CHAPTER FOUR
1133 Words
Dreams were dangerous yet Elara had always dreamed and also believed in them. They whispered about futures that had no obligation to arrive. That was why she had learned to treat hers carefully, write them down, plan them logically, and never let them grow wild.
But with Noah, they grew anyway. Everything seemed brighter and more achievable with him around.
They lay on the hood of his car at the beach. They were on their way home from a date but had to stop because she wanted to go to her favorite place. The car's metal was warm beneath them from the sun. The water moved gently, unbothered and content.
“Are you okay?”
“ Yes I am. This place means a lot to me. I came here every week for a year to cope with my dad's death”.
“You miss him don’t you?”
“A lot “
“What happened to him?”
“ I can’t really say. All I remember was a month before his death, he lost his job. He was extremely worried and busy. He shouted more often than before. Then he became quite, too quiet and I came back from school one day and the ambulance was outside my home, my mom was crying and then I saw my dad wheeled out and they told me he was dead. I asked but nobody gave me a reasonable answer.
“Wow. I am sorry”.
“This place is going to feel like a shoebox one day,” Elara said, changing the topic
Noah smiled faintly. “It already does.”
She stared at the sky, counting stars as they appeared, her fingers absently tracing lines on the hood. The air smelled like summer dust and grass, the kind of evening that felt suspended in time.
“What do you want?” Noah asked quietly.
She turned toward him. “What?”
“What do you want to achieve?”
Elara exhaled. “I want to build something that matters. I want to create moments people remember; weddings, galas, and celebrations. I want to make people smile and have a good time. I want to be the reason something feels perfect and special, even if just for a night.”
Noah’s gaze softened. “That sounds like you. You are far too kind” he said jokingly
Elara chuckled and hit his arm
“What about you?” she asked.
He was quiet for a moment. Too quiet.
“Noah?”
“I want out,” he said eventually. “Not just physically. I want a life that isn’t decided for me before I even get to choose.”
She frowned slightly. “Who’s deciding?”
He smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “Everyone.”
Elara shifted closer, her shoulder brushing his. “There is nothing wrong with wanting more.”
“I know.” He glanced at her. “It just feels… complicated.”
“We’ll leave,” Noah said suddenly. “Together.”
Her heart stumbled. “We will?”
“Yes.” He reached for her hand. “Promise me we won’t let this town be the best thing that ever happened to us.”
She squeezed his fingers. “Promise.”
Elara noticed how carefully he avoided specifics. No dates. No plans. Just hope, wrapped in uncertainty but she didn’t care.
Dreaming with him felt safe.
They talked for hours about cities they’d only seen in movies, about small apartments filled with light, about careers that felt impossibly distant yet achingly close. Their dreams overlapped more than either of them expected.
ELARA’S POV
It’s been days since the beach incident. Elara had never trusted the word forever.
It was too final. Too fragile. People spoke it easily, without understanding how heavy it was.
Noah said it like a vow. And that scared her.
She was worried about him. She could see the little cracks but because they hadn’t defined what they had she let it go. She didn’t want to seem forward yet she hoped he would tell her what was wrong.
Today, they were in her bedroom, the door locked, fairy lights casting a soft glow across the walls. Music played low from her phone, something slow and familiar. Her mom was out, the house quiet in a way that made every breath feel louder.
They sat on the floor, knees touching, backs against her bed. They had just watched a movie and she could feel the tension building but she kept still.
“Do you ever think about after?” Noah asked.
“After what?”
“After school. After this.The Future.”
She hesitated. “Sometimes.”
He turned toward her fully, his expression more serious than usual. “I don’t think this is just a phase.”
Her throat tightened. “Noah…”
“I mean us.” His voice was steady but urgent. “I don’t want to wake up one day and realize I lost you because I was too afraid to say it.”
Her eyes burned. “Say what?”
“ That I love you. That I choose you no Matter what anyone says. Not because it’s easy. Because it’s right. I love you, Lara”
She shook her head slightly. “Don’t promise me things you might regret.”
“I won’t.” He took her hands. “You’re not temporary to me. I want to be with you forever. I have already planned our future. We would achieve all we want, get married, have kids, a daughter first though.
“Wait. Kids?, marriage? Calm down, Noah. And who said I want to have a girl first?” She said smiling
“ I am serious Lara. I want you. More than I have ever wanted anything or anyone. And yes we would have a girl first”. He said through smiles
She hugged him as tears slipped down her cheeks despite her best effort to hold them back. Then she said, “ I love you, Noah and yes I will have your kids.”
He kissed her then. It was not rushed, not desperate, but slow and reverent, filled with love and hope. Like he was memorizing her and telling her things that he could not express through words. Like he was afraid of forgetting.
Later they lay naked, tangled together under the duvet, They both had their eyes closed. Laughter had faded into quietness. Noah brushed her hair back, his thumb tracing her cheek.
“This is forever,” he whispered as he kissed her forehead
Elara replies with eyes closed, “Yes it is forever. I love you”.
“I love you too, Lara”.
For once, those words didn’t scare her.
- Writer
