Chapter 54
Noah
Noah was surprised by the crowd. He’d thought he had retreated fairly well, hanging back after the release of his first independent album, but apparently, his reputation as a recluse had made him more popular than ever—which was ironic.
Because Noah, for the first time, had been learning to accept stuttering.
After decades of trying to avoid it, it didn’t come naturally.
But he’d hired a crazy speech therapist who emphasized speech, not the endless quest to be stutter-free, and it was helping.
For the first time ever, Noah Kato hadn’t rehearsed his banter. He didn’t try to avoid certain words or speak in a weirdly singsong way. He just spoke.
“I thought a lot about w-what to play tonight,” he said. For what happened next, he told himself he was “blocking”—that weird thing that happened when he stuttered and couldn’t get a word out. He would try to speak but couldn’t.
But that wasn’t what actually happened. He saw Aya sitting in the aisle, near the back. Usually, it was impossible to make out faces beyond the first few rows, but he knew she was there.
And in that instant, he changed the song.
“Black is the Color of My True Love’s Hair” was the only possible choice. He meant it even more than he had back in high school, and he found himself wishing she would come to the front and join him—Aya, with her melodious voice that soothed his nerves and made him believe in his own musicality.
Of course, she didn’t join him. But that didn’t mean he was going to let her go.
He sensed her leaving as he finished his set, which included rushing through a bare-bones cover of “Always” by Irving Berlin and the one original he’d chosen, “Remember (Please).” The last song, which had been a hit on his solo album, was written about her. And he was fairly sure she knew that.
There was plenty of applause, but some of that was for Ella. She was a star in her own right, and her move back to Love Hollow had garnered a lot of attention.
Plus, her electric guitar was really lighting up the crowd.
Noah caught up with Aya when she was almost at the door. She’d already put on her coat.
“Wait,” he said.
She turned back but only to give a small smile.
The catering staff was milling around, setting up for the reception. There was a lot of food. With the amount they were charging for tickets, there had to be.
“Can I talk to you?” asked Noah.
“Shall we talk in the office?” She was blinking back tears.
He looked at the door to Nami’s office, which had once been Aya’s. He could tell she was also thinking of the last time they had been there—together.
“Sure,” said Noah. He was more nervous than he had been in years, yet he wasn’t stuttering at all. That was the thing about his stutter—it just came and went.
But that didn’t mean he was going to have an easy time finding the words.
“I’m sorry,” he said as soon as they were in the office. They’d closed the door but both stood near it. In fact, Aya’s hand was still on the handle, as if she were ready to escape.
Since Aya didn’t answer, Noah went on. “I should have made you a priority. I wanted the festival to go well, but I cared so much more about you. I never admitted it, though.”
Aya hesitated. “You didn’t really act like either.”
“No. I didn’t. And honestly, I wasn’t sure how you felt.”
Aya looked around the office, taking in the new furniture and updated computers. “Did you donate all this?”
He scratched his head. “I know a lot of people in LA. And I was so depressed after you left that I wrote a pretty decent album.”
She gave a tiny smile. “Decent? I heard it grossed millions.”
“Yeah,” said Noah. “So I tried to do all the fundraising I could, then I came here to set up a studio.”
Aya frowned. “Twyla told me something about a studio, but I thought it was only Ella’s,” she said. “Making Love Hollow the next Muscle Shoals or something like that?”
“Something like that.”
A pause followed.
“The festival was stupid, really,” said Noah. “I just wanted to do something that would help my family. But a one-week event is nothing. If you’re committed, you stay.”
Aya took a deep breath. When she spoke, she was the one stuttering. “I w-wanted to be with you,” she said. “But I still didn’t believe you wanted me in the same way.”
Noah took a step backward, shocked. “You didn’t believe that?”
She shook her head. “I mean, as a side piece, sure. But I felt like, here I am, fat, broke, never having finished anything.”
Noah gasped. “Aya, you’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever met! And you’re a genius!”
That made her laugh, and she stepped away from the door, swatting Noah on the arm. “Oh, come on.”
Frowning, he said, “I’m serious. I’ve always been serious about you.”
He could see that Aya was trying to think of a response, but she didn’t say anything.
Instead, she kissed him.
All of Noah’s doubts fell away. In that kiss, he felt her love and the urgency of coming together after such a long separation. Her hands were buried in his hair, and he found himself longing to pick her up, to carry her away from the drab office that no longer seemed able to contain them.
When they broke apart, Aya asked him a question.
“Would you like to come over tomorrow for a Hanson Christmas feast?”
Her eyes were twinkling. She wasn’t crying anymore.
But Noah wasn’t ready to joke. “Yes,” he said. “Also, would you marry me?”