When Camellia moved to a new town, she didn't expect to even like it there. Let alone find a second family, friends and love, all of whom were hiding a great secret. It all started that Autumn of 1993.
(The song that inspired this story, in case any...
"I can't sleep feeling your eyes on me. I feel like I'm beeing stalked" i say, my voice muffled by the pillow. I feel Noah chuckle. He has changed into some basketball shorts he brought with him and we've been lying in my bed pretending to sleep for about an hour now.
"Can I touch you"? "No".
"Just a kiss" "No"
"A peck"? "Haven't you guessed the answer by now"?
"You're not sleeping" his voice has turned to a whine. "Letting you kiss me won't help"! I argue.
"Please", he whines and i barely make the word out. The whimper brings the image of a husky dog to my mind.
"Noah" i open my eyes and throw a sharp look. He pouts and crosses his arms on his chest. "We are supposed to be together all the time" he mumbles and I sigh. "We are together". He shakes his head. "In contact, how else are other males to know they can't have you if you don't smell like me or even touch me"? He lets out a yowl and I clamp my hand over his mouth.
"My mom is downstairs, stop whining like a pup and let me close my eyes and rest like a good boy" i say and he narrows his eyes at me.
"I'm not a dog" he complains. "Shh"! I say and cover my head with a pillow. "Are you always this groggy when you wake up"? I give up. I throw the pillow and look at him. "I suppose you'll find out since you declared that you want to spend the rest of your life with me" i say and he grins. "I can't wait"! He says and I can practically picture him with dog ears and a wagging tail as he sits up and looks at me.
"If I let you kiss me will you let me sleep"? He doesn't answer, he lowers his body, pulls my face up to his and connects our lips. I gasp on his mouth and he lets go. "Noah"! I whisper yell but his smile won't fade. "Come oooon" he whimpers again.
"You are going to be the death of me" i mumble as I wrap my arms around his neck and let him pull me up as if I don't weight more than a rag doll "I love you" he says suddenly and I start.
"You what"?he frowns at my question. "I love you"? He repeats, less confidently. I kiss him and he groans. When we pull apart I look him in the eye. "Say it again" i command and he smiles. "Lia, I love you" he kisses me and pulls away to say the words again. And again. And again.
I find myself wishing it's true, because God knows I love him.
"Now you say it". He says after a while. I hesitate. He doesn't look sad or angry, he waits patiently as I try to find the courage. "It's a promise" he nods. "I don't like making promises" i continue and he nods again. "But I love you". He smiles and this time I am the one to kiss him.
He tastes like salted caramel.
We lay in bed all morning, cuddling and whispering and giggling like two idiots.
I discover he likes when I run my fingers through his hair and he also really likes to have his shoulders and back scratched. Just like a dog. I think and smile. He notices the smile from his spot, lying across the bed with his head on my stomach where I have access to both his hair and back.
"Why are you smiling"? He asks as I rake my nails across his scalp lightly and he shudders. "It's nothing" I say softly and he kisses my ribs over the fabric of my cotton sweater.
"I love it when you smile" he says and I feel myself blush. "Or so you've told me".
"Your mother is coming" he says and stands up a moment before my mom aks. "Camellia, are you awake my flower"? Noah mouths the last two words with a smirk curling his lips upwards and I throw a pillow in his face.
"Yes ma"! I shout and push him towards the window.
"Good, I need help in the garden" now I can hear her almost outside of the door. Noah jumps and my eyes widen as the door opens. Please God let him not be dead in our front porch! I pray as my mom explains what she needs from me.
I keep nodding and humming along. As soon as she is out of the room I run to the window and lean over to find him looking at me from the ground. I can see his smile from up here. I flip him off and close the window before I run downstairs where my mom is waiting me.
We spend the whole day in the garden where she grows all the flowers for the shop.
Surprisingly, people buy flowers even when they live next to fields full of them. That means mama has enough work to keep her busy and not thinking about the fact that her husband spends more time in the city than he did whenn we lived there. When he comes back they fight a lot and I pretend not to listen, I pretend they are not arguing, I pretend we are a normal, happy family with normal, everyday problems to argue about, like the fact that someone bought the wrong kind of milk or cereal.
Do I hate my father? Hard to tell. I hate what he does to my mother. She loves him. I feel thankful because without him I wpuldn't be alive but that is about it.
"Camellia, guess who is here". I look up from the weeds I've been pulling to see mom walking towards me with Noah by her side. He is taller than her by several inches, and his broad shoulders make her look tiny.
He is dressed in the basketball shorts and the t'shirt he was wearing earlier, showing off his tan muscles.
"Hey" i jump to my feet and wipe the sweat from my forehead with the back of my palm.
"I don't need your help from this point on. You two can go and run through the woods or whatever. Shoo, get out of my hair". Mama says seriously but I see the quirk of her lips. I kiss her cheek before I pull off my gardening apron and skip towards Noah who offers his arm like a gentleman.
"See you mama"! I shout and she waves.
Unsurprisingly, Noah leads me to the forest. I wipe the dirt from the garden on my baggy mom jeans as we walk and he tells me about his day.
"You have some dirt here" he says and pulls me to a stop in order to clean my forehead. I look up at him and grin. "Is it gone"? I ask and he smiles softly. "Yup, squeaky clean" he leans over to peck my cheek.
"Let's go to the stream so you can wash off" he suggests and we do. Once I really am squeaky clean, he leads me to the clearing near his house.
We sit down with our backs against a tree and I tell him about the assignment I've been struggling with for history class. He promises his mom will help me.
"I don't want to bother Cozy" i say but he waves my words off as he pulls me to stand and starts heading to his house. "Nonsense. She will love to see you, especially now that you have accepted the whole courting nonsense she made me perform." He explains.
Once we reach the tall house I feel nervous and stall. He notices, maybe he smells it, and he stops walking, turning around to face me. "She really really likes you. They all do. You are pack, remember"? I nod and he takes my hands in his. I notice how pale I seem against his sunkissed skin. And I also notice there is dirt under my nails and that his hands are calloused.
"She accepted you long ago. This is just nonsense tradition and formalities. She pretends to care about this stuff but she doesn't really." He reassures me and I nod again, taking in a deep breath.
"Okay". We walk together to the front door, my hand in his. He is lending me his warmth and support.
"Here come the lovebirds" i hear as Noah pushes the door open, Nakai is smiling at us as he descends the stairs with a bucket of laundry in his arms.
"Lia, dear, welcome" Cozy smiles as we enter the living room. "Thank you" i say and all my nerves disappear. This feels like home.
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