Total pages in book: 46
Estimated words: 45966 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 230(@200wpm)___ 184(@250wpm)___ 153(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 45966 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 230(@200wpm)___ 184(@250wpm)___ 153(@300wpm)
“Noelle,” I sternly stated. “Just help me.”
“Fine,” she agreed.
Once I was upright, I called an Uber, and from the second she helped me onto her couch after he dropped us off at her house, I closed my eyes, breathing a sigh of relief. I was not sure how long I lay there when Noelle was suddenly handing me pain relievers in one hand and an ice pack in the other.
Thankfully, her dad was out of town.
Slowly, I sat up, groaning out in pain.
“Here.”
I took them.
“Are you really okay?”
“Mm-hmm.”
“Even if you weren’t okay, you wouldn’t tell me the truth, would you?”
“I don’t lie to you.”
“I find that hard to believe, but I’ll accept it for now.”
The look on her face was full of concern.
Confusion.
Longing.
Which made me question my resolve about how much I’d share with her at that moment.
Noelle
I changed into a hoodie and sweats. The uncomfortable silence hammered all around me, tearing into my insecurities about what was concerning him. Nicholas’s body was in the room with me, but his mind was somewhere else entirely.
He looked lost.
I’d never seen that look on his face before.
The quietness was deafening, stirring me to ask, “What’s wrong?” His eyes locked with mine as I sat in front of him on my bed.
He shrugged.
“Never mind, we don’t have to tal—”
“I got in a fight with my parents before the game.”
“Can I ask what happened?”
He thought about it for a second. I didn’t think he’d reply.
“You know them, same ole, same ole. I’m just tired of not being good enough. They’re always trying to change me into someone I’m not. It doesn’t matter how many times I tell them I want to open my own construction business after we graduate, they don’t care.”
Chalk it up to hormones, or maybe it was me desperately wanting to connect with him. In that second, sitting in front of him, it felt like I was the first person he’d shared this with.
It seemed like he needed to get out whatever was weighing on him. His body shifted around as he abruptly looked deep into my eyes and searched for something I couldn’t place. The only thing I could see was a war raging in his stare. An internal battle was taking place of what was right and what was wrong.
The serious expression on his face captivated me which only added to the plaguing emotions that were wreaking havoc between us. I waited on pins and needles, hanging on his every word.
He didn’t make me wait too long, divulging, “I just want to be good enough for them.”
I didn’t move.
I was barely breathing.
Not wanting to distract him from sharing this with me.
“I can understand that.”
I stood.
He looked at me with curiosity. “What are you doing?”
“Come on.” Reaching for his arm, I placed it over my shoulders.
“Where are we going?”
“Just trust me, okay? I know what I’m doing.”
Slowly, we walked out to porch under the snow.
We stayed there under the snow, letting it wash away the sadness.
I kissed his hand. “I don’t like seeing you sad.”
He didn’t say a word. The stillness was nice. I felt him kiss the top of my head, and I smiled, aware that he was thanking me.
We stayed out there until it got to chilly, laughing it off.
However, our feelings for each other were now…
More than just under the mistletoe.
CHAPTER 18
NOELLE: NOW
When I was alone.
With company.
Or with his brother.
Especially in moments like these when we were about to walk in the following night’s festivities at his parents’ estate.
Did I forget to mention my ex-best friend basically grew up in Santa’s mansion?
The Saint Clair property was at the highest peak of the mountain in its own zip code. When I tell you his house was the size of a Walmart, I wasn’t exaggerating in the least. I had so many memories with Nicholas on that property, especially during the holidays. The decorations his family put up every year were the talk of the town. They spent a small fortune on lights, globes, and lawn ornaments.
One year, they even had an anatomical Santa on their roof with all his reindeer, including Rudolph. It was custom-made to move in the most life-like way. Now, don’t get me started on the Christmas trees all throughout the manor. Each one of them was themed in their own unique way. I spent so many nights hanging out with Nicholas, taking in the beauty of the holiday spirit around us.
However, that day, Nicholas spent most of it in meetings while I handled all the finishing touches on my dessert display for his parents’ party. The whole town was invited; it was an open-door policy, and it had been so since before Nicholas was born. The Saint Clairs were huge on traditions.
Tomorrow was Christmas Eve, which was why his family threw their party on the same day every year. With a handful of gifts in tow, we made our way into his family’s home. The guests participated in a purple elephant with a fifty-dollar minimum. Every year, Nicholas surprised me with the best presents, things I’d seen throughout the year that I wanted, and he’d pay attention to them without me even realizing he was doing so.