“What’s that supposed to mean?” Noah wondered.
“Just that you’re always such a nice guy. I’m sure you’re the only man anyone has ever broken up with and actually stayed friends with.”
Noah and Rose laughed. It was nice to see her again and Noah felt so much better knowing that she was doing well and that Derek had made the right choice. He often felt guilty about not coming to Rose and telling her about Derek’s other women in the past. But things seemed much different now and Noah was glad he hadn’t turned the situation into something bigger than it needed to be.
“I’m also looking at jobs in Washington D.C. so this will be my last year here. We will all have to go up to my families cabin sometime before school is out.”
“Yes, I’ll tell Derek, that will be absolutely perfect.”
***
“Do you always drive like an old man?” Cynthia asked Noah on their way up to the cabin in Minnesota.
“I drive safe, yes.”
“Wow, you’re super boring aren’t you?”
Noah already felt like the weekend at the cabin was going to be a disaster. He had only gone out with Cynthia one time and she had seemed okay, but brining her to the cabin was a horrible idea. She was already getting on every single one of his nerves. But he certainly couldn’t show up at the cabin alone with Derek and Rose, that would have been too awkward; he was going to have to just deal with Cynthia for the weekend.
When they finally arrived at the cabin, Derek and Rose pulled up right behind them as they were unloading. Noah hadn’t spent much time around either of them for a few months. It wasn’t because it was hard to see them together, he felt like he was over that. But Noah and Derek had both been busy with school and finishing up their classes for the year. Neither had much time for anything else but their coursework.
Rose looked stunning as usual. She had her long brown hair pulled back in a ponytail, jeans and a white t-shirt. It was amazing how elegant she looked even when she didn’t seem to be trying at all. Rose was certainly a classy woman.
“Hello my friend,” Rose said as she hugged Noah.
It was one of his favorite things about seeing Rose, the hugs that she handed out. She was warm and friendly and always genuinely interested in how Noah was doing.
“I’m doing wonderful, this is my friend Cynthia,” Noah said quickly so Cynthia wouldn’t feel left out.
“Hi, I’m so glad you came up for the weekend.”
“I’m not sure I’m a fan of cabin life, but I’m a fan of Noah’s so I’m glad I’m here too I guess,” Cynthia said flatly.
“Let’s all get inside and get situated. I’m excited we have this long weekend to relax together and catch up before we all start moving on into this adult life,” Noah said.
“It’s good to see you man,” Derek said as he and Noah shook hands.
Noah knew many of Derek’s darkest secrets. Even when they argued they were still friends. There certainly hadn’t been enough going on between them to end their friendship over. Even if Noah didn’t agree with how Derek had lived his life throughout college, things were calming down for all of them and life was about to move on.
“I’ve got the fun stuff,” Noah said as he pulled a cooler full of alcohol out of the trunk of his car. “We can’t be sober this weekend, that wouldn’t be any fun at all.”
“Oh, yes, give me one right now,” Cynthia said as she reached in for a drink.
Everyone else followed and before they had even unloaded the vehicles they were downing cool beers and sitting on the patio relating. Life was in one of those moments that Noah knew wouldn’t last for long. They were all transitioning into a new stage of their life. Even if they all ended up in Washington D.C. it didn’t mean they would be together much. Derek had a political life planned for himself and Rose was going to be at his side, Noah just knew that.
Noah had a job lined up at a law firm and he already had plans to climb his way to the top of that firm. His family had money and that meant at the first opening he was going to offer up his money in exchange for a partner position. It might take three years, or maybe ten, but either way Noah knew he could get a partner position sooner or later. Certainly it wasn’t the best way to get to the top, but no one would care. Life wasn’t about being the best, it was about getting the goals you wanted and Noah wanted to be a partner.
“So you’re the cute friend out of the two of you, I see I picked the wrong one,” Cynthia said to Derek.
Everyone looked at her in shock as they tried to figure out if she was joking or not. She wasn’t the nicest of people, Noah was seeing that very quickly. He just laughed off the statement, but he saw Rose look at him and roll her eyes about Cynthia. It was nice to know that Rose didn’t like her either, sort of made it alright for Noah not to like her.
“Yeah, I’ve always been the handsome one and I’ve always gotten my choice of the beautiful women,” Derek replied to Cynthia.
“Oh, yes, I heard,” Cynthia said.
Noah reached over and grabbed her hand and pulled her up out of the seat before she could talk any more. The last thing he wanted was Cynthia to tell Rose about how he thought she should have been his. The only reason Cynthia even knew the story of how Noah and Rose had met was because the drive was so long and Noah wanted to fill her in on who Derek and Rose were. He instantly regretting telling Cynthia anything about his life or about Rose and Derek.
“Why don’t we finish unpacking,” Noah said as he pulled Cynthia with him.
Each night at the cabin seemed to involve more and more alcohol and by the last night they were there Cynthia was passed out in the room by ten o’clock and Derek, Rose and Noah were pretty damn smashed as they sat on the back deck and talked about life.
“I’m planning on being President someday,” Derek said seriously.
Noah and Rose both laughed at the idea. Derek didn’t seem like the public service type of person. He seemed more like a guy who wanted to be rich and famous, but neither of them put down his dream beside a little laugh.
“I’m going to start my own social service agency that helps people get housing,” Rose said proudly.
“And I’m going to pay for her agency since she’ll be poor,” Derek added.
“I can write for grants. I don’t need your money,” Rose drunkenly defended her plan.
“Oh, please, you can’t run a non-profit with grants alone. But don’t worry honey, I’ll support you. As long as you keep that ass tight for me and stand by my side.”
Derek’s words annoyed Rose and she became quiet. Even drunk, she didn’t like being pushed off to the side and made to think that she didn’t have any worth. Noah saw it in her eyes and smiled at her. He would always be there for Rose, even if they were just friends. He would make sure she was good, always.
Derek’s phone rang at close to midnight and he walked down the driveway to talk on it. Both Noah and Rose seemed intrigued that Derek would have a call so late on the weekend and one that he had to talk to the person in private.
“How are things going with you two?” Noah dared to ask.
“Oh, they are great. He’s just so busy. You know how school is. How are you? I’m not sure I really like Cynthia all that much.”
Rose laughed at herself and that made Noah laugh. He loved Rose’s laugh and could sit with her for hours and hours and watch her smile and laugh. It was a delight to see.
“I understand. Yes, school is pretty crazy and I don’t like Cynthia that much either.”
“Hey guys, I’m going for a walk, I’ll be back in a few minutes. Take care of Rose for me Noah,” Derek hollered from the driveway.
“Where are you going so late?” Rose yelled back, but Derek didn’t turn around and he didn’t answer. “I’m so drunk,” she laughed as they sat back down.
“Me too, tomorrow is going to hurt.”
The two of the sat and talked for what seemed like hours. They talked about life, school, money and love. The topic of babies came up and even mar
riage. It was a deep conversation and they continued to drink while they talked philosophically about all the topics that came to mind.
“You know I saw you in that club before Derek, I wanted to dance with you,” Noah suddenly said.
Rose’s eyes got big as she looked at Noah. She hadn’t know anything about Noah wanting to dance with her or even talk with her that night.
“What?”
“I told Derek I was going to marry you,” Noah laughed.
They both laughed. The alcohol was rushing through their bodies and Noah felt himself pushing forward and telling Rose more than he had ever told her before. He couldn’t stop himself.
“I wish you would have picked me instead of Derek. I think we would have been happy.”
“You are such a nice man Noah, don’t be sad,” Rose said as she leaned toward him.
Noah couldn’t stop himself. He leaned in and let his lips touch Rose’s lips. He expected that she was going to pull away, but instead she wrapped her fingers into his hair and pulled on it tight as she continued to kiss Noah.
He couldn’t’ stop himself. His brain knew he needed to stop, but his body loved the touch of Rose so much that he couldn’t pull himself away from her. She wanted to kiss him, he told himself. She was kissing him back, so it couldn’t be wrong at all.
They turned toward each other and Noah pulled on her body as she pressed up against him. He wanted her. Noah had wanted Rose for as long as he had known her. There wasn’t anything more in his life that he wanted than to be Rose’s man.
“Come to my room with me,” Rose said.
Noah’s heart stopped and he was sure he wasn’t breathing at all any longer. His body throbbed with longing as he imagined what it would be like to have Rose in bed. It didn’t matter at all to him that Derek was there, he would deal with him later. If Rose wanted him, damn it Noah was going to sleep with her.
“Are you sure?” Noah asked.
Rose pulled away from Noah and looked at him. Everything in her eyes said that yes, she wanted Noah. Her hands, her body, her lips, they all were telling him that she wanted him. But she was drunk. Rose was more drunk than Noah had ever seen her and his conscience suddenly got the best of him.
“Yes, Derek has cheated on me. Did you know that? When we first were dating. I know he did. I want you. Let’s go to bed. Be with me. Take me,” her words trailed off.
As much as Noah had longed for that moment and to hear those words from Rose, he couldn’t take advantage of her. He wouldn’t do that.
“How about I get you up to bed and we can get some sleep?” Noah suggested.
“No, I want sex. I want you Noah,” she slurred her words as he helped her up.
“Oh, I want you too. But tonight’s not the night for it,” Noah said.
He helped Rose to her room and tucked her in. He wanted Rose and it looked like she wanted him as well, but Noah wasn’t the kind of guy to take advantage. If Rose really cared about him, they could figure it all out in the morning.
When morning came, Noah pulled himself out of bed surprisingly fast. He couldn’t wait to see Rose and talk to her. He also realized that Derek had walked off and hadn’t come back in the hours that he and Rose had been talking, so he needed to find him and make sure he was alright as well.
“You bastard,” Noah heard a voice say from behind him.
As Noah turned around, he briefly saw a fist coming toward his face before he got knocked onto the ground.
Noah started to wake up, but he wasn’t exactly sure how long he had been down there. When he did wake up Derek was standing over him.
“What was that for?” Noah asked.
“You slept with Rose, I saw you two kissing!”
“I did not sleep with her, I slept in my bed,” Noah replied. “Where were you last night?”
Noah saw that Derek was wearing his same clothes from the night before and Noah knew Derek hadn’t been back for long because then he would have seen Noah brining Rose to her room and leaving after that.
“I saw you kiss her,” Derek said. “Then I went for a walk. You stay away from Rose. I know you’ve been jealous of our relationship forever. I’m not going to have you stealing her away from me.”
Derek was trying to make this fight about Noah, but Noah was interested in where Derek had been. It seemed like Derek was trying to cover up his being gone all night long with an excuse that it was Noah’s fault and Noah wasn’t about to take the blame for that.
Rose didn’t deserve a man she couldn’t trust. Noah had to help her see that she wasn’t seeing the truth about Derek, Rose was just seeing what she thought the truth was. It was sickening how Rose loved Derek and cherished him but he just used that trust to get his own way. Noah was over it, he wasn’t going to just stand by and watch Derek cheat on Rose.
“I did kiss her, but you weren’t here for hours. Let me guess, one of her bimbo’s came and got you and you stayed it her?”
“Don’t go trying to change the subject. I only left after I saw you and her kissing.”
“Oh, that’s convenient. So go tell Rose that you went to sleep with someone else. I dare you.”
Noah wasn’t about to let Derek off the hook. He was tired of it all. Rose deserved better. Noah knew that Derek had been out with another woman even after all the talk about Rose being the only woman for him Derek couldn’t stop himself.
“Oh, should I go wake her up and tell her all the dirty details of the woman I fucked last night? I’m sure that wouldn’t hurt her feelings at all.”
“What’s going on?” Rose said as she came down from the room and saw the boys arguing. “Noah, what happened to your face?”
Rose reached for his face and the cut he had gotten from the punch Derek had landed. Her hand felt so soft and Noah wanted to keep it there forever, but he pulled it away. Noah and Derek were silent for a moment as they both waited to see what Rose had heard between the two of them. But soon their realized she hadn’t actually heard any of the conversation.
“Noah, just slipped and fell. Just drank a little too much last night,” Derek said as he looked at Noah.
“Oh, man I know. I can’t even remember anything after dinner.”
Noah looked at Rose for some sort of understanding that she remembered their moment together. He would have fought for, he would have taken Derek and fought for Rose if there had been any sign that she wanted him. But in the light of the morning, their moment was gone.
Rose wrapped her arm around Derek’s and kissed him good morning, then went to the kitchen to make herself some coffee. Rose loved Derek, not Noah; in that moment he saw what he hadn’t wanted to admit.
“We are leaving now, don’t you dare tell her a thing,” Derek threatened. “I will tell her that I found you on top of her last night. That you were trying to have your way with her.”
“You know that’s not true. She wanted me just as much as I wanted her. You wouldn’t dare say something like that to her.”
“Oh, you don’t think I would?”
The problem was that Noah knew Derek would say something like that. He wouldn’t care that it would scare Rose or make her feel violated. Derek wouldn’t care that it was a lie and that Noah could get charged with a crime. Derek only cared about himself, that was abundantly clear in that very moment.
“What are you going to do to stop me? How about I just go tell her the truth,” Noah threatened.
“You’re not going to tell her the truth Noah. We are friends and that would hurt her. I’ll go talk to her right now. Just follow me. Everything is going to be just fine.”
Derek grabbed something out of his pocket and went into the kitchen, Noah was right behind him and saw as Derek fell down to one knee and pulled out a blue Tiffany’s box from his pocket.
“Rosaline Tate, I’ve loved you from the moment I laid eyes on you. You’re the sweetest, kindest woman I’ve ever known and I would be honored if you would marry me,” Derek said.
Noah’s stomach tu
rned into a knot as he watched the scene. Certainly Rose had meant some of what she had said to him. She had to remember, she just had to. He stared at her and hoped that she would look up at him. Anything to tell him that she wanted him to rescue her from that moment, but Noah never got his sign. Instead, he watched as Rose’s face lit up in excitement and she flung her arms around Derek and accepted his proposal with tears in her eyes.
“Oh, yes Derek, yes!” Rose yelled.
“Noah, you were right. She did say yes.”
“Oh, Noah, you knew this all along. You helped him keep this secret? You two are so bad,” Rose said as she smiled at Derek and Noah.
Derek came over to Noah and the two men shook hands. Derek’s eyes narrowed in on Noah and then he hugged him.
“I’ve found my wife and look how happy she is. You wouldn’t want to ruin that for her would you?”
Noah knew his one moment to go after Rose had passed. She was going to be Derek’s girl forever and she looked happier than he had ever seen her.
10 Years Later
Chapter 1
“Rose, wait for us!” her friends screamed as Rosaline Tate connected her zip line cord and hurried down the course.
“Life doesn’t wait for the weak,” Rose screamed back at her friends.
Rose’s friends had convinced her to get out in the wilderness for the day and explore a ropes course and zip lining. Not her ideal day, but she needed something to keep her body busy. Life hadn’t been fair to her in recent years, and the tragedies in her life replayed themselves over and over when she sat still for too long.
The air felt fantastic as she whipped through the sky on her way to the next zip line platform. She felt free and light, nothing like how her normal day to day life felt. Rose released her hands from the safety harness and leaned back to feel the rush of letting go. She didn’t care about safety; Rose didn’t care about much these days.
She had left behind her three friends and their guide on the zip line course. The pure boredom of listening to him describe over and over how to hook their lines to the safety straps had finally driven her to just clip herself onto the zip line and go. They had already completed three zip lines, it wasn’t like they were new to the process. Rose thought the young staff member was probably just trying to show off for his group of four women that he was leading through the course.
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