The Stepbrother - Noah Centineo (COMPLETED)

Follow your heart.

Arielle's PoV

"So you just took some random strangers advice?" Jason looked at me as though I was some sort of idiot.
"Yes." I sighed.
"Why didn't you just ring me?" He questioned.
"Because we had only just kind of sorted things out between us, I just assumed you'd tell me to leave him also." I laid my head back on my pillow.
"I would have given you the best advice I could." He replied, drawing wide circles on my shin with his finger.
"Which is?" I asked.
"Follow your heart." Really?
"I hate it when people say that. I have no clue what my heart or head wants." I looked at him with a frown.
"Sure you do, you just don't listen." He gave me an innocent smile.
"I hate how you know me better than I know myself." I groaned, my hands playing with the loose thread on my top.
"I know you do." He laughed.

After a couple of minutes of peaceful silence, I piped up again.
"So how do I follow my heart?" I asked him. I know I had kind of already made up my mind but i wanted to be 100% sure with my decision.
"Don't say yes to something when your heart says no." He shrugged his shoulders.
"And that means..." I trailed, hoping he'd enlighten me on what the hell he was talking to me about.
"You have me dumbfounded sometimes, Ari." He pursed his lips, shaking his head at my stupidness.
"Like, is it your heart or head that's saying that you can't be happy with Noah because your dads happiness is all that matters to you?" He started to explain.
"I guess my head." I answered.
"So your heart is saying to be with Noah. If your heart was the one saying not to be with him then I wouldn't continue whatever it is you two have going on." His words make a lot more sense now, I was starting to see that maybe I'm doing the right thing, for me.
"Once you start to listen to your heart, you'll begin to trust yourself to know what's best for your body and your life." This boy is so good with his words.
"Noah is good for me." I nodded my head.
"I'll never find anyone else like him." I added. Noah truly is one of a kind.
"Then you have a chance at happiness." Jason moved up the bed so he was laying beside me.
"Sometimes you just have to be a little selfish, you need to overcome your fear of failing your dad, disappointing him. If you hold on to that forever, you'll never be truly happy." He placed an arm around my shoulders.
"I just don't want to hurt him, Jay." I murmured.
"If you're dad could see how truly happy Noah makes you, maybe you both could have a chance at happiness." His voice was soft as I cocked my head onto his shoulders.
"I doubt that." I knew my dad would react bad if he knew about Noah and I.

Jason began to twiddle my hair around his fingers as he thought of a response. He must think that I'm sort of right, I mean he's known my dad for so many years, he knows what he could be like when something wasn't the way he wanted it.
"Arielle, I've had to listen to you for years talking about how you want someone to make you happy, someone to make you laugh and feel loved. You've finally found that person so I'm not going to sit here and let you push him away again." I knew Jason hated being completely honest with me because he was afraid of my reaction, he didn't want to ever say something that would upset me.
"You're with Noah again, right?" He asked to which I nodded my head.
"Then just promise me you won't play games with the poor boy, you're with him for good now. There's no turning back to him in a weeks time, telling him how worried you are about your parents finding out. You got with him in the first place knowing full well that you couldn't be touchy touchy in front of your family." His words kind of stung but I'm going to continue to listen and not open my big mouth to say something I regret.
"Noah loves you for who you are. He hasn't required for you to change in any sort of way and it's so clear that he's completely smitten over you. I mean he waited months to finally shag you, that's saying something right?" Jason laughed towards the end, as did I.
"I guess." I nodded my head. Jason was right, no one would ever love me the way Noah loves me and our parents are just going to have to understand that we're together. We can't help who we fall in love with.
"Now stop being grouch about the whole situation and lighten up, you're making me depressed." He began to tickle me, causing a loud squeal to escape my lips. I hated being tickled with a burning passion.

"Jason! Stop!" I was wriggling about, finally managing to escape once I fell off my bed in a heap of laughter.
"Why don't you ask me how my life's going for a change?" He smirked, his eyes flashing with playfulness.
Oh my god, I had been so caught up in my own drama, I didn't even begin to think about how things have been with him. Or how Brandon was or anything. I'm such a bad friend. I don't deserve Jason.
"Shit, I promise to never talk about the Noah situation again." I shook my head frantically, pulling myself back on to my bed again.
"How are things with Brandon and at home. I want to talk about you now." I honestly felt awful for basing everything we talk about around me and my complicated love life.

From now on, I shall not mention anything about my relationship. I wanted to hear about his for a change.