Chapter 23
Elina
I wipe my sweaty palms on my jeans before heading to the mirror. Once again, I shake out my blond mane and ensure I have no lipstick on my teeth.
Then I smile at my reflection. "There's no reason to be nervous," I say to myself because it's true. Since Noah and I shared that longing, passionate kiss two days ago, everything has changed.
He kissed me. That's how it happened, not the other way around. And what else could it mean other than him being as in love with me as I am with him? No matter how much Maya warned me on the phone earlier, I can feel that we share something special. This is nothing like the mistakes of my past. It's real.
There's a knock on the door.
My heart skips a beat, and I exhale in short bursts. Then I quickly make my way to the entrance and open the door.
There he stands. And even though his gaze appears tired, he looks incredibly attractive. His five o'clock shadow has a hint of daring, and his tousled hair begs to be smoothed by me. As always, he wears faded jeans with a blue plaid shirt over a white T-shirt. His eyes sparkle. Because he sees me.
My nervousness instantly dissipates. "Hey," I say in a soft voice, stepping out to join him.
"This is for you." He pulls his hand from behind his back, revealing a daisy. He carefully tucks the flower into my hair.
Then he leans down and kisses my cheek. The scent of his skin makes me dizzy. Yes, we were supposed to do something else, but different plans come to mind now.
"Follow me," I murmur between two kisses on his lips, trying to pull him into my cabin.
He reaches for my hands. "Not yet." His words don't match his tone.
Surprised, I look up at him. He doesn't want to sleep with me? Why? I search his eyes for a sign, but I find nothing.
"We have all the time in the world," he says, gently tracing the contours of my cheekbones.
Of course, we do. I nod even though I don't fully understand what he's getting at. No man has ever rejected me at a moment like this. Nobody. Noah could have me. Right now. Yet he holds back.
Perhaps because he wants it to be something very special? Because I'm something very special to him?
He raises an eyebrow. "Are you ready for some action?"
Oh yes, I am. "Let's get started."
With a grin, I reach for his hand. We walk through the garden to the street where his car is parked and get in.
On the way to the summer toboggan run, I become fidgety. "How fast does this thing go, anyway?" I ask as Noah finally steers the car into the parking lot at the base station.
He unbuckles his seat belt. "You can control thespeed yourself. But if you let the toboggan run, you can reach up to twenty-eight miles per hour."
I lean over to him. "Here's the plan. I'll spread my arms out. You'll hug me from behind, and I'll scream, 'I'm flyyyying' at the top of my lungs."
For a moment, his forehead creases. "Anything you want," he says, then kisses my cheek.
We leave the car and walk hand in hand toward the ticket booth, basking in the radiant sunshine. "You've never seenTitanic, have you?" I ask.
"Of course, I knowTitanic." A smirk plays on his lips. "Who doesn't?"
I tighten my grip on his fingers. "I mean the movie."
He shrugs. "Never seen it."
No wonder, there isn't even a cinema in Semmtal. And the fact that he hasn't seen this classic tells me that he rarely gets out of here.
"We should plan a trip to the city soon. Maybe to Innsbruck. Or even better, Munich," I suggest, feeling the anticipation welling up inside me.
