Nochelle - Our Stories

P D A

~Season 6~

Richelle hated owning up to any imperfection, but even she had to admit that it had been a massive mistake.

She kissed Noah. In middle of Studio A. In full view of their teammates. Who had she become?

They had been dating for three months and their relationship was far from a secret (most people thought they had been dating long before that to be fair), but they (mostly Richelle) had been very careful about keeping their interactions completely professional while at the Studio. They couldn't be too careful. If it weren't for the occasional meaningful look or inside joke, you would hardly be able to tell Noah and Richelle were a couple, and she wore that fact like a badge of honor.

Now, she might as well set that badge on fire and fling it off the roof.

Noah had been sitting on the bench next to her water bottle as she organized her school folders into her cubby, telling her about all the gossip at his family dinner last night. She had been invited but had a Geography project to finish with Piper, so he was filling her in.

"And then my Aunt Janet just got up and left, so mad about the stupid casserole that nobody wanted her to make in the first place."  He grinned as he finished one of his stories, his broad smile reaching the farthest corners of his cheeks, and looked so proud of himself it should be illegal.

She giggled along, finishing up her organising and dragging him into the centre of the Studio where everyone was warming up.

"Well that's your Aunt Janet, cuckoo." Richelle agreed, sliding down into the splits. Noah joined her on the floor before a glint of realisation crossed his eyes.

"Oh wait, I forgot, don't move a muscle." He held a finger up to her and dashed out of the room towards the lockers. Richelle just exchanged a confused look with Piper across the room and continued stretching, this wasn't that unusual for him.

~~~

Noah was only gone for about a minute before he reentered the room, sprinting with what looked like a drawstring bag slung around his wrist.

"Okay, I'm Back..." he gasped, out of breath.

"I can see that..." Richelle paired her amusement with a tough of concern. "What's in the bag?"

"Ha ha! You don't remember!" A smug look crossed Noah's face.

"Remember what?"

"It's our friendiversary." He confidently states (like that's even a word).

"What the hell do you mean Noah we met in September, it's March."

"We may have met then, but you definitely didn't like me." Richelle ponders this for a second, before reluctantly agreeing.

"Go on."

"On this day, five years ago, you asked me to do a lift with you in our J-Troupe auditions and officially be duet partners. Sooo..." He fumbles with the drawstring, "I got our contract framed."

At this, he proudly holds out a simple white frame, the type she has scattered around her room at home. Inside is a piece of torn lined paper (smoothed out of its crinkles to the best of Noah's ability), graced with the eleven and twelve-year-old handwriting of Noah and Richelle.

"You kept this?" Her heart softens, taking the frame from his hands.

"Of course I did. I found it a few months ago when I was clearing out an old drawer, see it had the date on and everything." He sits down next to her, pointing at the date.

She was speechless, just staring at the frame and it's contents. Who would've thought all the way back then that they'd be where they are today. Looking back at him, she could merely just replicate the loving look he sent her, tears glossing over her eyes.

Maybe it was the stupidly cute smile, or the simple fact that he had kept this paper all these years, but before she could stop herself, Richelle leaned over and kissed him softly. Her hand instinctively came up to cup his cheek, and she felt Noah pause before he slowly kissed her back.

It was the feeling of his lips reciprocating hers that allowed Richelle's brain to catch up to the reality of her surroundings, and she felt her blood run cold. She pulled back from Noah and saw every single one of their teammates staring at them in shock: Ozzy was frozen with a spoonful of yogurt halfway to his open mouth, Michelle couldn't contain her teasing laugh (which earned the first glare from her little sister) and was clearly taking pictures on her phone, and she could swear, even from a distance, that there were actual tears in Piper's eyes at the cuteness of the moment. Most people just joined in with Michelle's method of suppressing smirks though, that seemed to be effectively fuelling the embarrassment.

Richelle's ears began to burn red-hot. She turned to look at Noah, who looked a little dazed, more than surprised, but far too smug for her taste. She realized her hand was still cupping his cheek and she quickly brought the traitorous limb back down to her side, sticking both hands under her thighs so they couldn't be tempted to break any more rules.

The room was unsettlingly silent for a typically chaotic dance studio, but that wasn't bound to last long.

"Aw, Richie! Your first kiss!" Michelle teasingly called from behind her phone, which earned her another menacing glare. "Don't worry, girl, I took a bunch of pics so you can always remember how awkward it was."

"I never thought I'd see the day." Piper cooed, sinking down next to Amy, neither of them bothering to try and stop laughing.

"Yeah, we get it, you're dating. Get a room." Ozzy's harsh words were completely betrayed by his smirk.

"Hey, it's not my fault Richelle finds me so irresistible!" Noah jumped up off the floor indignantly.

"What is all this commotion? Why is no one working?" Emily entered the Studio, clearly having left her desk, and Richelle wondered what it might be like to propel oneself into space. Noah collapsed back down next to her with a resigned sigh.

"Noah and Richelle actually kissed in public, shock horror." Michelle helpfully supplied.

Emily's eyebrows raised imperceptibly before she turned to scrutinise her two best dancers. Richelle's heart was beating so fast she could hear it thumping, and she felt Noah fidgeting nervously next to her.

Emily simply stared at them for a moment before he said, "Everybody, back to work." She turned and walked back to her office, leaving a stunned team in her wake. Surely, she'd have to most to say about it.

Slowly, the rest of the team returned to their stretches and got back to reviewing choreo, except for Noah and Richelle.

"I'm so sorry, Noah. I don't know what came over me." She was wringing her hands nervously, before Noah grabbed them and squeezed them gently, lightly stroking his thumbs across her knuckles.

"Richie, it's fine." He smiled at her, and she was relieved to hear no teasing in his tone; she wasn't sure she could handle his banter while her brain processed the mortification she'd just experienced in front her old mentor.

"Yeah?"

"Of course. I mean, I'm thrilled to know that you're so into me, you're willing to violate the Richelle Code of Conduct. That's basically your Bible."

He laughed loudly at her scandalized expression before getting up from the floor and parking himself at the ballet barre.

"I hate you." she said, rolling her eyes.

"No, you don't." he smirked.

"No, I don't." She smiled in spite of herself, quickly scurrying over to her cubby with the frame, but not so quickly that couldn't elbow her sister on the way, only earning her a teasing raise of the eyebrows.

As she and Noah held hands on their way through the corridor at the end of their rehearsal, Richelle decided she had learned two very important things that day: that Emily obviously still approved of their relationship, and that she was completely, irrevocably, stupidly in love with Noah.

~~~
Baby Richelle and Noah making up a contract is just one of those stupid hcs that I had to write lol