Page 43 of The Photo
“He vanished? I find that hard to believe?” There’s a storm brewing inside me, and no apology will tame it.
Alexa’s sigh rustles like she’s trying to contain her own chaos. “Look, if I knew you better, or if you answered your damn phone, then maybe I wouldn’t have jumped to conclusions.”
“They stole my phone,” I snap. “I had no way of telling him what happened.”
“What if I pay for your flight over here? That way you can stay in his apartment and wait for him to come back. He’s contracted to attend the Sports88 shoot in a few days.”
There’s nothing I want more than to run to him or wait for him, or whatever she expects me to do, but Noah doubted me, he doubted us.
The dream fizzled out.
The hurt won’t leave me.
“I appreciate the offer, but I’m not chasing a man who thinks I’m capable of deception. I’m done with it all. I’m done with this whole dream love affair.”
Chelsea swivels around and snatches the phone from my hand. “Alexa!” she drawls. “This is Chelsea, the best friend. Look, I’m sure you can imagine she’s had a difficult time. I think the head trauma is making her cranky.”
“I’m not cranky!” I bluster, only to meet Chelsea’s raised palm as she indicates for me to stop talking.
Her lips stop moving and she nods. “Okay, I’ll make sure she gets to the airport once we get the all clear that she can fly.” Chelsea continues to listen. “Yeah, torn ligaments in her ankle too.” She browses my strapped foot. “Wonder Woman here threw herself from the bedroom window. One of her legs resembles an elephant's trunk. An adult elephant. Not the small cute baby ones. And the concussion has made her seriously narky.” I hear Alexa’s voice raise. “Yeah, really? Okay, uh-huh. No worries—bye.”
Chelsea tosses the phone at me. “You’re going back to Canada to sort out this little misunderstanding.” She concludes.
“Misunderstanding?”
“The chances of someone getting hit by lightning is one in a million. The chances of a girl from Ireland meeting her famous crush has the same unbelievable odds. What if it’s meant to be, Rowan? What if you guys are the real deal and he’s just as scared as you are?”
“He thinks I sold him out. That’s a deal breaker right there.”
“You’re upset. He deserves to hear the truth from you, not Alexa. Noah has no idea you were in the hospital.”
We sit in silence while I think about forks of lightning, rainbows and seashells. “So, I'm supposed to just show up out of the blue, and all will be forgiven? What if he doesn’t like me? I know he enjoys having virtual sex with me, but that doesn't mean hewantsme. Like forever, with a ring and babies and togetherness.”
“Togetherness?”
I shrug. “What happens when you want something you can’t have—you want it even more. He can’t physically fuck me, so it drives him mad. Noah only thinks he likes me, when we haven’t even been out on a proper date or done the normal stuff couples do.”
“You two spent hours on video calls, Rowan. Talking, laughing, listening to music and all the kinky shit in between. If he didn’t like you, why would he waste his time with the normal stuff?”
She has a point. “Normal stuff.” I roll my eyes and grunt.
“I have to email Alexa when you’re ready for a long-haul flight.”
“Tomorrow.”
“Even if it blows up in your face, at least he’ll know the truth,” she says kindly, only it feels like a precursor to rejection.
Eighteen
The next few days speed past in a blur. I’m back in Canada, outside Noah’s apartment. Alexa jams her key in the lock and strides inside like she owns the place. She flicks the light switch and walks past the spot in the hallway where he kissed me like I was his.
I’m wearing tennis shoes for comfort and not my patent biker boots, so they feel spongy under foot when I follow behind. A twinge of pain in my lower leg reminds me of the reason I’m here, and I worry how this will work out, if at all.
“Is he still missing?” Cool air bristles my flushed cheeks. “He’ll freak out when he finds me here.”
Alexa drops the keys on the coffee table. “I don’t think he’ll freak out, Rowan. We’ve been friends for a long time, and he’s never been MIA. It’s totally out of character. He never misses business calls or meetings.” She moves to the window and stares out at the blue sky. “I’ve worked with plenty of models in my time, and he’s by far my favorite, if not incredibly annoying,” she announces with a smile. “Noah isn’t your typical ‘image is everything’ kinda guy. He may be good-looking, but he works hard. Beneath those tight muscles there’s a brain too, and would you believe, he’s sensitive and kind?” She looks back at me. “This situation has knocked him sideways. I’ve given him space to sort himself out. We all need time alone to regroup. The meeting tomorrow afternoon is important. He has to be there, or we lose the contract.”
I’m listening to her and battling with a flurry of tears that want to roll free. “I didn’t ask for any of this, Alexa. I didn't hound him or make him like me, and I didn't give those men my stuff. Noah took those pictures, not me. I would have deleted them if he asked me to.”
