Just Friends: A Noah Beck Story

80- THE Talk

You pull yourself together and hurry downstairs to tell your parents that Noah is coming over to talk.

Mom: "Do you want us here or would you rather we leave you two to talk alone?"

Dad: "Over my dead body. Last time we left them alone, THIS happened."

You: "Dad... it's fine. It's not like I can get extra pregnant."

Mom: "Honey, she is going to be a mother soon and she needs to learn how to handle some of these things her way."

He gives up and shuffles out the door behind your mom, warning you that he's only a phone call away if you need him for anything. You sit on the couch reading a pregnancy book while you wait, but it's been almost an hour and you drift off to sleep. Noah stood outside knocking for a few minutes when he saw you laying on the couch through the window. He pulls the hidden key out and lets himself in.

He sat next to you and stared at your stomach in shock. He couldn't believe how pregnant you looked. It made sense with how far along you were, but was still shocking. He couldn't help but reach out and touch your stomach and imagine what the baby... his baby... would look like. Then you feel him touch you, it wakes you up and you sit up yawning.

You: "How did you get in?"

He flashed his dimpled smile at you and handed you the spare key. You both share a laugh before you ask:
"How long was I asleep?"

Noah: "I just got here so I'm not sure."

You: "What took you so long?"

Noah: "I was scared. I had to convince myself I could come do this face to face."

Hearing the doubt in his voice made you defensive and you immediately started trying to let him off the hook.

You: "You don't have to stay, ya know? I have prepared myself for 9 months to do this alone. You only have to be as involved as you want to be. You can get on a plane tonight and just visit your daughter when you have time and it will be ok."

Noah: "That's not what I want at all."

You: "I know you didn't ask for this, so what do you want?"

Noah: "All I've ever wanted, Y/N. I want you."

You: "If you wanted me why did you leave me?"

Noah: "This college plan was never about escaping you. I tried everything to put off attending till the fall. That's the reason I hadn't told you yet because I didn't want to freak you out until I knew there wasn't a chance I could do that."

You: "What would it have mattered? January or August... you'd still be leaving me behind."

Noah: "I was going to ask you to come with me..."

Even though Mama Beck warned you that had been his plan, hearing Noah say it just hit different. You thought you'd never see him again, yet here he sat in front of you, saying all the things you'd ever wanted to hear.

Noah: "I was waiting till I found out if I could defer until fall and as soon as they said no, I immediately worked out a plan to go in January and come back as often as possible and fly you out to see me there a few times so you could fall in love with the area too. I came here the night you left me asleep in my room after finding that letter and planned to beg you to come with me after you graduated. And if you refused I was going to turn down their offer all together."

You: "Why didn't you?"

Noah: "You were so angry and you broke up with me before I could."

You: "I never wanted that at all. I had tried to tell you about the baby and I chickened out. Then when I found out about this whole future you had planned for yourself, I decided to let you go."

Noah: "Why? I don't understand why letting go was your first instinct?"

You: "I wasn't going to let myself or my baby ruin your future."

Noah: "You have always been my future. And OUR baby is too."

You can't help yourself and grab his shirt and kiss him. You pull away after a deep kiss to ask:

"Wait... what does that even mean? I don't know if I will be able to leave here Noah. We are 17 and 18 years old... we need our parents' help."

Noah: "Well, It means I need to go back and take my finals then I want to spend the summer here with you and our daughter."

You: "And then?"

Noah: "If you at the end of the summer you aren't convinced that UNC is the best choice for both of us, then I will transfer to UCLA. Period."

You: "No. I can't let you give up your scholarship."

Noah: "I can get a scholarship based on grades anywhere."

You: "You just can't play soccer anywhere though and all you've ever wanted to be was a soccer player."

Noah: "I've wanted to be yours a lot longer."