Page 8 of Two Weeks to Fall in Love

Pulling at the baggy band shirt and pair of oversized gray sweatpants he’d given me, I attempted to wrap my head around the strangeness of it all.

Sure, considering that a few minutes ago we’d both been drenched to our bones, I probably should have been grateful that the guy seemed perpetually prepared.

However, to me this was just another huge question mark over Noah Archer’s existence.

“Best be prepared and all that,” he answered, as if he could hear my thoughts.

“You never know what’ll happen in life. Maybe I’ll decide to take an impromptu trip or something.

” He shrugged casually, as if it was a totally normal thing to have a backpack with clothes and necessities stashed in your car.

“Thanks for the, uh, clothes,” I muttered, motioning to myself and the much too big outfit I now sported. “I’ll return it once it’s washed.”

He waved his hand at me in a carefree manner. Did anything bother this guy? Would I even be able to figure him out?

The questions thing popped back into my mind at that thought. He used questions to get to know people, so it would make sense that by playing his little game I would get to know him and eventually all of his secrets.

“So, what’s the first question?” I asked, and leaned against the hood of the car, studying him as he wrung out his wet clothes.

“Huh?” Noah looked at me confused.

“Your little love questions. Let’s do them,” I answered, raising an eyebrow. “What’s the first one?”

His lips pulled up in a small smirk and he straightened, rolling his shoulders. Drops of water fell from his soaked hair to the black shirt he was now wearing.

He scratched his chin and nodded. “Sure, okay, might as well start now.”

I felt a mild buzz go through my body, as if I could inherently sense that this was the beginning of something . Whether it was good or bad was yet to be determined.

“If you could invite anyone, living or dead, to dinner, who would it be?” he asked in a monotonous tone. I couldn’t imagine how many times he’d muttered these exact words.

I pondered the question for a bit and hummed. “Marie Curie, I guess,” I answered off the top of my head.

“Interesting, why?” Noah asked curiously.

“Because she was revolutionary. The first woman to win the Nobel Prize, and for chemistry and physics. Like, that’s badass!

” My excitement over the topic was evident in my voice as I continued geeking out.

“And I mean, she believed so much in what she did, without even knowing that her work was killing her. It was more important than her life to her. I think I could probably learn a lot from her just from one conversation.”

“That’s . . . refreshing,” he replied. After I gave him a weird look, he elaborated. “The last answer I got to that question was one of the Kardashians.”

“There’s nothing wrong with people liking the Kardashians. Everyone has different tastes,” I muttered, rolling my eyes.

“Never said there’s something wrong with it,” he said, shaking his head. “Just that it’s refreshing to see someone answer the question in a way that’s more relatable for me.”

I guess I could understand that maybe those girls were not his type. The comment still irked me for some reason, though.

“Are you gonna compare me to other girls every time I answer a question?” I asked, and crossed my hands over my chest, slightly annoyed.

“Sorry, sorry, I guess it’s kind of an automatic thing by now.” Noah grimaced as he walked to the passenger door of the car and opened it. “I promise I’ll try not to,” he added, putting on a charming smile as he motioned for me to get into the car.

I huffed and shook my head.

As soon as he got into the car and pushed the key into the ignition, I frowned. “Aren’t you gonna answer the question?” I asked. The whole reason I was doing this was to get to know him and his secrets.

He nodded and let out an ahhh sound just as the car started. “Yeah, of course. If it’s anyone dead or alive, I’d choose Nikola Tesla.”

“Why?” I instantly threw his little follow-up question back at him, and he chuckled.

“Because he was revolutionary.” He repeated my words, glancing at me briefly as he drove us out of the little hidden area we’d been in.

“But very underrated, just because he wasn’t a businessman like Edison.

” He shook his head in disapproval. “He wasn’t just an inventor either.

The way he saw the possibility of coexistence between energy, science, and world peace .

. . I just think he’d be a very interesting person to have a meal with. ”

“Well, you’re definitely a fan. I’m surprised you don’t own a Tesla in that case,” I said cheekily.

His eyes widened and he laughed, shaking his head. “Can’t say I like the car as much as the man, but who knows, maybe I’ll get one with my own money one day.”

And after that we both went quiet. But it wasn’t one of those awkward silences where you feel the need to fill it with commentary on the weather. It was a comfortable, satisfied silence.

And that worried me, more than anything.