Page 16 of I Shouldn't Feel This Way

“Do you want to go for a walk through Central Park?”

I smiled and nodded as he got our server to bring us the bill.

****

It was sunny for once, surprisingly. The week before had brought nothing but November rain. I was glad to see that the weather was more than agreeable on this particular day. Noah walked beside me at a leisurely pace as we made our way down a concrete path. Almost all the trees were barren, but there were still some that had bouquets of red and yellow leaves hanging from the branches. A crowd was huddled around the fountain, listening to a female street performer singing “Autumn Leaves.” The song had originally been sung by Nat King Cole.I liked her version though. The violin and cello accompaniment made the melody sound so romantic.

Noah unraveled his black scarf from his neck and wrapped it around mine. “Wear this—there’s a chill in the air. I don’t want you getting sick.”

“Thanks.”

“Don’t mention it.”

His kind gesture made me feel warm inside, and I was in heaven because his cologne had infused the cashmere fabric of the scarf. He had no idea what this was doing to me. I almost secretly hoped that he would forget about his scarf after our walk and let me keep it.

After a long silence, I decided to strike up a conversation. “I bet you miss the warm weather.”

“Yeah, I do. But it’s not so bad over here. Some states are getting hit with a snowstorm already.”

My boots clicked against the pavement as we continued to walk at a slow pace. Joggers and cyclists passed by every now and then.

“Do you play any sports, Aria?”

“I was always flexible as a kid. Mom put me in gymnastics all through middle school, and then I stopped because we couldn’t afford the classes anymore. I love volleyball and I’m good at it. I also love to dance.”

“I can put you in any extracurricular activity you like when you come live with me.”

I didn’t know how to respond to that.

“Rob had a lot of money when Mom married him,” I said. “I remember them fighting about how he gambled away over a hundred grand when I was little. They still argue about it.”

He said nothing for a while, and I could sense that something was putting him off.

“Aria, I need to tell you something.” Noah looked at me and frowned.

I stopped walking and faced him.

“That night when I came up with you to your apartment, I was shocked that you were living there because my family—well, my mother in particular, wrote your mom a two-hundred-thousand-dollar check so that she would not come after me for child support. This happened after you were born. There was a secret contract between them, and believe me when I say that I had no idea about this until I was in my last year of law school. I guess it explained why she didn’t want to marry me all those years ago.” He exhaled. “So when you showed me where you lived, I expected it to be a better place. I thought your mom would be sensible enough to invest in a house, or at least a condo in a safe neighborhood.”

“Oh.”

It was all I could manage to say. I looked away and tried not to focus on the anger that was bubbling up inside of me. Now it all made sense. That money didn’t belong to Rob; it was my mother’s (well, technically, it belonged to my grandmother). Mom foolishly gave the money to my stepdad, and he lost it all in a poker tournament at a casino years ago. All two hundred thousand dollars went down the drain. No wonder she went ballistic that night.

“You didn’t know this, did you?” Noah said.

I shook my head and heard him curse under his breath. “It’s okay, Noah. At least now I know the truth. I wish Mom never married that asshole.”

He tilted his head to the side and looked at me inquisitively.

“Sorry, I curse too,” I muttered with a guilty smile.

“Come here.” He chuckled, drawing me into his arms. I breathed out softly and let him hug me, taking comfort in the warmth of his body.

“He doesn’t hurt you, does he?” Noah pulled back and held my face, his hands covered in black leather gloves.

“What are you implying when you sayhurt?”

I watched his expression turn from worry to terror. “Jeezuz, Aria, why didn’t you tell me before I dropped you off at your place?” He looked genuinely upset and bordering on rage, though I couldn’t understand why. “I’m going to kill that motherfucker for touching you!”

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