by Skylar Dawn
"They're calling you nonstop," I glanced over to his phone.
He came running, grabbed his cell phone and walked to the porch, "I need to answer, I’ll be quick," he said as he closed the door behind him.
I pretended I wasn't paying attention, but I noticed him scratching his head and walking back and forth outside. My stomach was weird, it was definitely the beer. I also saw Noah laughing. Anyway, since I was a teenager I never got along with beer. I always had a stomachache. That weird thing in my stomach was new.
As soon as he returned, he rushed to his room, brought in a bunch of colorful cushions and lined it on the floor in front of the sofa, "I'll prepare our dishes. Do you want cheese on it?"
"Just a little, I'm on a diet." I chuckled.
All I know is that after the phone call, his mood was even better. The conversation with Jesse should have been interesting. I was curious to know all about it, but again that weird feeling in my stomach was annoying me, so I kept quiet.
"Here," he handed me the plate and sat down on the floor right in front of me.
"Thank you," I wrapped the pasta on my fork and snatched it up, trying to divert my attention from this strange sensation. "It's good," I said with my mouth full.
He tilted his head back and smiled, "I knew you would like it."
I'd find the pasta even tastier if Jesse hadn't called. No, I had to stop it, Noah's phone call had nothing to do with my indigestion. Just because he didn't say anything about having a girlfriend? What difference does it make anyway?! He was not obliged to tell me everything about his life. Although friends do tell each other things. Maybe he didn't think I was such a good friend, after all, we didn't know each other for so long.
I didn't even realize I was done eating. I got up from the couch and went to the sink to wash my plate.
"You can leave it there," Noah said. "I'll put it in the dishwasher later."
"I can do it," I took a deep breath filled the empty spaces in the machine. When there was nothing else in the sink, I marched back to the couch.
"Sit here with me on the cushions," Noah gathered a few of them," I brought a blanket for our legs."
"I'm not cold," I said in a dry tone and sat beside him. I nailed my eyes to the TV and I didn't even move my neck to look at him. I wasn't paying attention to the film, that was a fact, because I thought he was my friend and that he shared things with me. I've already told him about Brett, about myself. Heck, I danced a crazy a strip routine and he wouldn't even tell me about this Jesse girl. I felt my face warm and I noticed he was staring at me.
"You're weird," he nudged me. "What is it?"
"Nothing," I said.
"Seriously Emma," he turned in my direction and tried to hold my hand, but I folded my arms, avoiding him. "You can talk to me."
I got up off the floor, picked up Ham that snored on the couch, and fixed my onesie, "I'm tired. I'm going home."
Noah stood there looking at me without a clue. Well, he must have known that friends should have consideration and respect for one another and if he hadn't realized it, I wasn't going to show him the obvious. That it was logical that I was jealous of Jesse, because she made him laugh and I couldn't even improve his mood. I strode across the room and didn't hear what he said when I closed the door. I didn't want to listen anyway.
A stubborn tear ran down my cheek.
#
"We saw everything!"
It was the first thing Mrs. Dunn said when she jumped into the pool that Thursday morning.
"Saw what?"
Mrs. Wilson sat on the edge of the pool and slowly pushed her body in. She always did that when she didn't want to get her hair wet.
"The two lovebirds in the pool last night," she said without moving her neck.
"We were talking," I rolled my eyes. "He had a rough day."
Mrs. Davis decided she was going to watch. Lately she wasn’t too worried about her sarcopenia.
“How rough?” Mrs. Dunn was curious.
"He was fired from the hotel, he was very upset."
Mrs. Davis's eyes widened and her mouth opened in surprise.
"So it was him!"
The three of us turned to her astonished, but it was Mrs. Wilson who asked.
"What do you mean, Alma?"
"My grand-niece told me, I didn't think it was him. Hotel gossip."
I twisted my neck.
"What kind of gossip?"
"Well, she told me it was a mess in the kitchen yesterday."
Mrs. Dunn created waves in the pool out of impatience.
"What mess, Alma? Spit it out."
Mrs. Davis rolled her eyes and shrugged her shoulders, ignoring Mrs. Dunn.
"A lot to do. It looks like they had a wedding and someone in the pastry department had been fired. Then there was a hell of a mess."
I shook my head in Mrs. Davis's direction, hoping it would hasten the story a little bit.
"And what else?" I asked.
"She said whoever was fired was doing something on the internet that wasn't supposed to do. Something about showing up shirtless on the computer. But she couldn't explain it to me, and I don't know anything about the digital world."
Mrs. Dunn shook her head.
"Maybe his nudes leaked out."
I frowned.
"Noah doesn't seem to be the type who goes around sending nudes Mrs. Dunn."
She agreed.
"It must have been something serious," she faced Mrs. Davis. "Didn't she said anything else Alma?"
She remembered something.
"Oh! My grand-niece said it was something in a video."
Mrs. Dunn frowned.
"How strange." Then she turned to me. "Don't you know anything else dear?"
I shook my head.
"He told me he didn't know exactly why. That he didn't ask."
That's when I had a sudden revelation. It was my fault! It had to be because he was shirtless when we recorded. And he didn't tell me anything about it.
“I have to go.”
I swam to the stairs and left the area dripping water down the path without even worrying about the towel. I was going to get story clean right now. I reached the door of his apartment so fast that it was still soaked from the pool and I pressed the doorbell as my life depended on it.
He opened the door with his eyes closed.
"Emma," he yawned. "Did something happen?"
"It did," I snapped. "Why didn't you tell me you got fired because of me?"
He sighed.
"Because it wasn't because of you."
I put my hand on the doorway and narrowed my eyes, staring at him.
"Don't lie to me, Noah."
He closed his eyes for a second and took a deep breath.
"Look," he opened the door and gestured for me to enter. "Don't you want to come in to talk?"
I opened my arms as if he was crazy. Didn't he see I was soaking wet?
"I'll get a towel," he said as he disappeared into his apartment. He didn't take ten seconds to get back to the door. I wiped the water quickly and wrapped the towel around my waist.
“Start talking. And don’t even try to come up with another story, like nudes, because you're not the type!"
He sat on the couch and smiled, but carried a weary expression.
"I made the video with you because I wanted Emma."
"I knew it was my fault!"
He stared at me for a second and rested his chin on his hands.
"It wasn't your fault. You didn't forced me to do anything. I did it because I wanted to."
"It wasn't like that," I disagreed. "I insisted."
"And I could have said no. But I didn't."
I sat on the floor in front of him.
"It's all my fault."
He grabbed my chin, making me look at him.
"I'm not blaming you. And to be honest, I don’t regret it."
I looked down.
"Why not ?! You barely got the job! You worked hard for it."
He looked at me without blinking once.
"And I was hating it. It was too much to do, way too many hours. I had no autonomy to do anything. I couldn't even comment on anything. If anything, I'd say you did me a favor. That's about right."
I stared at him for a moment.
"You're not saying this just to make me feel better, are you?"
He returned my gaze.
"I swear I'm not. I was upset, of course. Being fired is not fun, but I had a night to organize my ideas and I think it was better that way."
"Why didn't you tell me that yesterday?"
He caressed my face.
"Because I didn't want you to think exactly what you are thinking today. That it was your fault."
“It was.”
He rolled his eyes.
“You’re so stubborn,” he smiled.
I was determined to help him.
"I'll help you get another job. And from now on I’ll buy all the ingredients when you cook."
He laughed.
"Emma, I'm not broke. I have something saved that serves me until I decide what to do. Don't worry."
"I don't care, I'll help you out regardless."
He smiled and shook his head.
"You already have Lou's Caffé and your plan to worry about. I’m fine. For real."
I frowned and looked right into his eyes.
"You may be," I stood up and paced in front of him. "But I’m not! I need to fix this!"
He sighed.
“You don’t have to.”
I raised my index finger and put my other hand on my waist, staring at him for a moment.
"Of course I do!"
He leaned back on the couch, giving up.
"Just so you know, I'm more concerned about what I arranged for our date tomorrow than this."
My stomach jumped up and down three times. I had completely forgotten about the fake date. The whole thing about letting go had apparently worked a lot more than I had expected. He noticed my expression, because he added it.
"You haven't forgotten, right?"
"Of course not," I lied.
"Great, because it's the least you can do after getting me fired."
"Noah!" I whined.
He laughed.
"I'm kidding! And be ready at 5:30. "
I looked at him, eyes wide in curiosity.
“In the afternoon?”
He flashed me a wicked grin and shook his head.
"Early in the morning."
I narrowed my eyes.
"What? No way! What kind of date starts this early in the morning?!"
"One with me."
#
"It's 5:30 in the morning," I yawned. "Where do you want to go at such hour? The sun isn't out yet." I settled into the passenger seat thinking about taking a nap.
“Don’t sleep,” he poked my waist. “You’ll see in a minute. You’re not afraid of heights are you?”
“No, why?”
"Good," he smiled relieved, "otherwise you would to kill me."
"You're very mysterious today," I teased.
"I'm trying to teach you what a date is, mystery is part of it."
"I hate surprises," I rolled my eyes, "they never bring anything good."
His face lit up and he grinned.
"Today will be different, I promise."
After changes of vehicles and safety information that didn't make any sense, we arrived at our destination. An open field in the middle of nowhere. From far away I spotted a huge colorful canvas. They were filling a hot air balloon.
"Are we flying in a hot air balloon?" I asked in disbelief.
"That's the plan," Noah was excited.
I had never flown in a balloon and up close I saw how huge they were. It was true that I wasn't afraid of heights, but the idea of getting so far away from the ground without any protection glass made me a little tense. The pilot gave us the final instructions and helped us board. Today there would be no one else but him, Noah and me. I confess my chafed legs still bothered me, and I thanked Noah mentally for the this whole thing standing up. It was better than to sit down for long periods.
"Ready?" Noah grabbed my arm and the balloon began to rise, turning the van into a toy and sliding into the sky. I don't know what was more beautiful, the sun rising over the canyon, the colors of the balloon, the city in the distance, or Noah. Oops, wait, I couldn't let myself be contaminated by the romantic atmosphere, after all this was a fake date. I didn't realize this whole date thing was so enlightening.
"You mean that's what you do on a date?" I lost my balance, and Noah held me tight.
"Be careful," he whispered. "Give me your hand."
He pulled me closer and ran his arm through my waist in a hug. The view was so fantastic that I didn't feel like saying anything else. I stood there without saying a word, enjoying the moment and the warmth of Noah's touch, even if it was all make-believe. It had been so long someone touched me that I actually forgot how it felt. My private parts had webs for months, untouched. Except for my monthly torture. Unfortunately the time passed by so fast that when I came back to my senses we were drinking champagne and exchanging stories as seasoned balloonists with our feet firmly on the ground.
"Breakfast?" He suggested. "I am starving. I know a place nearby that has Red Velvet pancakes with cream and chocolate chips."
"You said my favorite word," I teased.
"Chocolate?"
"No," I shook my head, "starving."
It was easy to talk to Noah, I didn't have to hide my real personality or keep measuring my words. I had no need to impress him, and that eliminated all the agony of my normal dates. I could have fun and eat more pancakes for breakfast than the norm for real dates. Four. I would have to sweat in the pool for about five years, eleven months and eighteen days, until I melted all that whipped cream that would go straight to my thighs. But it was worth it, anything in Noah's company would keep me calm. I didn't understand how he was single. If this was his idea of a date, it was supposed to be spring his garden. I'd never asked anything about it, it was none of my business. And there was that girl, Jesse.
The place was crowded, but Noah got us a table farther away from the noise. He knew someone who was friends with someone who had the power to do that. He pulled out his chair and placed it right next to me, unlike his normal behavior, which was to sit in front of me.
"You have a talent for this dating thing," I teased him, playing with my pancakes.
Noah laughed.
"It’s your company."
"Seriously," I snatched a piece of pancake, but not before adding enough chocolate chips ont top. "It's going to be extremely difficult to find someone who comes close to what you did. You're putting an end to my love life, that's it."
Noah shook his head in a wide smile.
"I'm only showing you what it's supposed to be, then you're on your own."
He gave me a sad look and I blushed.
"Yes," I agreed. I was feeling a bit feverish. "I'll make a good report to the girls. Perfect score."
The return home was silent. He parked and we walked to the door of my apartment. It was rare to be in a date without stress, guys checking out other alternatives with potential to be more interesting than me and excessive ego. Okay, it wasn't real, but it was the closest I'd come to a decent date.
"Done," he smirked, "now that you know what a date is, stop chasing problems, okay?"
I put a stubborn lock of hair behind my ear, "Okay. It was fun Noah, thank you."
"It was," he agreed with a smile. "Goodbye, Emma." His fingertips caressed my face with and I felt my blood boil.
"Bye," I turned the doorknob and went into my apartment.
What a strange feeling in my stomach, I felt dizzy and my breath was erratic. Great. It was all I needed, food poisoning. I didn't have time to digest breakfast and I was already feeling ill. Which was absurd if I were to consider that every day I had to drink Lou's horrible juice. I don’t kn
ow what was up with those pancakes, or if it was the champagne, but definitely either one of them wasn't doing me very well. I laid down to regain those lost hours of sleep and ended up dreaming of balloons and blue eyes, still intoxicated by Noah's so close to me.
I woke up with my cell phone buzzing. I thought it was Noah, but it was Mia texting me. And the content made my day.
I'm going to visit you. I arrive this week.
CHAPTER ten
The Naked Baker
That Sunday I texted Noah early in the morning. He was probably sleeping while I created millions of plans for world domination before I had the chance to eat breakfast. In fact, I decided it was about time to take the reins of my life and make coffee, such assertiveness that I had. Since the fake date was great, I was going to ignore all the discomfort from the other night when Jesse called. There was so much happening in the meantime that I wasn't paying too much attention to it, but there are things our minds bring back to disturb our judgment.
I made scrambled eggs, toast and when I was frying my bacon, Noah arrived. As I was expecting him, I did exactly like he used to do when I knocked on his apartment.
"Come in," I laughed out lout. "It's open."
He opened the door and shot me a funny look.
"Who's teaching you these things?"
I gestured with my spatula.
"I learned from my neighbor."
He dragged himself to my kitchen counter, still sleepy, and examined everything I was doing. From my eggs to the bacon in my frying pan.
"Who are you and what did you do to Emma?" He frowned.
I challenged him.
"You don’t have to eat if you don’t want to."
"I'll risk it," he smiled. "This is very unusual."
I placed the salt shaker near him.
"At least I'm sure this time I used the proper ingredients."
He didn't criticized or commented on my cooking technique. Noah was observing my skills and finding the situation very entertaining. I grabbed the plates and put a very generous portion for him and another one for me. I went around the counter and sat next to him.
