Three years after his mother's death, Noah Reed is lost once again. Unsure of where to go after running from his problems for so long, he ends up back home, wanting a place to finally settle down. He's ready to tie up loose ends and to try and corre...
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It's just past nine when the four of us finally decide to call it a night, but I don't mind. It was nice catching up with Thorne and Mia, and seeing Blake—though I have to admit it had been hard.
And it is. It's hard being around Blake knowing she's no longer the same girl I fell in love with, just as I am no longer the same boy she fell for. Yet I'm still in love with her, and I know nothing I could do can change that. When I'm around her, everything that happened in the past feels so final. Yet part of me knows the story written between Blake and I is far from over.
I wonder if she feels the same way.
"Bye," I say to Mia, wrapping my arms around her and pulling her into a departing hug. "It was good to see you."
"It was good to see you, too," Mia murmurs into my chest. "Know that you're welcome here anytime, Noah. Come by whenever you need anything. I mean it."
"I know," I respond softly. "Thank you, Mia. I love you."
Mia plants a kiss on my cheek before stepping back, smiling as she says, "I love you too."
Thorne approaches and rests a hand on my shoulder, his bright green eyes meeting mine as he shoots me his infamous smirk. "Expect a visit from me at the shop," he tells me, "I gotta get my motorcycle checked out."
"Will do." Thorne pulls me into a quick hug, patting my back before releasing me.
Blake enters the room after returning from the bathroom, her presence instantly shifting my mood. My gaze zeroes in on her, as if she's the only person in the room. I study her straight blond hair and her heeled boots, trying to remember the last time I saw her willingly wear heels.
"I guess I'm off," Blake declares.
"I'll talk to you later," Mia assures her. I watch the girls embrace, smiling at one another as they pull apart.
Thorne pulls Blake into his arms afterward, towering over her even in her new heels. He whispers something in her ear that I can't quite hear, to which Blake merely nods and offers a faltering smile to before stepping toward the front door, her jacket in hand.
"I'll walk you to your car," I offer Blake. Back when I was in high school, that was one thing my mother had drilled into my head. No matter what, she'd always tell me, a real gentleman always walks a woman to her car or to her door. And he holds that door open for her. Of course, Mom had been referring to the times I went on dates, but I feel the rule applies now as well.
Blake hesitates only a moment before nodding, averting her gaze from me as she mumbles, "Yeah. Okay."
Blake and I depart from Thorne and Mia after a few more moments of conversation. I hold the door open for Blake as we exit the apartment, descending the stairs to the parking lot in silence.
Although it's already May, the night air is oddly chilly. However, it's a clear night, the inky black sky above illuminated by the silvery light of the full moon, bright stars twinkling through the darkness.
