#int; noah

[etcrnaloptimist]

Noah’s head was a mess, there was no denying that when he’d woken up the morning after he and Aileen had talked. But he did his best to go through the day like normal. He knew he hadn’t quite succeeded though. Anyone who knew him could probably see right through the stiff posture and stilted words to know something was wrong. But the last thing he wanted to do was talk about any of the things that hurt. 

At the end of the day though, the silence in his apartment was too much. Although things were weird between him and Vera, all he wanted was to hug his best friend. When he texted her, he knew she’d be over as soon as she could. That was how their friendship had always worked. 

Pulling open the door almost as soon as he heard the knock, he pulled his best friend into his arms, burying his face in her neck and just breathing for a moment. @andthereweresparks

[etcrnaloptimist]

Even with Coop weaving around his legs, Noah couldn’t distract himself from the nerves he was feeling at having to talk to Vera. She was his best friend, the person he told everything to. And yet this one thing, he hadn’t told her and he had spiraled into something so much bigger than he had ever intended it to be.

When he heard the knock on the door, he quickly got to his feet. “Hey,” he mumbled, flashing her a small smile, already prepared for Vera’s anger. He understood it, he really did. But that didn’t make him hate it any less. “I’m sorry.” It felt best to lead with that before he said anything else. “I really am.” @andthereweresparks​

[etcrnaloptimist]

📱 Noah | Jaz

Noah: Hey! You know what time it is?

Noah: Tattoo time. I haven't gotten anything new since I moved back. You got time before the end of the year???

[etcrnaloptimist]

He was just looking, that’s what Noah told himself as he stepped into Doggy Divine. He was just looking at the animals. He wasn’t taking anything home. Not a cat and definitely not a dog. He didn’t have time. He just wanted to see a couple of the cats Hugo had shown him in person, that was all. 

The minute he walked in the doors and hear the sounds of the dogs barking, Noah felt his resolve wavering. He loved animals and wanted an apartment filled with them. It just didn’t seem possible. “Uh, hey. Hi. I...I wanted to look at some cats?”

[etcrnaloptimist]

Noah wasn’t exactly nervous as he walked into the restaurant. He just knew that on dates, he nearly always found himself being a little awkward, fumbling with the right words to say or overthinking himself. Much like he had when picking clothes to wear tonight. His sister had always said it was because he was too much of a romantic for his own good, but he wasn’t sure, even after the heartbreak that was the end of his last relationship, that was possible. 

Stepping into Charcoal Grill, he ran his hand down the front of his sweater as he took a minute to glance around the room for Madeline. When he spotted her, his face lit up with a smile. “Hey,” he greeted, reaching out to hug her before hesitating. “You look beautiful.” @andthereweresparks​

[etcrnaloptimist]

Noah had made the rounds, talking to people he’d known most if not all his life while carefully avoiding both of his parents, especially after the election results were revealed. Still, he found himself drawn back to Aileen’s side periodically. “You look especially beautiful tonight,” he murmured, dipping his head to whisper the words in her ear. 

@fadiingstarliight​

[etcrnaloptimist]

Noah knew this was necessary. More than necessary really. Talking had been his intention all along. But it seemed like no matter what, if he and Aileen were alone together, talking didn’t happen. Neither of them really made an effort to even try. It was easy to give her an out - he knew how much she didn’t like to talk. He knew how hard it was. But it was needed. 

“I don’t know where to start,” he admitted, biting his lip and looking toward her. “I don’t know what to say. And I know I’m the one who’s supposed to. That’s how we used to work, right?” He’d been the one to ask to talk, to really talk. To push it even when she said she wasn’t ready. and now he didn’t know what to say. 

“I...I’ve been wrapping my head around why you left. How I feel about.” He looked out at the water for a moment before his eyes found her again. “I’ve missed you. I know I said that before, but I have. And this, we have to figure out what the hell we’re doing. I don’t wanna keep just sleeping with you and it not meaning anything. Because we both know it means something. We’ve got too much history for it not to.” @fadiingstarliight​

[etcrnaloptimist]

Even as he pulled his car to a stop outside of Aileen’s house Noah knew he was going to regret this. Before running into her a couple weeks before, he hadn’t seen her in nearly a year. Not since she’d told him they weren’t going to work. But she’d gotten into his head. Poked at parts of his heart that probably shouldn’t have been hers anymore but were. Regardless of how hard he tried to push her out, there was a part of their relationship he just couldn’t let go of. Closing his eyes for a moment, he blew out a breath before climbing out of the car and walking the path to her front door. It wasn’t too late to turn back, but if he left, he’d never know why she’d ended things when he’d been so sure they were both ready to take the next stop. Knocking lightly on the door, he took a step back, hands stuffed in the pockets of the scrubs he hadn’t bothered to change out of. Answers were with Aileen on the other side of that door. But the words she’d sent, telling him knowing was going to hurt him more echoed in his brain. He took another step back just as she pulled the door open.  @fadiingstarliight