Destined Demons

Chapter Sixty-One | Voices

ALAINA'S POV

"Hold still, one more second..."

I frown at the ground as I feel Gabriella's hands run through my hair. The sound of the scissors snipping behind me cause my lips to pucker stubbornly and I squeeze my eyes shut.

"Okay," she sighs, "all done."

Standing up from the dining room chair, I turn around to face her. She gives me a warm smile and hands me her hand mirror, gesturing for me to give my new hairstyle a look.

And I do.

"It's so short," I whisper sadly as I pinch a strand of my hair. I run my hand through the straight, dark mess and let out a small growl. Before tonight, my hair ended at the dip of my back and now it ends at my shoulders.

"You look beautiful." A voice from the living room tells me and I glance over to see both Ax and Noah smiling at me. I look away from him and find my reflection again, frowning at the sight of my short hair.

Gently placing the mirror down, I sigh softly before patting my damp thighs. My eyes flicker over to Noah and I give him a small smile, causing him to jump up from the couch and walk over to me. Once he approaches the dining table he holds his hand out for me.

"Come on, let's go get you in the shower," he says quietly and I nod, my hand slipping into his.

"You're gonna have sex in the shower?!" Ax screeches, his hands slapping his cheeks. I giggle at the sight; I missed him a lot.

"No," I tell him as I continue laughing. Noah rolls his eyes before leading me upstairs, and I glance back over my shoulder to see the back door is still propped open. Before Gabby started cutting my hair, both Liam and Liza exited to the backyard and have yet to come back.

I turn my attention back to Noah when he gently pulls me into his room and I glance around. I was only here a day ago, but it feels like it's been a whole year.

My eyes flicker over to him when he goes over to his dresser and starts pulling clothes out. I linger by the door, resting my head against the doorframe, and he finally turns around to face me.

"You can wear these," he whispers, not looking me in the eye. My brows tug together and I slowly make my way over to him. "They might be a bit big."

"Thank you," I murmur, peering up at him as I take the blue t-shirt and plaid pajama pants out of his hands. His eyes flash to the ground before they could even meet mine and I feel my bottom lip jut out stubbornly.

Why isn't he looking at me?

"Noah?" I whisper his name, my heart lurching. His exhales a breath through his nose and the color of his pale cheeks seeps into a light pink. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," he tells me but I know it's a lie.

Knowing a way to get him to look at me, I ask: "Is my hair really that awful?"

His head snaps up immediately and I'm a hundred percent sure that he just broke his neck. "No! You look beautiful—perfect!" He nearly shouts at me, his eyes wide.

"Then why won't you look at me?"

He slowly simmers down and his blue eyes soften, but the intensity doesn't fade. "I just..." He whispers, his gaze traveling from my eyes and down to my lips. "I don't know how to talk to you after I—" He cuts himself off and his eyes drop down to the clothes in my hand.

"After you told me that you love me?"

His cheeks turn bright red and he gives me a curt nod, still refusing to meet my eyes. A smile grows onto my lips and I take a step towards him, causing his head to snap up again and his eyes land on my lips.