Chapter 14 #2
When I’d gotten most of the contents of my stomach up, I grabbed some toilet paper from the dispenser and wiped my mouth.
I wanted nothing more than to disappear, but that was impossible when I was stuck in a small cubicle with Noah.
I slowly turned to him. I felt like hell and probably looked even worse.
There wasn’t nearly enough space in the small stall for the two of us, and we were both far too close.
“You shouldn’t be in here,” I said.
Noah ignored my comment. “How are you feeling?”
“I feel like the food at that restaurant isn’t nearly as nice the second time tasting it.” Especially not the calamari. I was never going to eat seafood again.
“Do you think you’re going to throw up again?”
I slowly shook my head.
“Here, let me help you up.” He gently took my arm. I felt weak as a kitten as I tried to stand, but Noah did most of the lifting.
“You’re missing the play,” I said. “And you’re in the women’s bathroom.” Thankfully the play was in full swing, so there was no one else here.
“I’m aware.” He didn’t seem the least bit bothered by either of those facts. “We should get you back to the hotel.”
I groaned and shook my head. “No, we need to see the play.”
“You can barely stand, and you’re as white as a sheet. I’m taking you back to your room.”
“We can’t leave the theater. We’ll get in trouble.”
“Don’t worry about the teachers. I’ll text Mr. Wagner and let him know you’re unwell and I’m taking you back.”
“But…”
Noah’s eyes turned serious, and I could see there would be no arguing with him. I wanted to protest but felt too exhausted to go through with it.
“Fine,” I grumbled. I didn’t particularly feel like seeing a play about Romeo and Juliet anyway. Not when things between Noah and me felt like they’d been ripped from its very pages.
Noah went to help me, but I stepped out of his grasp. “I can walk.”
He slowly nodded, but he looked like he wanted to object. Instead, he hovered close to me as we left the bathroom. He was acting like he thought I might faint or collapse. If I were honest with myself, I didn’t feel that far from it. I couldn’t handle the thought of him touching me though.
We were silent as we left the theater, and I tried to keep as much distance between us as possible as we took a cab back to the hotel.
“You really didn’t have to escort me back here,” I said, as we made our way down the corridor to my room.
I still felt really unwell and was grateful Noah had brought me back.
I felt terrible he had missed the play though.
We had an assignment on Romeo and Juliet due in a couple of weeks.
And while we didn’t need to see the play to complete the work, it definitely would have helped.
“It’s no problem.” Noah shrugged. “I’ve seen the play before.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, I like watching stage productions. My mom and dad used to take me to the theater a lot when I was a kid.”
“Oh.” I didn’t know that about Noah. I didn’t want to know it about him either. I didn’t like knowing anything that might endear him more to me when things between us would never work.
“Well, this is me,” I said, gesturing to the door when we reached my room.
Noah crossed his arms over his large chest. “You think I’m just going to ditch you at the door and leave you in there alone?”
“I was kind of hoping so, yeah…” My stomach was still rolling uncomfortably, and the last thing I needed was for Noah to see me being sick again.
“That’s not going to happen,” he said. “I’ll stay with you until Anna gets back.”
“How did you know I was rooming with…” Noah had always been observant, so of course, he knew I was rooming with Anna. Instead, I nodded. “Fine. But no barging in on me in the bathroom if I’m sick again. I’ve suffered enough humiliation for one night.”
“Deal.”
I swiped my key card to open the door to my room.
It was a gorgeous space with two large beds and a huge window at the far end that overlooked Central Park.
It was dark outside, and the curtains were pulled open so I could see the twinkling lights of the city beyond.
I felt far too unwell to really appreciate the view, and I collapsed onto the end of my bed.
Noah disappeared into the bathroom and came out with a glass of water for me. I took the glass but didn’t drink from it straightaway. At this point, I wasn’t sure if the water was going to help or make me throw up again.
“You need to rehydrate,” he said, nodding at the glass.
I let out a sigh and did as I was told, taking small, cautious sips as I waited to see how it went down. Thankfully, I didn’t start heaving again.
“I’m going to change,” I said. The dress I’d worn to the theater was tight, and it felt like it was suffocating me. I probably would have had a shower too if Noah wasn’t here, but the thought of trying to shower with him in the room felt far too intimate.
I quickly rifled through my bag and pulled out my pajamas before disappearing into the bathroom.
When I caught a look at myself in the mirror I cringed.
My skin was sickly pale, my hair was lank, and my eyes were bloodshot.
I would have been mortified by Noah seeing me this way if I felt well enough to care.
I brushed my teeth, washed my face. and pulled my hair back, which all helped me feel slightly more human. When I returned to the room, Noah was sitting on Anna’s bed, and he smiled as he caught a look at my pajamas.
“Winnie the Pooh?” he asked, nodding at the print.
I hadn’t really thought about the state of my pajamas when I’d put them on, but as Noah’s eyes slowly trailed over them, I realized just how short the shorts were and how the top was so old it was almost see-through.
They were the only pajamas I’d brought though.
They also happened to be the comfiest thing I owned.
I’d snuck into my room and grabbed them when Noah and I had visited my mom a few weeks ago.
Of course, Matthew’s stylist, who had filled my closet at school, had provided a pair of luxurious silk PJs.
But they never felt quite right on me, and I was able to sleep so much more soundly when I was tucked up in something from home.
“He was my favorite growing up,” I explained.
“Me too,” he murmured, but his voice was so quiet I wondered if perhaps I’d imagined him saying it.
His eyes tracked me as I made my way across the room.
Under any other circumstance I might have been embarrassed to have him in here with me.
To let him see me in my old Winnie the Pooh PJs while I looked like something that had just crawled out of the Upside Down.
But I didn’t have it in me to care. I pulled back the sheets of my bed and slipped under the covers.
My stomach was still clenching as I curled up under the duvet, and I really hoped it wasn’t gearing up for a second date with the toilet bowl. I turned to look at Noah. He was still watching me from the edge of Anna’s bed.
“Do you want me to call down to see if the front desk has anything for the nausea?” he asked. “Even some dry crackers might help.”
“No, I’ll be okay. I just need to rest.”
He didn’t seem happy with my answer. I got the feeling Noah hated sitting by and doing nothing. He didn’t complain and gave me a brief nod before he glanced away. His gaze roamed the rest of the room as though he wasn’t sure what to do or where to look.
I rolled over in bed and tried to get comfortable but then immediately rolled back.
I squirmed around trying to find a relaxing position, but no matter how I arranged myself, I felt restless.
I closed my eyes, hoping it would help, but with my eyes shut, I only noticed more clearly how my head pounded and my mouth tasted like acid.
I let out a sigh and focused on Noah. He was staring at the wall across from him, deep in thought.
He seemed different tonight. Less bitter than our recent encounters, and I almost sensed that he was resigned to our fate.
He was probably just being nicer to me because I was sick and he felt the need to look after me.
I had to admit it was so much easier to be around him when we weren’t focused on the painful aftermath of our breakup.
For a moment, I considered pressing him for answers about what happened between our families.
I’d had little luck pulling an explanation out of him so far, but something about his attitude tonight made me feel like he might be more open to talking.
We certainly had the time if he was going to insist on staying with me.
Still, I was nervous to ask. What if he rejected me again?
“Noah?” I asked.
“Mm?”
“Tell me what happened.”
His eyes snapped to me.
“Between our families. What happened?”
He sat up a little straighter, and his eyes darkened in response. “We shouldn’t be talking about this,” he said. “You need to rest.”
“I am resting,” I replied. “And I know you’re worried about how I’ll react, but that’s my decision to make. I want an explanation. I deserve it.”
Noah let out a long sigh, and from the way he watched me, I could see he was trying to figure out the best way to put me off.
“Is it really that bad?” I asked.
“It’s...complicated.”
“You won’t tell me because it’s complicated?”
“I won’t tell you because I don’t want to be the one who ruins the relationship you’re trying to build with your dad.”
I propped myself up on my pillow. “Well, that’s only more reason to tell me,” I said. “If my father isn’t a good person, I don’t want to build a relationship with him. But I can’t do that if I don’t have all the information...”
He still looked hesitant, and I had a feeling my attempt at getting answers out of him was going to be futile yet again.
“Please, Noah…”
I wondered if he could see the desperation in my eyes because he surprised me by nodding. “Fine, I’ll tell you what happened,” he said. “But it won’t change anything. And you can’t get angry if you don’t like what I have to say.”