Page 31 of My Kind of Trouble
She was being self-deprecating, and he didn’t like it.
‘I’d listen to anything you wanted to tell me, so the answer to either one is fine,’ he answered honestly.
He could tell he’d caught her off guard because she went quiet for a moment. He knew the alcohol they’d been drinking had made them both more forthcoming with each other, and he was enjoying this relaxed side of her that let her inhibitions and her guard slip for just a little bit.
‘I made a list. A ‘30 before 30’ list, to be exact. It may sound silly to you, but I feel like I’ve just woken up from a really long dream and realised my life’s passing me by and there are so many more things I want to do with it.’
Alex chuckled because nothing sounded more like her.
She rolled her eyes, and he could see her walls closing around her again just a little bit.
‘I knew you’d find it silly and wouldn’t understand,’ she mumbled.
‘Who said I don’t understand? I don’t find it silly, Noa. It’s just that, even though so much has changed, you are still the same you at heart, lists and all.’
She was a planner, a control freak as much as him and, though life didn’t always fit into a list, he wouldn’t tell her that. Alex knew that feeling, that sense of control, stopped her spiralling thoughts and had always brought her some peace.
He’d seen her fight to find that mental peace when they were younger and, suddenly, every instinct in him wanted to do everything to help her keep it. Even if that meant helping her tick off everything on that damn list.
Some time had passed, but Alex couldn’t help asking, ‘Can I see it?’
‘What?’
‘The list. Can I see it?’
Noa looked embarrassed for a moment, and it was adorable.
‘You really want to?’
‘I wouldn’t ask otherwise.’
She bit her cheek, clearly mulling that over for a few moments before pulling out the notes app on her phone and handing it over. Alex skimmed the list, quickly copied it over to her messages, sent it to himself, and deleted the thread.
He was thrown back to when they were sixteen, when they’d talk for hours about her dreams for the future. This list was so unmistakably Noa, and he could almost hear the thoughts in her head when she’d written it. Because she’d voiced them to him once. And, just like then, he wanted her to have everything she desired in life, all the things that would make her smile. Because, damn, could that smile light up the whole world.
She deserved a life spent happy and fulfilled. They’d once talked about her counting the stars one day. He never would he have dreamed that they’d be sitting here today with those words written on a list. Who had her ex-boyfriend been that he hadn’t done that with her? Or insisted that she grab the things she wanted for herself. The thought of him made Alex irrationally angry, and he had to quickly shut down the road his mind was travelling down.
He handed Noa’s phone back over to her, nodding at her before turning his head back to the fire show. She watched him inquisitively for a second before doing the same.
As the night continued, they ventured back into more light-hearted conversation before heading back to their new hostel for the night. Noa was in a shared dorm with Lola again, and Alex walked her to the door before wishing her goodnight and heading to his own. Before getting into bed, he mulled over their conversation in his head, finally settling on something. He had a new goal for the foreseeable future: help Noa with that list.
Chapter 19
Noa
The Fab 4:
Dad:
Click here to see the link –Girl kidnapped in Cambodia talks about her journey since.
Just a reminder, don’t talk to anystrangers.
Noa:
I’m 28, not 8. I don’t need the reminder.
And don’t worry, I have my bodyguard…REMEMBER!!!
