Chapter 35
Noah
The morning dawned, the sun shining in a cloudless sky.
Noah pulled the curtains shut and made the bed bounce as he leaped back into it. Aya let out a sleepy giggle, and he thought it might be the single most alluring sound he had ever heard.
Hours later, even the heavy blue-and-white curtains did nothing to hide the excellent weather.
With a moan of regret, Noah raced off to look at his phone, which just had a text from his musician mentee, asking if he could call later in the day.
He’d expected someone from his family to check in, at least to make sure they still had power, but there was nothing.
Aya’s eyes were closed.
“Are you still asleep?” he ventured.
She smiled. “No, but I could use some coffee.”
They had their coffee out on the porch, watching the valley come alive with late-morning activity.
A bird feeder had apparently done an excellent job of keeping the birdseed dry, as a parade of finches and sparrows braved their company in order to eat from it.
It was almost warm enough for them to sit in their yukata, but Noah had found an old cardigan his grandmother had once made in a bag meant to protect it from moths.
It smelled of cedar. Though Noah had made fun of the cable-knit pattern when he saw his father using it, Aya looked absolutely gorgeous—and happy, too, sipping her coffee as she warmed her fingers on the mug.
They were in one of the Adirondack chairs, but he’d brought out the outdoor cushions to make it more comfortable.
It occurred to him that he’d located many things that could have helped him make an alternate sleeping arrangement the previous night. The cardigan, the cushions, the cozy wool blanket that was covering both of them as Aya sat in his lap. Good thing he hadn’t thought of any of it.
“Is this what your house is like?” asked Aya suddenly. “An incredible view, like this one?”
Noah laughed. “My house has the opposite of a v-view,” he said. “Just a huge fence surrounding all the sides.”
She looked disappointed. “Oh. I guess I picture all of LA as a giant beach.”
“You’re a historian. Aren’t you s-supposed to know geography?”
Her features clouded. “Of course. But I’m not necessarily an expert on the current LA housing market.”
“That’s a shame, because I might sell m-m-my house. I could have used an expert.”
She leaned against his shoulder, and he kissed the top of her head. He noticed himself stuttering more, probably because he was so sleep-deprived. The feeling of Aya in his arms was electrifying. Perhaps he would never sleep again.
“Don’t you like where you live?” she asked, tracing one of the cardigan’s embossed buttons with her finger.
He shook his head. “Not really. It’s expensive and also boring. The worst of both worlds.”
“Must be nice to own your own place, though.”
He snorted. “Hardly. I’d say it’s really overrated.”
She sat up slightly, placing her coffee on the arm of the chair. “Well, I suppose if you can afford to decide, that in itself is a good thing.”
He put his own coffee down. “I guess. Theoretically. Breakfast?”
She nodded, getting unsteadily to her feet. “I’ll cook if you keep the coffee coming. I don’t even know what to make. Your family left so much food here.”
“Yeah,” said Noah. “It’s a crazy amount, right?”
A grin crept across her face. “I suppose. Noah, do you know whether your family checked the weather?”
“They didn’t.”
“My family didn’t either. Emi usually looks at her weather apps pretty constantly. Apps, because she has more than one. That’s how much she likes being up on the latest forecast.”
He heaved himself out of the chair then took her hand. They were both beset by laughter.
“I guess I should have realized,” he said.
“What?”
“What everyone else has realized.” He wanted to add, “I’m in love with you.” But he didn’t want to face disappointment, not yet. The beautiful woman standing next to him, laughing, might think he was crazy if he said something like that.
So instead, he squeezed her hand. “That you’re amazing. That being stuck in this cabin with you would be the best possible outcome of this meeting.”
It was the wrong thing to say. She moaned, closing her eyes. “The meeting. I completely forgot.”
He was disappointed in himself for getting things wrong, but he pulled her into the cabin. “I’m sorry. Let’s wait until we have breakfast ready. Then we can talk.”