53 Diana's Silhouette
1518 Words
Diana tilted her head a little bit closer to where Noah is.
On the other hand, Noah saw this as her way of listening closely to what he’d like to say about his opinion on what she’d just said.
For one, Noah was shocked that Diana was also affiliated, in a way, when it comes to working ranches. Although he’d have to admit that Diana didn’t seem like the type of girl that would like to get her shoes dirtied with the mud.
From Noah’s view—his prejudice about her was that she was the girl that never gets to hang out with her friends on a daily basis. In contrast to women, he’d decided to go out on a date before, Diana appeared to look the part of being conservative and sheltered.
“What is it?” she murmured in silence. But despite the booming music all over the place, Noah didn’t know how he caught what she had just said.
Leaning closer, Noah leveled a stare at her, “I was just thinking that you didn’t look like a rancher’s daughter.”
From what he had said, it earned a snort from Diana—and it was incomparable to a pig’s noise. Hers was a bit timid and wasn’t forced at all.
Her angelic smile had Noah holding his breath once more.
He didn’t like the feeling she caused him to feel, although he also couldn’t stop it from entering his life.
“Sorry…” he said his hand automatically went behind the nape of his neck.
The cerulean blue of Diana’s eyes brought life to the darkness surrounding them.
Her eye seemed to also smile whenever her mouth turned upwards. It was contagious enough that Noah had to stop himself from smiling like the way she did.
“No, no,” she waved her hand in dismissal to what he had said, “there’s absolutely nothing to be sorry about. In fact, I get those a lot.”
She stared to where Nancy was already sleeping, her head leaning on Wynn’s shoulder as the three lads kept their serious conversations to themselves.
“I mean, I probably didn’t look the part,” she added as she sat straight on her seat, her back not grazing the chair’s board.
Noah wasn’t one for idle talk, but he couldn’t stop himself from agreeing with what she had said. “You are…” he said as he lifted his gaze, and once again, their eyes meeting for the longest time this day.
Diana c****d her head on the other side, her wavy, blond hair following her head’s movement.
Noah was tempted to have a feel of those strands in her hands. They looked soft like a sheep’s wool—he blinked.
Diana blinked, her eyebrows furrowed, “Are you alright?”
Noah smiled a bit, “It’s nothing,” he then rummaged in his pockets. And when he finally grabbed hold of the cigarettes, Noah took out the box and placed on their table.
How can he even though of comparing the lady’s hair to that of a sheep’s fur? It wasn’t just rude, but highly creepy of him to think about it.
But he’d have to say, her hair really looked soft.
Shaking his head slightly, he was about to get a cigarette stick from the box when he remembered his prejudice with Diana’s personality.
He thinks this part of his would be the test that would prove if he’d get along well with Diana or not.
With her doe-like eyes, Diana stared at the box on the table beside Noah’s hand.
“You’d like to smoke?” she asked, her voice as timed as the music playing around the club.
Noah looked at his watch; it was already twelve midnight. Slowly, he nodded his head once, his hazel eyes staring at the ocean—to Diana’s eyes.
“Uhm, would you like to smoke?” she gestured to the box near his hand. Then, her face looked guilty enough Noah didn’t expect such a reaction from her.
“Am I making you uncomfortable or something?” she asked again.
It was her second question, and Noah hadn’t replied yet.
He blinked once before he opened his mouth to speak, “Can I?”
He cursed inwardly.
Why was he asking her another question when she was obviously asking him two questions already?!
Noah noted the stupidity of his questions.
Diana had a half-smile on her face, “Why not? Please, go ahead. Don’t mind me.”
Then, the lovely woman took the menu beside Noah. Her eyes scanned it thoroughly as Noah lighted his cigarette.
The smoke flew above them. Noah placed the cigarette on his mouth, then he inhaled, the smoke coming out of his mouth in waves.
“My father had a passion for horses,” Diana started as she smiled at the waiter who took her choice of beverage.
“I think all ranchers should have that aspect,” Noah tapped the end of his cigarette on the ashtray, “as well as their passion to raise animals.”
Diana hummed as she stared on the dance floor, the people leaving the area to either drink or hang out with their friends, “Do you like horses, Mr. Martin?”
Upon calling him by his last name, Noah cringed.
It was rather okay to refer to him by the first name. But with his last name…?
“Please. Call me Noah.” He insisted and smiled a tell her that it was alright to call each other by their first names.
Diana stared back at him, “I’m sorry. Did it offend you? Apart from Reese, I’m used to calling people… formally, that is.”
“Reese is a very close friend, am I right?” Noah looked down so as to not make the situation more awkward than it was at the moment.
Diana slightly shifted on her seat, “Since we’re in high school.”
“Then…” he stopped for a second to blow the smoke from his mouth. Without trying to blink, he stared at the woman in front of him, “…should we also be friends for you to call me by my first name?”
The blond woman head-on looked at him, “Perhaps we’re already starting that friendship,”
Noah noticed she didn’t say it as if she was asking a question[—Diana had said those words as if she was declaring something.
A chuckle escaped Noah, her sly answer amusing him. “Did Reese mention that I am from Italy?”
Noah answered in Italian.
Diana’s cerulean-blue colored eyes widened a bit, a smile playing on her pinkish lips, “No…” she covered her mouth as she laughed a little, her eyes closing as Noah noticed her naturally curled, thick eyelashes.
“We’re a bot from Italy, then,” she tucked a loose curl behind her ears, her earrings shinning once the light from above them hit it.
That night, when Fitch contacted Noah that he wasn’t able to bring back the van with them, Noah decided he’d have to walk Diana home.
She told him that the hotel was actually a lot closer than they think it is.
And so, underneath the darkened sky, Noah and Diana walked without saying a single word. The streets were still filled with cars, especially with taxis that honked at them, but they consistently refused them.
Diana hugged herself as the chilly wind gave them solace.
On the other hand, Noah didn’t want her to feel cold, so he closed the distance between them, the side of his arm brushing hers.
At first, Diana wanted to put a distance between them, but Noah insisted she’d feel colder if she does so.
Noah didn’t look at her as he placed his hands inside his side pocket, but he swore from the corner of his eyes that he saw her smile like the sunshine, and surprisingly, that made him at ease. Like his heart would never cease to pump when she’s around.
He admits to anyone who’d see that he did feel irritated, but as time went by, Noah came to appreciate her presence.
Both of them have Italian descent, and surely at some level, Diana was affiliated with ranching one way or another.
When they finally reached her hotel, Diana waved goodbye to Noah from the front door.
Noah looked at her for a second before he awkwardly raised his hand, Diana’s blush covering her entire face as she laughed at what he looked like.
He couldn’t help but give her his half-smile.
After that one encounter that felt like it had happened for a long time, they met one more time, and this time, Diana took the initiative to ask Noah if she can go to his ranch.
Of course, Noah allowed her to.
In fact, he even asked her if she’d like to ride one of their famous horses named Bean and Snowflake.
Diana safely arrived at Noah’s ranch, and with amusement, Noah smiled as she chose Night as her horse.
Bean looked as if he didn’t mind it. In fact, he was satisfied when Noah mounted himself atop him.
The pair rode through the acres of Noah’s ranch, with Bean speeding ahead of Night, but Diana didn’t mind as her eyes fixed on the setting sun. The rich color of orange and yellow mixed and gave her hair a bright tone that Noah didn’t know if he’d exactly forget.
- Writer
