The Art of Falling in Love

Chapter Forty Six

❝If I were to live a thousand years, I would belong to you for all of them. If we were to live a thousand lives, I would want to make you mine in each one.❞ -Michelle Hodkin, The Evolution of Mara Dyer

Standing near the edge of the roof was Noah. He held a single rose in his hand, standing beside a small, round table with two chairs. On the table were some candles and two plates. Near his feet, a radio sat playing la vie en rose.

Without thinking, I run up to him and throw my arms around him, pulling him towards me for a kiss. He happily obliged, kissing me back with an equal amount of passion.

Noah pulls away and smiles, "Excited to see me?"

I roll my eyes, "even at a moment like this, you don't hide your ego."

Noah laughs, and God was it an intoxicating sound. I could get drunk off of that laugh.

He gives me the last rose, "Diana, will you go to prom with me?"

I smile so wide it hurt but I don't care because the boy I love is standing in front of me and all I can think about is how nothing else matters except for him. The world could fall into complete chaos and I wouldn't care, so long as I got to see his smile.

"Yes!" I exclaim. It was incredibly lovely that Noah had put so much effort to ask me to prom.

Noah pulls out one of the chairs for me and I sit down, smelling Alfredo pasta. My favourite. "I figured since it's the last big thing we get to have together, I should do my best when asking you," Noah explains. "I hope you liked it."

"I loved it," I tell him genuinely. "Going back to all the places where I started falling for you...it brings back a lot of good memories."

Noah smiles, "it's bittersweet, isn't it? To remember all those moments while also thinking about the future."

"It's crazy to think about how much has changed; how much will change," I agree.

I look out at the sunset extending across the sky, the soft hues of pink and orange filling me with warmth. I loved Noah so much that I have begun associating him with twilight; those perfect moments where the sun is just below the horizon, spreading a soft yet luminescent glow across the city.

As we ate with the sound of la vie en rose in the background, I realized every love song had suddenly become about him. I couldn't pinpoint exactly when this had begun to happen, but I know every sweet song will continue to be about him for the rest of my life.

I look up and catch Noah looking at me, "what are you thinking about?" I ask him.

"How if all things beautiful and lovely were to be a person, it would be you."

I smile and go through all the moments we have spent together. I find myself asking, "do you remember what you said to me that one day when all the Josh stuff was still happening? You spoke in French and said something to me that I didn't understand. A quote, I think."

Surprisingly, Noah knows exactly what I am talking about, "it was a quote by Paul Éluard. J'entends ta voix dans tous les bruits du monde."

"What does it mean?"

"I hear your voice in all the world's noise," Noah says gently. "It's one of my favourite quotes, and I associate it with you now."