Seven Weeks to Forever (Love / Romance)

Epilogue: Chapter Forty-Five

I'm cleaning my kitchen that afternoon when Noah shows up. He doesn't say a word at first, but waits for me to notice him sitting at the table.

This would be fine on most days. I should have expected him, after all, since he left the feather in my car this morning. Today I'm lost in thought, replaying my conversation with Selena in my mind while I absently wipe down the counter. I nearly jump out of my skin when I catch sight of him in my peripheral vision.

"For someone who claims I'm living out a long life here, you seem bent on giving me a heart attack," I grumble.

He spreads out his hands, and there's an angelic expression on his face. "It isn't intentional. You would have seen me get here if you weren't so deep in thought, and I did send a feather. I thought you might want to talk before Riley comes over later, instead of while he's here."

"Are you watching every move I make?" I'm not surprised he knows about my plans with Riley tonight, but some privacy would be cool. He does have a point, though. I'd much rather he not drop in on me during a more intimate moment.

"I still catch the important ones, like your encounter with Selena this morning." Noah puts his fedora on the chair next to him, then steeples his hands and sets them on the table.

"Yeah." I resume wiping the counter. "I'm not sure how important that was, since it didn't do much good."

"You might be surprised."

"We were present for the same conversation, right?" I scrub at a small spot of coffee with the cloth, shaking my head as I do.

"We were," he confirms. "And I was there afterward, while Selena thought about what you said."

I wait for him to tell me more. He doesn't.

"That's it?" I turn to face him.

His mouth twitches, and I can tell he's fighting back a grin. "You know how this goes."

I try to give him an exasperated stare, but I can't muster it. I'm getting soft with my Noah stare-downs these days.

"All right," I concede. He wants me to review what I've learned before he'll say anything else. "I see Selena's energy doing similar things to what Riley's energy used to do, when he and I were getting to know each other. Not with me, but with Ivy from our yoga class. It's like Selena wants to connect with Ivy, but then shuts down when she realizes she is. She's using her energy as a shield."

"You're watching carefully." Noah's voice sounds approving.

"It didn't make sense to me until Riley told me about her breakup with her ex-girlfriend, Addison, and how it happened right before Amanda died. Between me, Addison, and Amanda, that's three people she was once close to and trusted who broke her heart and vanished from her life. But it does leave me with some questions."

"Ask away." Noah leans back in his chair. I can't believe he seems so casual about this when all it does is set off alarm bells for me.

"If Selena is closed off the same way Riley was, or if she's heading that way, why doesn't she have a second-timer assigned to her? Or am I the one assigned to her now? And if I am, what happens if I can't get her to open up again?"

"You aren't her second-timer," he answers. "She won't reach the point of having one if she gets the support and love she needs now. That's where you come in."

"For all the good I've done." I take one last swipe at the counter and then toss the cloth in the sink.

"Like I said, you might be surprised. This also isn't just about her energy."

I eye him. It's obvious he's talking about me. "I thought my energy evolved when I opened my heart again and chose love over fear."

"It's a daily choice, and you're still choosing all the time," he reminds me. "You chose to tell Riley you were friends with Selena, and that you had a falling out with her. Have you thought about why him finding out what caused the end to your friendship still scares you, or why you've been afraid when the three of you have been in the same place?"

My stomach flip-flops at what Noah just said. "You're not saying I should tell Riley about what a terrible person I was, are you? I'm not pushing people away anymore."

No way, no how. I dodged that bullet with Riley two nights ago, and I was flooded with relief when he didn't ask for the details of what went down with Selena. Why would I want my boyfriend to see me as a monster?

"Do you really think Riley would believe you're a monster?" Noah asks.

Curse him. There he goes with that maddening thought-reading thing again.

"I sure don't think it would make me look good," I mutter.

"You should explore what's behind your fear. You're afraid of something happening that will cause you to lose Riley, and I don't think you need to be. He sees you for who you are now, and for the love in your heart. Part of opening up to love is also opening up to being loved unconditionally."

I watch Noah pluck his fedora from the chair beside him and place it on his head. He speaks again before I can say anything.

"You also don't need to fear encountering Selena while you're with Riley. She was telling the truth when she said she doesn't hate you."

I open my mouth to respond and immediately close it again. Noah is already gone.

"You always have to get the last word in, don't you?" I call out to him. "It isn't right you can just disappear like that."

I'm certain my ranting at him after he's left only entertains him.

I walk over to the sink to wash my hands. I'm still not sure what Noah expects me to do, but I doubt he'll give me more of an answer than he already has if I see him again to ask.

My phone chimes as I'm drying my hands on a dish towel. I dive for it, welcoming the distraction.

John swung by the studio a few minutes ago, and we talked about having a barbecue next weekend. You and me, John, his girlfriend, and some guys from his band. I thought we could invite Ivy.

I smile at the message from Riley and compose a reply. I'll ask her tomorrow at yoga if she's there.

I pause before sending my response, my finger hovering above the screen. This is an opportunity, I know. One to continue reaching out to Selena, and to help her open up to Ivy. But it involves confronting my fear of Riley knowing what I did, and it means him potentially seeing every bit of the tension between Selena and me.

We should ask Selena, too, I type. Let's talk about that when you're here tonight.

I send the text to Riley and hope for the best.