Page 32 of Deadly Secrets

“Yes, I will. Thanks, Maggie. Talk later.”

* * *

Noah picked me up in his car at seven o’clock. He owned a convertible Mercedes-Benz SL in dark gray with black leather seats. It was a beautiful car and very comfy. “Lo Vas A Olvidar” by Billie Eilish and Rosalía played in the background.

“I love this song. I’m a big Rosalía fan, and I love Billie Eilish,” I said, putting my seat belt on. “She makes me feel things that no other artist can.”

“I guess we have that in common. I love Billie Eilish too. “When the party’s over” is one of my favorite songs. Are you hungry?”

“Yes. I’m starving. How was your day?”

“Average. But now that you are here with me, my day’s starting to look better.” Noah placed a hand over my left thigh and squeezed. “How was yours? Did you have many classes today?”

“I did. My Biochemistry & Molecular Biology professor asked me to join his research team, but I’m still thinking about it,” I told Noah.

“Why?”

“Because I’m not sure if I want to do that. Everyone keeps telling me that the first year at college is the most important. I don’t want to commit to it and have it take away time to focus on my studies.”

We continued chatting about college until Noah stopped the car near Stanford EVGR Pod at Off the Grid market. Food trucks were located around the open area: Thai food, Spanish tapas, Burgers, and a Mexican truck. I used to love street food in Manhattan, so I was glad he brought me here. Once we sat on a small picnic bench, Noah pointed out a few starters and mains from the menu that he’d tried before and recommended. While I decided what I wanted, he ordered our drinks—one classic margarita and a michelada.

“What’s that? I always order margaritas, but that looks amazing. Does it taste like a Bloody Mary? It looks like it.”

“Do you wanna try it?” he asked. Before I was able to reply, he leaned forward and kissed me. His kiss tasted like a mix of beer, something spicy, probably tabasco or chili, and something citrusy.

“Mmm. I like how you taste.”

“I like how you taste, too,” he replied, giving me a quick peck on the lips and a wink.

We ordered some chilaquiles, birria and cochinita pibil tacos, and some chicken quesadillas. The food was delicious. I hadn’t been to Mexico yet, but after dinner, I might start planning a trip with Sarah. Maybe I could invite Maggie too if she didn’t mind me paying for the trip.

I wanted to get to know Noah better, so I asked him a lot of questions, including what his parents did for a living.

“My dad’s name is Hiroshi. He’s the president of one of the world’s largest telecom companies, and my mom, Martha, is a United States senator for Massachusetts and a member of the Democratic Party. Maybe you know her. Does the name Martha Robinson ring any bells?”

“Not really. I’ve been out of the country too long, but I can name you most royal families in Europe!” I replied. “Robinson? Didn’t she switch her last name to Nakamura after getting married?”

“She kept her maiden name since she already had a career when she met my dad. She always says she didn’t want to lose her sense of identity,” Noah said.

“Your mom sounds pretty awesome,” I responded, nodding in agreement.

“Yes, she’s pretty cool. I hope I’m not making you feel weird by talking about my folks. I can imagine it might be tough to talk about yours, but I’d love to hear more about your fam.”

It was very sweet of him to consider how the conversation might affect me.

“I’m good. Okay, where do I start?

“I had a nice childhood. My parents always spoiled me, and everything was great as far as I can remember. Life at boarding school was rough at first, but then I met Sarah. She’s from England, and we clicked right away. Many things changed when I moved to Europe, especially my relationship with my parents. I’d only see them a couple of times a year, and most of the time, when I video-called my mom, my dad would disappear after a few minutes. The conversations were the basic how’s school and when are you coming home?”

“Why the sudden change?” Noah asked.

“Not a clue. But I struggled a lot. I always enjoyed stirring up trouble...Sarah used to say I did it to get attention from the wrong crowd. Maybe she was right.”

Noah and I continued chatting for an hour about our childhoods and life at boarding school when he steered the conversation to my relationship with Ander.

“How long have you known Ander?” he asked.

“Since we were babies. Our parents founded Cos Pharmaceuticals from scratch. But they weren’t just partners; they were best friends. Something happened between them six years ago because William left the company, and my father bought his shares. My dad never told me what happened but forbade me from seeing Ander. We used to spend weekends and holidays together, but when my parents sent me to Switzerland, we lost contact.”

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