Page 56 of A Grecian Getaway

“I’m okay. I—”

“We haven’t heard anything,” Claire said. “Caroline, why don’t we step out to check with the nurse for any new information?”

“We’ll come back in a few minutes to check on you.” Caroline glared at Demetri and then followed Claire out of the room, leaving Noelle alone with him.

Demetri gently clasped Noelle’s hand.

“Why are you here?”

Demetri squeezed her hand. “I… care about you.”

Noelleclosed her eyes. “It’s been months. You have a funny way of showing you care.”

“Noelle, I’m so sorry. For everything. You…you mean so much to me. I shouldn’t have let you go like that. I hope you can forgive me.” He dropped his head to his chest.

Noelle looked at him. She was so happy to see him and so angry at the same time.In Greece, you were hot and cold and then left me heartbroken. I’m not sure what to feel. My heart wants me to kiss you, but my head screams no. Now that you’re here, I’m afraid to let you in again. Ugh, my emotions feel like a tornado. They can’t decide which direction to turn. I need some time to figure out what to do.“I’m tired. Can you please leave me alone?”

Demetri nodded and walked out of the room. Tears fell down Noelle’s cheeks.

Caroline and Claire came back to the room after Demetri had left. Noelle was hugging the stuffed lamb and weeping into its soft, plush body.

“I told him to leave even though I didn’t want to. I wanted to kiss him and be in his arms. But I can’t deal with this right now. I don’t know what to think. He broke my heart. What if he does it again?”

“Honey, take all the time you need. There’s no rush. Let’s get you feeling better. Just take one step at a time,” Caroline encouraged her.

Noelle eventually went back to sleep. She woke later and found her mom had come back to the room, and everyone else had left for the night. She had a few crackers and some soup. They chatted a little about what was happening back home. Her mom told Noelle about her meetings at church and how the weather was already getting cold. She was thankful her mom didn’t bring up Demetri.Was he still here? Did he go back to Greece? If he was still here, surely Claire, Caroline, or Niko told her about him.Noelle drifted back to sleep before they discussed anything else.

The next morning, the hospital took Noelle for more tests. Her dad, brother, and the girls had all shown up that morning.

When Noelle returned to her room, Claire and Caroline were waiting.Still no sign of Demetri, and I feel a little better now. I’m more alert. I canfinally think, and I know I want to be with him, no matter the risk. Ugh, I wish I would have listened to what he had to say. But it might be too late. What if he’s gone?

“You look so sad.” Claire went to her side and rubbed her arm. “Demetri came as soon as he heard you’d fainted. He’s been camping out in the waiting room since he arrived.”

“So, he’s still here?” Noelle pleaded.

Caroline nodded. “Yeah, and I have to admit, Demetri looks miserable with worry. I wanted to throat punch him when he first showed up. But the poor guy is clearly a wreck. He cares about you, Noelle. No doubt he did a lousy job of showing you in Greece when he let you go, but he seems to have realized he made a mistake.”

Noelle sighed and placed her hand on her racing heart as its pace slowed with this news. She was relieved because of what she heard and so happy he hadn’t gone back to Greece. As confused as she’d been, she still loved him.The question is, does he love me or at least want to have a relationship with me? Or is he just here as a concerned friend?

Noelle’s mom came into the room when Claire and Caroline left to get some coffee. “Hello, shateela. How are you feeling?” Her mom ruffled Noelle’s messy hair.

“I must look terrible!” Noelle tried to smooth down her wild mane.

“Don’t be silly. You are beautiful, no matter what your hair looks like. My hair used to be like that when it was longer. So thick and wavy. I wish it still was. But enough about hair. How are you today?”

“I’m okay. Still tired.” Noelle yawned.

“I don’t mean your body. I mean your heart.” Noelle’s mom looked at her knowingly.

Noelle shook her head. “What did the girls tell you?”

Her mom laughed. “Do you love him, Noelle?”

“Yes.” She nodded. Even with distance and time, her heart hadn’t changed.

Her mom rested her hand on her daughter’s arm. “Relationships aren’t always easy, sweetheart. And many times, there are obstacles all throughout a relationship. It may seem like some things are impossible, but when thereis love at the heart of the relationship, everything is possible. Give him some time. I think he will come around.”

“That’s just it. I don’t know if he loves me. He let me go.”

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