eyes, the tip of my nose, each cheek, my chin, my ears and finally my lips.

"It shouldn't be part of what you get, you don't deserve any of it. You're beautiful and weird and deserve only the best."

"Weird huh?" I pull a pillow from behind me and whack him on the head, laughing. He always does know how to make me laugh.

"You have to admit though, Noah Harlot, it is kinda funny."

"It is," he replies, "I'd just prefer that if they're gonna hate, they get your name right."

We fall back onto the bed laughing and just like that my day is restored to the good way I started it in.

"There's a party tonight, wanna stay for it?"

"Sure."