Page 99 of Play On

And just as I’m having these little moments towards falling for him, I think I just gave him another moment of starting to fall for me, too.

Chapter Twenty-Four

Arrow Loops

We walk along the cobbled footpath towards the fortress, over what is now a dried-up moat, surrounded by rich green hills, with big, puffy, cotton-like clouds stretched across a brilliant blue sky. I stare up at the magnificent ruins of a castle on a hill, with the tall keep still spiralling upwards, and can’t help but feel it’s a perfect place to explore with Noah.

He’s holding one of my hands in his as we walk, the other hand holding Mila’s lead as she excitedly leads the way.

There’s a light breeze out, but my hair is held in place by the navy bucket hat I decided to wear today. As soon as Noah told me how cute it was, I knew I would pair it with my navy T-shirt embroidered with orange flowers and denim shorts for our outdoor expedition.

“What a view you get from up here,” he says, drinking in the ruins around us.

“Wait until you get inside the castle. You can see arrow loops.”

“What’s an arrow loop?”

“Where the archers positioned their arrows at the enemy,” I explain.

“Oh, that’s sick,” Noah says, his face lighting up. “We have to find those.”

“Wait, there’s more. There are also murder holes you can still see in the ruins.”

“How do you murder with a murder hole?”

“By pouring boiling water through it down on invaders.”

“Brilliant!”

“Hmm, I never would have pegged you as the bloodthirsty kind, Saucy Shorts.”

He throws his head back and laughs. “Bloodthirsty. I haven’t even been called that on the pitch.”

I beam with happiness. I love that I can make him laugh like that.

“I’ve unlocked a secret side of you,” I proclaim.

Noah stops walking along the bridge and gazes down at me, with a different expression in his eyes. “Yes, you have, Violet. Parts I never thought I’d share with anyone. But somehow, you’re making me give them to you.”

“Does that scare you?” I ask softly.

“It should.”

“Should?”

“But not with you. Everything is different with you.”

I suddenly find myself breathless.

Because everything with Noah is different for me, too.

We enter the castle ruins, and both take out our phones to take pictures and film. The Corfe Castle ruins are absolutely amazing, and there are audio tracks playing at certain points so you can hear the history of the fortification. We take our time, listening to these, holding hands and carefully studying what was once a palace and fortress that has fallen into a magical ruin.

“An arrow loop!” I point out, going to the slot in the stone.

Noah leads Mila over to it, tracing his fingers over the spot where arrows were once aligned. “This is crazy,” he says, his voice full of awe. “Arrows were shot from here to attack intruders.”

“I know. It’s fascinating, weird, and sad all at the same time, isn’t it?”

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