Let Love In

The drive back home was silent and uneventful, the four of them keeping to their somewhat grouchy, moderately hung-over selves.

After Garrett and Noah had returned to the living room downstairs, neither bringing up the abrupt ending of the evening’s most recent events, Garrett was pulled into a conversation with some guys Noah didn’t know or bother to care about meeting, leaving her left alone to plop down in the first open seat on the couch. It wasn’t long before Riley and John reappeared, smirks and borrowed clothing hinting at a similar, but more successful night than Noah and Garrett’s.

“Noah, I’ve been looking for you all over! Where have you been?” The tone of Riley’s voice didn’t quite match her words as she plopped down on the arm rest.

“Uh huh, sure you have.” Noah avoided the question; her tone was somewhat grouchy, the room starting to spin again from the alcohol that lingered in her system and the loud music giving her a headache. “Y’know what, can we please just get the fuck out of here already? I-I need to go now.”

“Oh, uh, yeah, sure. I have no idea where Sarah and Colin are; we’d have to find them to let them know.” Noah’s cheeks burned at the mention of their names.

“Baby, I can take you two back if you need it, or you’re welcome to crash at my house that’s closer than Eric’s. We can leave now if you want to.”

Noah weighed her options as she looked between Riley and John, knowing Riley’s mind was already made up, and that she would be sleeping alone wherever they ended up from the suggestive look that passed between the couple as she reluctantly agreed to the impromptu sleepover. “At this point, I don’t really give a shit, y-yeah, whatever; let’s just get out of here.”

Garrett had stopped by Eric’s that afternoon along with the rest of the crew to say goodbye and see them off.
“Hey Noah,” Garrett softly grabbed her arm, pulling her back from the group momentarily. “Last night was…”

Noah chewed on her lip, shrugging slightly, unable to find the words to respond. He scratched the back of his neck awkwardly, a faint blush creeping onto his cheeks, complimenting the smile that was hiding on his lips.

“Maybe another time, a little more sober…” Suggestion lingered in his tone, the volume kept low as he used as little words as possible to get his message across. “Look, I had a nice time with you here, really, I did.” He stumbled over finding the right words, his eyes anxiously running over the features of her face.

“Yeah, I-I had fun too.” Noah shyly kicked her foot across the concrete driveway as a smile crept into her lips.

Garrett stared deep into her eyes for a moment before speaking again, sending chills up Noah’s spine, keeping his voice barely above a whisper. “I--,” he exhaled quickly before continuing, “I know it’s probably a bad idea because of a million different reasons, but fuck it, I really like you Noah. I know this is all new and fast or whatever, but I just have a good feeling about this.”

As Noah’s brain attempted to process his words, Garrett’s lips were being placed on hers, his hands delicately grasping her neck just below her jaw line. His fingers were surprisingly cold to the touch, causing her nerves to react, increasing the speed of her already racing heart.

“I, um…” Noah was at a loss for words as she felt his lips on hers, forgetting for a moment that anyone else could be watching. “Yeah, uhh, I-I’d like that. I mean, whatever this is, I want it too.” She whispered, a smile spreading across Garrett’s face in response.

The next few weeks were a blur; school was getting down to the wire, the prom only about a week away. Not a day went by without pangs of jealousy hitting Noah deep as she watched Colin and Sarah together, mixed emotions accompanying any call or text from Garrett, a constant reminder of the distance between them.

It was easier having Riley dating John, putting her in the same boat and understanding exactly how Noah felt.

“So Noah, you have your dress for prom yet?” Noah looked up from the open book in front of her to see Riley occupying the open seat across the table.

“I don’t see the need to get a dress if I’m not going, because, A-I don’t have a date, B-Garrett’s too far away and too busy to come up, and C-I just don’t really feel like it’s that big of a deal.” Noah spit out the lie with her focus on her book, knowing if she looked her friend in the eye, Riley would see right through it.

“I vote you’re going to need to retract that last thought of yours and reconsider.” Noah looked up to see the excitement being poorly hidden on Riley’s face, indicating a surprise of some sort was itching to get out.

“Why do I feel like this is not going to end well?”

“Trust me. It will be great. We’ll even go after school today, get you a smokin’ hot prom dress, and just know that I’ve got the date thing covered.”

“Well what about this one?” Riley sifted through the bright colors on the rack, pulling out a short, bright red dress. Noah played with the fabric in her hands, looking over the design of the dress and debated whether or not to try it on.

“Go try that one on and I’ll keep looking.” Noah reluctantly agreed, meandering over to the dressing room. She stood for a moment, analyzing her reflection in the mirror. Negative thoughts of imperfection flooded her consciousness as she stared at the dress on the hanger.

A fervent knocking on the door brought Noah back to reality as Riley’s voice flooded the small dressing room.

“Forget about that red one, this is the dress for you. Trust me.” A bright clump of fabric was tossed over the doorway and into the dressing room. Noah smiled a hopeful smile, picking up the fabric as a teal colored floor length dress revealed itself before her. As she held it up to herself in the mirror, Noah loved what she saw. She easily slid into it, twirling around a few times, admiring her reflection in the mirror. The hemline just barely grazed the tile flooring, accommodating her long legs and complementing her lanky figure quite nicely.

“Okay, I need to see this!” Riley called out a minute or two later, knocking at her door again.

“Perfect.” Riley admired the dress from all angles as Noah stepped through the doorway, a satisfied smile on both their faces.

“I really do love this dress.” Noah said quietly, before dreading the thought of the price tag.

“That’s the dress you’re getting, end of story.” Noah loved both the dress and Riley about a hundred times more after she saw the price fit nicely within her budget, and from then on, trusted that Riley would make this a prom to remember.

“So who’re the mystery dates? C’mon, just tell me, pleaseeeee?” The day before prom, Noah was getting antsy. Riley had managed to keep it a secret, which was quite an accomplishment, only letting it slip that she had cleared their potential dates with John and Garrett, assuring Noah they were allowed to have a fun time, making Noah even more anxious, nervous, and excited.

“Nope, just know that it’s gonna be great.” Riley stuck her tongue out, not letting any other details slip.