Chapter Twenty-Five
Evie
It was nice of Noah to come to my house yesterday and apologize, but it really wasn’t necessary. Because I’m over what happened between us. It was so silly to make such a big deal about it, like I’m a drama queen. I mean, I know I could be difficult sometimes, but I like to think I’m level-headed.
Okay, maybe not. I guess it’s the artist in me.
Things are okay between Noah and me now and we smile and nod to each other in the hallway at school. We don’t really hang out outside of band practice, which suits us fine because we’re not exactly friends—are we?—and don’t hang in the same circles.
I still have no idea why I called him sexy. It just slipped out. But like I told him yesterday, he is sexy when he sings. I’m just trying not to think about it too much. Because ew. Sexy as he is, he’s Noah.
Elliot texts me and the others during lunch that he can’t make it to band practice after school, and Noah decides to cancel for today.
I’m a little disappointed because I love jamming with the guys, but I’m also happy because I can finish Lily’s painting.
But before that, Noah and I need to complete our assignment for LRG class.
Ditching yesterday wasn’t cool of me. Sometimes my emotions get the better of me, but I’m trying to work on myself.
“Hey,” Noah says to me after school as I’m taking my books out of my locker. “What are you doing after school?”
I squint at him. “Being pretend married to you. Aren’t we working on our assignment?”
“Sure. I meant after that.”
I shrug. “Painting, I guess. Why?”
He’s wearing a sly, somewhat mischievous look on his face. A strange look on him, that’s for sure. “I want to treat my wife to a surprise.”
I lift a brow. “Huh?”
“I still feel bad for what happened yesterday and I want to make it up to you.”
Shaking my head, I say, “I told you it’s fine. We’ve moved past that.”
“Yeah, but still. I want to.” Before I can protest, he says, “Think of it as another date for our pretend married life. I’m sure Mrs. Duncan would love that. It’s been a while since we’ve gone out just the two of us. As much as I love our daughter, she’s quite demanding.”
My head spins. “A date? Why would we go on a date when we’re not assigned to?”
He blows air from his cheeks. “Please, Evie. Let me treat you to something special. I know you’ll love it.”
I cross my arms over my chest. “Fine, but I don’t want you feeling sorry for me or thinking I’m pathetic.”
He places his hands on my shoulders. “I’d never think that. There isn’t a pathetic bone in Evie Hastings’s body.” He grins, and the way the light catches his smile makes him look like a Greek god.
As soon as I think those thoughts, I wrench away from him. Noah, a Greek god? What the heck?
“What?” Noah asks as he glances at his hands that are now at his sides. “Did I hurt you?”
“N-no! Of course not. I just…personal space…”
He nods in understanding. “Got it. Sorry. So what do you say about our date? We can quickly finish our assignment in the LRG classroom, then go to the special surprise.”
I watch him for a little bit, taking in the excitement in his eyes, which is a very rare sight. I don’t know why it’s so important for him to make it up to me—I told him we’re good—but I’m super curious what the surprise is.
So I shrug and say, “Okay.”
“Thanks.”
We head for the LRG classroom, which is empty since school is over.
We spend about half an hour figuring out how to incorporate Noah’s new job as a musician into our life.
I settle on an office job, something that won’t necessarily make me happy, but something that will put food on the table and give Melly everything she needs.
Once my awesome talented husband makes it big, I’ll be able to quit my job and pursue my dream as an artist.
“We totally killed it,” I tell him with a smile.
He lifts a brow. “You still hate this class?”
“Yes.” My eyes drop to my desk table. “I hope my life won’t be so complicated and messy.”
“Believe me, it’ll be even more complicated and messy.”
I shove his shoulder. “Maybe yours will be, Mr. Stick—I mean, hubby.”
“Thanks for, you know, not calling me that.”
I nod slowly. “I’m sorry I did. It was a very jerk thing to do. Even though you do have a stick up your butt.”
He groans as he leans back in his seat. “Really, Evie?”
I hold up my hands helplessly and he shakes his head.
I’m so happy we’re back to how we used to be. Not weird or awkward because of the kiss and the other stuff. Actually, I haven’t really thought about the kiss all day. Progress!
But now that it has invaded my mind, I think back to the feeling of his lips pressed to mine and this odd feeling zaps down my spine.
Shooting to my feet, I start gathering my things. “So what now?”
He stuffs his notebook and pens into his backpack, swings it over his shoulder, and grins at me. “Now, I’m treating you to a special surprise.”
“How about you tell me what it is?” I say as I follow him out the door and toward the student parking lot. It’s empty, except for a few cars owned by kids who are staying for after-school activities.
He chuckles slightly, opening the door for me. “Nope.”
I place my hands on my hips. “What if I don’t like it?”
“You will.”
“You think you know me, Noah Barrington?”
He steps closer to me. “Not at all, Evie Hastings. I could spend my entire life with you and still not know you.”
“Ugh! The thought of spending my whole life with you…you’ll make everything boring.”
“At least our house would be clean.”
I narrow my eyes at him and he narrows his eyes at me.
I’m not sure how long we have the staring contest before Noah breaks his gaze and gestures to his car. “Please get in. We have to be there on time or we’ll lose our spot.”
“You made a reservation? Is it to a fancy restaurant? We can’t afford that, Noah!”
“Not a fancy restaurant. How about you quit trying to guess and let me drive us there?”
“Fine,” I grumble as I get in the car. “But if I don’t like it, you owe me.”
He slides into the driver’s seat, pulling his seatbelt across his chest. “Like I said, you’ll love it. Seatbelt.”
I groan and click it into place. “I was going to put it on, you know.”
“Just making sure.” He looks to his right and left and behind before pulling out of the parking lot and heading to wherever we need to go.
“Your car is still as boring as usual,” I observe. I’ve been in his car a few times and almost suffocated by how clean it is.
He twists his mouth. “You’re dissing my car? Yours is a hazard and someone could get hurt.”
I give him a look. “The mess doesn’t get in my way when I drive. And stop criticizing the Evie Mobile.”
“Stop criticizing mine.”
I start snooping around in the different compartments. “No snacks?”
“Eating is forbidden in my car.”
“Of course it is.”
He glances at me, then at the road. “What did I say about criticizing my car? Look, I’m trying to make this special for us, so can you please not question everything?”
“Fine. But I doubt you know how to make a date special.”
He doesn’t say anything.
“Sorry, I shouldn’t have said that,” I say.
He shakes his head. “No, it’s fine. I want us to be back to normal. With you driving me up the wall.”
“I drive you up the wall? Geez, man. Look in the mirror. Do you still have that lame daily to-do list on your wall?”
“Yes, I do.”
“Oh my gosh! And what does it say is planned for today?”
He taps his fingers on the steering wheel at a red light. “Go to school, finish our assignment, and then take you on a date. After that, I have homework and I need to work on some new songs for the band, and Rylee and Chloe have asked me to play some board games with them…”
I just laugh. “And you couldn’t remember that in your brain? You had to write it down?”
“I don’t want to forget anything. It’s called being organized. You should try it sometime.”
“I think I’d die. Just the thought makes me want to puke. But there’s a no-puking rule in your car, right? The world will come to an end if it gets dirty. Well, at least we agree on that one. I don’t allow puking in my car, either.”
Chuckling lightly, he shakes his head and focuses on his driving.
I find the viral video of our performance and put it on, listening as the car fills up with Noah and my voices. Wow. We really do sound amazing together. Too bad it’ll all be over once we start college, but that’s life, right?
I look out the window and sit up sharply. “Hey, where are we? We left Edenbury?”
He doesn’t say anything, though he’s hiding a teeny-weeny smile.
“Noah! Where are we going? Tell me.”
“No. Trust me, it’ll be worth it.”
I guess I’ll have to take his word for it.
We sing along with our music and other songs as we continue heading to wherever he’s taking me. Noah’s very focused on his driving, which I suppose is a good thing. Wherever we’re going seems far, so he’s careful to get us there safely.
“By the way, I told Elliot to lie about not being able to make it to band practice today,” Noah admits to me.
“Because of the surprise?”
He nods.
“The guys know about it?”
“Uh huh. They think it’s for LRG class, though.”
I turn away from the window to face him. “Is it for LRG or is it a peace offering for yesterday?
He shakes his head. “Not a peace offering, Evie. Like I told you, I want to make it up to you. LRG class is a bonus.”
“Okay.”
“We’ll be there in about ten minutes.”
I press my face to the window. We’re in Silverton, a nearby town that’s full of wealthy people.
“So if we’ll be there in ten minutes,” I muse, “that means we won’t be leaving Silverton.
” I tap my chin. “Hmm. The only things to do in Silverton are fancy, rich people stuff. Last I checked, Noah, you’re not loaded. ”
He doesn’t say anything, hiding that tiny smile again.
The ten minutes zoom by and Noah turns into the parking lot of a building. I just stare at it, not believing we’re here.
“The Silverton Museum of Art?” I ask as I turn to him.
“Yeah. What do you think?”
My eyes nearly bug out. “What do I think? This is the greatest museum ever. It showcases so many different styles of art and I’ve always wanted to come here.
The museum itself is an artistic masterpiece, with all the intricate designs and everything.
But ticket prices are insane. How did you swing those? ”
He’s quiet for a bit, the right side of his mouth lifted in a crooked smile.
“You know that journalist who works for the Edenbury Press? The one you threatened would ruin the reputation of Mr. Tabbitt? The woman also known as my mom? Well, she wrote a piece on this place and the woman who owns it told her that if she ever needed tickets…”
My mouth drops. “And you’re wasting them on me?”
“Wasting? Why would it be wasting? No one I know loves art as much as you do and I figured you’d love this place.”
“Of course I’ll love it. It’s like a dream come true. For years I begged my parents to take me here, but they never had the opportunity or the money. And I understood that. This museum is so famous that people come from all over the world, which is why you need to buy tickets months in advance.”
He grins. “I know.”
I’m so excited I want to hug him, but of course I don’t. I just wring my hands in my lap as I try to contain myself.
Noah must realize this because he chuckles lightly. He gestures toward the building. “Are you ready?”
“Of course I’m ready!”
***
“This is the best experience of my life,” I gush to Noah as we walk around the museum, admiring the amazing and beautiful paintings. We’ve been here for over two hours and I still can’t get enough. “Did I thank you for bringing me here?”
“Only a thousand times”
I laugh. “Sorry. I’m just in heaven.”
“I know.” He glances at the time on his phone. “Unfortunately, we need to leave in twenty minutes. I’m sorry we couldn’t see everything.”
I wave my hand. “It’s fine. This is more than enough. Thanks, Noah. Really.”
He smiles. “No problem. You know what they say, ‘Happy wife, happy life.’”
I stop gazing at a painting and turn to him. “I thought this was about making up for yesterday.”
“Yeah, it was.”
I slug his shoulder. “Ah, I see. Noah Barrington is making jokes again. I have to say, I’m liking this new you. All we need to do is get rid of your neat freakiness and you’ll be good to go.”
“Don’t push it.”
We try to squeeze in as much as we can in the last twenty minutes. I’m actually surprised to see Noah is as into this as I am. I thought all he cared about is his music, school, and being so perfect.
It’s sad when it’s time to leave, but I tell myself that once I’m a successful artist and am rolling in dough, I’ll buy a ticket and spend the entire day here.
“Thanks again, Noah,” I say once we’re making our way to the parking lot. “That was amazing.”
“Anything for my wife.”
I can’t help myself, I throw my arms around him, a bit too enthusiastically, and he crashes into me. “Sorry! I meant to say thank you for the thousandth and one time.”
He chuckles, wrapping his arms around me and pulling me close to his chest. “I think that was a thousand and two. You’re welcome for the millionth time.”
I try not to focus on his scent or how nice and warm and protected I feel in his arms.
I realize we’ve been hugging for longer than we should, and he must feel the same because we stumble away from each other.
Noah’s fingers brush through his hair as he glances away from me. Then he looks at me. “Hungry?”
“Starving.”
“Good. I know a place with good food.”
“Yeah. Good food is great.”
It’s a relatively cheap diner in Silverton. Noah and I sit at a booth in the back and we talk about random things as we eat. That hug or whatever it was dissipates like it never happened.
“So, excited for your birthday party on Friday?” Noah asks as he takes a bite of his burger.
The food’s delicious, but it doesn’t beat Mikey’s.
“Meh. It’s just a birthday. My friends think it’s a huge deal because I’ll be an adult.”
He nods. “It’s true. I’ll be an adult in a few months, too. It’s a little daunting, but I’m also looking forward to it. College, the future, following my dreams. You know?”
I play around with my fries. “Yeah. I’m still a little scared to leave home, but it’s getting better. I think painting the gifts for my family helps.”
“For sure. Mentally preparing yourself for the day you’ll leave the nest.” He takes another bite. “My dad’s been an emotional wreck because I’m leaving for college soon. And then Chloe and then Rylee.”
We chat about other things and I’m so glad that everything is normal between us. And the kiss and all the feelings I’ve been feeling since then? They fly out the window.
At least there’s my party to look forward to. And to distract myself with in case my brain betrays me and thinks about those warm lips moving against mine.