Thirty-Eight Days (27 page)

Would I risk it all for Nolan Parker?

She looked into Noel’s eyes. The honesty in them had her believing. Was she ready to leave herself so exposed? She had just ended one chapter when it came to love. But unlike her relationship with Darren, it felt real with Noel. It felt like she had to take this chance. She had to take the risk.

But how many days do we have left?

Clara realised she’d been quite for far too long, but she was processing all the outcomes of his words. She’d address all of her worries when they arrived. Until then she couldn’t deny what her heart wanted and that was the man in front of her.

"Kiss me," she said softly, almost like a whisper. “And don't you dare hold back," she instructed.

Noel removed Clara’s hands from his and cupped her face. “First, I want to know that you’ll risk
your
heart for
me.”

This was as close as she could emotionally get to Noel without getting burned. Her heart thumped in such an intense motion that it scared her. But she couldn't turn her back, not now. Not when she knew what she wanted.

“Yes, as long as you don’t forget me, then I’ll risk it all for
us.
I’m willing to risk all my days to be with you,” Clara confessed. She watched a smile touch his lips and hope twinkled brightly in his beautiful green eyes.

“I promise. I’ll spend every day always remembering every inch of you,” Noel breathed out before his lips found hers. She just hoped those days amounted to an infinite
quota.

S
he’s it.

That’s what he got out of their first
proper
kiss—one that wasn’t spontaneous, or one that didn’t catch the other off guard. Noel was left panting from just the touch of her lips alone. Clara had stolen his breath with one simple kiss. Not that he cared; he was willing to give her anything and everything. She was now the centre of his universe; Clara consumed his world, and he wasn’t prepared to ever give her up.

Noel removed his hands from Clara’s face and rested his palms on her neck. He just needed to look at her. He promised he’d never forget her, and remembering the features of her face was just the start. He watched as Clara’s cheeks reddened. Her golden brown eyes brightened and held a glaze. Her lips were a deep colour of red and swollen from their kiss. He liked the effect he had on her.

He took in the sight of her in his jacket; it was far too big for her small and slender frame, but it increased the possessiveness in him. As he held Clara, he could see the resistance in her eyes, and it frightened him to hell. He feared he was going to lose her, and she didn’t get the concept of his confession for her.

“Question number four,” he announced. Clara’s eyebrows furrowed. The cuteness in her confusion made him laugh. He bent his head down and kissed the lines between her brows. She laughed under his lips. It was truly sweet and beautiful.

“Number four?” she asked when he removed his lips and looked at her. Her frown didn’t match the curiosity in her eyes.

“Twenty-one questions, Clara. I’m asking for number four.” A sinful smirk crossed her face. She raised her eyebrow, inviting him for the challenge. Noel took her hand and squeezed it.

“Ouhh!”

“Shit! I’m so sorry, Clara.” Noel looked down at Clara’s shaking hand. Blood started to seep through her broken skin. He wiped it off with the end of his cuff, her blood staining his light blue dress shirt.

Her hand still shook. "I just punched my ex-boyfriend! I can't believe I just hit him. That's the first time I've punched someone before!"

He let out a laugh and gently put Clara's loose hair back into place. "You don't remember?" he asked comically, the memory returning to him.

"Remember what?"

"When you were five, you punched me in the stomach for calling you ugly. I was nine, and I thought teasing you would be fun. I'm not gonna lie, you had quite the right hook for a five-year-old!” He watched her laugh, and it was like music to his ears.

“It wasn’t because you called me ugly. It was because you promised not to hit me with water balloons and you did! I swear I was so mad at you, that you calling me ugly just happened to be the tipping factor.” She slapped his shoulder and pushed at his chest, removing herself from his hold. She looked at him with those big brown eyes and walked away.

“Where are you going?” he shouted after her, throwing his arms in the air.

“I’m still mad at you for calling me ugly!” she yelled over her shoulder.

“That was over fourteen years ago, Clara!” he yelled back as he started to catch up to her

“You still haven’t apologised!” Clara quickened her pace, trying to elude him.
 

He was almost saddened at his missed opportunities with Clara. He never really gave her a chance, not even a chance at a friendship when they were kids. But maybe that’s how they were always destined to go.

It didn’t take much effort for him to catch up to her. He tapped on her shoulder. Clara turned to face him, her alluring beauty radiating from her smile. Noel grabbed her by the waist, surprising her, and pressed her body against his. He picked her up and twirled her underneath the trees.

“Noel!” She half giggled, half shrieked. As he stopped, his eyes met hers and he could see the want for him in there. He slowly brought her back down, and her hands clutched his shoulders.

Noel lowered Clara until they were face to face. He wanted to stroke her cheek, but he loved the feeling of his hands on her waist. Tilting his head slightly to the right, he inched closer until his lips met hers. First the insides of him melted and then exploded; he couldn’t really understand it, but he never wanted to know another pair of lips again.

The movement of her lips against his was like heaven allowing him to taste what life really felt like. His heart started to beat erratically and when Clara pushed on his shoulders for leverage, he shifted her upward until he felt her wrap her legs around his waist. He was thankful for the cover of darkness allowing them to go undetected.

"I'm sorry I called you ugly," Noel said, gasping against her lips.

"You better be," Clara replied in the same breathless tone in between their kiss.

Clara’s legs tightened around him, circling her arms around his neck, pulling him closer to her and deepening their kiss. She bit his lip lightly and it sent him overboard. He walked them over to the nearest tree and steadied Clara against it. Noel feared the roughness of the bark would have her protesting, but when she squeezed her legs, Noel knew it didn't matter.

She moaned into his mouth, and it sent his heart into a frenzy. He moved his hands off Clara’s waist and returned them to her cheeks, holding her face in his hands and steadying their kiss. Deepening the passion, hardening the kiss and pouring every single emotion he held towards her onto her lips, hoping she’d feel it too.

“I’ll
never want anyone’s lips but yours,” Noel groaned out as he removed his mouth from hers for some air before returning to her. The feeling of Clara’s body so close to his was different to when she slept; the heat off her body extending to his made it feel more real to have her.

“Impossible,” she moaned into his mouth. She continued to answer each of his kisses with more hunger than the previous. Clara untangled her legs from his waist and her arms from his neck and brought her fingers to the first button of his shirt. She tugged at the fabric before she popped the first button; he groaned at the feeling of his shirt opening. Behind his eyelids, he swore he could see stars.

Feeling the cold air on his chest, he realised that Clara had unbuttoned half of his shirt. He knew he’d have to stop before they went further.

All thought fled the moment Clara placed her hands on his bare chest. She ran her fingers down each muscle and ripple of his chest. Clara pulled his shirt up from its tucked position and continued to unbutton it, but this time she did it slowly, driving him crazy. When she reached the last button, he felt her smile against his lips and his heart beating too fast. When his shirt was free from their buttons, Clara started to peel it from his body. Maybe it was the cold air hitting his exposed skin or the fact that they were getting heated in public that snapped him back to reality.

“Clara,” he warned against her mouth, forcefully opening his eyes and pulling his lips away from hers. Even under the cover of the tree, the moonlight gave him enough light to see her red cheeks.

“Wow. Umm… did I just undress you in public like that?” she asked, shocked at herself.

“Yeah, I’m almost half naked!” He laughed as he fixed her messy hair.

“You don’t think anyone saw, do you?” she asked worriedly. Her eyes scanned the area around them. They were a fair distance from the parking lot, and even further away from the pier.

“I don’t think so,” he assured her.

“I’m sorry. I got a little too into that,” she said shyly, looking away from him.

“Don’t be. I was really into it, too. I just didn’t want us to rush. I want this to go slow. To be honest, I had to stop before I lost my sense of control. If I can’t control myself then this is going to go too far too soon,” Noel said as he placed his hand under her chin and brought her face closer to his, placing a kiss on the tip of her nose.

Noel took a backwards step away from her and shrugged his shirt up onto his shoulders. Clara took a step towards him and grabbed his shirt in her hands. Clara slowly buttoned it; he hadn’t realised that he held his breath each time she stopped and moved onto the next one. When she reached the second to last button, Clara stopped and pressed her hand over his heart. Just her touch rendered him speechless. Clara ran her fingers over his chest before she leaned over and planted a soft kiss on him. His heart literally stopped at the feel of her lips on his skin.

Keep it together, Noel. You don’t want to go and d something stupid!

When Clara fixed the last button he had to take a deep breath in to calm his demons. If only she knew how crazy she made him feel. He knew that everything that happened tonight just strengthened the thought. He couldn’t possibly walk away.

Taking her left hand, he pulled her into his arms and just held her. Noel smelt her usual coconut shampoo and he never wanted her to leave his arms.

“Now that I’m dressed, let’s hail a taxi and go home,” he whispered in her ear. Noel pulled out of the embrace and took sight of
his
Clara. Her hair slightly messy from their passionate lip-locking session, and his jacket on her a little ruffled from his body being so close to hers. He smoothed out the jacket and adjusted it to fit properly across her shoulders, completely ignoring question four.

A cold chill grazed over Noel’s body, causing him to shiver. He snuggled further into the pillow and his arms searched for Clara’s warm body. When he felt the slightly warm mattress, Noel's eyes shot open and he sat up. Looking around, he found himself alone in Clara’s bed. He ran a hand through his messy bed hair and looked at the empty spot where Clara had been.

What the?

Noel looked at the alarm clock to his left. It flashed 3:23 a.m. He started to remember what happened after their intense kissing session. They took a taxi back to the apartment and decided to watch
The Breakfast Club.
Fifteen minutes into the film and Clara was already sound asleep, her head resting on his lap. He found himself enjoying the movie more as he slowly stroked her hair. When the film ended, he swept Clara in his arms and walked to her room. She had woken and asked him to stay.