"Don't make promises you can't keep."
---
Noah Reed is lost. Fed up with his constant attitude and need for self-destruction, his mother sends him to live out the rest of the year with his father in hop...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
We reach Holden before sunset.
I'd been pleasantly surprised when my parents allowed me to go on this trip. I hadn't expected them to let me go out of town for a weekend, relatively unsupervised, with my boyfriend and his friends. Yet the instant I said Noah would be there, both of my parents agreed to let me go. They trust him a lot, which warms my heart.
Noah and I drove a little over an hour to Holden in his Ford, though I'd been hesitant about doing so at first. The truck only just started running again, yet the drive proved to be successful and unproblematic.
I exit my thoughts and return to the present, where I am currently standing on a balcony and staring out at the ocean. I haven't been to the beach in so long, I'd almost forgotten how much I love it.
It's not quite summer yet, as it's still only April. Spring is in the air, so it's not necessarily cold, though it's always a little chillier by the sea. The water is probably still too cold to swim in, and the sunset will be making its appearance soon.
The sky is awash in colors of deep orange and faded pink as the sun sinks lower and lower beneath the clouds, heading for the ocean-lined horizon. The pastel of the sky reflects in the water, ripples sparkling with dark blue and warm orange, with highlights of pink. It's beautiful, mesmerizing and captivating all at once.
Sensing a presence approaching, I look up to find Noah walking my way. His dark blue eyes meet mine, gaze soft and gentle. He's smiling, and I realize that he's happy. Happy in the way I've always wanted him to be.
Noah has been in a remarkably good mood all day. I have a feeling his attitude has to do with the day's events: getting the Ford to run, reuniting with old friends, and getting to go on this trip. I'm glad I get to be here to witness his rare display of genuine happiness; grateful to get to see this side of him.
"Hey," Noah says upon reaching me. "What are you up to?"
"Just enjoying the view." I gesture to the ocean, watching as Noah's gaze flickers to the water. Right now, we're at a hotel waiting for Mia and Thorne to check in.
"Your friends seem really nice," I tell Noah, meaning the words. "They seem like good people."
Noah leans against the balcony railing, staring out at the ocean. "They are," he admits in a soft tone. "I met Thorne and Mia at one of the lowest points of my life, and they stuck by me anyway. I haven't seen them in a long time, so I'm really looking forward to this weekend."
"You know," Noah says, "you and Mia are a lot alike. You remind me of her. I think you guys will get along really well."
His words make me smile. I meant what I said when I told Noah that it seems like his friends are good people, and it's clear that they are close to Noah as well. I just worry that, since they are people Noah met in his past, maybe the three of them have things in common that I . . . don't. I know how reckless and wild Noah used to be, and his friendships with Mia and Thorne sprung from that time period. I guess I don't want all of them to see that I'm not like them. I'm innocent and can be naive, and I'm as far from wild as it gets. Compared to Noah's friends . . . I'm dull. I don't want Noah to open his eyes and realize what I already know. I don't want him to see how different we are. I don't want him to get bored of me, or realize that I can't offer him the kind of "good time" he might be looking for. Because if I'm being honest, I'm boring and plain and—"
