Pull Me Under

Chapter Eleven - Unfinished

I called for Morgan not long after Noah left the room. I needed to rip the bandaid off and say no before the pain and realisation of a lost dream I never knew I'd had set in.

When she walked into my room it seemed she already knew my answer. She sighed and walked across the floor to where I sat.

"I understand you've decided against accepting my offer."

I nodded, because I was afraid if I opened my mouth my words would betray my decision.

"Olivia, do you know why Noah is so against you accepting?" She questioned as she sat down beside me.

"He's worried about me." I replied. "And he knows as long as I am a frequent flyer in the family home then he doesn't need to feel guilty about staying away."

"Those are part of the reasons, Noah's decision to stay away from his family have always come from a place of protection for him, his own decision, he was never forced to ignore his father, or the family. He chose to."

"I know." I replied.

"His decision to leave should you take this job is not from that same place of protection."

"How'd you know about that?" I asked.

"He told me he would quit if you said yes. He didn't explain why, but I've been in this job for many years Olivia, and you don't get to where I am without learning to read people."

"So then, if it's not about protection... what is it about?"

Morgan shifted on the bed and took my hands in hers. "Do you really want to know Olivia? Because once you do, there is no unknowing the truth."

I sucked in a breath and nodded, maybe it would help me understand him a little better, maybe it would lessen the anger I still felt.

"He is confused about how he feels, having you around him is making him think things he doesn't know how to compute and he's not focusing. He thinks having you here will distract him and he'll mess up. He's protecting himself but I don't even think he knows what from."

I frowned and pulled my hand away from morgan's and ran my fingers through my hair. "You said it wasn't about protection."

"No, dear I said it wasn't from the same place of protection."

I nodded. "So he's scared."

"Certainly seems so." Morgan mused. "But that doesn't change your answer does it... in fact it probably sets it in stone more than anything."

I nodded woefully. "You'd be right."

"I usually am." She said standing up. "I'll have arrangements made to have you put in witness protection until this is sorted. You'll leave in the morning."

"Tomorrow." I choked.

"Yes, tomorrow." She said as she opened the door and walked out.

The thought of leaving Noah filled me with a dread I couldn't shake. In just a few days I had learned so much about him, he'd let me into his world. I couldn't remember my life before it, or maybe I just didn't want to. I picked up the cards that still sat on my bed and sighed.

I made myself chicken carbonara as dinner time neared, and just as I was about to sit down and eat it there was a buzz at my door. I stood up and walked to the intercom.

"Hello?"

"It's me. I didn't want to just walk in." Noah's voice was quiet.

"It's fine. I'm about to eat, there's some left over if you want it."