So I didn't make it home before the rain ended. It began coming down pretty hard halfway through my journey. Not wanting him to get drenched just for my sake, I texted Noah telling him not to come meet me at the station. He must have gotten my message- despite never texting me back- since I couldn't see him anywhere once I arrived at my stop. I got off the train and wandered to the front door, nervously glancing out.
So, uh…. It looked like it wasn't going to slow down anytime soon. If anything, it was just getting worse out there. Originally, I planned on waiting it out inside the station, however long that may take. "Hey! I said get over here, you dickhead!" But that plan quickly changed when some guys started hollering at each other in Korean nearby. Better get out of here, I silently gulped. Lucky for me, I was able to leave without being noticed. This only meant that I was standing in the rain without an umbrella, getting totally soaked now. The one day I leave my umbrella at home….. That's poetic irony if I'd ever heard it.
Trudging home was an experience, and not a fun one. My converses got soaked; the water seeped straight through to my socks and eventually feet. For a long time, I simply tolerated the uncomfortable sensation on my feet, but after a while, I couldn't take it anymore. The street was clean enough and I wasn't sure how smart it would be to walk with these shoes on. I found a bench where I was able to sit down and take off my shoes and socks. Admittedly, my feet felt so much better being out and free like this, even if they were still getting wet.
With my shoes in my hand, I began to walk the remaining ten minutes to home. I'm not sure when my feet began to bleed; I honestly didn't feel it. Maybe taking my shoes wasn't my brightest move. That's not the reason why I took shelter under a nearby patio covering; the rain was just getting too hard to fight. I was beyond wet at this point and it was starting to get to me. My currently bloody feet were the last thing on my mind- I still have no idea how they got cut. I was in the middle of wiping- fruitlessly, I might add- my face with my damp sleeve when all of a sudden….
"Elle!" Noah's voice made me jump so hard. I hadn't expected to see him at all out here; I merely assumed that he'd gotten home by now. He was carrying a dark blue umbrella, wearing his usual coat, and presumably looking for something. I guess he found it. An angry Noah marched over to the covering where I was standing, only to precede to give me a once over.
"Are you crazy?! What the hell are you doing out here?!" Boy, did he sound mad. I blinked at him a bit confused. "I'm just coming home," was my honest reply. Noah glanced down at my feet, seeing the state they were in before I did. This only made the fire in his eyes burn more. "Why aren't you wearing any shoes? And where's your umbrella? Jesus, Elle!" "I-I…. I left it a home," I shouldn't have been as startled by his reaction as I was. He rolled his eyes and uttered a curse word under his breath. Then he held the umbrella out for me to hold and began taking off his coat.
Noah proceeded to place his coat over my head. Once that was on, he started to take off his shoes. I didn't want him to go that far for me; my hand reached up to stop him. "No, Noah; it's ok. We're almost home anyway. I'll be fine until….." "Seriously, Elle?!" He angrily shot back. He removed both shoes and turned them around so they were my direction. "Put these on," he directly ordered. I still hesitated, feeling guilty wearing his jacket and shoes. "I'm fine, Noah; really….." "Right now!" His voice rang.
Not wanting to argue the subject, I hastily did as I was told. With them on, Noah pulled me under the umbrella. My eyes grew as he wrapped one arm tightly around my shoulders. Neither of us said another word the whole way home, but the mood was….. intense, to say the least. We walked under the umbrella together, to which Noah left me only to open the front door. He shook it out as I went inside, first removing his shoes, then his coat. Noah closed and set the umbrella down and came straight over to me.
"Go get changed, then come right back down here. Don't put on any socks," he was not happy. "Alright," I was obedient once again and hurried straight to my room. It was super nice to get out of the sobbing wet clothes. I got changed into my pyjamas, wrapped my hair in a towel, and went back downstairs. Noah had grabbed the first aid kit and was already waiting in the living room for me. It didn't occur to me that Lee wasn't around at the moment; it seemed just to be Noah and me here for the first time ever.
Noah laid a blanket down on the couch for me. I watched him until he took me by the shoulders and guided me to sit down overtop the blanket. After looking at me for a minute, he knelt down to the floor in front of me right by my feet. There was this awkward moment of silence between us which I felt the need to break.
"You don't need to be mad about it, Noah. I didn't know it'd be raining this hard when I left campus." "Why didn't you wait at the station for me?" He completely ignored all what I just said. "B-Because I didn't think you were coming?" I replied truthfully. "Didn't Marco tell you I would be there?" His tone was rising. I blinked at him incredulously a couple of times. "I messaged you not to come. I didn't want you to get wet coming to meet me." "I left my phone at home, so I didn't get your message. And you shouldn't have told me not to come, Elle; the least I could have done is brought you an umbrella." "Wha-…..? I did it for you, Noah. I didn't want you to walk in the rain on my account. I wanted you to stay home where you could be nice and warm; that's what I wanted for you," I couldn't understand why he was getting so upset over this. I did notice his hands ball into fists for a second. "How do you know what I want, Elle? I'd rather get soaked walking in the rain with you, than you be out there all by yourself, you idiot!" "Noah!" My eyes widened in astonishment.
As if to calm his nerves, Noah exhaled deeply. He thought this was the best time to grab the first aid kit and address the issue of my feet. His hand grabbed my left foot and gently placed it on his lap. He picked up what looked to be some cream. "This'll sting a bit," he said before squirting some goo onto the tip of his finger. He was right- it did sting. I winced a little as he began rubbing it onto my wound. His eyes drifted up to my face, then back down to my foot. "Don't be such a baby. It doesn't hurt that much." "Noah, I can do it. Just let me….." I was interrupted by him softly squatting away my hand. "Let me do it," he said with finality. Once the lotion was on, he put on a band aid and shifted his attention to my other foot. But before doing anything with it, his hands paused. Noah's eyes kind of moved into space for a moment; I could tell he was deep in thought.
Then, for the first time that night, he cracked a smile- a genuine smile. "This sorta reminds me of that time you fell in our garage; when you cut your forehead and I cleaned it for you. You know, before Lee caught us…" "Oh right! I remember that; that was when we were first dating, wasn't it? That first summer…" "It seems such a long time ago….. And yet, here we are. Heh, it feels like everything has changed….. and nothing has changed." "Noah?" My hand rose up to my chest. His gaze lifted up to meet mine; our eyes locked onto each other.
"You didn't call me tonight… because you were thinking of me. But really, Elle, I want you to call me. I told you once to call me when you need me….. It'd ease my mind if you did. You don't need to worry about me, Elle. Trust me, I'm strong enough to carry any weight for both of us…. I want to." "Noah!" My lips parted a little. Still smiling intently, Noah's hand reached over to take mine.
I didn't know what to think when Noah slowly shut his eyes. Gently, his upper half lifted up towards me; his eyes still closed. My heart skipped a beat as I didn't know what to make of the situation. What's he doing? Closer and closer his face came to mine; it took me half a second to realize that he was about to kiss me. Wait… He's going to kiss me. Noah's going to kiss me!
My body and mind went through a strange myriad of emotions just then. My eyes widened and I didn't hold his hand back- I was too stunned. I wasn't prepared in the slightest and couldn't make heads or tails of myself. I suppose at one point the subconscious part of brain took over control. My limbs or head didn't move, but something else did, and it was totally without my conscious knowledge. As Noah's lips almost reached mine, my mouth opened ever so slightly. "Marco…." I breathed just loud enough for me to hear it, and I hadn't even realized I'd said his name.
The second I did however, my brain reset itself. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Wait a minute! Wait a minute!" My voice suddenly filled the room. Noah's eyes shot open and he looked at me with surprise. His stare only widened as I yanked my hand out of his. I was totally blushing by now, holding both my hands together in a cradling fashion. "N-Noah, we can't! I mean, I can't! This is so not the time for this! I shouldn't be kissing anyone right now!" "Elle, I….." It was Noah's turn to be incredulous with me. Before he could utter another word, the front door opened.
"Hi guys! I'm home!" Lee greeted us. He threw down his stuff and then saw us sitting in the living room together like that. He blinked perplexed at such a sight. "What's up with you? And hey, what happened to your feet, Elle?" "Nothing. Go put your stuff upstairs," Noah sounded upset by the intrusion. Lee shrugged and headed up to his room. Once his older brother heard the door closed, he glanced back to me.
"Elle, I…. I'm sorry. I get it- you wanna feel ready. R-Ready for anything, I mean!" He was quick to clarify himself. Noah…. My eyes lowered onto him. "It's not you, Noah. I just….." "No, it's ok. I understand how you feel; I get it." "T-Thank you, Noah," I sighed. He and I stood up together, him helping me straighten up. I wanted to bring the first aid box back into the bathroom, but Noah stopped me just before I left. I didn't see his face or front this time, but I could feel him standing very close behind me.
"Elle?" "Yeah?" "Do you…? You like someone, don't you? There's someone you like here, isn't there?" What?! Where did he hear that? I don't remember saying that before. "N-No, Noah. I don't….. I don't….." I responded, though I didn't sound confident at all. To my surprise, I could almost feel him smiling from here. He took a step closer to me. "It's ok, babe. You can take your time; you've been single for such a long time. You can ease back into everything…. Take all the time in the world."
Then Noah proceeded to wrap both his arms around me, embracing me from behind.