54 Coalition and Friendship
1477 Words
When they stopped over a plain, the wind caressing Diana’s face, her hair floating like waves, Noah can’t help but think that she looks like a painting.
“Should we go back?” he asked her a question while looking over the horizon.
It was such a nice view even if the sun kind of hurts to look at.
Noah only heard of the wind.
He pulled the reins of Bean to turn back when Diana began to speak to him.
“Not yet,” she said, her eyes focused on the setting sun between the mountains ahead. “Let’s wait for the sun to set.”
Noah’s back was at the sun, its light coloring his white shirt, his newsboy slipping from his head.
With his free hand, Noah quickly fixes it to avoid the wind from removing it from his head.
“Don’t you like the view?” Diana said, her hand holding strands of her hair to hinder it from being blown by the wind.
Noah held tight on his reins. He signaled Bean to edge closer to Night, even though the stallion was hesitant in being near his biggest competitor in Noah’s Stream Ranch.
As if Bean had sensed his intentions, he neighed once—
But Noah insisted he head closer to Night so that he could see a better angle of Diana’s face. But from any view, Noah knows that no one can tell him otherwise that she was a beauty in any area of her face and body.
Wynn asked him how his night with Diana went they got back in the Stream Ranch. He answered casually and told him that they had walked back to the hotel. He immediately went home afterward.
And the young lad believed him. He didn’t question him anymore as compared to Thomas’ speculative stare.
Actually, none of them had asked any more than where he had been, who he’s been with.
One afternoon when they were sitting in front of the counter, Thomas obviously couldn’t hold his tongue anymore.
“That blond girl,” he started casually, but Noah already smelled the lingering curiosity behind his words. “Is she a friend of Mr. Jason?”
Nancy gabbled-up her sour-dough bread with overflowing avocados, “Yeah?” she said with her full mouth. “Oh, wait,” she wiped the crumbs of bread on her lips with her thumb. “Are we talking about Lillian or Diana?”
Wynn sipped from his coffee, “I think he meant Diana.” He didn’t look at Noah, and instead, kept his eyes on the newspaper he was holding.
The lad was good at this—pretending he didn’t know what had happened while keeping quiet about matters that don’t concern him, especially if the person involved doesn’t want to open up about the said topic.
“She’s the one with the wavy, blond hair, am I right?” Nancy asked as she looked up the ceiling as if she was imagining Diana the night they went inside the club.
“Yes,” Wynn agreed with her. “The petite and reserved one.”
“Why’d you ask though?” Nancy turned her head toward Thomas.
The older man fixed his reading glasses and kept scanning the newspaper he was reading, “Just wanted to make sure that she’s different with Lillian.”
Nancy took a swig from her tumbler, “I’d say Lillian’s prettier physically, that is,”
Wynn nodded slightly, “Diana looks average, but she’s cute.”
A smile spread over Nancy’s face, “You like her?”
Wynn almost burst out his coffee. He made a choking sound afterward, “She’s like, four or three years older than me! What are you saying?”
“Noah?”
Diana called from beside him.
His trance-state broke as his eyes slithered back to Diana’s face, “Oh, I must have spaced out…”
“I know. The sun does that at times,” she said as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ears.
Noah disagreed silently.
His eyes fixed on her as he thought, it was because of how you glowed in the setting sun’s light.
A month went by, and Noah received the good news that his parents are now able to migrate in America.
Noah looked at the screen of his phone, “Have you all packed your bags properly?”
The smile on his mother’s face was incomparable.
Yes, we have! See—
His mother gestured her hands, all the bags here, she gestured behind her, and here, she pointed her hand next to several luggage lined in front of their hotel room’s door.
Nodding his head, Noah thought his parents were all set to fly in America.
“Dad?” he called to his father who sat silently on the chair beside the bed. “Are you all set?”
His mother pointed the camera next to his father, he’s checking if we’re all set now,
Lifting an eyebrow, his father said, Of course! Why wouldn’t I be set? I can’t wait to live in your ranch, boy! The smile that occupied his father’s facelifted Noah’s spirit somehow.
Rolling his eyes, Noah planted a playful smile on his lips, “Yes, yes. I got you both the room in front of one of the horses’ stable. Is that alright?”
What makes you think it isn’t? His father said, the joy obvious in his eyes.
He wasn’t even that excited when we got a new house here in Italy, commented on his mother. What are we to do with the house? Mary’s getting married in a bit and Elijah has his own already.
Selling the house would be such a waste considering that has a pretty vast garden beside it.
Sitting down on his office chair, Noah placed his phone on a standee and held his chin, “Leave it be?” he was unsure of what to do about it.
We can’t just abandon the house, Noah. His father said. And Noah thinks he’s right.
What do we do, then? Noah’s mother looked outside her garden, I’m going to miss-selling flowers.
Noah can tell that she looked lonely just looking at the flowers she planted outside.
“How about you build your own garden here, mother? We have plenty of extra lands you can continue with your gardening,” Noah’s voice was hopeful as he said that.
When he stared at his phone’s screen, his mother’s smile came into view, Oh, I know, son. It’s just that I like it here… And I’m kind of already attached to the place…
Your son has basically thousands of acres of land in America, and you’re crying on a small, piece of land?
Noah saw the disbelief on his father’s face.
“Now, now you two. Don’t start fighting,” He looked at his watch and remembered her and Diana had an appointment downtown.
He had frequented going with Diana right now, and Joanna was no longer contacting him. His last conversation with her was several months ago already, and it looks like they had already ended things already before he knew about it.
Indeed, the thing between the two of them was only a one night stand that won’t make it to a relationship, so Noah didn’t restrict himself from going out with several girls once in a while.
“I need to go at six in the evening. Call me when you get home.” Noah waved goodbye to his parents, his dad reminding him that he wants to teach him how to groom a horse when he has the time.
Noah reminded them to call him when they arrive at the airport so that he can pick them up.
That day, he met with Diana, and the two of them ate lunch together. After that, they went back to the ranch.
When they were eating their meal, Diana expressed that she likes to groom and ride Snowflake.
Noah, of course, allowed her to do so.
They headed to the stables and had combed Snowflake’s flowing mane that Diana even attempted to braid.
The mare rubbed her head between Diana’s shoulder and neck. Diana blushed upon this gesture.
Noah leaned on the entrance, his arms folded on his chest as he silently watched Diana talk to the horse, not knowing that Noah had raised these creatures in the Magic Ball and that they can definitely understand what she’s saying to them like how humans could.
“Ah, I love your hair so much,” she stuck her face on the Snowflakes.
The mare neighed gently and further pressed her face on Diana’s.
Noah didn’t notice that he already had a smile plastered on his face.
Diana kept caressing her hands up and down on Snowflake’s nose. Then, she turned her face in Noah’s direction.
Their eyes met as Noah blinked.
“Is… there something wrong?” Diana tilted her head, slightly hiding her face from Noah.
She appeared to be shy toward the way he looked at her, so Noah straightened and faked a cough.
He pulled his newsboy hat to hide the blush that spread all over his face.
“Sorry. I didn’t notice I was dozing-off already. I didn’t mean to stare.”
Noah inwardly cursed himself.
He sounded so lame and more like a person who intentionally creeps on an attractive girl that they see.
He mentally noted what he looked like in front of Diana, and vowed to never repeat it ever again.
Diana gave him a smile, “Shall we leave Snow here?”
“You’re giving my horse a nickname?” Noah snorted a little.
The blond woman fixed her hair and tucked both sides behind her ears, “Well,” she looked at Snowflake, “I think she likes it. Don’t you, Snow?”
- Writer
