Page 130 of I Shouldn't Feel This Way

“Oh!” I tried to wipe the icing away with my tongue.

Noah laughed and wiped it away for me. “There we go.”

I blushed, watching him suck the blue icing off his thumb.

“Delicious.” He beamed. “I hope you like yourun-birthdaygift.” He kissed my cheek and I felt my heart let out a lovesick sigh. I wasn’t sure what I was going to do with a toy car, it’s not like I had a collection, but his gesture was sweet. If the whole point was to break birthday tradition, then he had succeeded.

“You should go to bed, sweetie. It’s late.”

I didn’t want to sleep. I wanted to stay with him and steal at least one more kiss while we still had the opportunity, but Noah stood up and carried his wine glass to the sink.

Carefully, I got off the stool and gravitated toward him, wrapping my arms around his neck, just as he turned around. He hesitated for a second, as if he hadn’t been expecting my embrace, but his arms seemed to recognize where they belonged as they lovingly enveloped my waist, hugging me close. I had to shut my eyes every time he held me, like it was the only way I could enjoy the contact. I felt like we were two puzzle pieces that fit together just right.

“Can I tell you what I wished for?” I murmured in his ear.

“Tell me.”

“I wished that we weren’t …” I stopped, unable to finish my sentence because I didn’t want to say it. “That we weren’t …”

“Aria.” He said my name with sympathetic eyes, looking at me as if he understood. “It’s okay,” he gently spoke. “You don’t have to say it.”

Maybe he didn’t want to hear it out loud because the truth was so disgustingly shameful.

I kept hoping he would kiss me so passionately like he had earlier, but all I got was a tender kiss on the forehead. There was nothing he could say or do, really. Our problem was something that could not be fixed with money.

“Get some sleep, beauty.”

A new nickname, I liked that. Noah caressed my face, looking just as torn as I was.

“Goodnight.”

****

I sat on my bed holding the toy car in my lap. It would have been awesome to drive an actual car like this. I liked that it wasn’t a showy modern vehicle—it had character. I was about to set it on my nightstand when my thumb accidentally pressed on something that popped the trunk open. There had been a button at the back that I hadn’t noticed.

Car keys … why are there car keys in here?

It took me a couple seconds to figure it out, but when I did, I immediately strode out my bedroom door and headed for the garage.

No … he didn’t …

But he had.

A life size replica of that Pontiac Firebird was parked right next to Noah’s Audi, and my name was on the license plate. It was a pearlescent candy red convertible with sparkling chrome rims and custom black leather upholstery. I was speechless, gawking. This was too much. I couldn’t believe it. My eyes began to fill with tears.

“I was wondering when you were going to find the keys.”

Noah’s voice trailed from behind me as I turned around and faced him. He was leaning against the doorframe with his arms folded against his chest. That dimpled smile was my undoing.

“I … I can’t believe …” I was at a loss for words. It was the most stunning car I had ever laid eyes on. It washiscar. Noah had given me the beautiful car he used to drive when he was in college.

“I know you didn’t want anything huge for your birthday, butthatwas yesterday, so …”

I leaped into his arms and hugged the life out of him. “Thank you!” I tried so hard to control my tears. “You didn’t have to do this.”

“You’re eighteen now, Aria. You needed a car much sooner than this.” He stroked my cheek with a gentle hand and brushed a tear away.

“This is the best surprise ever!”

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