A Boy Called Noah

Chapter Fifty-Six

Amalthea Galanos

Vick and Thalia walk a few steps in front of Thea and she finds herself hesitating for a moment. Her steps slow to a stop and she questions herself for a moment. 'What am I doing?'  Doubt trickles into her mind like a siren's song and she rewinds her last few steps.

Attempting to flee the immediate party, she tries to walk in the opposite direction of the large, white tent-

"Thea?" 

Noah. She takes a deep breath and slowly turns around to find him staring at her with a panic-stricken expression, "Are you leaving?" Thea swallows and clears her sandpaper throat, "No, just taking a moment to..." Be honest, "to think." His expression softens into that of sadness, "About us?" She pushes the lump in her throat down and nods.

He gestures for her to follow him and he wheels the black chair past the turquoise carpet leading into the tent. Her heels lightly sink into the grass but she has no struggle to keep up with him. His breath is ragged and he seems to struggle more with moving over the grass than he thought he would. 

"Noah, are you alright?" He nods his head and blows a frustrated breath through his mouth, "Fine." She swallows her instinct to state that he obviously isn't. 

He stops around the corner of a building she hadn't noticed before and refrains from looking her in the eyes. 

"Is...is it because of the wheelchair?" Noah's voice cracks at the end and Thea's gaze snaps to his diverted eyes, "What?" He clears his throat, "Is it because of how I am now?" Fury and pain spark up inside Thea and triggers her tears, "Are you insane, Noah?! Of course it's not. It's me. I feel like I'm an extra burden on your family and no one needs that right now." Emotions clog Thea's throat up and she swallows hard to try and reign them in.

Noah stares at her incredulously and his voice comes out a mere whisper, "You will never be a burden to me..."