Chapter 415
Noah’s hand was warm on the small of my back as he steered us toward our table, intimately positioned in the corner of the restaurant. A small candle flickered in the center of the little round table, the scent of wine and steak wafting into my nose as we took our seats.
“I hope this place is to your liking,” Noah said, pulling my chair out for me. “If it’s not, we—”
“It’s fine, Noah,” I shot him a nervous smile, setting the roses aside. “Really. It’s lovely.”
Noah looked honestly relieved.
The waiter approached with a knowing smile, clearly recognizing us. “Good evening, Alpha Hannah, Alpha Noah. It’s an honor to serve you tonight.”
Noah nodded graciously. “Thank you. We’ll start with a bottle of your finest red, please,” he said, without glancing at the wine list.
I raised an eyebrow, a smirk playing on my lips as the waiter hurried away. “Splurging tonight, are we?” I teased.
He grinned, and the sight of it almost made me fall backwards in my chair. “Only the best for you, Hannah. Besides, we have a lot to celebrate, don’t we?”
We did, I supposed—as strange as that felt. I subtly pinched my leg beneath the table, wondering if this was all just a dream.
As we scanned the menu, Noah suddenly looked up at me with a glint in his eye. “Do you remember that Italian place we went to during our first summer together?”
I froze, my heart stopping in my chest. A memory from years ago flitted through my mind—the two of us, spending our allowances on pasta and bread at a little bistro in town. We’d tried convincing the waiter we were old enough to drink wine, but he’d refused.
“You… you remember that?” I whispered.
“I remember everything now, Hannah,” he said quietly. “Like how you ordered the spaghetti but kept stealing bites of my lasagna when you thought I wasn’t looking.”
Tears pricked at my eyes, and I blinked rapidly to hold them back, averting my gaze to my menu. After so long of Noah not remembering our past, hearing him talk about it now felt surreal, like a dream I was afraid to wake up from.
Blissfully, the wine arrived before I had to say anything else. The waiter poured us each a glass and left the bottle. Noah clinked his glass with mine, and I was grateful for the soothing effect of the alcohol as I began to sip.
But as we drank and placed our orders, I could feel Noah’s eyes on me. I set my glass down, swallowing hard.
“Tell me more,” I found myself saying—maybe because of the alcohol. “I want to hear more memories from your perspective.”
Chapter 416 +25 BONUS
The spell was instantly broken by the instructor announcing it was time to reveal our masterpieces. We both quickly jerked back, faces matching shades of maroon.
Noah’s painting was… well, it was certainly colorful, although it bore little resemblance to the landscape we were supposed to be creating. Mine wasn’t much better, though, and when I revealed it to Noah… He threw his head back and laughed. Wholly, deeply, and loudly enough for the entire class to fall silent.
As we left the shop a little while later, our paintings dry and carefully wrapped, Noah handed me his. “For Melody’s nursery.”
My heart swelled. Without thinking, I handed him my own painting in return. Noah’s face flushed as he took it, studying it intently as if it were a priceless work of art. “Maybe… maybe I could hang it in a nursery at my place,” he suddenly murmured. “For when you and Melody come back.”
I felt my cheeks heat up at the implication. “Noah, I don’t…”
He quickly backpedaled, his free hand rubbing the back of his neck nervously. “It was just a thought. I know it’s too soon. I didn’t mean to presume…”
“It’s okay.” I shook my head, managing a small smile. “How about that walk?”
We made our way down to the river, the cool night air sobering us slightly. The water lapped gently at the shore, the moon’s reflection dancing on its surface. We sat on a bench, just watching the water in silence.
“I had a nice time tonight,” Noah finally said. “Really, Hannah.”
I looked up at him, my mouth working uselessly for a moment before I managed, “Me too.”
Viona’s words flitted through my mind: “He deserves to know… You deserve to be free of this secret…”
I had to tell him. I couldn’t wait any longer.
“Noah, there’s something I need to tell you,” I blurted out before I could stop myself. “It’s about something that happened a year ago. Something big.”
“Is everything alright?”
I closed my eyes for a moment, gathering my courage. When I opened them again, I met his gaze directly, willing him to understand, to accept what I was about to say.
“Noah, I… I died and came back to life one year ago.”
Noah’s eyes widened, his mouth falling open in shock. “What?” he breathed.