+  T W E L V E  +

     My fingers were twisting, and pulling at one another as my feet made their way over to the stray of lockers. Standing only a few feet now, was Noah in all of his glory, my sister standing right in front of him.

     What could they be talking about? College? Meredith? Me? I shake my head, holding onto my fingertips as I dismiss the thought.

     Then, I see Melanie lean backwards onto a locker, as Noah smiles one of his dazzling smiles. "—sorry to break it to you, Donovan, but I'm not single."

     "Come on, Mel. You and I used to have so much fun. Remember Nashville?—"

     "Don't go there, Donovan," she holds up a hand, and pushes it onto his chest, while just a few feet away, stood one confused Meredith Palmer. "I've—redirected myself when it comes to relationships."

     "Oh, yeah?" He questions, taking another step closer. "What caused this redirection?"

     "Her." My sister turns, and points to Meredith, who blushes and waves a small wave. Noah's posture tenses a bit when he sees the two of smiling loving smiles at one another.

     My heart breaks a little when I realize he wasn't into me when we met in Charleston. He obviously wasn't over Melanie yet, and I was fine with it.

     I mean, we'd only spoken once.

     When Melanie turns, and walks over to a dazed Meredith, Noah pauses when he catches me staring—again.

My heart plummets into my chest when his legs are striding themselves across the hall over to me. When he stops, his eyes meet mine, and my fingers grip onto my tanks handle. "Julianne, it's nice to see you again."

"N-Noah, it's nice to see you, too." My voice is even scratchier than usual, and Noah's eyebrows raise at this.

"How's . . ." His eyes make way over to my tank, "everything."

"I'm good, the cancers still, very present." He sends a small smile at this, but I know he pity's me. He's no longer sporting the letterman jacket, and I can feel myself itching to ask why he isn't.

     "So, your sister's got a girlfriend. That's nice—not at all what I was expecting, but nice." I know he's messing with me, by the way his lips curl at the end of his statement, and my fingers grip onto the handle of my tank. Why was he so mesmerizing? I'd just caught him trying to make-way with my sister all over again, and I still find myself attracted to him.

     "So," he begins again, "coming back to Charleston anytime soon?"

     "Probably not," I answer honestly, tucking a stray piece of hair behind my ear. "I mean—Charleston was great and all, it's just, you know; all of the parties aren't really my thing."

     He crosses both arms over his chest, while I try my best not to swoon. "It seemed to be your thing on Saturday."

     I'm stuttering, racking my brain for any sign of argument. "W-Well, I didn't exactly go there by choice—"

     "Then, why did you stay?" By the way my heart is hammering in my already damaged chest, I'm sure that Noah can hear it through my sweatshirt that's hiding every inch of my bony figure.

     "We were having fun—we were laughing, swooping stories—"

     "So, you stayed because of me?" He asks seriously, and I can't seem to find the right words to say anymore. Did he know how much I'd already began admiring him? Did he somehow conjure and figure out what an impression he'd made that night?

     I toy with the tubing extracting itself from the inside of my nose, and to my oxygen tank lying on the ground.

     "Yes." My answer is so blunt, and straightforward, that Noah's thick brows raise in questioning. "Really?"

     "Y-Yeah." He takes a slow step forward closer, and my heart begins its assault all over again. Doesn't he know that all of this hyperventilation isn't good for my lungs?

     "Would you like to do it again?" A smile breaks itself out onto my face, and I almost reach up to cover it with both hands.

     "Yes."