Thirty-Eight Days (42 page)

“I love you, and I intend on one day marrying you, Clara,” he whispered in her ear. Clara didn’t stir. He took a moment to watch her as she peacefully slept. Come tomorrow, they’d be out. With or without Alex’s blessing, he knew they had a future.

A future where Clara had my surname and vowed to be my wife.

He smiled. Happy with the idea of their future entwined with each other. Noel bent down and kissed Clara’s forehead.

“It’s a promise I intend on never breaking,” he assured her and took sight of the Celtic knot on Clara’s locket. It seemed fitting that the “N” was engraved on her locket. Clara truly owned his heart, body, and soul. Noel reached out and ran his thumb over the engraved “N.” He smiled, got up and quietly left Clara’s room. He had a future to plan for. But first he had to message Clara.

Noel: I’m sorry I didn’t say goodbye. You look too beautiful to disturb. I love you.

When Alex returned from his run, Noel was busy in his room making phone calls. He was glad that Alex took Clara to their family home to pick up things that Alex wanted for his new home. Noel had several calls he needed to make and answer. Securing their future wasn’t easy, but it was worth it.

He looked over at Clara and Alex at the other end of the club. It was Friday night, and they were attending a new club opening in South Melbourne. Clara was dressed in a soft, almost sunrise-coloured dress that hit just before her knees. Her curls flowed freely down her back and the need to wrap his arm around her waist was strong. He wanted to show all the horny bastards in the club that she was spoken for.

Stevie placed a drink in Clara’s hand and they walked towards him and Rob.

“I don’t think we’ve met,” Rob said towards Stevie.

“Stevie,” she shouted over the loud music. Noel looked over to see Rob’s eyes run down her body. Stevie was beautiful, but there was something to her that didn’t quite meet her tough exterior.

“Rob. Wanna dance?”

“I’m not going to sleep with you, so don’t try,” Stevie said as she sipped her drink through her straw. Noel, Clara, and Alex let out a laugh. Rob smirked and joined in on the laughter; he wasn’t used to girls like Stevie.

“You know what, Stevie, I like you. You’d be perfect for my brother,” Rob suggested as he placed his beer on their table.

“If he has looks like yours then trust me, Rob, I’m a goner. If you promise not to grope my ass like most of the guys on that dance floor, I’ll dance with you.” Stevie winked at Rob, and Noel knew it was enough to seal Rob’s fate. He was a goner.

“Boys,” Rob stated and took Stevie’s hand before leading her towards the dance floor.

“Now that’s trouble,” Clara said before she sat down a few seats away from him. Max strolled over with a round of tequila shots and distributed them around the table. Clara refused, and Alex took her shot. As the night continued, the music got louder and the amount of people at the club had increased. For a grand opening, it was overwhelming. Max moved from table to table interacting while Stevie and Rob switched between Rob doing shots and them dancing. Clara remained quiet and Noel wanted to kiss the worried look off her face.

Clara stood up and excused herself from the table, making her way to the bar. He was tempted to stand up and join her, but he stayed seated. For the past twenty minutes Alex had been convincing him to dance and mingle with some of the women that would stop by their table. It was probably the alcohol talking for both of them, but Alex was certainly pissing him off. If Alex knew just how serious Noel was about Clara, he wouldn’t be pushing Noel to dance with other women.

“Want to dance?” a woman with light brown hair asked. Noel felt an instant elbow hit the side of his body and he winced.

Damn it, Alex!

“Why not,” Noel sighed and took two more shots before wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. He walked to the dance floor with the random woman with much displeasure. Her breasts were spilling out of her dress, and he knew it was intentional, but Noel didn’t fancy a look. It was a charade to get Alex off his back. Two dances in and the no-named woman was gyrating her ass as close as she could to Noel’s body. The alcohol was now in full swing and he felt tipsy from the shots he took. He was just about to pull the woman closer when he felt his arm being yanked in another direction and being led off the dance floor.

“What the fuck are you doing?” Max shouted over the loud music.

“Dancing.”

“Wanna tell that to Clara? She’s at the bar horrified at what she just witnessed. I don’t know what your fucking problem is, but I told you not to hurt her and what are you doing… dancing with another girl in front of Clara’s eyes. You’re a fucking dick!”

“I was just trying to get Alex off our backs!” Noel defended.

“How about next time you tell Clara. She almost walked out of the club. I’ll cover for you, and you go talk to her. If Alex knew what you were doing he’d take you out himself. You’re fucking lucky I have your back. You do some pretty fucked-up things, Noel. Clara doesn’t deserve half the shit you pull! Now get your ass over there and stop your girl before she leaves!”

Max’s words sobered him right up. Scanning the club, he witnessed Clara take two consecutive tequila shots, her face contorted as she downed the burning liquor. Clara hadn’t touched alcohol all night, and to see her down two straight shots was like a punch to the gut. Noel walked over to Clara and stood next to her, making sure he wasn’t too close.

“You’re an asshole, you know that, right?” Clara asked as she turned towards him.

“I’m an asshole. I’m sorry, Clara. Alex kept pushing me to dance with every girl that asked, and I didn’t want him to suspect anything was going on between us just yet. Baby, I’m sorry. It was an act, believe me,” Noel pleaded as he took Clara’s hand in his.

“I’m mad, Noel!”

“Clara, I’m sorry. I swear—”

“No! You don’t get what I’m saying. I’m mad because I want to be the
only
girl you dance with. I’m mad because you’re mine and I can’t even tell any girl to back off. I can’t do that. Do you know how angry I am? I know you were putting on a display, but it still hurts to see. I saw how Alex pushed you, and Max came straight by and explained. But that doesn’t change a thing. You’re mine, Nolan Parker, and I sound really possessive, but I don’t care. I’m jealous of all the girls that get to dance with you and put their hands on you without a care in the world! But I can’t do that, because we have to be careful or we’ll get caught!” Choked sobs broke Clara’s voice, and he knew she was close to crying. He didn’t factor in Clara’s feelings when he took that girl onto the dance floor.

“I’m sorry, Clara. I didn’t mean to do this to you. I’m just trying to get Alex off both our backs.” Clara gave Noel a smile and squeezed his hand. The people that surrounded them acted as a shield from Alex’s eyes.

“I’m going back to the apartment. Stevie and I have had enough, and she’s going to take me home. Don’t worry, she’s been sober the whole night.” Clara pushed off the bench, but Noel grabbed her wrist and stopped her.

“Wait up for me? I have to stay and get Alex home, but wait for me. I’ll sneak into your room and I’ll stay tonight. Please, I can’t continue to sleep alone, not after we made love this morning,” Noel pleaded and Clara gave him smile.

“I’ll wait for you.”

“I’ll text you before I come up to the apartment.” Noel looked over to see Alex’s back turned and tugged Clara into his arms and placed a quick kiss on her lips, startling her, but Clara recovered in time to kiss him back.

“You’re the only woman I look for when I enter a room because I only love you, Clara. I may have to pretend to be interested in them, but that’s only because I’m doing this so I can keep you.” Clara squeezed his hand and he watched her eyes glisten.

“I’m yours, Noel. And I love you,” Clara said before letting go of his hand and walking towards Alex. He watched them exchange a few words until Alex hugged Clara and Stevie. Clara and Stevie pushed through the crowd until they reached the entry. Clara turned and smiled in Noel’s direction before walking out of the club.

You almost lost her again! Get it together!

Turning towards the bartender, he ordered a Coke. He needed to sober up for when he’d sneak into Clara’s room later in the night. Noel handed the bartender the money and took his Coke when his phone vibrated in his pocket. Setting his drink on the counter, he dug his hand into it to retrieve his phone. He smiled at the idea of it being Clara. Noel brought his phone to view and unlocked it to read his new message.

Valerie: Can you please stop by tonight? We need to talk. I don’t know who to talk to and I need your help, Noel. Please.

W
aking up to an empty bed was something Clara wasn’t expecting. She thought that he’d silently tiptoe into bed and curl up next to her, but Clara woke up alone. The disappointment left a sour taste in her mouth. Last night she remembered Alex waking her up from the couch and walking her to bed after Stevie left her apartment. She placed her phone next to her bed in case he texted. But Noel had delivered her an empty promise, and the heavy feeling in her chest was unbearable.

Different scenarios played through her mind. But it was the fact that Noel didn’t walk through her front door all day that slowly broke her heart. She looked at herself in the mirror and sighed. The wait for Noel was pure agony, and the lack of communication from him slowly broke her. That one text message he promised went undelivered, and Clara’s hopes of her phone ringing slowly diminished with every hour that passed.

Picking up a bobby pin, she pinned back a few loose curls that fell out of place from her messy bun. With a satisfied huff, Clara picked up her dangling diamond earrings and placed them on both earlobes. She checked her reflection twice to ensure nothing was out of place and picked up her locket. Her fingers ran over the Celtic knot before running over the engraving.

I’m not even his girlfriend… I’m his secret.

Clara’s eyes burned slightly. She took a deep breath and placed the locket back on her vanity. They both knew they’d have to play pretend until they figured out a way to tell Alex, but it still hurt. To not be able to freely have Noel all to herself was like being refrained from breathing.

“Clara, let’s go! We're going to be late!” Alex yelled from the other side of the door. She took her locket and placed it in her clutch, along with her phone, and did one more reflection check in the mirror. Tonight would be the night it all came out. She couldn’t live another night away from Noel, and if Alex fought with her, Clara would only fight harder. Noel was the one she’d fight for. He was always the one; she just didn’t know it until recently.

She grasped her floor-length chiffon dress and lifted it slightly off the ground before slipping on her light purple heels. She could feel her heartbeat pick up and her hands started to tremble. She shook her head and opened her bedroom door to find Alex standing there waiting for her.

“Nice tux,” Clara commented as she closed her bedroom door behind her.