Forgetting You

“Noah—”

“What does sasanach mean?”

I hadn’t realised I had called her it.

“It means ‘English’ in Gaeilge. When someone addressed an English person with sasanach in the old days, it was usually said with disgust.”

Noah raised an eyebrow. “When you call me it, what do you say it with?”

“Fondness,” I answered instantly. “Me little sasanach.”

She exhaled a breath that fanned my face. I smelled mint in the air and I wanted to taste it.

“You’re beautiful.”

Noah’s lips parted.

“You’re so beautiful that I can’t stop thinkin’ about ye. I like how reserved ye are, how thoughtful and at peace ye always seem to be. I love your smile. Ye remind me of a still ocean, calm and collected but underneath there is so much more to you.”

“Elliot,” she whispered.

I lifted my hand to her cheek and gently ran my thumb over her soft, glowing skin.

“Noah,” I murmured. “Can I kiss ye? Please?”

She was trembling. “Yes.”

The word had barely passed her lips before I covered them with my own. Noah’s sharp intake of breath gave me the chance to explore further. I slid my tongue inside her mouth and almost groaned when hers gently moved against mine. Her lips were soft to the touch; I wanted to spend the rest of my days kissing them.

I reached out and gripped her waist and tugged her closer to me. Her hands went to my shoulders before she slowly slid them up my neck and into my hair as she gave up complete control of our kiss to me. I felt her trust in me and I knew that this kiss was going to be one of many. We parted when cheers and whoops sounded. I heard AJ’s voice over everyone’s, and I silently swore to bash him later for ending the moment I had craved.

“Oh my God.”

I pressed my forehead to Noah’s, feeling the heat of her skin and basking in it.

“Ignore them,” I told her. “I am.”

“How? They’re all looking at us.”

“I only see you.”

Noah’s eyes shifted to mine. “Elliot . . . I like you so much. I didn’t think . . . I had no idea you liked me back.”

“Green eyes, I was in the same position. I thought ye didn’t know I existed.”

“Me?” she blinked. “Elliot, I wasn’t sure if you knew I was a girl or not. You were always so chill around me.”

“I was playin’ it cool.”

“Cool?” Noah repeated. “More like bloody freezing.”

I laughed and so did she. I felt her body relax under my touch as she got used to being close to me while also having an audience. She was still nervous and unsure of herself and the situation, so she lifted her hand to my necklace and played with it. I liked that it seemed to calm her just like she calmed me.

“I had no idea how blue your eyes were,” she murmured, more to herself than to me. “Blue like the ocean.”

The look on her face as she searched mine made me tense.

“I want another kiss,” I almost groaned. “It is me birthday, y’know?”

Noah’s eyes darted back to mine as laughter and cheering sounded around us. A smile teased the corners of her lips, and with her eyes gleaming, she said, “You can kiss me any time you want, paddy. I could use the luck of the Irish.”

CHAPTER SEVEN

NOAH

Present day . . .

All eyes were on me. I felt the stares of everyone in the room burning a hole in me, but I was only focused on one person. This man who stood before me was a stranger, one I had never laid eyes on in the entirety of my life.

“My husband?” I could hear the disbelief in my voice as I spoke the words. “You’re not my husband – I’ve never been married.”

He stared at me unblinking, and I watched as confusion filled his dark eyes. I was surprised when an expression of deep hurt marred his features. He shook his head as if not believing what he was hearing. He took a step forward but he looked a little unsteady on his feet.

“Noah, baby.”

I flinched at the endearment. I had never liked that pet name, but this man seemed so comfortable with calling me it, like he had done it a million times before. He looked from me to my parents and back again. I didn’t look away from him once.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t know you, mister.”

“Baby,” he repeated, his face having lost all colour. “I’m your husband.”

I nearly collided with my mother as I attempted to sit upright.

“What is this?” I demanded, groaning as my arm suddenly stung. I looked down and noticed I had pulled the IV out and was now bleeding.

“She’s hurt herself,” Mum said to Doctor Abara as she gently eased me back against my bed. The doctor removed the line completely and pressed a cotton ball against the wound and held it in place with a bit of tape.