Are you mine?

Chapter 48

"Which one do you think he'll like better?" Noah asks, holding up a baseball cap in each hand.

"Hmm," I press my index finger to my bottom lip as I analyze his options, "Well the white one to me says 'I'm a balding 50-year-old going through a midlife crisis', but the black one screams 'I'm a cool dad looking for a pretty young thing,'" I joke.

"The second one sounds exactly like my dad," He chuckles, "But I'm still not sure," he says, returning the caps to the man working the counter at the shop we find ourselves in. The walls are covered in miscellaneous items, ranging from clothing and accessories, to mugs, little trinkets like handmade dream catchers, and smoking paraphernalia.

"Maybe you could get him a bong," I kid, "Nothing says father-son bonding like having a smoke sesh."

"Are you sure you haven't met my dad?" Noah laughs, draping his arm over my shoulders and leading me out of the shop, our hands as empty as they were when we walked in.

The evening breeze brushes my hair back and out of my face, as Noah and I tour around the 'Passarela do Descobrimento,' more commonly known as 'the alcohol strip'. It's a picturesque area located in the city center, with colourful painted shops, surrounded by several bars and restaurants. We were told by our counselors that we were free to roam around the area until seven p.m. At that time, we're supposed to meet them at the buses to be taken back to the hotel, and get ready for tonight's party. They also informed us that this would be the perfect opportunity to buy some souvenirs to bring back home, which is exactly what Noah and I have been doing for the past hour. Still, he hasn't been able to find the right present for his dad.

"Is he the type of guy to wear rings?" I ask as I lead Noah towards a street vendor selling jewelry.

"Not really," he replies,"He couldn't even keep his wedding band on his finger," he jokes, but I get distracted eying a silver ring with a little round stone on it.

"Would you like to try it on?" The vendor asks me, noticing my ogling and handing me the ring.

"Oh, thank you," I say awkwardly as she grabs my hand and slips the ring on my finger. "It's beautiful, but I couldn't afford it." I shrug and give the ring back.

"What a shame," she says, her thick accent showing as she puts it back in the glass casing.

"Maddie, you want some ice cream?" Noah asks from behind me, pointing at an ice cream parlor with a huge queue of people lining up outside.

"Sure," I say, "I'll meet you there in a minute." he mutters a quick 'okay' and walks off to go stand in line to get us a sweet treat.

"See anything else you may like?" the woman asks and I scan over the assortment of jewelry in front of me.

"Actually yeah," I smile.

***

Tonight is the first party that doesn't have a dress code, so I opt for a navy blue, figure hugging bodycon dress that I've been waiting the entire trip to show off. I'm glad I waited though, because the light tan on my skin makes it look ten times better, if I do say so myself.

Like the obnoxious best friends we are, Sydney and I decided to match our outfits, her wearing a red satin dress with a figure similar to mine. The only thing that differentiates our looks is where she has her auburn hair in loose curls, mine lays pin straight against my back.

"Ready to make jaws drop?" Syd asks from beside the door as I finish fixing my makeup in the mirror. She offers her hand and I take it in mine, walking out of our room and down the stairs, our heels clicking on the ceramic floor.

We walk down the hall and knock on room 112, resting against each side of the doorframe and waiting for someone to open up. All of two seconds go by and Syd bangs the fist on the wood, harder and louder this time. Patience is not her strong suit.

"I'm coming! Geez," Jackson yells from inside the room, opening the door as he zips up his pants. "Oh shit," he says, looking between Syd and I.

"I know, right?" Syd replies, flicking her hair back over her shoulder.

"Uh, come in guys," Jackson invites when he's finally able to pull his eyes off Syd's figure.

"No thanks," She declines, "I can smell the testosterone from here, and I'm afraid if I step any closer it'll permeate into my dress," Syd says with a disgusted expression.

"Where's Noah?" I ask, walking into the room.

"In the shower, he should be out any minute," Jackson replies, sitting on the bed as he slips his shoes on.

"He better hurry up," Syd says from the door as she picks at her nail polish, "We should all be on the bus by now."

"Why don't you guys go ahead?" I suggest, "I'll wait for Noah and we'll catch up to you in a minute."

"Oh, I see," Syd smirks suggestively, "Let's go Jacko, these kids need some privacy." She says, winking at me.

"That's absolutely not what I meant," I say, but she pays me no mind, grabbing Jackson by the wrist to pull him out of the room. He looks at me with pleading eyes and jokingly mouths 'help me' before getting dragged away, closing the door behind him.

I take a seat on one of the two beds, not really sure who's been sleeping on it, but indifferent either way. Crossing one leg over the other, I lean back, laying my palms flat against the mattress and resting my weight back on them.

I wait for a couple of minutes before I hear the water stop running inside the bathroom, which makes me instinctively sit up straighter, and smooth out my dress with my hands. A moment later, Noah comes out in a cloud of steam and cologne, fully clothed in a loose white T-shirt and black jeans, his gaze focused on something at the tip of one of his dress shoes. He pushes his wet hair out of his face, his eyes glossing over me quickly, only to do a double-take.

He stands in place, eyeing me up and down with parted lips, and I chuckle as I push off the bed. "I take it you like it?" I ask, giving him a little spin so he can get the full view.

He audibly pushes air out through his nose, a sort of incredulous laugh. "I swear," he says, shaking his head, grabbing my hands and pulling me closer to him, "You have got to be the most beautiful person to ever walk this earth." He kisses my flushed cheek and shows his white teeth as his lips stretch into a charming smile. We stare into each other's eyes for a moment until I snap out of my trance and remember why I'm here in the first place.

"I got you something," I say, drawing my bottom lip between my teeth. Letting go of Noah's hands, I search through my purse, pulling out a small envelope made of colorful paper. He looks at me curiously as I hand it over to him. "Open it," I encourage, getting a bit impatient as he stands motionless.

Noah tears the wrapping, uncovering two matching pieces of jewelry. "Maddie, I-" he says, but stops there, the words getting caught in his mouth.

"You can probably guess this," I say, grabbing one of the two black, braided string bracelets that have a small silver anchor charm in the middle, and tying it around his wrist, "But, the anchor is a symbol of strength, and security; which are exactly the feelings you give me. You make me feel stronger, safer, more confident in myself. You let me float freely, but ground me so that I don't drift away. So my intention with this was to make you a promise, to make you feel the same way you make me feel. A promise to be your anchor."

He sighs deeply, and for a second I tense up, thinking that maybe it was too much too fast and that he doesn't like it. I start getting more and more nervous as the silence stretches on, while Noah toys around with his bracelet, inspecting it with close attention and a closed mouth.

"I fucking love you," he deflates, finally speaking up and bringing me in for a bone-crushing embrace. I relax as the smell of his lavender soap mixed with his cologne fills my nose exquisitely.

"What did I ever do to deserve you?" he thinks aloud wistfully, his cheek pressed flat against the top of my head.

"I ask myself that same question every day."