12

Chapter Twelve - Misery Loves Company

I took the day off today...and at first I felt guilty for missing classes but the more I spent just lazing around the dorm the better I felt. Having no labs today either was the cherry on top. I had tried talking to my dad this morning about the partnership, that I was having second thoughts but before I could express what I truly felt he shot me down.

Quick and harsh, as if my thoughts and feelings didn't matter. As if what I wanted didn't mean anything to him. Right before he hung up the otherwise already short call he had mumbled not to waste his time like that especially before work started. And that was when I had decided today was a day for moping.

The sound of the door unlocking snaps me out of my thoughts and instantly I feel pressure building behind my eyes. Shit, I think to myself. Noah.

"Stop! No more crying! God, you're so annoying!" I whisper shout to myself as I quickly bury myself under my blanket.

"Faye? You home fairy?" Noah calls for me but I'm hoping he won't check my room and just assume that I'm out. But then he starts walking in my direction and I curse mentally as he opens the door. "Baby?"

The comforting endearment breaks the dam I was fighting so hard to put up and I sniffle as I pull the blanket higher above my head. I berate myself for crying again but I can't help it. I think about the number of times I've cried in front of Noah since I met him and force myself to toughen up, wiping away any evidence.

"Faye?" He murmurs questionably and the amount of concern in his tone makes me sigh.

I turn around and wave at him with a smile, croaking out a "Hey." His expression immediately darkens at the sight of my face and in three strides he's sitting down on my bed and pulling me onto his lap with one arm. I melt into his hold with a content hum and cuddle up to him.

"Who made you cry?" He asks but it comes out as more of a rumble with the amount of rage in his tone.

"I was watching a sad movie."

"Your laptop is off." He deadpans and I bite my lip.

"Yes." I nod and turn my head to the other side when he tries to look at me. "I remembered all the sad stuff again and it just set me off you know. Maybe my period is on its way."

He hums skeptically before grasping my chin and my eyelids fall shut from the softness of his lips as he kisses them. When I open them again I lock gazes with his narrowed ones, a storm raging in his now darkened green eyes. With a resigned sigh I tell him everything about the call and watch as his expression changes from one of shock to frustration.

"I don't want to go along with this. I want to graduate and then get married to someone I love and want to be with..." I trail off before looking back up at him. "I want to be with you."

"Then we'll figure this out." He closes his eyes as he leans his forehead against mine.

"If this is too much for you –"

"I'm not leaving you Faye." He pulls back angrily. "I guess me talking to him won't help?"

"No, it won't change his mind."

"Alright...well, we just need to come up with a plan to stall them and make this complicated. Messy. I'm not letting you get married to that preppy idiot Ronald –"

"Ryan - sorry, continue." I smile in amusement when he glares at me playfully.

"As I was saying...Ronald McDonald doesn't deserve you. You're mine and I'm going to fight tooth and nail to have that known." His eyes hold promise and it makes my heart flutter. "Don't stress and don't cry especially not over this. I've got you and you'll be okay."

I stare at him unable to form words and my heart feels like it's going to burst. I lean forward and kiss him softly but the second I pull away he's tugging me right back and pinning his lips against mine passionately. My body feels like there's firecrackers going off and I've never felt happier. Why can't we stay like this forever?

"I don't know what I did to deserve you." I whisper as I caress his cheek. "But I'm so glad I found you."

He smiles boyishly and the tips of his ears turn pink before he catches me off guard by picking me up. "Have you eaten?"

"No."

He stops on his way to the kitchen and narrows his eyes suspiciously. "Did you eat at all today?"

I hesitate before shaking my head. "No. Just some snacks."

I can sense his displeasure but thankfully he understands. He presses a lingering kiss to my forehead before setting me down on the chair. I watch, still bundled up in my blanket, as he heats up some soup and makes toasties for me before working on a chicken curry for our actual dinner.

"Does Ryan study here? I've never seen him around you."

"That's because we don't want anything to do with each other and yes, he studies Chemistry."

"We can speak to Ryan about this then and have him help us break it off. You don't want each other so it shouldn't be a problem." Noah explains as he sets the food in front of me.

"He's not opposed to the partnership though and won't help at all. Trust me on this Noah."

"Then we'll do a trip to Vegas, get married and live happily ever after anywhere except Florida." He shrugs indifferently as he takes another bite. "Boom. Easy."

I roll my eyes yet I can't help but smile at his words. If only it were as easy as that. "Oh! My brother is coming to visit and should be here by tomorrow."

"Does he hate me too?" He groans as he runs a hand through his hair.

I shake my head with a small smile. "After the call with dad I didn't know who else to turn to so –"

"It's fine sweetheart, this is your place too. I'm only being dramatic." He winks before leaning over to kiss my forehead.

"Would it be okay for him to crash here or I can tell him to stay at a hotel?"

"No, he can stay here. Just don't be surprised if you find me unconscious one morning." He shrugs as he takes a sip of water. "At my funeral please shed a few tears and say nice things about me. That'd be real kind of you."

"After my brother killed you? Of course." I nod seriously. "I'm surprised I'd even be invited to be honest."

"I'm just a super nice guy like that. Even six feet under."

I only hum in response with a small smile before I notice the time. "Don't you return to practice today?"

"Shit!"

I gasp as I stand and take over the curry for him. "I'm so sorry Noah –"

"No. None of that." He stops me with a brush of his hand against mine. "You're more important...always."

I can only smile weakly in response before he rushes into his bedroom to get his gear and change. I turn back to the pot with a sigh and reassure myself that everything's going to be okay. Talking to both Abel and Noah about this has made me feel a lot lighter.

"I'll be back soon." He hugs me from behind and kisses my neck. "Will you call Lilah over? I don't want you dwelling on this and besides she wanted to have another movie night with you."

I go to protest but stop myself when I realize that he's right. "Okay, I'll send her a text."

"Good. Now, I'm off to get ripped a new one by my coach so I'll see you later."

That makes me laugh and we grin at each other goofily before he shuts the door. I text Lilah to come over and freshen up in the meantime so that I don't look like a complete mess. Just as I finish plating the food for us she walks in with an excited grin that I end up matching. It's as if all is right in the world again.

"Babe, I'm feeling nostalgic so Harry Potter or Wizards of Waverly Place?"

"Wizards." I choose immediately since it was also my favorite show back in the day.

"Okay but first, what's wrong?" Lilah frowns in concern as soon as we get settled on the couch.

"Nothing. I'm good, honestly." I smile at her reassuringly but can tell she doesn't buy it.

Before I can press play she wraps me up in a big bear hug. I smile softly and return the gesture equally as tightly. Even though I consider Lilah my best friend with how close we are I want to wait before telling her. I've cried too much and just want to distract myself.

"Whether you tell me or not I'm always here for you okay?" She pulls back and her eyes are full of concern.

"I know. I love you Lili."

"I'm so glad because I was thinking we could dump our boyfriends and just hook up." She winks cheekily as she leans forward with puckered lips.

That makes me laugh loudly as I push her away with a hand on her face. "You would never dream of leaving Soren."

"I could be persuaded." She smirks before her eyes widen. "Did I tell you about the dream I had where he cheated on me?"

"No but how dare he!" I gasp mockingly as we tuck into our food.

"The fucking audacity!" She jokes before telling me all about how she found him in bed with a woman. "Boy did he get an earful when I woke up."

"Did he grovel?"

"You bet your ass he did. Had flowers and chocolates delivered to me." She sighs dreamily and one glance at each other is all it takes for us to crumble into a fit of laughter. "Our two-year anniversary is coming up so I'm heading back to New York for a few days."

"Nice! Anything planned to celebrate?"

"We have reservations at our favorite restaurant, it's the one he took me to for our first date." She smiles shyly which I mentally coo at. "And then we're popping over to Toronto for the remaining days. I've been saving up for forever and I'll be so broke after this but whatever."

"Aw, that's cute! I hope you have a great time."

"Yeah, I'm so excited!" She grins as she opens a packet of chips. "How are things with you and Noah?"

"Great, he's amazing." I smile softly at the thought of him. "We're just taking it slow but it's been good so far."

"You guys are so adorable honestly. And to think you never thought it would work!" She nudges me as I take a sip of my drink.

"I mean can you blame me? In what world does the quarterback get with a girl who just keeps to herself?" I scoff and she slaps the side of my head. "Ow! What the hell was that for?!"

"In the millions of romance books that you have in your room." She shoots me a pointed look and I open my mouth to protest before it snaps shut.

"Okay yeah...true." I mutter as I rub my head.

"You're the typical girl who thought oh, he's so out of my league when he's not." She stops to laugh at Alex Russo's comeback to Justin before continuing. "Honestly, authors worldwide are disappointed in you."

"Okay!" I shove her with a glare. "I get it!"

"Speaking of boys...I saw that Instagram picture Noah posted today with his brothers in it. I'm sorry but Theo Jackson?" She fans herself playfully and shakes her head. "What a hottie. If I wasn't with Soren –"

"He's married!"

"Stop, he is not!" She giggles before groaning dramatically when I nod.

"They're six brothers apparently and all very handsome if the pictures are anything to go by. I met Judah and his wife when Noah was in the hospital. All married except for Noah of course." I explain only to narrow my eyes at her when hers gleam wickedly.

"And you snatched up the last brother!" She hollers making me swat her arm.

"Speaking of brothers, Abel will be here sometime tomorrow."

"Yes! Ugh, I love him and I just know he's going to be fun to be around!"

Lilah and Abel get on quite well which I'm thankful for. We regularly do group calls to catch up and it turns out that Abel and Soren are good friends since they play for the same team. Abel is an extrovert and can make friends very easily so it's no wonder whoever he meets likes him. I just hope him and Noah aren't at each other's throats the whole time Abel's visiting.

"Are you nervous about Abel and Noah meeting each other?" She asks, probably noticing my expression.

"A little but they're quite similar in some ways from my point of view so it should be fine." I shrug half-heartedly as I open a pack of candy. "I mean they both play soccer right? I'm hoping that'll be enough for them to bond or at least tolerate each other."

"I'm sure they will." She pats my shoulder before grabbing a handful of candy for herself.

I grab blankets for us as we continue to watch a few more episodes, switching to random ones since we're familiar with the show before we decide on starting a Harry Potter film. We're a few minutes into the movie when Noah returns with two boxes of pizza. He shoots me a gorgeous smile when we lock eyes and I watch as he drops his gear bag before walking over.

"Hi baby." He whispers in my ear as he presses a kiss to my temple before nodding at Lilah. "Delilah."

"Douche." She mutters with her mouth full as she stares at the television.

"Now, that's no way to talk to someone who generously brought you a pizza!" He huffs as he rolls over the couch and crushes her.

"Oof! Get off me you fat ass!" She shrieks as she struggles underneath him.

"Say you're sorry and maybe I will!" He retorts while opening a box and offering it to me.

Lilah finally manages to shove him off and to the ground as I laugh at their antics. He immediately pounces on her and wrestles her into a headlock before messing up her hair. I turn back to watch the movie with a delicious slice of pizza in hand knowing they'll tire themselves out in a minute.

"Noah, are there any dips with this?"

"There sure is fairy...one second." He grunts as he struggles to wrap Lilah in the blanket before dumping her on the floor.

"Noah you're such a child! Leave me alone!" Lilah screams as she pops her head out.

An amused smirk quirks my lips as I watch him reach across to grab me a dip before gently shoving Lilah away with his foot. He grabs a slice for himself before running off to his room cackling loudly. I help my friend get back up on the couch with a snicker as she rants about how much she hates him.

"Wait...he calls you fairy?"

I nod my head with a sigh. "Because of my costume at that party."

"Aw! So cute!" She gushes before stuffing her face full of pizza. "Still a prick though."

Noah's door opening causes us to turn and he saunters out with a mischievous smirk. "Oh, and Lilah? I told Benji you had the hots for him so he might ask you out sometime."

"What?!" She almost chokes on her food as she whips around to face him fully. "Are you alright in the head?! Why would you do that?!"

"Payback's a bitch." He shrugs as he starts making himself a protein shake. "You told Amanda I wanted to hook up with her and now she's got her whole posse staring and giggling at me. It's like fucking high school again!"

"You did what?" I chuckle and Lilah huffs in response.

"This was before you got together but he was pranking me the whole week!"

"He's the reason you were covered in slime that day?!" I gasp when she yells in agreement whereas Noah smiles sheepishly. "Noah! That was cruel!"

"Okay, I'm sorry!" He whines as he holds his hands up. "Truce Delilah. I'll tell him it was a joke."

"Fine. I'll get Amanda to back off." She mutters as he comes over to shake hands on it.

"I told him you were into that choking fetish he has though so if he asks any questions I apologize in advance." He smirks and I face palm.

Lilah jumps over the couch and they're back to fighting and screaming at each other again. I can certainly count on them to cheer me up that's for sure. Turning back to the movie I raise the volume but also keep an eye on them in case they really do kill each other this time.

It's entirely possible with Lilah and Noah.

Update schedule is: two or three times a week whenever I find time!

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