Chapter 56

Chapter 56
DALIA
It had been three weeks since Noah and I decided to take a break and Tamika and Norma had told me that I would feel better as time passed by, but I didn’t. I still felt like there was a dark cloud hanging over me. I missed Noah… a lot.
We hadn’t spoken to or seen each other since that day and even though I wanted to hear his voice, I decided not to call him. If I did, I would want to go back to him, and I couldn’t do that yet because I felt it was too soon to bring it up with my parents.
They already knew that Noah and I were on a break because I told them during our ‘talk’ and I think they seemed pleased with that. I wasn’t sure. What I was sure of though, was it wasn’t time for Noah and I to get back together.
Most of the time, my friends and my internship kept him off my mind, but whenever I was alone, I couldn’t stop thinking about him and what he could be doing, and if he was missing me. We were just on a break, but it felt like we were… over.
That made my heart ache.
I took a deep breath as I saw another picture of Noah and I in my gallery and my eyes zeroed in on his face. He looked so happy in it and a smile crept onto my face as I remembered that we took the picture on his birthday. He hadn’t wanted to take a picture that day, but when I told him I wanted to, he changed his mind.
As I kept going through my gallery, I realized that I had only taken a couple of pictures with him and I wished I had taken more.
“Hey baby,” mum called out and I closed my gallery as I looked up to see her walking into the living room. “Can’t sleep?”
“No, I’m just waiting for Harvey to get back.” I dropped my phone and picked up the TV remote. “What are you doing down here? Do you need something?” I asked while she sat next to me and she gave me a dismissive wave before holding her tab out in front of me. A list of beaches and their locations were displayed on the screen.
“Do you want to go to the beach this weekend?”
“The doctor said you should rest.”
“I can rest at the beach,” she replied when I collected the tab and the corner of my mouth turned up as I raised a brow. “Oh, come on. We haven’t gone together in a long time.”
“Most of the beaches are way too crowded during the weekend.”
“How about a private one?” She tapped one of the names on the list and as pictures of the beach came up on screen, the corner of my mouth twitched because I recognized some of them. That was where we had our first date.
“Noah and I went there,” I muttered absent-mindedly, staring down at the screen, and she hmmed before I realized what I just said. My eyes then snapped to her face, but there wasn’t a negative expression on it, and she just kept scrolling through pictures of the beach without saying anything.
“Do you want to go there?” she finally asked after a little while and my brows shot up.
“Huh?”
“The beach? Do you want to go there?”
“Oh…” I returned my attention to the pictures on the screen and my lips curved into a small smile as I nodded. “Yes.”
“Okay then. I’ll start making plans.” She collected the tab and got to her feet before glancing at the window. “Looks like Harvey’s back,” she added just as headlights streamed in through the windows and I turned to look at them too. “Goodnight, baby.”
“Goodnight, mum.”

NOAH
I missed her… I missed her so much and I didn’t know it was possible to miss someone this much till now. Dalia.
I had been staring at her number for the past couple of minutes, wondering if I should call or text or even go see her, but I didn’t know if I should do any of that. I didn’t know if she wanted me to. And that made me feel so fucking miserable.
“Hey,” Shane said, making me look up from my phone to see him leaning against the chair next to me, before I gave him a brief nod.
“Hey.”
“How are you? Did you catch the game last night?” he replied and I set my mouth in a hard line. Is he trying to make small talk? When I didn’t say anything for several moments, he awkwardly shifted from one foot to the other and added, “I was just… You seem down lately. Is everything alright?”
Mum didn’t tell him? She and Taylor had picked up on my glum mood after they found out Shane was the one Allison was pregnant for, and I had told them what happened. I also told them what Travis did because they found out he was arrested from Allison and her mother when they came to ask my dad for help, but those two had told them a completely different story. They didn’t get any help from dad, of course.
I expected mum to have told Shane seeing as she usually told him everything, but he looked like he didn’t know, so maybe she was really trying to change like she said she would.
“Sorry, I’ll shut up,” he said when I still remained quiet and I kept my phone in my pocket as I rubbed my eyes with my other hand. I hadn’t been getting enough sleep recently and I was feeling exhausted right now.
“Are you ready?”
We had a meeting to attend together today and dad thought it would be best if we went together. It had only been a suggestion, but I had agreed absent-mindedly, and when I later realized what I had said, I found no point in changing my mind. Besides, it wasn’t a long ride and if he pissed me off, I could just kick him out of the car.
“Yeah,” he muttered and I got to my feet before walking out of the dining room with him in tow.
Minutes after leaving our parents’ house, I pulled into the parking lot of a coffeehouse and Shane finally broke the silence that had settled in the car ever since we got in.
“You wanna get coffee?” he asked and I nodded, unbuckling my seatbelt.
“...Do you want me to get you anything?”
“Really?” he replied, surprise evident in his voice, and as I moved to get down from the car, he grabbed my arm. “Wait!” I frowned, turning to face him, and a small smile crept onto his face. “A cappuccino. Thank you.”
“Whatever.” I shrugged his hand off and got out of the car before heading towards the building, but before I could walk in, I saw her. Dalia.
She was standing next to the counter with a guy and smiling at him as he spoke to her. For several moments, I held her in my gaze. Her curly, brown hair, her endearing eyes that reminded me of fireworks when they spark up at the tiniest joy, and that smile that lit up her face.
Then the present reasserted itself and everything around me solidified again. I should leave. I turned to head back to the car, but stopped after taking a couple of steps. I… I should-
“Noah,” Dalia’s voice came from behind me and I stiffened. “Hi,” she added, giving me a warm smile after I slowly turned around.
“Hi… How’s your mum?”
“She’s better. She’s home now,” she replied and I nodded, relieved to hear that. I had thought about sending her mum flowers after Dalia and I last spoke, but I didn’t know the hospital she was in and even if I did, they most likely wouldn’t like it.
“I’m sorry.”
She cocked her head to the side. “What for?
“Everything,” I said before she pursed her lips and as she opened her mouth to respond, I blurted out, “I miss you.” Her eyes widened a bit and heat rushed to my face while I held a hand up. “I- I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have -”
“I miss you too.”
I paused. “...Really?
She let out a small laugh and I couldn’t stop myself from smiling as I stared at her. “Why would I lie?”
I took a deep breath, feeling way better than I’d felt the past couple of weeks, and raked my fingers through my hair before deciding to ask her what had been on my mind for weeks now. “Can I…” I started and she raised her brows, waiting for me to go on. “Can I text and call you?” I asked and another smile broke out on her face as she bobbed her head, making my own smile grow wider.
“Yes.”
Bliss rolled through me at that one word and if she was a couple of feet closer to me, I was pretty sure I’d have hugged her.
“I should get going now,” she said and slowly began to walk backwards. “See you later, Noah.”
“See you later.”
She then turned around and I kept my eyes fixed on her till she got into a car before I finally headed to where I had parked while still smiling.
“Um… where’s the coffee?” Shane asked after I got into the car, making me remember why I had come here in the first place, and I just snorted in response as I started the car.