other half

starting over

as soon as the truck had stopped moving Noah ordered for the girl to cover her eyes, helping her out of the truck she could feel the hard earth beneath her feet. on the other side of the clearing was the path they had taken days before with Alison and Bobby. her pulse shaking her body as he places his hands over her eyes. latching onto his wrists for balance they begin to move forward further into the clearing.

he could see the small lamps he had set up to guide their way into the old house through broken branches of the tree's surrounding them. a small path that swept about a mile around the house lead back up to the lake. following the marked out path he lead her up to the front door. on the doorstep was an envelope with his best attempted handwriting in cursive.

whispering in her ear he told her to open her eyes. stepping back behind a nearby tree, the silence confirming his confusion.

"Noah?" the panic in her voice nearly made him giggle as she watched her pick up the letter. holding the envelope in her hands she pushed the creaking door open, candle light illuminating her surroundings. the house looked like it had been untouched for years. dust and cobwebs clouded the beaten down beams that separated the rooms. the house was visibly old and needed fixing up, but at the same time she had never seen anything more beautiful. mahogany and oak mixed within the staircase and banister, pieces of ivy twirling itself around the wood. a piano and desk sat in the corner, in fact, she thought, it might have even been a bureau desk. running her fingers over the golden plaited key slot she smiled to herself. this house must have been owned by someone who didn't want to pass it on.

against the far wall was a mattress with a single rundown pillow and thin blanket. that was when she noticed how the room seemed like it had been boarded up, just enough to keep the cold out.oh god, she thought, Noah wasn't staying here was he?

she tore open the letter as Noah approached the front door, readying to step in and make his move.

"my love" she read aloud in a hushed whisper. her eyes scanning over the sentences before she could speak them, so wrapped up in the moment she had forgotten her words and brung her hand to her lips to cover the half despair filled gasp. tears brimming in her eyes. only they were happy tears for the first time in a few days.

he wrapped his arms around her from behind nuzzling into her neck. placing a small kiss on her shoulder. stunned she still gazed out at the room around her. in any other situation she probably would have been creeped out by her surroundings but for some reason everything around her couldn't have been more...wonderful.

even the ivy, that would have eventually lead to the decay of the wood was beautifully entwined around the banister, like a glittering feature that bore the essence of elegance.

"do you like it?" he whispered softly to her, finally standing up straight. her back pressed into his stomach, slumping into his warmth she nodded.

"i love it" she responded with a bright grin. joy filled no feature on his face but his eyes, his heart longed for that smile. though crooked, it released a small dimple which made his heart swell. this girl had done more than just gotten under his skin. they were off to a rocky start no doubt but they were happy none the less.

readying the blanket and clothes for them to change into later, he shot up hearing a broken melody being played on the piano. he turned to find Lydia's features frozen in concentration, her little canine digging into her bottom lip as she played nervously. eventually the gaps filled and she was able to play the little song she had somehow conjured in memory from her lessons many years ago.

"you play?"

"why do you say that as if it is such a shock?" she teased getting up, brushing down her dress with a mischievous grin.