Wait For You (Noah Sebastian)

Chapter 11

After I finished up work, I got ready to meet Noah. I felt excited about his idea to go for milkshakes together. There had been very few times since I'd met him that we'd actually done something just the two of us, it would always be with Nicholas and Emma at least. If we were alone together, there was still usually someone around whilst we played games or watched a movie together.

Not only was it uncommon for me to meet Noah without anyone else's company, it was also different for me to be spending time with anyone on my own, besides Emma. I didn't have many friends and I was happy that way. I also wouldn't change a thing about my best friend, Emma has been there for me since day one. She is all I really need. However, she can be very exciteable and intense at times, therefore having someone like Noah to spend time with and become even closer to was nice. Of course he had moments where he would be in a hyper, silly mood, but mostly he was a very calming person to  be around. We were both very similar in the way that we were socially, although he had become more confident with the nature of his job and meeting more and more people over the years. Despite his increase in confidence though, he was still more of an introvert, he understood what it was like for your social battery to run out and just wanting to be alone or preferring one to one time over big groups. The conversations we have had over the years have also been interesting, I like the way his brain works and to hear his views and ideas behind things. That's one thing I missed when I was with Sam for more than one reason. Firstly, that Sam was very closed off when it came to explaining his feelings and thoughts around topics, so we could never have those types of conversations. The other reason was that the time I had spent with Noah, or anyone else for that matter, had reduced considerably when I got with Sam. I put it down to being a natural thing when you get into a relationship, focusing on one another more during the early days, but on reflection, I was definitely more isolated than I should have been.

When I arrived, Noah was already there, scrolling through his phone. As I approached, he looked up, putting his phone away as soon as he noticed me. I wondered whether he was messaging the girl the guys had been teasing him about. Noah opened his arms for a hug when I reached him and then led me inside. 

"I'm glad we did this" Noah said excitedly, as he scanned the menu. I was unsure if the excitement was over the milkshakes or our time together. 

"Me too, was definitely a good idea" I smiled at him.

We sat in a booth by the window, watching passers by as we waited for them to bring over our orders.

"So" Noah said after they had set our shakes down on the table. 

"So" I replied, taking a sip of my milkshake. "This is so good!" 

Noah watched me intensely before taking a sip of his own. His eyes widened, and he nodded in agreement. "Maybe we should do this more often" he said.

"Absolutely, as long as some kind of drinks or food is involved, I'll be there" 

"Is that the only reason you came?" Noah asked playfully. 

"Of course" I laughed. 

"Here's me thinking it had something to do with the amazing company you have" he said, gesturing to himself. 

"I guess that is a bonus" I replied, causing him to smirk. 

"Well, I enjoy your company Lili" he said, his smirk fading into a genuine smile as our eyes met. I held his eye contact for slightly too long and quickly looked away. 

I managed to quickly change the subject and got him talking about his day. Noah told me about how he had been working on ideas for a comic book he was going to write, which sounded amazing. I watched the way his face lit up as he explained every little detail he had thought out, and how it would link to the songs on their latest album. I loved seeing someone talk about something they were passionate about, especially Noah. He was very much a perfectionist, and every little detail had to be considered and on point, and I loved learning about the thought processes behind them. 

"Sorry" he said suddenly, blushing.

"What?" I said, raising my eyebrow at him questioningly as I sipped the last of my milkshake.

"I've just been rambling for however long, I get a bit carried away, I hope I'm not boring you" he chuckled. 

"I love to hear about your ideas Noah, you should know this by now. Please don't ever apologise for being passionate about something either" I reassured him. "Besides, this was the point, to talk about things we wanted to talk about, and not be questioned on the things we don't" 

"Well it's your turn to talk then, I need to catch up" he said whilst pointing at his drink. 

"I don't have anything exciting to talk about like you" I said, thinking. "My day was the same old really. This is a nice change though. We should have done something like this sooner"

"I'm not sure why we haven't" Noah laughed.

"That's probably my fault" I sighed. 

"How so?" Noah asked.

"Just everything with you know who. I guess I became more distant from everyone, but I'm glad we are spending more time together now" I smiled. 

"I am glad too. I know we didn't come here to talk about him. But I just want to say, I hope he never made you feel bad about yourself. You're a great person Lili, you know that right?"

"Of course" I laughed, jokingly. 

"I'm serious" Noah said, rolling his eyes and giving me one of his intense looks, to which I could only nod in response.

"And, you know, if there is a girl, and I'm not saying there is or prompting you to talk about it, but she would be lucky to have you Noah" I said after some time, breaking the comfortable silence we'd been sitting in. His face turned red, and he smiled shyly.

"And any guy would be lucky to have you Lili. I just hope you find someone who makes you happy, you deserve someone you can be yourself around"

"I really hope so too, one day" I admitted. 

Noah finished off his shake, and we made our way outside. Noah hugged me before we set off in our seperate directions. I smiled to myself whilst singing at the top of my lungs on the drive home. I was feeling really happy after our time together, it was a strange feeling, I honestly hadn't felt this good in a long time.

Entering the house, I walked into the kitchen to grab some water and found Emma in there finishing off her food. I smiled at her, and she looked at me with her eyebrow raised.

"Where have you been, and why are you so happy?"

"I've been out, and can I not just be happy? Didn't realise that was a crime" I joked, taking a seat at the table. 

"Out where? You're never this happy after working" she questioned.

"I went for a milkshake" 

"Right...on your own?"

"What is this, 20 questions?" I asked, rolling my eyes.

"You're acting odd. Was it a date?" Emma asked, and I groaned at her question. "You're avoiding my answers, it was wasn't it!? Give me all the details!" 

"It wasn't a date! I just met up with Noah if you must know. Now, are you done with the interrogation? You're just as bad as the guys are" 

"I see" she smirked. 

"What!?" 

"Nothing" she said, still wearing a smug smile on her face.