The Art of Falling in Love

Chapter Thirty Four

❝Soul meets soul on lovers' lips.❞ -Percy Bysshe Shelley, Prometheus Unbound

Normally, I'd be sad about returning to school, but I finally get to see Noah again after our kiss. I never realized how much I actually saw Noah; break somehow felt emptier without him.

Alyce had ended up picking me up for school, and on the way to school while I told her what had happened, she screamed louder than girls' at their favourite band's concert. I wouldn't have minded if she hadn't swerved the car with her dramatic arm movements.

I find Noah standing out front with our group of friends. All I could look at was him: his wavy hair and hazel eyes, the way the sun kissed his skin so naturally and how his smile felt like home.

I guess I had loved Joshua. I had loved him the way any sixteen year old would fall for pretty eyes and a dangerous personality. This time, it was different. This time, it would end differently.

Noah catches my eyes and he smiles, bright and beautiful. "Hey, love."

"Hey, Noah."

"Oh, get a room," Hunter says sarcastically. His arm holding Alyce snugly around the waist. "I could cut the sexual tension with a knife."

Alyce whacks Hunter on the shoulder. "Let them have their moment."

"Too late, you guys ruined it," Mackenzie drawls. Damon had his arm around her, with Mackenzie's fingers intertwining with his.

I vaguely notice that Amelia isn't around, but I don't ask about it. When the others bid us goodbye and start heading to class, Noah stops me. He grabs my hand and pulls me back, waiting for everyone to retreat.

"I think we should talk," he says, hand still holding mine.

"Alright, let's talk." I agree easily, though a nervousness settled in my stomach.

"Amelia called me last night and told me how she felt about me," Noah says slowly, watching me, waiting for a reaction. "I didn't really know what to say so I told her I'd go out with her after school to get some coffee and talk."

"What are you going to say?"

"That I'm falling in love with someone else," Noah says softly, brushing a strand of hair out of my face. "That I'm sorry, but things have changed and I don't feel the same way about her."

"I like the sound of that," I grin a little, unable to help myself. Sure, it was sad for Amelia, but I couldn't help but be a little stubborn in the moment.

He looks at me hesitantly before leaning down and kissing me for a brief moment. A sound of surprise arises from the back of my throat, but only for a second, and I kiss him back.

❀ ❀ ❀

I found that Noah was acting a little odd, but no one else seemed to notice or care. Noah's mind was always elsewhere whenever anyone talked to him; undeniably lost in his own thoughts.

"Is something wrong?" Noah asked me during lunch, noticing my frown. "You're quieter than usual."

"You just seem...distracted," I replied. "Like there's something you need to get off your chest."

"Sorry," Noah says sheepishly. "I just have a test today that I've been stressed about for a while."

I didn't quite believe him, but I don't push it. I figured that Noah was just worrying about how he should approach the situation with Amelia. I know she still holds a special place in his heart, which gives him all the more reason to overthink what he should say. It hurts falling out of love with someone who still irrevocably loves you. I don't know what's worse: being the heartbreaker or the heartbroken.