Present Perfect(63)

“Noah…” My voice was so breathless and quiet, I wasn’t sure he heard me.

“Your skin is so soft and sweet,” he mumbled against my stomach.

“We can’t do this,” I whispered.

My fingers disentangled from his hair. My hands slid down his muscular arms and landed on top of his hands that were glued to my ass. I tried to remove them, but he had such a strong grip and wouldn’t let go. He brushed his lips along my collarbone then nibbled his way to the spot right beneath my ear.

He whispered, “I need you. You’re the only one I want. Every time I’m with her, I think of you. I need to be inside of you so bad. Please don’t make me leave.”

It took every ounce of strength not to give into him. I wanted him just as much as he wanted me. “Noah, you’ve been drinking and you’re hurting. You’re not able to think straight. Plus, you have a girlfriend. You’re not that guy. You don’t cheat.”

Noah released his grip on me, curling his arms around my waist as I slid mine around his neck. We hugged each other so tight, it was hard to catch a deep breath. His body began to tremble slightly and I felt tears drip down my neck.

“Please don’t leave me,” he begged against my neck.

“I’m not going anywhere except where you go.”

“Thank you,” he whispered.

“Stay here tonight. You’re aunts are at your house with your mom, right?” He simply nodded his head.

I took Noah’s shoes off and helped him empty the pockets of his jeans. He was steady enough to manage taking them off himself. I pulled back the covers of my bed and he climb in dressed in his boxers and t-shirt.

“I’m going to get you some water and aspirin,” I said as I covered him up.

Noah grabbed my hand before it left the covers. He looked up at me, his beautiful eyes still glistening. “I couldn’t get through this without you. I love you so much, Tweet.”

I swallowed hard when I heard him say he loved me. This was the second time he had told me and I still never said it back to him, at least not so he could hear it. But, it didn’t seem to matter whether I said it to him, he wanted me to know how I affected his heart. I hoped he could feel how much I loved him, even though I couldn’t tell him.

“You’re not going to have to get through anything without me.” I gave him a small smile.

Relief spread across his face. I kissed him on his forehead before going to get his water and aspirin. By the time I returned to my room, he had already fallen asleep. I knew he hadn’t gotten any sleep the past couple of nights, so I didn’t bother to wake him up. I stared down at him for a long time. He looked so peaceful. Saying goodbye to his dad tomorrow was going to be the hardest thing Noah has ever had to do. At least he’ll be able to have a few hours of peace while he sleeps.

I walked to the door and shut off the small lamp that was on my dresser. Before leaving, I turned to look at him one more time. The moonlight was shining through the window illuminating his beautiful peaceful face.

“I love you too, Noah,” I said before shutting the door and heading to the guestroom for the night.





Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me. That’s not true, really. Words have an immense power over people. Words represent ideas and thoughts. No matter what anyone says, we all care, to a certain extent, how others view us. We may not care what everyone thinks of us, but there’s always that one person, who with a few words holds the power that could make us or break us.





The funeral was as heartbreaking as I expected, but Noah was the pillar of strength for his mom. Afterwards, Mrs. Stewart had invited close friends and family back to her house. Noah was staying close to his mom’s side, helping her greet and receive condolences from people. Brooke stayed close by Noah’s side, keeping her arm securely linked with his whenever possible. I tried to keep a little distance. The situation was stressful enough without adding more to it. I noticed every now and then Noah would scan the room looking for me. Once Brooke noticed, she started shooting me hostile looks whenever Noah’s attention was elsewhere. After about forty minutes of Brooke’s glares, I needed to get some air. I got Noah’s attention from across the room, letting him know where I would be.

I walked outside to the backyard and made my way over to the small vegetable garden at the far end of the yard. Mr. Stewart had planted it just a little over a month ago. There were already sprouts coming up from the ground. Even though it was the beginning of summer here, it felt cooler outside than it did in the house with all the people packed inside. Mr. Stewart was loved by many. That was evident today from all the people who attended the funeral. He was a good man. Noah is just like his father. I started thinking about all the vacations our two families took together. I felt tears prick my eyes. The sound of footsteps behind me caught my attention. Running my fingers under my eyes, I wiped away any tears.

“Can we talk?”

I turned around and came face-to-face with Brooke. Her expression was an exact duplicate of the way she looked at me the other night.

“I just came out here for a second to get some air. I’m heading back in,” I said.

My shoulder muscles tensed up and I could hear the grinding of my teeth. I had no idea what Brooke would want to talk with me about, I didn’t want this conversation to take place, especially not today and not here.