Page 56 of I Shouldn't Feel This Way

I screamed, thinking he was going to drop me. “If I go down, I’m taking you with me!” I declared, locking my arms around his neck.

There was some hesitation on his part, and I guess it was deliberate. I kept waiting for that unexpected moment when I would finally fall in the water, but I noticed that something had changed in his eyes. They weren’t wild and playful anymore—they looked sincere.

“I wouldn’t drop you, Aria.” He paused. “I’d catch you. I’ll always catch you.”

We stared at each other for a moment as the waves crashed onto the shore. I loved that sound. It was so relaxing. What was he thinking when he looked at me this way?

Why, God? Why have you brought this man back into my life only to cause me to feel conflicting emotions that no one could even begin to understand? How could anyone possibly empathize? I would be burned at the stake and considered sick and psychotic.I felt so isolated with my feelings.

“I’m holding you to those words forever, just so you know,” I said.

“Good—you should.” His smile was subtle as he turned around and carried me out of the water.

I loved him. I genuinely loved him. But at the same time, I wished I didn’t. It would have been easier to hate him than to feel this way.

“So, shall we keep walking?” he asked, placing me back on my feet and slipping on his sandals.

I looked at him mischievously. “I want a piggyback ride.”

Random, I know. I had my moments.

“You serious?” He chortled.

I nodded with a cheery smile.

“Well, I guess I have years of making up to do.” He bent over. “Hop on.”

I jumped on his back, and before I knew it, he had taken off, kicking sand behind him like the Road Runner. It was actually quite comical in my mind as I held on for dear life, laughing and screaming.

“Oh my gosh! Let me off! Let me off, Noah!” I thought he was going to trip and fall, but he didn’t. I’m sure if there were marathon hurdles in front of him, he still would have been able to clear the jumps while carrying me like a superhuman athlete.

“You’re the one who wanted a ride!” He sounded out of breath. “I just made it worth your while.”

When we suddenly stopped, my body jerked forward and I gasped. Noah gently let my thighs slip down his hands, and I was safely back on the ground again.

“That was fun.” I giggled.

“My body is not an amusement park, Aria.” He smirked.

“I never assumed it was.” My stomach twisted into a hundred knots that were impossible to untangle. The things I would have done to him, if only he let me. I entertained my sexual thoughts for a while as we walked up a ramp that led to the docks. Noah seemed about to say something but stopped.

Why is he frowning?I wondered, turning my head in his line of sight. A group of guys were whistling and drooling over me. Funny how I hadn’t noticed them at all at first. A celebrity could have walked right past me and Noah still would have had my attention. It’s a good thing he wasn’t an actor. He would have had millions of Instagram followers, women mailing him their panties and who knows what else. Oh, I forgot … can’t exclude the demographic of gay men who would hang his posters on their walls and worship him. I knew I was idolizing Noah, and maybe that was unhealthy, but I couldn’t help it.

“I shouldn’t have let you come out of the house dressed like this.”

I rolled my eyes and took his hand. “Let’s keep walking.”

There was nothing wrong with my attire. In my opinion, it was suitable for this weather. As we walked by, one dude with a mohawk flicked his tongue in between his fingers in a lewd way. It was enough to make Noah snap.

“Wait!” I tried to stop him as he approached the guy with hostility.

“Do you always look at every girl as some piece of ass?” Noah said to him.

“Nah, just the ones that look fine as hell, like this sweet ass right here …” mohawk man nodded at me, flashing a creepy grin. “Wassup, li’l mama?”

“She’s not even eighteen, you piece of shit!” Noah was in the guy’s face now, and I was instantly at his side, trying to convince him to walk away.

“Aria, get back to the car,” he demanded, handing me the keys while locking his murderous gaze on the punk who was provoking him.

---