The following day, Noah mustered the courage to approach Camille about the upcoming halloween party. With Matthew’s sudden coldness and Leo’s increasingly brazen behavior, Noah wanted clarity—and perhaps, a chance at winning her heart. In his dreams, he has already won her over with his patience and persistence while his brother screwed it up for themselves.
“Hey, Camille,” Noah said softly as they walked down the hallway after class. His normally easy-going demeanor was laced with nervousness, his voice softer than usual.
Camille glanced up at him, sensing his unease. "Hey, Noah. What’s up?"
Her thoughts were somewhere far away, she wouldn’t even care about what happened yesterday in the library. It didn’t matter, she looked like her new life was falling apart and the only solution was to convince her parents to send her back to Paris.
Noah hesitated for a moment, taking a deep breath. “Are you going to the halloween party?”
She bit her lip, pondering the current state of her relationships. “I’m not sure. It hasn't really come up yet.”
Gathering his courage, Noah plunged on. “Would you like to go with me? I’d really like for us to go together.”
Camille smiled, touched by his sincerity. She considered the state of things with Matthew and Leo, the whirlwind of emotions they inflicted upon her. “Yes, Noah. I would love to go with you.”
Noah’s face lit up, eyes sparkling with joy. To him, her agreement felt like a validation that she had chosen him. Little did he know, Camille’s affection was rooted in friendship, not romance. Nevertheless, Noah seemed to be the happiest person in the world, and Camille felt a sense of relief knowing she could do something good for him. It was comforting to have someone in her corner when it felt like the other two brothers could push her away so easily.
As they walked together, Noah couldn't help but feel a surge of happiness. "I'll pick you up at seven?” he asked eagerly, barely able to contain his excitement.
“Seven sounds perfect,” she replied, a genuine smile lighting up her face. She hoped that attending halloween party with Noah might bring some clarity to her confused heart. Yet, deep inside, she feared she was only sinking deeper into the tangled roots of unsolvable tension between three brothers who seemed ready to kill each other for the right to be with her.
Sometimes, it’s like people are a million times more beautiful to you in your mind. It’s like you see them through a special lens—but maybe if it’s how you see them, that’s how they really are. It’s like the whole tree falling in the forest thing, she thought, reflecting on her tangled emotions.
Across the hall, Leo watched them. Fury and jealousy clouded his features, his eyes narrowed into slits. His lie had backfired spectacularly, and now Noah had the chance to be close to Camille in a way he so desperately desired but had sabotaged for himself.