Chapter 25-Noah Powers(1)
Evan and I had been wandering around town and enjoying great food, having an amazing time, but I couldn’t pretend anymore. It hurt knowing neither my father or mother called, asking to meet up. They weren’t ready to let go of their hopes and dreams for me, they weren’t ready to let me live my own life the way I wanted to. It hurt knowing they weren’t open for change. Evan noticed and he tried to keep the mood light between us. Every time I looked at him I kept wondering what the hell he saw in me.
He didn’t lack offers, he could date some submissive girl who’d do anything for him, worship the ground he walked on. Yet he wanted to be with a girl whose personal life was messy and who kept pushing him. He said he didn’t mind because he knew I was doing it for him, but I wondered if he was honest about his feelings. All of that, all those worries were driving me insane.
Right about now I wished we were back in New York, meeting up with Emily and Nick and focusing on their wedding and upcoming child. That sounded a lot more fun.
“Zoey!”
Glancing at Evan he shook his head at me, his eyes trailing to someone behind me. Turning around I faced someone I currently wanted to avoid.
“Noah.” I greeted back, upset at how unsure I sounded.
He approached us slowly, his eyes trailing to Evan, “Hello, Noah Powers-” He held his hand out to Evan who shook hands with him, “Nice to meet you.” Noah then looked back at me and smiled, “Dad mentioned you were coming back soon, how have you been?”
I smiled at him, he didn’t do anything wrong, he didn’t deserve to be treated rudely. It was my father who came up with this insane plan to marry me off to Mr. Powers’ his son.
“Great.” I told him honestly, “Change of career, things are more challenging, but I love what I do.” I told him and then gestured to Evan who now stood beside me, looking quite at ease, “This is my boyfriend Evan Black. We’re in town, paying my parents a visit.” I didn’t want to talk much about them, since that was quite a sensitive subject to all of us, “How have you been, taking over your dad’s office soon?” I hoped he would, that would settle things for sure.
Noah laughed, “Right, that’s not going to happen.” He told me which had my full attention, “Told my dad I’m not interested in taking over. I’m actually planning to take a year off and travel the world. Find something I actually enjoy doing, because I’m currently in a slump.” His face lit up as he grinned at her, reminding her that Noah was quite an attractive guy, he just wasn’t Evan who was dark and dangerous, “But you know how it is. You had a career change yourself.”
“Yeah, I know how it is.” I told him honestly, “Is your dad okay with your plans?”
“He wasn’t at first, but he only wants me to be happy. So he came to terms with my decision.” He then glanced at his watch, “I actually need to run. I’m meeting someone in ten. Are you two staying in town for a little while? Maybe we can meet up for dinner and catch up.”
I shook my head, “Evan and I are leaving tonight.”
“Seriously?” Noah then trailed his eyes back to Evan, “Then it was nice meeting you. Treat this girl right, she might come off as a tough girl, but trust me, she is still a girly girl inside. Sensitive and caring. Also gets pretty hotheaded at times which gets her in trouble.”
“We’re not in high school anymore.” I told him, flashing him a playful glare, “I’ve changed.”
Beside me, Evan chuckled, “I know what you mean.” He told Noah, “She is quite a hotheaded girl, but nothing I can’t handle. I also know from experience what it’s like to have family travel the world for a long period of time. Don’t forget to check in with your family every once in a while. It will give them peace of mind.”
I leaned into Evan and placed my hand against his chest, “He knows what he’s talking about. His little sister has been gone for a while now. So I would take his advice.”
“Your sister is traveling?”
“Yeah, has been for a while now.”
“I really wish we could catch up.” Noah smiled at us, “It was nice running into you guys.”
We watched as Noah walked away, in a rush to meet someone. I figured it was a girl, but I didn’t say it out loud. He was doing okay which gave me some piece of mind. Things might not have worked out for my parents and me, but at least people from my past were doing fine. At least now it felt we didn’t waste time coming to my hometown.
“He is a nice guy,” Evan told me.
“He is.” I agreed.
Evan then turned to look at me, placing his hand on top of mine which was still resting against his chest, “Shall we head back to the hotel and start packing? We need to leave in four hours.”
“Yeah let’s head back.”
We went back to the hotel and started packing our things. We didn’t make much of a mess so when we finished packing our luggage we still had three hours left. We decided to head to the airport early and have a drink there. Taking things at a slow pace so we didn’t feel rushed and stressed out.