Summer 010

Chapter 23: Strong

Day 22

It's still four in the morning.

The curtains are still closed. Although my room is dark, I can hear the sound of the world waking up slowly; the birds, the occasional car horns, and the waves of the ocean.

My eyes turn to Noah, who is next to me. He looks so peaceful; his eyes are closed, and his long eyelashes meet his skin. His hair is slightly longer, some strands touch his forehead. His lips are slightly parted.

A lump starts to form in my throat, making it difficult to breathe. I don't even know what I would do without him here...

Last night, he stayed up with me till the sleeping pills kicked in. He listened to me talk about my fears, and he shared his with me. After that, we listened to some indie rock music until I fell asleep.

My fingers unconsciously move towards the strands of hair, touching Noah's forehead. I gently push them away.

"I think you're the strongest person I've ever met." His voice rings in my mind.

A smile makes its way to my lips.

I need to be strong. I need to be strong for Noah, Mar, and Logan.

I need to be strong to make it to South Africa.

Most importantly, I need to be strong for me. I have a whole life ahead of me and so many dreams craving to be lived. I can't let someone take all of that away.

I inhale deeply and lay back, giving my back to Noah. 

Noah's hand slips underneath my arm and pulls me closer to him. My stomach tightens as his smell hits my nostrils. How can someone smell so good?

"Are you okay?" His raspy voice mumbles.

"Yeah, I'm good."

I close my eyes again, letting my exhausted body rest for some more time.

-

"Good morning," I mumble when I reach the kitchen.

Noah is preparing his coffee. Mar and Logan are eating some pancakes.

"Do you feel better?" Mar asks.

I nod.

I ended up going back to sleep this morning for two more hours. I realize that the room is really dark. I notice that the blankets I put up yesterday are still there.

"You didn't open the curtains?" I ask them.

Logan hesitates. "We weren't sure after yesterday..."

I walk towards the counter and tear them off. I throw the blankets on the floor before moving towards the living room. I open all the curtains too.

Noah's staring at me, dumbfounded. Mar and Logan have their jaws wide open.

"I'm done hiding. Let them come at me, I'm ready."

Logan's face breaks into a half-smile. "You just made my morning."

Mar hugs me tightly. "That's my girl!" She whispers before going back to her seat.

Noah doesn't say anything, but he stares at me with stars in his eyes, and at this moment, words are useless anyway.

Logan hands me a cup. "Breakfast is ready."

"Thanks. Did you two sleep here last night?"

Logan nods. "Yeah. We stayed up doing some investigations of our own."