Page 44 of Pages of Amber

“Do you remember the time we wanted to get those highlights? She beat us to it and thought we had backed out.” Amber laughed. Beverly wasn’t far behind.

“I remember. They looked so good with her blonde hair. They would have looked amazing with yours too. Wasn’t that what you chose to do?”

“It was. I was excited to get them done but the stylist advised me not to. She said I already had the ‘golden’ blonde look and gave me an amazing hair and scalp routine to maintain it. It has worked wonders till now.”

“God bless stylists.”

“Amen.”

They both fell into giggles as they reminisced some more. Amber secretly stored away the moment. She had missed her friend. Amber was glad for these moments where she got to relax and just be herself. She was only eighteen but sometimes it could feel like she held the world on her shoulders.

She took in a breath and let it go, feeling that weight ebb away. It sunk into the darkness, leaving her feeling free and marked instead with the beautiful memories she wanted to last forever.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

THE CAB ROLLED TO a stop before the familiar house. After paying and thanking the driver, Amber pulled open the door and stepped out to the curb. She clutched her book bag by her hip and took a moment.

Funny how this was already her second time visiting Noah’s house when she had barely tolerated him only a few short weeks before.

Today, there were three cars parked before his home. Amber recognized the car parked in the same spot as last time that belonged to Noah’s mom. Noah’s truck shared the driveway with another car. Exhaling a breath, Amber told herself to put one foot before the other and walk towards the front door. Noah expected her but he didn’t have telepathic powers to tell when she had arrived.

Amber had just stepped up to the wooden porch when noises from the other side of the door reached her ears. She hesitated when she recognized one of the voices, the cadence and tone familiar, but not the volume. Her gaze fixed on the door when she was certain who the yell came from. Uneasiness fell over her. All the years she had known Noah, she’d never heard him yell. He was always reserved, collected, in control. Even their most heated arguments had only ever warranted a glare from him before he shot back. What could have broken through that tough exterior? Amber pulled back a few steps from the door. The yelling died down and an eerie silence lurked now. She stood there contemplating her next move when the door swung open. Amber looked up at the person who stepped out.

Maybe he did have telepathic powers, after all.

Noah met her eyes, the angry expression on his face shifting into surprise. He blinked like he was processing why she was on his porch. Amber’s eyes ran over him. His hair was tousled over his forehead. He had on dark jeans, a plain tee with a dark brown jacket slung over his arm and keys in the hand not holding the door. Was he going somewhere?

“You’re here,” he finally said.

“Yeah, for the project. I was going to knock but I heard a noise.”

Noah’s face darkened as her words trailed off. He looked away, his hand on the doorknob tightening. Footsteps from inside the house caught their attention. They both turned as Mrs. Rhodes came into view. Amber sucked in a breath at the sight of the older woman’s teary eyes. Her hair was in a disarray and she wore an apron like last time.

“Noah, you and your father need to talk about this.” She froze when she saw Amber. Her hands flew to her hair, smoothing away the tendrils as she blinked rapidly. Amber didn’t miss the way her hands shook. “Oh, hello Amber.”

She smiled back at Mrs. Rhodes despite the confusion and worry brewing in her. “Hi, Mrs. Rhodes.”

The woman had been kind to her the first time they met. She had made Amber feel welcome, spoken to her like they had known each other forever and hadn’t let Amber leave until she’d had dinner at her table. Amber wouldn’t wish for her warmth to be dimmed.

Noah turned to his mom. “Not now, Mom. Please. We’ll talk when I get back.”

Mrs. Rhodes stared at her son and a silent conversation passed between them. She nodded jerkily and waved them goodbye. With an answering nod, Noah led Amber over to his truck. He turned the key in the ignition and buckled up, his actions stiff. Amber tried not to stare as she buckled up too.

“Do you mind if we go over to your place?” Noah laid his hands on the steering wheel and took a breath. He glanced at her.

Her answer came surprisingly easy. “Sure. I don’t mind.”

The drive back to her home was quiet. Amber clutched her bag until her knuckles turned white, her mind tossing and turning. He was so quiet, his eyes focused on the road. What was he thinking? Should she say anything? Ask him how he was? Make some other small talk?

In the end, she stayed quiet and let him work through whatever was going on. Thankfully by the time Noah parked along her driveway almost an hour later, most of her curiosity had waned. Amber punched in the security code at the door and walked into the house with Noah following behind. The house was silent, as usual, standing empty and elegant. Amber felt a skip behind her sternum at seeing Noah shelve his shoes in the anteroom closet but the sky hadn’t fallen when she’d first gone to his home. She figured this wouldn’t be any different. Besides, her mom wasn’t home today. She didn’t exactly fancy visitors, even the rare times Beverly and Lexi came over. Amber did not want to know her reaction to seeing Noah here.

They walked further into the home, Noah’s gaze roaming over the space. He hadn’t been here before. Only Evelyn had come into her home the day they’d picked up Amber for the trip to Coney Island.

The increased silence between them made Amber feel itchy. Sometimes, she cursed his ability to hold everything in so well. The crease gathered above his brows wasn’t as prominent as it had been in the car but Amber had no clue what he was thinking. She led them under the curved entrance to the kitchen where she knew they would find Dottie. The older woman lifted her head from the fridge as they entered the kitchen.

“You’re back? I didn’t think you’d return until- Oh, hello.” Dottie blinked rapidly as though convincing herself she was really seeing Noah. “I wasn’t aware we were having company.”

“This is Noah. He’s the one helping me with the assignment I have, remember?”

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