Rachel politely turned down Shelby's offer to buy her something new to wear for her date. She'd told Shelby that she had plenty of clothes already, it wasn't a lie, but really, she just didn't want her Mom to spend any more money on her than she already had. She knew Shelby said she wouldn't offer to buy her anything she couldn't afford, but, after having nothing for so long, sometimes Rachel felt a little overwhelmed by the amount of things that were now 'hers'. She'd also refused Shelby's offer to call Amy, so Rachel could 'borrow' something from her Aunt. Rachel was still struggling to believe that anyone would want to date her, that this wasn't some big joke, she was half expecting Noah not to turn up, and, to her, the less people that knew about her date the better, just in case it was a disaster.
Selfishly, Shelby was grateful that Rachel didn't want Amy to know about her date, she loved her sister, and she loved the bond she and Rachel had formed, loved the way that Rachel instinctively trusted her Aunt, that she saw Amy as 'safe', but she was grateful that she got this moment to herself. She'd missed out on so much of Rachel's life, so she tried to make the most of the moments she did get, and, helping her daughter get ready for her first date was something Shelby knew she would never forget.
Rachel seemed even more anxious than usual as she got ready on Saturday morning, Noah had told Rachel he'd pick her up at 10.30 and the butterflies in Rachel's stomach meant she'd hardly managed to eat any of the breakfast Shelby had made. Shelby helped Rachel with her hair and make up after she'd eaten as much as she could, curling her hair in gentle waves and pinning the front of her hair back to keep it out of her face before talking Rachel through applying her makeup, it was something they'd been practicing together and now Rachel just needed a little guidance, she was comfortable doing most of it herself.
Once that was done, Shelby left the room to allow Rachel to change. Noah had simply told her to dress comfortably, that she didn't need anything 'fancy' and, after going through both their wardrobes together, Rachel had decided to wear a summer dress she'd 'borrowed' from Amy for their vacation. Amy hadn't expected Rachel to return any of the clothes Rachel had borrowed, so she'd been surprised that her niece had only kept a few items. The dress she'd chosen for her date was a simple, short sleeved, lightweight dress, the coral pink fabric dotted with tiny flowers, Rachel was a little shorter than Amy, so the dress came almost to her knee, but, for comfort, Rachel chose to wear cycling shorts underneath too.
"Do I look okay?" Rachel asked nervously as she walked into Shelby's room to find her Mom brushing her own hair back into a ponytail.
"Okay? You look beautiful Baby, Noah's a lucky boy."
"You think?"
"I know" Shelby tied back her hair before walking over to Rachel and taking her hand, "you're going to have a great time today" she told her, "and just like when you went out to the theme park, don't feel like you have to constantly be in touch, if you need me, of course I'll be here, but if you're having a great time, you don't need to check in, just let me know when you're on your way home."
"Okay" Rachel smiled, "thank you for letting me go out."
"You don't need to thank me Darling, as long as you ask first, and we don't have other plans, you'll always be allowed to go out with your friends."
"I'm still grateful that you let me go" Rachel said softly, reaching out and wrapping her arms around her Mom.
"I know" Shelby smiled, it still surprised her whenever Rachel initiated a hug like this. "Take some cash out of my purse before you leave" she said as she held Rachel close, "and take my credit card again, just in case you need it."
"Are you sure?" Rachel looked up at Shelby, "I have money from my allowance and…"
"I'm sure Baby" Shelby kissed her forehead, "save your allowance for yourself."
Rachel tightened her hold on her Mom briefly, "thank you."
"You've got nothing to thank me for Darling, nothing at all."
As always, Noah arrived a little earlier than he said he would, "wow" his jaw dropped a little when Rachel opened the door, "you look great Rachel."
She blushed slightly and tucked a stray curl behind her ear, "thanks" she whispered.
"Do you wanna say bye to your Mom before we go?" He knew Rachel felt 'safe' around her Mom, that being close to her Mom brought her comfort and, like all Rachel's friends, he just accepted that. Whilst he and his friends were happy to just tell their parents they were leaving and go, he knew Rachel often needed a moment with Shelby, as if her Mom gave her the strength and confidence she needed to leave her home.
Shelby hugged Rachel tightly, kissing her hair and again, telling her to have a good day before checking that Rachel had taken both cash, and her credit card from her purse and reminding her of her curfew time, "I love you Mom" Rachel whispered as she clung to Shelby.
Shelby kissed Rachel's hair, "I love you too Baby."
Rachel finally said goodbye to Shelby and let Noah lead her out to his truck, "so" he told her as they pulled on their seatbelts, "I have got like a plan for the day, but if you wanna do something else, or it gets too much and you wanna go home, just say okay? Don't feel like you have to go along with it all."
"Okay" Rachel nodded, "are you going to tell me what we're doing?"
Noah smiled, "there's a movie theatre just out of town, they show family movies on a Saturday morning, they're usually older movies and, like I said, they're aimed at families with little kids, but they're showing Aladdin today, so I thought…"
"Oh" Rachel grinned. She'd spent a lot of time at Noah's when she was younger and, although money was tight in the Puckerman house, occasionally, Noah's Mom would buy them a movie from a yard sale or a thrift store, and, when she'd brought home Aladdin, they'd become obsessed. They watched it almost religiously, so much so that Rachel still didn't know how they hadn't worn out the tape. They'd watched the movie on repeat, and then, with just an old bed sheet to use as their magic carpet, they'd spent hours 'flying' through his back yard, acting out their favourite scenes from the movie and making up their own adventures.
"Is that a good oh?" Noah asked as he drove, "if you want to do something else…"
"No, it's a good oh, it's, it's really thoughtful Noah, thank you."
"I know we watched it a lot when we were younger."
"We watched it the first time you came to see me at my Mom's too, when I knew Noah was back."
"That's right" he'd forgotten about that until Rachel mentioned it, "hopefully you won't fall asleep on me this time" he joked playfully.
Rachel bit her lip and smoothed out the skirt of her dress, "I'll do my best."
Noah insisted on paying for the tickets, and for a large soda and popcorn for them to share, usually he'd have taken his date straight to the back row, but Rachel was different, and he didn't want her to feel like she had to do anything other than watch the movie so, he chose seats in the middle of the theatre to give them a good view of the screen. "Is this okay?" he asked once they were settled in their seats.
"Yeah" Rachel smiled, "it's great, thank you."
They spoke quietly until the lights dimmed, Rachel laughing as Noah threw popcorn into the air and managed to catch it in his mouth. But, as the movie started, he was surprised to feel Rachel's hand slip into his, he tried not to show it though, just squeezed her hand gently as her fingers linked with his.
He found himself unable to concentrate on the movie, instead he found himself watching Rachel, the way her face lit up, the smile playing on the corner of her lips, and how she'd mouth the words to the songs as they played. He didn't know all the details, but he knew Rachel had been through a lot, and he knew it would take her a while to get over that, if she ever got over it at all, but right now, all her stress and worry was gone, and all he could see was her excitement as she watched her favourite movie.
Rachel didn't let go of Noah's hand as they left the movie theatre at the end of the film, "thank you for bringing me here" she smiled as they walked back towards his truck.
"It's okay" he squeezed her hand, "but that was just the beginning, I've got plenty more things planned for today."
"Really?" Rachel was surprised, she didn't know why anyone would go to so much effort for her.
"Yeah" Noah helped her into his truck, "but if you want to go home, or you want to do something different then you can tell me. I want you to have a good day."
"I'm already having a great day" Rachel told him with a smile, "anything else will just be a bonus."
Noah's next stop was a large park Rachel had never been to before, but Noah seemed to know exactly where he was going. He grabbed a bag from the back of the truck once he'd found a parking spot, slinging it over his shoulder before locking the truck and, once again, taking Rachel's hand.
They walked around the park for a while before finding a patch of grass that wasn't too busy, Noah letting go of Rachel's hand to take a picnic blanket from the bag he was carrying, thanking Rachel when she helped him lay it out on the ground, "I know things have probably changed since then, but Ma helped me make some of the things we used to have when she made picnics for us to take with us on our wild adventures of the back yard."
"Oh Noah" Rachel felt herself tearing up a little, "that's so thoughtful, you shouldn't have gone to so much trouble."
Noah smiled and opened the bag, taking out several small plastic boxes of food, "I know you might not believe me Rach, but you're worth it."
Rachel was surprised by how easily she and Noah found things to talk about as they ate, and, once they'd eaten, Noah pushed the empty containers back into his bag and laid down in the blanket, one arm under his head as he gestured for Rachel to lay beside him.
"Hey" Rachel smiled as she laid beside Noah, "that cloud looks like a pony."
"A pony?" Noah frowned, "it's clearly a rabbit on a motorbike."
"A… Noah" Rachel shook her head, "how is it a rabbit? It doesn't even have ears!"
"It's on a motorbike" Noah rolled his eyes, a 'duh' tone to his voice, "it's ears are under its helmet."
Rachel laughed and shook her head, the sound of Rachel's laughter ringing in Noah's ears "it's definitely a pony."
They laid side by side for a while, pointing out shapes in the clouds playfully teasing each other for the shapes they saw, and, after laying on her own for a while, Rachel became a little more confident, moving closer to Noah until her head was on his shoulder, Noah shifting slightly so he could wrap his arm around her waist, content silence between them as they laid together.
Rachel often felt like she 'needed' to be held, she 'needed' physical contact with someone, she'd thought it was weird, thought she was weird but Shelby had reassured her that it was understandable. Shelby had reminded Rachel that she'd gone without comfort or affection for so long that sometimes her body craved it, especially now she knew she could be comforted, be held, whenever she wanted. And, like her family, Rachel knew that Noah was 'safe' that he wouldn't judge her if she wanted to be held, and he certainly wouldn't hurt her, not any more.
"Wanna do something else?" Noah asked after they'd laid together for a while, "or do you want to stay here?"
"We can do something else" Rachel smiled, pushing herself to sit up, Noah instantly missing the feel of her laying against him, "do you have anything in mind?"
"Well" Noah sat up, "I thought we could try and get through the maze."
"The maze…"
"Yeah, it's just a bunch of hedges but it's meant to be fun and…" he saw the look on Rachel's face, "we don't have to."
"You, you won't leave me?"
"Of course not. We're probably going to get lost in there, but everyone does, and we'll stick together, I promise."
"Okay" Rachel nodded, she felt a little worried that Noah would leave her but at the same time, she trusted him when he said he'd stay with her and the maze did sound fun, Rachel wouldn't let her anxiety ruin that.
There were a lot of other families in the maze, so Rachel clung tightly to Noah's hand, not wanting to accidentally get separated from him, but eventually the crowds thinned out as everyone went in different directions, and Rachel began to relax a little. Noah had told her that the aim was to get to the middle of the maze, but there were also things to see at each corner and they'd decided to try and find at least two corners before trying to find the middle. Rachel and Noah began joking with each other as Rachel accepted that Noah wasn't going to leave her, her fingers were still laced with his but she no longer had a death grip on his hand as they argued playfully about which way to go.
"I think it's this way" Rachel tugged gently on his hand.
Noah shook his head, "nah, I think it's down here" he pointed in a different direction.
"Noah" Rachel raised her hand to her forehead, "that's the way we came."
"Oh" Noah shrugged, "sorry, they all look the same after a while."
Rachel bit her lip, "we're lost aren't we?"
"I think we might be" Noah laughed, pulling Rachel closer and wrapping his arm around her shoulders and pulling her close, "but we're lost together so it's okay."
It took them almost two hours to find all four corners, and the middle of the maze, but by the time they stumbled from the exit of the maze, Rachel's face was aching from smiling and laughing with Noah, she'd all but forgotten her concerns about being left behind in the maze and simply enjoyed herself.
After a quick bathroom break, Noah brought them both ice cream and they strolled, hand in hand around the lake. Rachel turned down Noah's offer to hire a pedal boat, so instead they found themselves at the petting zoo, Noah insisting on buying a bag of food so they could feed the animals. "I've always wanted to ride a horse" Rachel confessed as she stroked one of the ponies in the enclosure, repetitively running her hand down its nose.
"Yeah?" Noah asked with a smile as he watched Rachel, "maybe we could go horse riding for our next date."
Rachel turned quickly, "our next… You want to go on another date with me?"
"Yeah, only if you want to though, I mean, if you'd rather not then…"
"No" Rachel interrupted, "I mean yes, I mean… I've had a really great day with you Nono, and I'd like to do it again."
They stayed in the park for a little while longer, walking around the gardens and just enjoying each other's company until they both began to get hungry and headed back to Noah's truck so they could go get dinner.
He'd already picked out the restaurant, a tapas place not far from the park, he knew Rachel sometimes felt anxious about eating in front of other people and he figured that her having lots of smaller dishes that she was sharing with him would help put her at ease a little.
He was right, Rachel had been a little worried about eating out, she often couldn't finish a full portion of food at a restaurant and she always wondered if the restaurant staff thought she'd left her food because she didn't like it. She almost cried when Noah explained how tapas worked, he'd put so much thought into their day, she felt like he'd gone out of his way to make her comfortable and she knew she'd never be able to thank him for that.
"Earth to Rachel" Noah broke her from her thoughts, "are you okay?"
"Yeah" Rachel smiled, "I'm good, great, thank you for today."
"It's okay, I'm glad you've had a good time, you look tired though."
"I guess I am" Rachel admitted before attempting to explain , "before, when I first moved in with my Mom, everything made me tired. Grocery shopping, school, I used to nap all the time. I don't feel like that any more, not with physical things, but sometimes socialising, being around other people, that makes me tired, it's silly I know and I'm sorry that I… "
"It's not silly" Noah stopped Rachel talking badly about herself, "and you don't need to apologise, I can take you home once we're done here, it's okay."
"Are you sure, if you had other plans then…"
Noah shook his head, "my plan was for you to enjoy yourself, not to make you push yourself to the point where you're not comfortable, if you're tired I'll take you home, it's no big deal."
"Thank you" Rachel smiled shyly, "my doctor and my therapist think that the anxiety medication might help with it but I haven't really been taking it long enough to feel a difference."
"It's okay Rachel" Noah reached over the table and took Rachel's hand, "if you feel up to staying out until curfew next time then that's great, if you feel like you need to go home at lunchtime then I'll take you home. I know I've been a jerk in the past Rach, but I don't want to be like that anymore, I, I hurt you, and I didn't stop other people hurting you and I, I don't want you to hurt anymore Rach, especially not because of me."
"I trust you Noah, I trust my Nono, I know you wouldn't hurt me, I might struggle to accept it, but deep down, I know I'm safe with you."
"I'm glad to hear that" Noah smiles, "I know your Mom thinks she'd kill me if I hurt you, but I don't think she'd have chance, I think Ma would get in there before your Mom could blink." Rachel chuckled, "maybe you could come round for dinner one day?" he suggested, "I know she'd love to see you."
Rachel nodded and returned the smile, "I'd like that."
There was a brief argument when the bill was brought over, Rachel wanted to pay but Noah wouldn't let her. She argued that she hadn't paid for anything and he insisted that he'd asked her on a date so he was paying. Rachel simply huffed and told him she was paying next time before accepting defeat and letting Noah pay the bill.
Shelby was a little surprised to get Rachel's text to say she was on her way home, she'd expected the girl to be out until curfew. It was a little before 9 when she heard, what she assumed to be Noah's truck pull up outside the house and she had to force herself to stay seated. She absolutely hated it when she'd come back from dates as a teen to find her parents trying to catch a glimpse of her and her date through the curtains, it was even worse when her Dad had started flicking the porch light on and off as she made out with her dates, signaling that it was time to get her butt inside. No. She wasn't going to do that to Rachel, she was going to stay seated on the couch until her daughter walked through the door.
She could hear muffled conversation, Noah had insisted on walking Rachel to the door, and it was a good few minutes before she heard Rachel's key in the lock, "hey Baby" she smiled when Rachel walked over to the couch, "you're home early."
"I know" Rachel sat beside Shelby and instinctively curled into her, smiling as Jasper jumped up onto her lap, "Noah noticed I was getting tired so he brought me home."
That gave the boy extra brownie points in Shelby's mind, "that was good of him, have you eaten?"
Rachel nodded, "we were in the restaurant when he noticed I was tired."
"Okay, well if you're tired, why don't you go get changed? We can watch a movie in bed and if you fall asleep it doesn't matter."
"Okay" Rachel nodded, "can I tell you about my day?"
"Absolutely" Shelby smiled as she turned off the TV, "in fact, I think I'd be disappointed if you didn't."
