Eventually, my unwillingness to provide a different answer to Noah's inquiry gets to him and he gives up, no longer pestering me to tell him the real reason I'm not prepared for today's lesson. The hour goes by a little too fast for my liking and before we know it, we've run out of time. While I'm putting my belongings away, my eyes skip over to the boy whose eyes, in contrast, are trained on his phone. Both of brows are puckered together as deep creases form valleys on his forehead. My curiosity gets the best of me and my mouth acts faster than my mind does.

"What's the matter?" I question with my head cocked to one side. It's as though my voice reminds him of my existence as Noah tears his gaze from the device sitting in his hand and places it on me instead. Suddenly, I feel self-conscious under his piercing stare and all I could do is clear my throat. I shift a little, unsure if I should break the intense eye-contact we're currently engaged in. Why is he looking at me like that? It's kind of unsettling.

A couple of seconds go by and still no words escape his lips. Maybe I should have minded my own business. What's wrong with me? I probably look like the world's biggest hypocrite right now. I've never shared anything personal about myself with Noah, yet I'm expecting him to tell me what's going on with his life? I must be crazy to think he'd voluntarily tell me anything. Just as I open my mouth to say never mind, Noah pushes his chair back, stands up and swallows me into his arms. I freeze like a statue as he tightens his hold around my rigid body. His chin settles into the crook of my neck as his hot breaths drum against my bare skin.

To say I'm shocked would be an understatement.

"It's my mom," he whispers softly. I'm immediately filled with fear. Don't tell me something terrible has happened to her. "She wants to meet me," he continues and that's when it hits me. Noah pulls back and flashes me a small smile.

My heart flutters at the sight as I return the gesture. "That's good," I say.

"I know. It took me forever to get her contact information. The first time I called her, she hung up on me before I could even finish telling her who I was. Whenever I texted her, she'd never reply either. But today she did." The look on his face is one exuding with hope and I can't help it as my smile broadens.

"I'm really happy to hear that." I mean it. I can't believe he's actually sharing something so private, something so intimate, about himself with me. I'm not going to lie, but I feel pretty damn special right now. How can I not? Just look at the guy! Perhaps, I should return the favor. I mean, it's only fair. Plus, Noah hasn't done anything but help me thus far. He seems to be a pretty trusting person. There's no reason for me not to confide in him. Maybe, he's the answer to all of my problems.

It'd be nice to talk to someone about my dysfunctional family without being judged or pitied for it. Although my friends are a great bunch, I know how they are and how they'll react if they discovered how messed up my life could be. I don't need someone to feed me sympathy. I just want somebody who'll listen to me vent all of my frustrations away so that I could breathe properly for once in my life. And who knows, Noah could be that person. I'll never know unless I take a leap of faith.

"Would you like to come with me?" he questions, pulling me from my train of thoughts. My eyes widen and my jaw slacks open. He must have noticed my expression because he is no longer looking at me as he rubs the nape of his neck. "I don't know think I'm ready to face her by myself yet," he confesses timidly.

What am I supposed to say? I can't reject him, especially after he said that. I'd look like a heartless witch. But why is he asking me? Shouldn't he bring someone he's much closer with? There has to be somebody else who will be able to accompany him. "Are you sure? I mean, it seems like a pretty intimate moment. I don't want to spoil the mood."

Noah's arm falls back down to his side as he stands tall, his head held high. "You won't. It'd be nice to have you there. That way I could show her that something good did happen to me. Just like she hoped for when she gave me up."

It feels like a million butterflies have hatched inside of my stomach, leaving me lightheaded, gasping for air. Did I hear that correctly? Is he referring to me as the good thing that has happened to him? How is that even possible? We've only known each other for a few months at most. I don't know what to think and to be honest, I'm quite terrified. Why does it feel like we're moving too fast?

I've heard about this kind of thing before. I've read it in the sappy romance novels at least a dozen times. I'm not saying that I love Noah or that he loves me, because let's be realistic here, we're still practically strangers. But is it impossible for me to love him? I don't think so. However, if we do end up in love, I feel like it'll be the kind of love that's like a hurricane. It'll come in without warning, sweeping you up off of your feet and completely destroying everything in its path and before you realize it, it'll already be too late. You'll be left alone to deal with the aftermath of the storm. Is that what I want?

Should I say yes or should I say no?

* * *

It's Saturday, and instead of burying myself underneath my covers and sleeping until the sun is no longer in the sky, I'm up, trying to figure out what outfit I should wear. I have three options sprawled out on my bed. The first one consists of a long, white sweater dress, which stops two or three inches above my knees, and a pair of black stockings. The second is a pair of light-washed skinny jeans with a mint, off-the shoulder blouse. The third, and final, outfit is a baggy cardigan with a gradient effect (it's a crème color at the top but once you get to the bottom, it starts to change into a coral red), a white V-neck shirt, and some black leggings.

The good thing about purchasing your clothes from thrift shops is that you can find some cute things that won't put a huge dent in your wallet. I'll have to thank my mom for this one.

I know, technically speaking, this isn't a date. But it won't hurt to dress up a little, would it? I am meeting Noah's mother. Well, the one that's biologically related to him anyways. I'm not sure if I'll ever meet the woman who's raised him yet, but I'll worry about that later. Trapped at a stalemate, I snap photos of the clothes and send them to Daniella. A moment later, she gets back to me. She tells me to go with the cardigan and leggings, since it looks casual but not too casual, if that makes sense. I guess number three it is.

"And where do you think you're going?" I stop at the door, my fingers coiled around the knob. With my jaw flexed, I glance over my shoulder.

"Out," I answer vaguely.

"With who? Nobody even likes you," she snickers as she folds her arms in front of her chest.

Having had enough of her snide remarks, I release the knob and pivot my entire body towards her. "Actually, not that it's any of your business, but I'm going out with a boy, who actually likes me, and you know what? I like him, too."

"As if. That guy must be an idiot for liking someone so..."—she scrutinizes me from head to toe, a wicked smirk dancing on her lips—"useless. But hey, birds of a feather flock together, right?"

I don't care if she insults me, but insulting my friends and the people I hold dear to my heart is unacceptable in my book. They don't deserve any kind of nasty backlash from her, and neither do I. "Is that why you're always coming home smelling like pot? What are you, a stoner now? Better hope dad doesn't find out or you'll never hear what a disgrace you are to our family."

My sister resembles a fish out of water, and before she has the chance to gouge my eyes out with her fingers, I make my escape. Holy crap, what did I just do? Did I just sign my death warrant?

I don't know why I don't get along with Sadie, Elise and Amy, but things have always been this way for as long as I could remember. The three of them are pretty close to each other. It might have something to do with their ages being less than five years apart.

I guess they have more in common than I do with any of them.

I'm not saying all of my siblings treat me terribly, the oldest, Samantha, treats me well but after she got married, she moved out to live with her husband so I don't get to see her as much anymore. I understand though. She might have yelled at me, even hit me a few times, but never did she do it without a good reason.

It's not like she was targeting me alone either. Whenever I, or any of my siblings, did something bad, like fight or stay out past curfew, we'd get punished the same. However, I knew she was doing everything out of love.

Sam's got a life of her own now though. She's always been like a second mother to us, but it's not easy talking to her about this kind of stuff, especially because we've never been an expressive bunch. My brothers, Elliott and Martin, are off doing their own stuff as well. And I can't forget Annalyn. She had a baby a couple of years ago, but she's been off on her own since she was eighteen. So we don't hear much from her since she's a private person. She doesn't come around much either but that's how my family works.

My heart is pounding against my chest as I make my way down the stairs, afraid that Elise would come chasing after me. When I make it outside in one piece, I relax. Then, I hear a honk and look up. I spot Noah's car over by the curb and I wave at him. "Hey," I say as I climb in.

"Hey, you look great." My cheeks grow red. I could say the same thing about you. Next, Noah reaches his arm towards the backseat and I can hear the crinkling of plastic. I gasp quietly. He reveals a beautiful bouquet composed of bright blue Forget Me Nots and hands it to me. "Would you mind holding this? It's for my mom." My chest deflates in disappointment and the smile on my face falters.

"Sure," I answer, trying not to let my emotions show. How embarrassing! Get your head on straight, Rory! This isn't a date! There's no reason for him to get you flowers! What were you thinking?

"I'm just kidding," Noah laughs. "These are for you. The lilies are for her."

I glance back and there is indeed a bundle of white lilies sitting in the back. The void feeling I had experienced moments ago is completely filled to the brim with joy again as I hold the bouquet to my nose and inhale the floral fragrance. It doesn't smell as good as roses but then again, roses are so overrated. "Thanks."

On the drive towards the Starbucks Noah and his biological mother agreed to meet at, the two of us discuss an array of topics, ranging from the time he spent in England to my love for lacrosse. Noah is actually pretty easy to talk and I feel a little guilty for judging him without taking the proper time to get to know him first. We arrive at the coffee spot and head in. It's not too busy right now and we find a table with four chairs by the window.

"Do you want something to drink?" he asks as I take a seat.

"I'm okay," I reply.

"Oh come on. It's my treat. Take it as my way of thanking you for coming with me today."

Well, who am I to refuse? "A green tea Frappuccino with whip cream would be nice."

"Cool, wait here. I'll be right back." He sets the bouquet of lilies down and I watch him scurry over to the register. How could someone's backside be so attractive?

Noah returns five minutes later with our drinks and occupies the chair beside me. The small distance causes my heart to hitch and I steal a glimpse of him through my peripheral vision. He's checking his watch. He must be nervous. "What time is she supposed to get here?" I question in attempt to disburse some of that anxiety.

"One-thirty." That's less than ten minutes away! I notice Noah's fingers fiddling together under the table and I place a hand over them to get him to stop. His neck snaps up and we lock eyes.

"It's okay. You've got nothing to worry about," I assure.

Boy, had I been wrong. So wrong.

Nearly an hour goes by, but the seats across from us remain empty.

"She's not coming, is she?"

My heart constricts, as though it's being squeezed. "I'm so sorry, Noah."

"I should have known," he croaks with his head hanging low in defeat. "I'm such an idiot."

"Hey, don't say that about yourself." I force him to look at me and it's as if someone has just knocked the wind out of me when I catch sight of his glossy eyes. "You are not an idiot, do you understand me? If anything, that woman is the idiot. She missed out an opportunity of a lifetime and it's her loss."

The corners of his lips to curl upwards, but I know very well what really lies behind that smile of his. Why? Because that's the same smile I force myself to wear every day. "So this is what you meant when you said we were the same," I mutter tenderly.

Noah nods. "We both try so hard to convince the world we're something we're not and along the way, without meaning to, we also forget who we actually are and start believing in the lies like everyone else."

"H-how do you know that?" I stutter.

"You must really not remember," he whispers, his hand moving up and caressing my cheek. "But I don't blame you. A traumatic experience can do that to a person."

"A traumatic experience?" I repeat, bewildered. "What are you talking about, Noah? Who was traumatized?" What is he saying?

He pauses and stares at me with a pained expression. "You were, Ro, and it was all because of me."

- - -

Author's Thoughts: Oh my god. I don't know what I wrote. But my feelings are everywhereeeee! Someone save me. (;~;) Like I said, this is a short story, so it's fast paced and what not. It's probably going to end in 2 chapters or 4. I'm not sure yet! Please vote and comment! What do you think happened to Rory? Poor Noah though!