The Art of Falling in Love

Chapter Thirty Eight

❝All of your flaws and all of my flaws are laid out one by one. Look at the wonderful mess that we made.❞ -Bastille, Flaws

Hunter decides this Friday night is an appropriate time to throw a party; right in between the stress of finals and graduation. His logic is that we all need a good party to relax, while Katia disagrees and says it would be better to focus on studies to be less stressed about tests. Needless to say, despite how logical Katia's reasonings are, Hunter manages to convince us all to go to his party by incessantly whining.

Finals never really stressed me out before, but now that my university acceptance rely on me not failing these exams, I definitely feel the pressure. Still, one party could potentially benefit a lot of people. At times, one can't even get any work done when completely stressed out. I happen to be one of those people.

The night of Hunter's party, Noah shows up at my place an hour before the party.

At this point, I haven't even decided on an outfit, but my makeup is done. Noah looks cute, lounging on my bed in loose jeans and a dark shirt.

"Wear something hot," Noah says, throwing me a wink. "Actually, not too hot, I hate it when other guys stare at you."

"Other guys don't stare, Noah." I respond as I shuffle through coat hangers. No, no, too neon, too ruffly, too Halloween, no, yikes.

"Trust me, love. You're more beautiful than should be allowed; you've got an endless amount of admirers."

"I'm glad you're one of them." I wink back at him.

Noah smirks, tossing one of my small pillows in the air and catching it in a repetitive pattern. "No, you're blessed that I'm one of them. I'd date me if I could."

"It's not all that great, take it from me."

"You wound me."

"You'll live."

I glance at the mirror beside my closet. I watch as my features soften; the wrinkles from making faces smoothing away, the gentleness in my eyes as I look at Noah in the mirror. I look happy.

Noah clears his throat, "so my dad wants to meet you. Mabel and the twins also want to see you again. If you're up for it, we can drive down this weekend together. They even offered for you to stay the night, as long as your parents are okay with it."

"I'll ask them," my stomach twists uncomfortably. Noah's father. I just know he's intimidating. "I'm sure they wouldn't mind; they love you."

Noah smiles at this, prideful that he got my parents' approval.

I find myself thinking that even if distance does pull us apart, it all still would've been worth it. He has given me the opportunity to fall in love, and I took it without hesitation. Even if at the end of the day, we were to end in heartbreak, I wouldn't regret falling in love with him. Because the moments together are far more beautiful than those apart. I would rather a tragic story than none at all.

Noah looks upset all of a sudden. "What's wrong?" I ask, turning away from my closet.

"It's just...your family is so good," Noah says sadly. "It just reminds me that my parents hate each other and my sister doesn't even have a relationship with our dad or half-siblings. I love my family, don't get me wrong, but sometimes I just wish we could be, I don't know, normal."

"I'm sorry you feel that way," I murmur, my heart breaking a little at his glassy eyes. "Your family may not be the most...conventional, but I can see how much they all love you. I've never seen a family as beautiful as yours inside and out."

Noah grins a little, "we do have good genes, don't we?"

There's the Noah I know and love. I roll my eyes and return to searching for an outfit.

"Harley got most of the good genes," I say. "But no one can deny the fact that your family is gorgeous."

"Thank you, love," Noah says suddenly. "Thank you for always being here for me and letting me into your life. For loving even the worst parts of me and for forgiving me when I was a dumbass. It is a privilege to be loved by you."

I get up and walk over to him, sitting on my bed beside him. "I should be saying that to you. I don't think you understand just how much you've done for me these past months. I didn't think it was possible to love someone the way I love you." The genuineness behind my words even surprise me.  

Noah looks at me for a moment, moving his hand to brush a strand of hair from my face, "Even if you break my heart a million times, I would still love you. My heart will only ever be yours to break."

I can't imagine ever breaking Noah's heart. I can't imagine a life without him. "I don't plan on ever breaking your heart."

Noah leans in and kisses me, light and sweet. "I'm just happy you even bothered talking to me that day on the bleachers. I never knew how much you would change my life."

"As much as I would love to stay in this super cheesy moment forever, I need to change for our idiotic friend's party," I give him a quick peck.

I quickly change into a formal outfit that would normally look good on anyone else. I stare at myself in the mirror, squinting at my reflection. How can I be the only person in the world who doesn't look good in an outfit like this? The top is unflattering and the bottoms look frumpy.

"Am I pulling this off?" I ask Noah, making dumb poses to show off the outfit.

Noah's face scrunches up in a cute manner, "uh...I think you should pull it off."

I roll my eyes and start changing again. I can feel Noah's eyes on me as I change tops, but I don't really care. I end up picking out a fitted top and corduroy skirt.

Noah's eyes trail me from head to toe, lingering on my legs. He flashes a mischievous smile, "how did I get so lucky?"

He makes his way over to me, wrapping his arms around my waist with my back pressed to his chest. I love these kind of hugs; the unsuspecting ones that make you melt into the other's embrace. I hear him humming a tune happily: la vie en rose.

I look at our reflection in the full length mirror, barely recognizing myself. My eyes are bright with joy, cheeks flushed with a rosy colour, lips upturned into a smile. Noah presses a gentle kiss against my neck, resting his head on my shoulder. He smells of hazelnut and vanilla and home.

"I can't believe I only have less than three months with you," Noah murmurs on my shoulder. "But I guess I can't help the fact that I'm so amazing and talented that a school has to offer me a full ride."

"Oh, Noah, your arrogance never ceases to amaze me."

"It's one of the things that made you fall in love with me, so my arrogance is through the roof right now. If anything, this is your fault. I wouldn't be so cocky if I didn't have the most beautiful girl by my side."

"You're so sappy it makes me sick."

"Thanks, I love you, too."

A/N: honestly I'm not a huge fan of romance irl. I find sappy shit gross and unnecessary, but when it's not reality, I'm such a sucker for it. Kinda fucked.

Anyway, I like this chapter cause they share some genuine moments, which I think is important for everyone in any type of relationship to have.