VOICEMAIL || Noah Centineo AU (2nd Book)

T H R E E

Valerie

I played with my fingers anxiously as i was sitting on the uber heading to Tara’s place. I responded my mom’s text wishing me happy birthday, as i mentally begged god to make this annoying birthday messages stop, i hated for everyone to greet me in such a horrible day to me. the last day i had my Noah with my memories still intact. I should've have enjoyed it more.

It had been so long since i was in a place with so many people i didn’t know. The only person i knew was Tara, but she was going to be busy with her fiancé, and hosting the party or whatever.

What was i thinking?

how did i accept to come to a party where i literally knew nobody? i should just turn around and go back home. That way i can spend my birthday eating pizza and watching netflix. Socially comfortable, not socially anxious.

I took a deep breath before getting out of the uber, as he drove off without saying a word, I took the steps needed to reach the intercom and rangon her number.

a couple of seconds went by and someone spoke up, A male’s voice “Hello?” I frowned trying to think where i’ve heard it, but it was so hard to recognize anything since Intercoms distort voices so much.

“Hello, em.. I’m Valerie… Tara’s new friend” I simply replied and then there was a loud buzz that indicated the door was now open for me.

I Took a deep breath and walked to the elevator, holding tightly at the bottle of wine i was carrying. as if was a baby. When the elevator doors opened, i went to the apartment and knocked on the door.

After a few seconds the tall blonde woman that i’ve recently got so close with opened the door and hugged me after a quiet squeal

“I’m so glad you came” she said excitedly, how did she manage to be so nice and perky all the time. I smiled and hugged back, and after a few seconds i pulled away.

“I brought this” i say handing the wine “ I .. i wasn't sure what you guys liked but..” I rambled and she giggled

“Hey, it’s fine, He’ll love it” She said looking at the label of the wine and i frowned

“He?” I asked furrowing my brows and she chuckled lightly

“My fiancé… It’s his birthday, didn’t i tell you in the café?” She said laughing a little and patting my shoulder

“It just gets so boring with only his friends, and i wanted someone to escape from that business environment that you feel over there” She chuckled shaking her head and sighs “Yeah, i didn’t mention it’s his birthday because he hates his birthday, so weird, right? who hates their birthday?” she continued talking, she was talking a lot, but my mind was so anxious that was somewhere else.

I looked around the apartment, that was beautifully furnished and big for being in a city as expensive as New York.  When i looked into the balcony my eyes locked with someone that was staring right back.

Noah.

I held my breath and my heart started pumping faster.

He looked so gorgeous. If i thought the way he looked in college was completely hot and at the same time adorable. Now he looked just as beautiful and hot, but he also screamed success.

no beanies, snapbacks, or a mess of curls in the middle of his head. his hair was not long, but it was longer than before, brushed back a little and a trimmed beard adorned his already good looking face.

The nervousness in my stomach building up, and the feeling of nausea when i realized he was the one Tara has always been talking about. Today is his birthday, he’s engaged, and my new bestie is his fiancé. His eyes looked at mine confused, he clearly had stopped paying attention to whoever he was talking to. I was scared he'd try to come and talk to me

“V? you zooned out again” Tara said with a soft laugh and i averted my gaze from Noah’s, he looked as taken back as i did, and i didn’t even know what i was going to do in this situation.

I looked up at her and tried to form a sentence but i didn’t even know what i wanted to do.

“Anyways, i was asking you when’s your birthday?” She said cheerfully and i gave her an awkward smile

“Can i use your restroom? I don’t feel very well…” It’s all i managed to say and she looked at me worried. She held my hand and started pulling me inside of her apartment and into a long hall.

“text me if you need anything, don’t take too long, i have to introduce you to everyone, Specially to chad, he said he wanted to meet you”

“c-chad?” I asked, just like if i was ignoring the fact that the fiancé she was talking about all this time, was the boy who still managed to keep me awake some nights. And now my new ‘friend’ was setting me up with CHAD. As if anything could’ve been worse.

I got into the restroom and locked myself inside. the feeling of vomit in my throat but nothing didn’t even come out.

I looked at myself in the mirror as i tried to make my heartbeat go down,  breathing in and out of my chest. i wish i could just wash my face, but the makeup i had managed to put on would wash off terribly making me look like crazy woman.

I could make up an excuse to leave and not talk to Noah, or Tara at all.

Like, if he’s even going to talk to me? what if he barely even remembers me, what if  i had been dreaming about him for 3 years and he had moved on from me so easily that he barely remembers me?

I could just try to avoid him and chat with Tara for a few minutes, before i tell her that’s there’s an emergency at the Gallery.

Maybe that’d be the way to go.

I walked slowly out of the bathroom and scanned the house carefully before finding Tara in the kitchen, I quickly got in there and took a glass of wine from the counter.

“There you are” she said walking to me and i smiled a little. the kitchen had some people, enough for me to not be seen here.

I could see Noah from the corner of my eye, in the balcony, deep in conversation with two older man. They were all in suits.  

Tara was talking about Chad and how great it would be for us to go on a double date, and she hasn’t even introduced the guy.

I kept laughing and shaking my head at her crazy idea of setting me up with Chad, it was his fault that i didn’t tell Noah about getting my memories back, he corrupted my Noah, and made him a player back then when i went to look for him in harvard.

Okay, it wasn’t reaaaally his fault, but whatever. I was never going to date Chad, not in a million years.

“Anyways, let me get some appetizers out of the oven, and then i can introduce you to Chad, and maybe Noah” She said with a small smile as she walked away.

When i tried to glance to the part of the house where Noah was before, I panicked.

He was nowhere to be seen, and wished i could just run out of this house without anyone noticing. i got frozen at the sound of a recognizable voice behind me.

“Happy birthday Valerie....”

His voice made my heart skip a beat. The sound of my full name said by him was  a sound that felt so far away, almost forgotten, but so familiar and warm at the same time.

The surprise and nervousness making my glass of wine slide out of my fingers and crash into the floor loudly.

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A/n: oh shit!

Noah is engaged and yeah you guessed it, he's with Tara, I'm sorry for being so predictable, I've always have been xD