Chapter 8

The floor felt like the right place to be, my back against the wall and my knees pulled up as I stared at nothing in particular.

Noah's reaction wasn't a surprise. Not really. But knowing something was coming didn't always soften the landing.

The worst part wasn't even the argument. It was how badly I wanted his support. He was the only family left. The other half of everything. Going into something this big without him standing beside it felt like walking into a room with no floor.

I sat there for hours, thinking, sulking, replaying the conversation on a loop until my bedroom door finally opened.

Noah came in without knocking, which was just his way. He crossed the room and lowered himself onto the floor beside me, close enough that his shoulder touched mine. For a moment, neither of us said anything.

"I'm sorry for walking out." His voice was quiet.

"I understand why you did.”

A long breath left him. "I still hate this. I still wish you'd told me before agreeing so I could've talked you out of it. But after thinking about it, I figured out why you considered it."

"So you'll support me?"

The corner of his mouth pulled up slowly. "Do I have a choice? You've already spent his money."

That made me laugh. The quiet that followed was softer than the one before.

"I'm not going to lie," he said after a while, his voice dropping a little. "The thought of my student loan being cleared... that's a good feeling. Thank you."

"Don't thank me. You would have done the same for me. Together from the start." I nudged his shoulder. "Together forever. Remember?"

The corner of his lip tugged with a smile. My arms went around him before he could prepare for it, pulling him into a hug that he tolerated for exactly three seconds before the stiffness set in. Pressing a quick peck to his cheek pushed him completely over the edge.

"Nora—"

"We came from the same womb," I said, pulling back with a grin. "A peck on the cheek and you act like I've committed a crime."

"Stop doing that."

Noah and physical affection are like two parallel lines. Somewhere out there was a woman who was going to have a very interesting time figuring that out, and the thought was genuinely entertaining.

"What were you saying in German earlier?" I asked.

He chuckled. "I was asking the universe why he gave me a twin who is always, always in some kind of trouble."

"I'm not troublesome."

He snorted. "Do you need me to remind you how many times you got suspended for fighting?"

"If you weren't so peaceful, I wouldn't have had to fight both our battles at school."

"You fought because you liked it."

"I fought because somebody had to."

He stood up, still smiling, and stretched. "Come on. You left those groceries sitting in bags in the kitchen."

Together we sorted everything into its rightful place. By the time we were done, Noah had gotten hold of the strawberries and was eating them while I put the last few things away. Then I pulled out the teal dress and held it up for him.

His eyes moved over it slowly. "That's beautiful... very you, actually. Not all that other stuff Damien kept picking."

The mention of Damien's name made me remember my plans. "Speaking of which. Give me a minute."

Hurrying back to my room, I went straight for the wardrobe. The blue dress came out first. Then another. And another. Before long, both arms were full of clothes Damien had bought for me.

Walking back out, Noah's eyes moved from my face to the pile of fabric. "What are you doing?"

"Trashing all of it."

A slow smile spread across his face. "Hell yes."

He followed me outside, already moving toward the bin, but the backyard was the destination. The lighter was already in hand by the time he caught up.

"Nora—"

The first song started playing before we even reached the backyard. Every song on the playlist was about moving on, giving the middle finger to an ex, or never taking one back.

Noah stopped in his tracks and looked at me. The smile on his face said he had expected nothing less. "Why do you have to be so dramatic about everything?"

The first piece caught fire. Then another and another. Watching them burn gave me a strange sense of satisfaction. Damien wasn't taking up space in my life anymore.

By the time the last piece was gone, I found myself smiling. The next song started playing and I began moving along to the music.

Noah took one look at me and burst out laughing. "You are the worst dancer I have ever seen in my life."

"That's a bold statement from someone who can't dance either."

My phone started ringing, interrupting the music and instantly ruining the mood. I was about to decline the call when I saw my manager's name on the screen. That made the irritation worse. Curious to know why he was calling, I answered.

"Why weren't you at work today?" His voice had that clipped, self-important edge it always carried. "I gave you yesterday off. Not today."

"Maybe because I didn't feel like it."

A sharp inhale came from his end before the threats started. Yelling that I should report straight to his office once I arrived at work tomorrow. Ignore him and I was fired. Too bad for him, I'd already quit in my head.

"You're a horrible person," I cut in. "A horrible boss too."

The silence on the other end was loud.

"Everyone knows your friend gave you the job. The people actually showing up every day, doing the work and making the money that pays your salary are the same people you treat like trash.”

"Hello? Nora? Are you talking to me right now?"

Mimicking his tone back at him felt petty and correct in equal measure. "Yes. It's Nora. And I am absolutely talking to you. As for your threat, you can't fire someone who already quit. Go to hell!"

The call ended before he could find his voice again.

"That was incredible. I wish I could do that to my own boss," Noah said.

"That would be insulting your sister's future husband."

The groan that left him was visceral. "Please do not do that."

Laughing, I brushed a hand through my hair. "Completely unrelated question. Is your boss into anything shady?"

Noah frowned. "Why would you even ask that?"

I wasn't about to tell him the real reason. "He's just very rich."

"Being rich doesn't make someone shady, Nora. If you're about to marry the man, at least do some basic research. He was born into generational wealth. And with the brain he has, of course he's built on top of it. He's also one of the most principled people I've ever worked for. He wouldn't touch anything shady."

"What about a girlfriend?" I asked. "Any woman that comes around?"

"My boss and women are not something you should worry about because in the time I've worked for him, I've never once seen him with anyone."

"Maybe he's a monk."

"Maybe."

"Or gay."

Noah rolled his eyes. "Not that it's any of our business, but I don't think so."

"How do you know?"

"I've never seen him entertain men either."

"Hmm. Tell me what he's like."

"No."

"Why?"

"You should remember this is an arrangement." Noah started walking toward the house. "The less you know, the better. Good luck meeting the family tomorrow.”