"What's on your mind?"
Noah Bennett sat across from Theresa Lopez-Fitzgerald Crane and watched as she drummed her fingers on the top of her fine-grained wood desk at Crane Industries.
"What do you mean?" Theresa snapped out of her thoughts when Noah stood and paced the floor with a smile.
"You have that look on your face."
"What look?"
"The 'there's-something-on-my-mind' look." Noah stopped and turned to face her. He placed both his hands on her desk and leaned forward, "every time you wrinkle your forehead like that and your keep pressing your lips together that means that there's something going on in that head of yours."
"Noah," Theresa laughed at the fact that he could still decode her mannerisms, "I can't tell you."
"Why not?" He sat back down in the chair across from her with a pout on his face.
"Don't look at me like that Noah Samuel!" Theresa sat back with a laugh, "I can't tell you because I promised that I wouldn't say a word about it. But I can say that you will soon find out in no time!"
"Are you up to something?" Noah's eyes widened, "Wait, I don't even have to ask, you're ALWAYS up to something!"
"Tread lightly Mister Bennett!" Theresa leaned forward and scolded him, "you are in my office."
"Ah, yes, the lovely Theresa Crane's office." Noah shook his head, "I'm not going to start on about how I completely disapprove of you being mixed in with this family, but I am proud that you've finally come down from the clouds and landed safely on earth."
"Geez," Theresa sighed, "thanks, I think."
"I'm proud that you've got yourself a career here, Resa," Noah sat forward, "It's just I can sense that this isn't where your heart is."
"No, maybe not," Theresa nodded, "but I don't plan on staying in this office for long."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"I'm giving Julian his divorce."
"You're what?" Noah almost fell out of his chair at the news that his friend just gave him, "What brought this on, Resa?"
"It's been coming on gradually, Noah." Theresa sighed and ran a hand through her hair, "but it wasn't until you came back when I really started thinking about it."
"How so?"
"You remember that morning with the whipped cream?"
"Vaguely." His voice dripped with sarcasm.
"It's just that it had been so long since I've laughed that hard, Noah. I can't remember the last time that I truly laughed like that, and it scares me." Theresa stood up and walked to the bookcase against the wall. She picked up a photo that was taken just weeks before of her and Noah sitting on the swing set at Lighthouse Park. She ran a hand over it before continuing, "It's like I don't know who I am anymore. The suits, the mansion, the money, the corner office, it's not me, Noah."
"I could have told you that, Resa." Noah nodded and watched as she paced around her office.
"I barely know my family anymore. I've missed so much of Antonio's dilemma and now with Paloma back with us, I want to be close to her, but I can't. My poor mother has gone through so much this past year, and I wasn't there to comfort her." Theresa stopped walking and took a seat on the carpet beside Noah's chair, "And my friends, I mean I miss Whitney, we never spend time together anymore. She's in such an odd place right now with Simone and Chad, not to mention her parents. I feel like I've been such a lousy friend."
"That's not true, Resa."
"The worst part of it is," Theresa sighed as she felt Noah's hands rest on her shoulders and begin to massage them, "I hardly ever get to spend any time with my son. I see it for minutes in the mornings, and barely even an hour the evening before the maid whisks him off to sleep."
"Why didn't you tell me this earlier?"
"Noah," Theresa turned to face him, "I'm not me anymore."
"What?" Noah's countenance turned to concern as he watched his best friend's eyes fill with tears, "you are YOU, Resa. This, this life, the Cranes, that's NOT you."
"That's why I want out."
"I'm so proud of you, Theresa." Noah slid off his chair and knelt beside her on the ground, his arms wrapped around her tiny body, "I'm here for you through this."
"I know you are, Noah." Theresa felt herself relax in Noah's embrace, "Thank you."
"No thanks needed, Resa." Noah smoothed her hair down her back, "whatever you need, I'm here."
Theresa allowed herself to cry in Noah's arms that moment. The tears that had been waiting to be shed were finally released, and her tired body began to shake as she cried harder. It had been so long since anyone allowed her to cry, to feel like it was okay to cry. It had been lifetimes, or so it felt, since anyone ever wanted to take the time to understand her. She was just as broken as everyone else, but wasn't allowed to show it, until now.
Noah Bennett tightened his embrace around his best friend. There were no words that needed to be said between the two of them. He knew just what she needed, he understood her. Noah knew what to do when she was crying. He knew that all she needed was someone to hold her, someone to comfort her, someone to love her.
And in that moment, he did.
He loved her so very much.
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*A/N* AWWWWWW.I'm excited.ARE YOU??? LOL! I know it was SHORT, but it was SWEET.yeah? =) Well, thanks for the wonderful reviews! I definitely read them all and am certainly considering all the possibilities SO, please continue reviewing and adding your comments! Thanks!!
Noah Bennett sat across from Theresa Lopez-Fitzgerald Crane and watched as she drummed her fingers on the top of her fine-grained wood desk at Crane Industries.
"What do you mean?" Theresa snapped out of her thoughts when Noah stood and paced the floor with a smile.
"You have that look on your face."
"What look?"
"The 'there's-something-on-my-mind' look." Noah stopped and turned to face her. He placed both his hands on her desk and leaned forward, "every time you wrinkle your forehead like that and your keep pressing your lips together that means that there's something going on in that head of yours."
"Noah," Theresa laughed at the fact that he could still decode her mannerisms, "I can't tell you."
"Why not?" He sat back down in the chair across from her with a pout on his face.
"Don't look at me like that Noah Samuel!" Theresa sat back with a laugh, "I can't tell you because I promised that I wouldn't say a word about it. But I can say that you will soon find out in no time!"
"Are you up to something?" Noah's eyes widened, "Wait, I don't even have to ask, you're ALWAYS up to something!"
"Tread lightly Mister Bennett!" Theresa leaned forward and scolded him, "you are in my office."
"Ah, yes, the lovely Theresa Crane's office." Noah shook his head, "I'm not going to start on about how I completely disapprove of you being mixed in with this family, but I am proud that you've finally come down from the clouds and landed safely on earth."
"Geez," Theresa sighed, "thanks, I think."
"I'm proud that you've got yourself a career here, Resa," Noah sat forward, "It's just I can sense that this isn't where your heart is."
"No, maybe not," Theresa nodded, "but I don't plan on staying in this office for long."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"I'm giving Julian his divorce."
"You're what?" Noah almost fell out of his chair at the news that his friend just gave him, "What brought this on, Resa?"
"It's been coming on gradually, Noah." Theresa sighed and ran a hand through her hair, "but it wasn't until you came back when I really started thinking about it."
"How so?"
"You remember that morning with the whipped cream?"
"Vaguely." His voice dripped with sarcasm.
"It's just that it had been so long since I've laughed that hard, Noah. I can't remember the last time that I truly laughed like that, and it scares me." Theresa stood up and walked to the bookcase against the wall. She picked up a photo that was taken just weeks before of her and Noah sitting on the swing set at Lighthouse Park. She ran a hand over it before continuing, "It's like I don't know who I am anymore. The suits, the mansion, the money, the corner office, it's not me, Noah."
"I could have told you that, Resa." Noah nodded and watched as she paced around her office.
"I barely know my family anymore. I've missed so much of Antonio's dilemma and now with Paloma back with us, I want to be close to her, but I can't. My poor mother has gone through so much this past year, and I wasn't there to comfort her." Theresa stopped walking and took a seat on the carpet beside Noah's chair, "And my friends, I mean I miss Whitney, we never spend time together anymore. She's in such an odd place right now with Simone and Chad, not to mention her parents. I feel like I've been such a lousy friend."
"That's not true, Resa."
"The worst part of it is," Theresa sighed as she felt Noah's hands rest on her shoulders and begin to massage them, "I hardly ever get to spend any time with my son. I see it for minutes in the mornings, and barely even an hour the evening before the maid whisks him off to sleep."
"Why didn't you tell me this earlier?"
"Noah," Theresa turned to face him, "I'm not me anymore."
"What?" Noah's countenance turned to concern as he watched his best friend's eyes fill with tears, "you are YOU, Resa. This, this life, the Cranes, that's NOT you."
"That's why I want out."
"I'm so proud of you, Theresa." Noah slid off his chair and knelt beside her on the ground, his arms wrapped around her tiny body, "I'm here for you through this."
"I know you are, Noah." Theresa felt herself relax in Noah's embrace, "Thank you."
"No thanks needed, Resa." Noah smoothed her hair down her back, "whatever you need, I'm here."
Theresa allowed herself to cry in Noah's arms that moment. The tears that had been waiting to be shed were finally released, and her tired body began to shake as she cried harder. It had been so long since anyone allowed her to cry, to feel like it was okay to cry. It had been lifetimes, or so it felt, since anyone ever wanted to take the time to understand her. She was just as broken as everyone else, but wasn't allowed to show it, until now.
Noah Bennett tightened his embrace around his best friend. There were no words that needed to be said between the two of them. He knew just what she needed, he understood her. Noah knew what to do when she was crying. He knew that all she needed was someone to hold her, someone to comfort her, someone to love her.
And in that moment, he did.
He loved her so very much.
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*A/N* AWWWWWW.I'm excited.ARE YOU??? LOL! I know it was SHORT, but it was SWEET.yeah? =) Well, thanks for the wonderful reviews! I definitely read them all and am certainly considering all the possibilities SO, please continue reviewing and adding your comments! Thanks!!