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Iris
"Want to get out of here?" Noah asks me, looking down at me.
We have been sitting at the same place for two hours, two minutes and thirty-one seconds as we have been looking at the sky. Ever since I have told him, Noah hasn't said anything to me, and I don't mind that. I like the silence. It helps me to gather my thoughts well.
I laugh, genuinely.
He raises his eyebrows. "Why did you laugh?"
"Just... wanted to," I reply, tilting my face as I look at him. "Also, I am hungry," I add, shrugging.
"Should have told me," He says, getting up.
I keep on sitting while I give him a fake incredulous look. "I thought you were gonna say something about eating and then, we were gonna go to those 24/7 diners I see in movies but have never visited."
He narrows his eyes a bit and I frown. Well, I didn't just say that for no reply, am I right?
"Come on, Bella." He holds out his hand.
"I don't have your car keys."
His lips twitch upwards. Noah looks at me with amusement and says, "I am asking for your hand, Bella, this time."
"I can't cut it andâ"
He takes my hand and pulls me up.
"Bella," He starts as I stand, and I look at him in surprise. "You are incorrigible."
I can't stop the smile from spreading across my face. "I know."
***
After a comfortable car ride to one of the 24/7 diners (yes, he listened to me), we are sitting in a booth in a corner.
"Ew, mustard." I shudder a bit, looking at Noah as he puts it in his very large burger, smirking at me.
"You are missing out," He says, eating his burger.
"I am happy I am missing out," I tell him as I eat my quadruple-decker cheese and chicken sandwich.
"So..." I look at him, confused, as his fingers run through his hair. "Your middle name's Katherine?"
I smile. "No. Officially, I don't have a middle name. It is just something Grandpa called me when he wanted to be firm because saying just Iris Cooper doesn't have any impact."
"Well, I don't disagree with him."
I roll my eyes. "Stupid."
He winks. "Only for you, Bella."
"What about your middle name?" I ask, keeping my elbows on the table.
He copies the same posture and asks back, "What about my middle name?"
"Like what's the relevance? You know like Daisy has Annabeth because it is Halmoni's name. Halmoni means grandmother in Korean and I mean Dad's mom here; in case you were wondering."
"Korean?"
"Dad and Caleb's mom were adopted into a Korean family."
"Ah," He nods. "As far as I know, Nonna and Grandmother came to a decision to call me Arthur-they still do-but it became my middle name."
He chuckles, looking down at his half-eaten burger. "Amelia calls me by this name too."
"Amelia?" I ask, interested.
He looks up at me and answers, "My sister. She is in Australia...for business stuff."
Okay, this is it. I am gonna question it now.
"How many are you all?" I ask, making wild hand gestures. "That is a lot of children for one set of parents. And how can they hanâ"
"Bella," Noah starts, calmly. "Not all of us are siblings."
I pause, considering his answer. "Not all of you?"
He chuckles. "Mum couldn't handle fâ" He coughs, suddenly.
"Oh my." I stand up and give him a glass of water, but he holds up a hand. I stop and ask, "You alright?"
"Yeah, I am." He nods and drinks water.
After knowing he is okay, I sit down but still ask him if he is okay.
"Yes, Bella," He replies. "So, Amelia, Chris, and I are siblings. Rest are the children of Uncle Elliot."
"Oh," I say. "So in that sense of brothers and sisters."
"Yes." He pauses as he eats. "You are not going to ask why Uncle Elliot lives with us?"
After I eat, I answer, "Honestly? No. I mean big families are not that uncommon."
"You are the second person to tell me that." He chuckles. As our milkshakes arrive, he asks me, "Marvel or DC?"
"Are you really asking me that question?" I gape at him. "Really even after knowing how much I love Marvel movies?"
He sighs, shaking his head. "Okay, Vampire Diaries or Twilight."
I bark out a laugh. "Neither. Alyssa is obsessed with Vampire Diaries and Victoria with Twilight. I would like to maintain my neutral ground."
I take a sip of my milkshake, before asking him, "I want to know."
He raises his eyebrows, looking at me. "By that look of yours, I am curious about the question. Shoot away."
"Licorice flavored or Bubblegum flavored?"
He chokes, "Wh-what?"
Now, I feel a bit embarrassed. "Nothing. Did you know that otters fall asleep holding hands? That's adorable, right?"
Wait, the only good fact I know and I blurt that out. Good save, BelâIris. Iris.
"Geez, Bella." He starts to laugh so much that if he leans more he will fall down.
"Shut up," I say, looking away from him, and the idiot keeps on laughing. Yes, I admit he has a beautiful laugh but, right now, it is irritating me.
"Stop laughing or I will take your fries," I warn.
Slowly, he stops laughing but still gives me an amused look. "That is your bargain for stopping me to laugh?"
"Look, laugh all you want but not at me."
"Point taken, Bella." He smiles, smugly. "To answer your questions, I didn't know about otters and I like bubblegum flavored. Want to try?"
"No." I look away from him as he chuckles. "Glad that I amuse you so much," I say, dryly.
When I look back at him, I realize something.
Honestly, after telling him, everything, I feel relieved that I did. I like this feelingâthe lightness inside me. Those were the thoughts that I never told anyone, but I did tell Noah.
I don't know why I told him but I am happy that it is him I told this to. I guess I do trust him very much. I do trust him.
"Noah?" I call him out as we, both, go out of the diner.
"Bella?" He says, looking down at me.
"Remember you told me to trust you?"
He stops, abruptly, looking at me. His face holds a serious expression. "I thought you didn't hear me."
I don't really remember so well, given the fact I was annoyed at how he didn't tell me his plan (which was really stupid, if I may add) but this is something that I remember. Like remembering chocolate caramel ice-cream days in schoolâI think about it a lot.
"I did. You weren't that far away," I tell him, giving him a smile. "And I trust you. I really do."
"I am glad you do." He smiles and we start moving towards the car.
***
"God, Noah! She can't rap," I tell him as he drives.
"Again, Bella, you have lost your mind." He says, irritated a bit. We have been just bickering over so many things that now, I just have lost count.
"Seriously? Seriously?! How can you not see? I can sing, not rap. This woman just can't rap."
He scoffs. "You cannot sing."
I gasp. "You take that back, you monster."
He sighs, running his fingers through his hair. "You know what? Fine. I will give you this."
"Good that you know who is right and who is wrong."Â I grin, victoriously.
"I just gave up because I don't want to argue over it."
"Excuses. Excuses. Just Excuses," I sing and he glances at me with an irritated look. But I just give him a quick smile in return.
He just starts murmuring in Italian, looking at the road.
It is so easy to irritate him by just bruising his ego a little. I am sorry for teasing him. I mean how many has he teased me for just the sake of it? A lot. So, I am gonna enjoy this for a little while.
So, I put my feet up on the board and Noah hisses. I ask, innocently, "What?"
"Bella," He breathes out. Then, "My sweet, sweet Bella," he says, "Put your feet down."
"Why?" I say, "It is thrilling."
"Thrill is not safe."
Surprised by that, I turn towards him and give him a dry look. I put my feet down only to open the glove box.
"Shit, Bella. Don'tâ"
Pulling out the cigarette box, I say to him, "Didn't know safe is in your vocabulary."
Noah glances at the box and then, at me. He clamps on his jaw, looking away. "How did you know?"
"When you were putting back the blankets in the back of the car." I look at the box and just ask him, "Why do you smoke? And I know it is definitely not a metaphor."
I see his hands are holding the steering wheel a bit tighter than needed as his knuckles turn white a bit. Now, I regret asking him but he surprises me, by answering.
"I get... angry. A lot," He says. "So, to calm me down, smoking is just one way. I am not addicted to it; I take it very rarely."
I point out, "You had been smoking when we met."
"Yeah..." He trails away and I look at him more quizzically but I don't push him.
Two minutes and forty-three seconds later, he lets out a breath. "Can you tell me about your grandpa?"
I look at him, knowing that he needs a distraction and also, I will love to talk.
"His full name was Vincent Henry Harrington. A lot of people know him by Vince H, the coach. He hated his middle name. Don't ask me why because he never told me the reason. He loved to write songs. He was more like a lyricist on Sundays."
I let out a laugh. "Fun fact: He didn't like Dad when Mom brought him to meet him. At the first moment, Grandpa commented something about how skinny Dad's jeans were and made him look like a girl, and Dad, being himself, though annoyed, replied to him very sassily yet politely."
"More respect for Steve," Noah says, smirking, and I roll my eyes. Seeing Noah has relaxed, I continue telling him about Grandpa.
***
Noah
It has to be a sinâa sin to look at her as she sleeps every-fucking-time.
The car has reached in front of Bella's house a long time ago. If she would have been awake, she would have stated the exact time; I have no idea how she does that.
Every day, slowly, I have started to know Bella a little better but today I realized that Bella is quite similar to me even with the obvious differences.
She is bubbly and outgoing, but she has her own corner where she doesn't let people know her emotions. I saw it first when we had our first fight, but I didn't realize it was to that extent.
Bella, how I wish I had the same courage to admit things like you did to me.
I sigh and look at her once again. I swear this is the last time and I would be out of her way. She shouldn't be sharing anything with me; she has better people in her life.
I am just a man with thunderstorms all over me.
Now-of course-my phone rings loudly, making Bella fidget and wake up. Quickly, I silent the call without even looking at the name (I do not forget to curse the person).
"Are we there?" Bella turns to me with a yawn. "Sleepy, I am."
"Yeah, we reached just now," I lie.
She squints her eyes, looking at me, and frowns. "You are lying."
What the fuck?
"You don't know that," I counter but she just laughs, tiredly.
"I know, Noah Arthur." She smiles, opening her door. "I know."
I proceed to open my door. "Let me just accompanyâ"
"Thank... you, Noah." She turns towards me and holds my hand. "Thank you."
"For what?" I question, looking at our hands and then at her. "I did not do anything."
"You did," She says. "For tonight and taking my mind off of things... Thank you."
"Bella, I really..."
She tilts her head. "Why are you in such denial that you are a good person? You may just look like a bad boy, but you are just...not."
I just look at her.
There is no inch of a lie in her statement; she means every single word with her utmost sincerity. I cannot let her words get into me. The last time someone's good words got into me... I...
No. Bella doesn't need me, and I don't care about what I need.
"Not every rain brings a rainbow but when it does, remember and feel it." Bella steps out of the car but stops, turning to me. "Good night, Noah."
I let out a small smile at her reference.
"Good night, Bella."
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- a u t h o r ' s n o t e -
you know what's the demerit of having a younger sister/brother? they just never-literally never-listen to you. they have this idgf attitude that i swear is so annoying. why am i dissing my sister? because she is all of the above. (me not caring she is reading this)
until next chapter,
Inerys
Bonus:
Aditya: (looks at his phone and gapes) How dare he not pick up my call? My call? I have such an important thing to tell him. (looks at the picture of a small taco on his pc and is almost on the verge of crying) Small tacos are so adorable! I wish there was porn about them.
*mic drops and author runs away*