Novelty of Noah - ON HOLD

Eight

Noah's hands trembled as he rubbed each bead of sweat which had leaked from his palms onto his jeans. With every step he took, the more pressure weighed on his chest. It had been two days since Noah had started to use his words when communicating. Within those two days, he had not spoken to anyone but Adelia.

Noah was finally content. This is what he had wanted since he fell down the rabbit hole of not talking. However, Noah did not want to keep this from anyone. Since Hemlocks Yard became his home, he had kept everything to himself. Noah finally had the chance to begin to share and open up. He was not going to turn that opportunity down.

Once Noah had reached his destination, outside Mauve's office, he rose his knuckles to knock on the wooden door. Before Noah could do so, he noticed the small gap causing the door to be unlatched. Since the door was already open and practically awaiting Noah's arrival, he gently gave it a push.

As Noah had expected, kneeled down towards the corner of the office was Mauve. She appeared to be scavenging through a box of documents. Mauve had not noticed Noah standing by the doorway, she was too fixated by the scattered pieces of paper. This allowed Noah some time to get his mind together and decide on what he wanted to say. But, he couldn't. Noah stood so still he could have easily been mistaken for a wax figure.

While Noah was caught in a state of panic, Mauve had noticed his presence, "Oh, hi Noah!"

Noah struggled to reply, he sent Mauve a weak nod. Noah was mentally pinching himself. He had planned how this would go for hours but once Noah was in the moment, he struggled to find the words.

"Take a seat," Mauve instructed as her gaze was paired with the many documents beneath her, "Are you okay?"

From the second the question reached Noah's ears, he had guzzled in a deep gulp of air, as if he was breathing his last breath. He had wanted to say something better, something Mauve would remember this moment by. But, he had his chance now and if he did not take it, he wondered when he ever would.

"...I'm- I'm okay," Noah had to hold back a chuckle of frustration. He was disgruntled by those words being the first words Mauve had ever heard from Noah. However, Mauve's reaction did not disappoint.

"That's g-" Mauve dropped the documents in her hands when she eventually had registered what Noah said, "Oh my-"

Mauve's attention darted from the box resting on the carpet to Noah quivering with adrenaline. Her mouth had involuntarily fallen apart and her knees became weak, throwing her down to the floor. Mauve rested her back against the shelves piled with folders and books. She kept her stare locked with Noah's. Mauve could not bring herself to say anything, it was as if Noah and Mauve had swapped positions.

"Are you okay?" Noah jokingly turned the question around on Mauve. He felt silly for getting worked up beforehand, Noah should have known he would have received a great reaction from Mauve no matter what.

The additional words Noah spoke caused both of Mauve's hands to fly towards her mouth and conceal her face of disbelief. As Mauve had watched the words come from Noah himself, it was as if she was forced to believe the unbelievable.

Over the past year, as Noah refused to budge, Mauve felt as if she had failed her job. Noah's loss of hope had rubbed off on Mauve. She gradually began to believe that there was no chance for Noah. Yet, as of this moment, Mauve could practically taste hope.

Noah acted upon the silence which had filled the room. He held out his right hand in Mauve's direction, an offer to raise her from the floor. Mauve accepted the offer and once she was back on her two feet both Mauve and Noah collided in a celebratory hug.