Page 27 of Prove Me Wrong (The Sunburnt Hearts #5)

Chapter Twenty

MIA

M y hands flow over the keys, pressing down as my feet stamp the pedals, droning out notes that flutter in the air.

Nimble fingers glide over the ivory keys; I don’t bother looking at the sheet in front of me.

The Für Elise is a favourite of mine, and I know it like the back of my hand, which is currently cramping with how quickly I’m having to shift notes.

The song plays out perfectly as I get sucked into the music, blocking out the rest of the world. This is exactly what I needed after therapy and my iced latte, which I happily gulped down.

Charlotte told me to follow my heart with my decision, which honestly sounds like a heap of baloney to me. Follow my heart? I can’t, Charlotte, because my heart wants to be in two separate places, which is physically impossible.

Fumbling a note, I grit out a frustrated groan and start again, my fingers moving with the fast rhythm.

Nearing the end of the song, a knock on the door interrupts my concentration, forcing me to stop mid-bar. My hands press down, throwing off dull notes. I stand and shuffle across Gran’s living room to answer it .

Throwing open the door, my gaze collides with bright green irises beaming down at me like two ripe apples full of attraction and longing.

They look at me as if they can see the walls built up surrounding me, protecting me, but they’re also determined to pull them down.

That tenacity heavy in his gaze makes my spine shiver, hands clammy and throat sticky.

It's so intense, and part of me doesn’t want him to stop until he breaks through the barrier guarding my heart, to find its weakness and tear it apart.

My gaze falls to the small bunch of flowers in his hand, and then to Jade standing at his feet with a hand grabbing onto his pant leg. I can’t stop the smile spreading across my cheeks. “Flowers?” I question, lifting a brow at him.

Noah’s mouth curls upwards as he hands them to me. A mixture of white, purple and pink petals, wrapped in paper and twine. They smell absolutely divine.

“They’re beautiful,” I murmur.

He grins, showing off the dimples that I adore seeing.

“Just like you, Grey.” His timbre is gentle and smooth, like honey dripping off his tongue, running along my skin, and making it shiver with delight.

My cheeks pinken at his words, insides melting as I dip my chin, not wanting him to see how flushed he makes me.

I’m happy that he’s feeling better this morning. Last night, when Noah returned from his night with his friends, he seemed a little duller, like something had stolen part of his light. It made my chest knot knowing that he was upset. He didn’t want to talk about it, but I could feel it.

Something was troubling him.

Before he left Gran’s house, I made sure to hug him closely, not saying anything but silently holding him.

I felt his heart racing against my own. Part of me wished it was beating erratically for me, but it would have been from whatever was making him so quiet.

Leaving with a sleeping Jade, Noah kissed my cheek, and the intensity in my blood heated at the feeling.

It was so simple and small, but it made me feel closer to him.

And now I feel those walls guarding my heart beginning to deconstruct, and it makes me nervous.

Sinking my teeth into my lip, Noah’s finger reaches out, pulling my face up so that I can’t hide what he’s done to me.

Eyes lock onto mine again, and I feel my knees weakening at how vibrant they are today.

“I like it when I make you blush.” I feel my face heating, stomach burning as well.

His dimples deepen, making my heart bloom when Noah leans down and lifts Jade onto his waist. “Jade picked them out for you.”

“Really?” My lilt is barely audible as I’m still gushing over them. Jade giggles, poking fingers into the side of Noah’s cheek, making him chuckle. “She has good taste.”

“She learnt from the best.” He pumps his eyebrows at me, and I let out a small laugh that brightens his eyes even more. His chin points through the doorway behind me, gaze locking on something over my shoulder. “Was that you playing in there?”

Frowning for a beat, I glance behind me to the empty piano with sheet music scattered on top, and nod. “Yeah, it’s one of my favourites to play. Beethoven is difficult but always a crowd pleaser.”

His eyebrows lift to his hairline. “Well, this crowd was very impressed.” I laugh at that. “You’re way better than just slightly above average .” His tone mimics mine, and my jaw slackens at how terrible he sounds.

“You remember me telling you I was slightly above average?” A bashful smirk dances on my lips .

Noah lifts a shoulder. “Well, yeah. But I was correct in saying that you’re really talented .” He winks at me.

Shaking my head, concealing a wide enough grin that’ll display all my teeth, I dig my nose in the petals once more before peering up at him. “Did you want a piano lesson in exchange for the flowers?”

His eyes shudder, like he’s considering my offer, but instead declares, “Actually, I had a better idea.”

I swallow, unsure of where he's going.

“Have you ever been to the Autumn Festival before?” Apple eyes shimmer with intrigue.

My chin dips. “I haven’t been since I finished school.”

Noah gives a low hum. “Well, if you’re not busy today, Jade and I would love for you to come with us. I can show you around, get a drink, buy some delicious baked goods that fall apart in your mouth.” His eyes roll backward, and I let out a giggle.

Gaze flicking between Noah’s imploring face and Jade’s innocent one, my smile grows. “I’ll just have to change.” I refuse to look down at the sloppy tee and trackpants I threw on this morning. “And put these in water. Do you want to wait inside?”

“Sure.”

Noah follows me in, shutting the door with his foot and shadows me into the kitchen. Grabbing out a clay vase stained cream with green leaves, I go to fill it up when Noah takes it from my hand.

“Go change, I can do this for you.”

Lips parting, he just smirks and moves past me to the sink with Jade at his feet, looking around the house with enlarged bug eyes.

“I’ll only be a few minutes.”

Ducking down the hallway, I shut my bedroom door and let out a large pent-up breath I didn't realise I was holding on to.

My hands rest against the door, feeling the bitterly cold timber, grounding myself as my heart beats profoundly beneath my ribs.

Steadying my breathing, I decide on wearing a grey knit jumper and wide-legged jeans.

Slipping on runners to suit, I brush out my hair and stick a white bow at the top, glide some balm on my lips, and spray some perfume.

My hands are slippery from sweat because this feels like more than just us hanging out, getting to know each other.

This feels intentional, almost like a date.

Why else would Noah invite me out? Unless he's just trying to be friendly, which would be in his nature, given what I've learnt about him these past few weeks. But my hands are now sweating profusely. I haven’t been on a date in years, and I never thought I would again when I moved here. But I also can’t control the flush of heat creeping up my neck and the flutters in my chest.

Walking back out, I hear Jade’s giggles and see the two of them together, her little legs wrapped around his waist as Noah blows raspberries on her chest and neck.

Bubbly laughs escape her smile, and my entire body warms, a piece of my heart mending at the sight of them.

Seeing them adore each other does something to me, and the feeling doesn’t scare me away.

If anything, I want to feel more of it, like starbursts erupting in my chest.

Noah’s eyes catch mine, and he drops Jade to the floor again, holding one of her hands to keep her steady. I move to her other side. “Are we walking there?”

“Yeah, it’s not too far, Grey.”

I slide her tiny fingers in mine.

The three of us walk slowly, since Jade’s little legs can’t keep up with ours, and Noah takes the time to tell me about the rock bands he’s seen in person, how he loves anything citrus or peppermint flavoured, and how his love for cars started with him working on them with his dad .

I share with him the rock gigs I’ve been to, how much I despise anything cherry-flavoured, and that I got into piano because it was something I could do alone.

“Don’t get me wrong, I love my brother, but when you’re twins, most of the time you’re lumped together.

We were always paired together, apart from sports, where Sinnett was way more skilled with rugby.

Dad tried teaching me, but I was never into the roughness of the sport, so Mum made me try ballet. ”

“And what happened?” Noah asks.

My lips roll as I rein in a laugh. “I got kicked out of the class because I pushed a girl over and broke her wrist.”

His eyes flare wide as my laugh escapes. “Wow, so I know not to pick a fight with you, Grey.”

“No!” I shout, trying to contain my amusement. “It’s not like that.”

“Oh, I think it is. Who knew you had a vicious side to you?”

My head shakes as I cover my mouth, chuckling harder against my palm.

His eyes narrow on mine. “You didn’t like the competition, did you?”

“No, I didn’t like the way she talked about me,” I admit, and Noah stares at me. “She was saying things like I was too small, slow and flat chested, so I pushed her over when I’d had enough.”

His gaze drops to my lips, then further down to my chest, and back up before he grins. “She didn’t know what she was talking about then.”

My mouth opens to argue with him, but I shut it, my mind starting to swirl.

You’re lucky your face is pretty, because there’s not much else you offer that’s good.

My jaw grits as I fight off Ryan’s damaging words that cut me down to my core. Noah doesn’t seem to have an issue with how I look. Maybe it was only something Ryan hated, even though he didn’t object to using it over and over.