“Only until you figure out what you’re doing. There’s no sense in you staying in a hotel room when I have a home that would be more comfortable. It’ll let us catch up, too. It’s been years, Mere. Let me do this for you. Please.” His eyes are so desperate. I’ve never seen him look like he’s grasping for something to hold onto before he falls. He reaches for my hand, but I cross my arms and tuck them safely away, ignoring the hurt all over his face as his hand slowly retreats.
“No,” I answer firmly.
There’s no way I can stay with him. It has been a long time, but it feels as if none has passed at all, which can be dangerous for me. On top of everything else I’m dealing with, I can’t torture myself by staying with Noah unless I know whether or not there’s a possibility for us to be together again.
“Let me drive you to a hotel, then?”
He wants to help, and that’s the easiest way to allow him to. I nod. “Okay.”
Noah grins, seemingly happy as if he got his way. He didn’t, though, which means he gave up way too easily. Or maybe he was offering just to be nice and is happy I declined. I still don’t know anything about his life or how he feels about me now, so it could be possible.
“Tell me about you.”
He tilts his head back to lean against the seat. I’m not sure what it means that he’s not looking at me as he speaks. “Well, I love playing as a pro. It’s been a bit frustrating at times, but I wouldn’t trade it. My teammates are great, too. Maybe you can meet one or two of them while you’re here.”
“I’d like that. What about your family?”
“You already know Ashley had a baby. She’s been married to Oliver for about a year now. She met him in college and he proposed the day after they graduated. Mom and Dad are doing well, too. Dad spends his time on the golf course while Mom makes quilts and does whatever it is she does with her friends. Not much has changed with them. I would ask about your family, but I already know. And since you don’t want to talk about you, I’m not sure if I should ask how you’ve been.”
He does know how they are because according to my parents, he talks to them almost as often as he talks to his own parents. He’s right, too. I don’t want him to ask how I’ve been because if I start talking, I might become a crazy, blubbering mess. “Tell me what you know about my life instead.” Then, I’ll find out how much he knows about Vance. How much he knows about my disastrous life. I’m not sure what he talks about with my parents or how much information my mom provides about me.
“I know you’ve hated dealing with your injury, you’re worried you’ll be forced to leave the game early, and you don’t talk about it if you can help it. From what I hear, you also refuse to talk about your engagement and why it ended. Your parents are worried about you, too. That’s all I know, Mere. You mom only gives me brief updates. She knows I want to know how you’re doing, but she doesn’t want to say too much either, out of respect to you.” He pauses as a flight attendant checks on us and then focuses his attention on me again. “Am I crazy for hoping you’ll talk to me about those things?”
“Yes.” I don’t want to, not yet. Just like I want to find out if he has a girlfriend, but I’m too scared to ask right now.
Noah nods, not looking surprised at all. He leans his head against the seat again, facing forward. “I’ve missed you, Meredith.” Four quietly spoken words that echo loudly in my heart as if he just shouted them.
I glance away, deciding the cloud-filled sky is a more preferable view than this handsome man next to me. “I’ve missed you, too,” I whisper. More than he could ever imagine.
We don’t talk for the remainder of our flight. Once we land, Noah leads the way toward the parking garage and his vehicle since neither of us have any baggage to claim. It’s comforting to see his ride is simply a newer model of the SUV he had in college. However, being in his car feels more intimate than being on the plane did. Between that and our silence, I’m starting to get nervous.
“How are you going to get around?” Noah finally speaks. “Are you going to rent a car?”
“Oh, yeah, probably.” This is why I plan things. I totally forgot about needing a way to get to wherever I need to go.
“I have an extra vehicle. Do you want to borrow it?”
“No, but thank you for offering.”
“It’ll cost a fortune to rent a car if you’re here for a while,” he points out.
“Then I’ll buy another car. Money isn’t an issue.”
“Why don’t you want to borrow it? Give me a good reason.”
Ignoring his question, I ask, “Which hotel are you taking me to?”
“I’m not. I’m taking you to my apartment. You don’t have to stay if you don’t want to, but at least take my car. I can’t drop you off at a hotel without making sure you can leave the place. Let me do that much for you.”
“Fine.” There’s no point in arguing with him, and I’m curious about his other vehicle and his apartment. This is only his second season here in North Carolina. I wonder if he has a roommate. Or if his roommate is a girlfriend. What does his apartment look like? What does his bedroom look like? The last time I was in his bed was in his dorm in college. A lot has changed since then.
Fifteen minutes later, Noah is pulling into a parking garage on the outskirts of Raleigh. Noah grabs both of our bags, but I’m not sure why if I’m only going to come right back down here to get his car and go to a hotel.
“Do you want to stay long enough for dinner?” he asks as we ride the elevator up to his floor.
“I don’t know yet.” This entire day has worn me out. A nap sounds perfect right about now.
We come to a stop in front of his door. He sticks a key in, unlocks it, and pushes it open. Noah stands aside for me to walk in first. I abruptly stop when I see a woman in lingerie. She was perched on the couch, but she’s now sitting up ramrod straight with her arms crossed over her chest. My heart goes haywire.