Definitely on Morgan.
With a delayed response, giving him false hope, I bow my head, trying to control the anger swelling within me.
“Noah, I don’t care if you’re drunk, okay? You and I are not each other’s rebounds,” I tell him as if I splashed cold water all over his face.
“Kate, I—”
“What Noah? You love her,” I blurt out even though it hurts somewhat. “You’re hurting because you love her.”
“I’m not hurting because I love her, okay?” he shouts, removing his hands from me. “I’m hurting because she lied. I’m hurting because I’ve been following this feeling, but maybe it’s wrong? Maybe the person has been there all along…”
I shake my head, distancing myself from him. How dare he throw something like that at me, staring at me as if we are anything else.
“Kate, please.”
“Please, what, Noah?” I lift my gaze to meet his. He has gotten out of the car, his tall stature standing in front of me. “We don’t do this, you and me. We do not use each other whenever it's convenient.”
“I’m not using you, Kate,” he preaches, an odd tone escaping him. “I'm just saying—”
“No, Noah. There’s nothing left to say,” I plead, desperate to end this right here. “You need to sober up.”
“You and I…” he continues, “… we are—”
“Friends,” I finish, ignoring the hurt festering inside. “We’ll always be friends. Nothing more, nothing less.”
And just like that, I’ve shut down anything between us.
He loves her.
Not me.
Noah may not have realized it just yet, but I was never supposed to the woman he fell for. He’s confused, plain and simple. My job is to be his friend, help him heal from the pain of a broken heart.
Nothing more, and of course, nothing less.
NOAH
I roll over to my side, my head pounding to the beat of a drum. No, wait, it’s actually drums. Argh, that damn drum set. I throw my pillow over my head until there’s a knock on my door. Amelia walks in carrying a bottle of water and two white pills. She turns around to look at Charlie, who encourages her to hand them to me.
“Uncle Noah, Mommy says take this medicine to make you feel better.”
I take it from her, swallowing it in one go. Amelia runs out of the room, leaving Charlie behind. She sits on the edge of my bed with a worried expression.
“I heard what happened.”
I throw my head back onto the pillow. “From Kate?”
She nods her head. “It’s okay to be angry. I know I would be.”
I close my eyes, wishing this nightmare away. “Am I that stupid I didn’t see the signs? I pride myself on knowing how to read women. God, that’s how I managed to get through these years without being tied down in a relationship.”
“You’re not stupid,” she tells me. “When you’re infatuated with someone, you can barely think straight. It’s like a whirlwind of emotions where nothing makes sense, and you’re being taken on this wild ride that consumes every part of you.”
Her theory makes sense. I saw the signs, but I chose to ignore them, thinking it was nothing more than my wild imagination. And I didn’t press on for fear of losing her. Stupid as it may seem, it was never my intention.
“Charlie,” I say softly, afraid to admit the truth. “Am I in love with her?”
“I don’t know, Noah. Only you can answer that.”