Natalie
I open up a beer on the couch because fuck it. I'm not perfect, and I plan to drink to my sorrows. Bridgerton is playing on low volume, and I turn my head when I hear a groaning Noah coming out from the bathroom.
"The water turned cold right when I was washing my hair! I'm never trusting your shower again!"
I snort at him. "I guess billionaires aren't faced with such peasant problems, huh?"
He chuckles and sits on the same couch on the opposite side. There are two couches in our living room in front of the TV and two chairs, yet he chooses to sit with me.
Noah is only trying to be friendly, right?
"Everything is perfect in my new mansion... The water is warm, and the beer is always cold."
Noah is drying his wet hair, and I struggle to keep my eyes locked on the TV without twitching. But the son of a gun, why does he have to be shirtless?!
Oh boy.
I swallow more beer and hold a cold one out for Noah without looking at him. The fictional men on the screen are much easier to stomach than Noah Parker—they aren't giving me butterflies.
"But hey," Noah takes my beer and gives me a cheer. "My mansion doesn't come with a beer-serving woman. Perhaps I should buy that next? My wallet is burning."
I roll my eyes. "You're so cocky."
"Rich," he corrects me. "Filthy rich is the word you're looking for."
"You know, in my experience, men only talk about their wealth when they got nothing else to offer, or... When they are lacking in their other departments."
I expect Noah to fall silent after my burn, but instead, his lips curl to form this devious smirk.
"Funny." He takes a sip of his beer. "Pretty sure you were more than happy with my other departments. In fact, I remember you screaming, 'Ah, Noah! Fuck me harder with that big fat cock!' and then your eyes rolled into the back of your head."
I spurt out beer all over the floor, and Noah cracks up beside me. He got his hand down in my big chips bag.
"How is it going?" He asks.
I stare at him, couching a bit. "That was a dirty tactic to bring up our sex from the past."
How many times did we have sex that Noah even remembers? Once or twice? Hell, I'm not sure.
"Everything is allowed in war," he smirks and pops another potato chip into his waiting mouth. "So, what are we watching?"
"Bridgerton. I love the romance in it, but I can change it to something straight up in your alley." I stop the show and press on Rick and Morty with a smile. "So this is—"
"Ah, you can skip this season."
I lift an eyebrow. "You've seen this?"
"Eh, yes?" Noah takes the PlayStation controller from my hands and changes it so that we are watching the new season. "Here, I haven't watched these episodes yet. Have you?"
My lips part in confusion. Before Noah was in his accident, we watched Rock and Morty like it was part of our religion. We stayed up late at night, and sometimes, we made out to the shooting in the background.
But I never continued to watch Rick and Morty after Noah lost his memories because it reminded me too much of him.
I wet my lips. "No, I haven't seen the new season..."
His smile is slow and mischievous. "Good."
Silently, I let my eyes travel to Noah. Did he watch the earlier episodes alone, or are his memories coming back? Not that it matters. We are living two entirely different lives.
We aren't on the same wavelength, or is that a lie I tell myself to pretend I'm not feeling these flutters?
Noah turns away from the screen, smiling when he catches me watching him devour my bag of chips. "These are really tasty. I never thought I was a cream and cheese kind of guy—guess I was wrong."
"They are good, right?" I smile at his satisfied expression and reach out my hand for the chips bag. "Let me have some."
To my surprise, Noah lifts the bag higher.
"No," Noah is chewing faster now, like a dog unwilling to spit out what they found on the road. "These chips are too good, and they aren't many left. You would have to fight me for them, and I don't want to underestimate you, but I would win if we wrestled."
"Oh, really?"
He grins at me. "Yup."
That does it—I jump for the bag and send Noah into a laughter attack when I land on top of him. He holds the chips bag behind his head, and I crawl over him, set on stealing it.
I reach out my arm. "Give that to me!"
Noah doesn't reply, and I avert my eyes from the chips bag to realize I'm face-to-face with him. Curious blue eyes land on mine, and time seems to stop as we look at each other.
Those lush, kissable lips are only inches from mine. Tanned skin and a warm light within those familiar eyes.
Noah is gorgeous.
Heat spreads over my face, and my heart skips a beat upon noticing I'm lying on top of him. My legs are snugly wrapped around him, and I barely dare to breathe.
Noah is slightly wet from the shower, but his chest is rock hard and naked and.. and... AND MY LEFT HAND IS ON HIS LARGE PEC!
I scoot away from him like I've been burned.
My eyes are enormous, and the atmosphere is totally awkward when Noah sits up. He glances at me and shakes the chips bag before holding it out for my hands.
"Here," he says, smiling. "I didn't realize how badly you wanted them..."
With shaking hands, I take the bag from him.
"Thank you..." I mumble.
"You're welcome."
I proceed to eat chips like a hamster. Noah is bent over his legs. His elbows are resting on his thighs, and his fingers are interlocked while those eyes are on the screen.
We spend a few minutes simply watching the animated series before Noah asks me a question I didn't see coming.
"Are you in love with Alaric?"
I stop eating and stare at Noah. I'm not sure why he is asking me this. Maybe because I was so angry with Alaric earlier?
As for the answer to his question...
I love Alaric, but it's not the same overwhelming feeling I get when I'm with Noah. With Alaric, I can smile. We can enjoy each other's company, but with Noah?
Every moment counts when I'm with Noah. I'm half-convinced that I will remember our conversations to the end of time. Everything about him is so memorable. My heart wants to hold him, be with him. Noah makes me smile and enjoy the simplest things in life.
Right now, we are watching Netflix, and I can't remember the last time I felt like life is this easy. I'm enjoying this moment, and I haven't thought about my problems once this evening.
I'm caught up in Noah, but I guess these emotions aren't new. Because when I close my eyes late at night, it's not Alaric's face I see—It's Noah's bright smile and his laugh.
I'm still in love with Noah, but we are an impossible dream. Therefore, my answer is easy—another one would complicate things.
I inhale deeply. "Yes, I love Alaric."