Noah's Love

Chapter 22: A Family Crisis

*Unedited*

It had been two weeks since Rebecca had last spoken with Noah. At first, she had given him space. But on the 8th day, she had finally texted him, only to watch it go unanswered. It pierced her heart a little, but she didn't give up hope. Over the next couple of days, she kept trying and he kept ignoring her, as if she didn't exist. What did she think would happen anyways? I would have probably done the same, she thought, unable to focus on work. She didn't remember the last time she'd stayed away from him for that long. Was this going to be our new normal?  She wondered, feeling sick.

While her friendship was falling apart, her love life was progressing incredibly. Not only did he listen to her talk about her darkest fears and thoughts, but also loved and held her every night. 

After Angela left to go back to her family in Vermont, Rebecca had practically been living at Jordan's place. It wasn't intentional. In fact, after he'd persuaded her to talk about what she was feeling, she'd cried herself to sleep at his place the first time. True to his character, he had listened to her talk intently, offering comfort in whatever ways he could, even though she was upset over another man that loved her.

That's just who Jordan was. He was honest, pure-hearted and with each passing day, becoming the pillar she relied on. Now, going back to her apartment to live alone didn't even feel like an option. Doing that would only give an invitation to the thoughts that plagued her when she was by herself.

Her phone buzzed with a new message, drawing her out of her thoughts. Her gaze briefly fell on her computer screen and the amount of unread emails, making her sigh loudly.

Jordan 11:55 AM - Angela has been talking a mile a minute about us. I'm almost afraid to return my mom's missed call.

Hmm, she wondered. Was he afraid of telling his parents about us?

Rebecca 11:57 AM - LOL! And that's scaring you because...?

Jordan 12:00 PM - Babe, she will have us both married tomorrow. That woman has been after my life for the past year.

The word 'marriage' made her stomach drop. It wasn't because she was nervous to settle down. She'd just never thought of it until now. She was 28 years old and in love with a guy that she was sure would give her the world. The only damper was her dying friendship with Noah as a result of her relationship.

As if sensing her thoughts, he texted her again.

Jordan 12:10 PM - Maybe I shouldn't have said the 'M' word...

Rebecca 12:11 PM - Since when do we censor words around each other? You're fine, Mr. Cooper.

Jordan 12:12 PM - Why did I imagine you saying that with a sexy voice?

Rebecca 12:13PM - That's because I did ;)

Jordan 12:15 PM - I'll need an in-person replay of that tonight please...

She laughed quietly, putting her phone down and turning to her computer screen with more determination. Maybe she could get through this day afterall.

Noah watched the woman in front of him talk with excessive hand gestures, trying to look like he was paying attention. But her words were bouncing off his ears. He knew this was an important meeting and he should be concentrating. His heart just wasn't in it though. Instead, he was distracted by Rebecca's image flashing in front of his eyes and her voice whispering to him. Her laugh echoed in his head and her gentle smile squeezed his heart painfully.

Was it always going to be this way?  

Will she never leave him alone?

It made him sad and angry at the same time. While sometimes he wanted to rush to her and take her away with him, the other times he wanted to get away from everything and everyone that reminded him of her.