leaves the couch as his entire body tenses in one swift movement. He brings the bottle back to his lips, almost emptying the contents in a single gulp. I watch the muscles of his neck as he gracefully swallows.
"Noah." I move to sit on the edge of the coffee table so my knees are touching his. "Tell me about her. Tell me about what she means to you."
He shakes his head from side-to-side before draining the bottle dry. "I told you, Alexa. Camilla and I are over."
"People keep saying that's not true." I scratch my upper lip. "Ari said that you were using me until Camilla comes back. I don't know that that means but I did that with Liz. Brighton's Liz…" I stammer before I catch my breath. "I can't do it again. I won't get more invested in this if there's a chance you're getting back together with her."
He places the bottle down next to my thigh as he leans forward. "I told you that Camilla is in my past. I don't give a fuck what Ari or Brighton or anyone else said to you about her. Ari and Camilla are old friends. She's protective of her. It's nothing." He reaches for my hands, pulling them into his. "I am telling you that she and I are over. I haven't seen her in months. I don’t want to see her. I sure as hell don't want to be with her."
The words are slow, direct and filled with quiet emotion. His eyes never waver from my face. His hands cradle mine tightly.
"I want to be with you, Alexa." He swallows hard. "You are my future. She is in my past. Don't listen to anyone who tells you differently."
"Who ended it, Noah?"
He cocks a brow. The question has surprised him. "It doesn't matter, Alexa."
I know from my experience with Brighton that it does matter. Liz dumped him and that's why he wanted me. It's my insecurities begging for an answer to the question, but I need it. I need him to tell me. "It matters to me."
"She ended it." He hands his head down. "I thought we'd be together after the attack, but she ended it. She said my scars remind her too much of him."
"Have you tried to get her back since?" Apparently self-torture is on my menu for tonight. I may as well drive a knife through my own heart. Why am I pushing this? Why can't I just leave this alone?
"For a long time all I wanted was her." He closes the distance between us, shifting his body so he's hovering on the edge of the couch.
I nod. I knew it. Brighton and Ari may have had their own motivations for saying what they did, but the alignment of their words wasn't coincidental. They've seen parts of Noah I never have. "Does part of you still want her?"
"I might have until you walked into my apartment." Reaching down he catches my thighs in his grasp and pulls me onto his lap. "No one on this earth is as important to me as you. No one, Alexa."
I push my face into his neck, feel him wrap his arms around me as I close my eyes and give in to the promise of his words.
Chapter 25
"Brighton keeps pushing me about working at that school in Paris." I flash the screen of my smartphone in Kayla's direction. "This is the third text this week he's sent me about it."
She shakes her head before she speaks. "Do you think you'd take it if Noah wasn't in the picture?"
It's a question I've never even considered. I'd like to think my decision to cut all ties with Brighton is about my own internal strength. Maybe it does have more to do with what I'm feeling for Noah than I've been admitting. "I haven't thought about it," I confess.
"You're not going to wake up months from now and regret that you didn't go to France, are you?" She cocks a brow as she picks at the bowl of pasta we prepared together in my small kitchen.
"No." I laugh. "Going to Paris means being with Brighton. I can't do that. Even if Noah dumped me, I wouldn't do that." The mere suggestion of my relationship with Noah ending bites into me.
"I'd say that you are officially over Brighton Beck now." She twirls her fork in the air in a mock sign of declaration. "That means I'm free and clear to
"Noah." I move to sit on the edge of the coffee table so my knees are touching his. "Tell me about her. Tell me about what she means to you."
He shakes his head from side-to-side before draining the bottle dry. "I told you, Alexa. Camilla and I are over."
"People keep saying that's not true." I scratch my upper lip. "Ari said that you were using me until Camilla comes back. I don't know that that means but I did that with Liz. Brighton's Liz…" I stammer before I catch my breath. "I can't do it again. I won't get more invested in this if there's a chance you're getting back together with her."
He places the bottle down next to my thigh as he leans forward. "I told you that Camilla is in my past. I don't give a fuck what Ari or Brighton or anyone else said to you about her. Ari and Camilla are old friends. She's protective of her. It's nothing." He reaches for my hands, pulling them into his. "I am telling you that she and I are over. I haven't seen her in months. I don’t want to see her. I sure as hell don't want to be with her."
The words are slow, direct and filled with quiet emotion. His eyes never waver from my face. His hands cradle mine tightly.
"I want to be with you, Alexa." He swallows hard. "You are my future. She is in my past. Don't listen to anyone who tells you differently."
"Who ended it, Noah?"
He cocks a brow. The question has surprised him. "It doesn't matter, Alexa."
I know from my experience with Brighton that it does matter. Liz dumped him and that's why he wanted me. It's my insecurities begging for an answer to the question, but I need it. I need him to tell me. "It matters to me."
"She ended it." He hands his head down. "I thought we'd be together after the attack, but she ended it. She said my scars remind her too much of him."
"Have you tried to get her back since?" Apparently self-torture is on my menu for tonight. I may as well drive a knife through my own heart. Why am I pushing this? Why can't I just leave this alone?
"For a long time all I wanted was her." He closes the distance between us, shifting his body so he's hovering on the edge of the couch.
I nod. I knew it. Brighton and Ari may have had their own motivations for saying what they did, but the alignment of their words wasn't coincidental. They've seen parts of Noah I never have. "Does part of you still want her?"
"I might have until you walked into my apartment." Reaching down he catches my thighs in his grasp and pulls me onto his lap. "No one on this earth is as important to me as you. No one, Alexa."
I push my face into his neck, feel him wrap his arms around me as I close my eyes and give in to the promise of his words.
Chapter 25
"Brighton keeps pushing me about working at that school in Paris." I flash the screen of my smartphone in Kayla's direction. "This is the third text this week he's sent me about it."
She shakes her head before she speaks. "Do you think you'd take it if Noah wasn't in the picture?"
It's a question I've never even considered. I'd like to think my decision to cut all ties with Brighton is about my own internal strength. Maybe it does have more to do with what I'm feeling for Noah than I've been admitting. "I haven't thought about it," I confess.
"You're not going to wake up months from now and regret that you didn't go to France, are you?" She cocks a brow as she picks at the bowl of pasta we prepared together in my small kitchen.
"No." I laugh. "Going to Paris means being with Brighton. I can't do that. Even if Noah dumped me, I wouldn't do that." The mere suggestion of my relationship with Noah ending bites into me.
"I'd say that you are officially over Brighton Beck now." She twirls her fork in the air in a mock sign of declaration. "That means I'm free and clear to
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