The rhythmic tapping of fingers against the living room table was making me nervous. Well, more nervous than I already was, which was a significant amount.

There was nothing worse than knowing you were in trouble, and then instead of the yelling, there was silence. It was like mothers perfected the art of making you feel extremely guilty without even having to say a single word. A stern look was enough.

I cleared my throat for the third time in the last five minutes. "I-um-I can explain."

"Mhmm," Mom hummed.

"It's really not what you think. Noah was just, uh, he was kidding. I mean we're not like, like serious about dating," I stumbled with my words, and mom raised her eyebrow. "Not-not to say that we're playing around, it's more that we're still getting to um, know each other, so who knows if-if our relationship will last long, you know," I kept rambling, as I always did when I felt awkward. "We might break up in like, a week, or something."

In fact, it was almost certainty that we would break up in a little over a week. After all, dating Noah Archer always came with a predetermined expiration date. Why would it be any different this time?

Mom was silent still, tapping away with her fingers. I felt beads of sweat roll down my neck. Just as I was about to go into another awkwardness-fueled monologue, Mom let out a sigh and shook her head.

"Honestly, Sky, I'm a little hurt you didn't tell me, that's all." Oh no. She was going to hit me with the I'm not mad, I'm disappointed. My stomach clenched. "We used to talk about everything. I didn't realize that had changed. I'm not mad at you hiding this, I'm just disappointed in myself that you felt like you had to. Do you feel judged by me? Can you not trust me? Is that why?"

Ugh. This was worse than I expected. "Mom, this wasn't about you. It's... complicated with Noah. I didn't want to say anything until I knew that this would last."

"I see, I understand. You didn't see the point in talking to your mom about boys. It's not like she's been patiently waiting to talk to you about boys since that crush you had 2 years ago," she said, sniffling. "And it's not like she has twice your age of experience with men. What could she know?"

Oh, the dramatics laced with passive aggression. Delightful.

"Mom..." I said, in a voice that probably made me sound more like an adult than the fake-sniffling woman in front of me. Mom waved her hand in the air dismissively.

"Don't worry about me, darling. I guess I should get used to my only child becoming a distant stranger. I had always wished to become best friends with my daughter once I had her, you see, but alas... it was not meant to be," she said, holding a hand to her forehead for maximum drama.

My lips twitched. I was already used to Mom having the maturity of a pinecone when she started her woe is me act, but this was on the next level. But, somehow, I held it together. There was no doubt that laughing would be the wrong route in this scenario. It would just prolong this entire scene if I entertained her theatrics. And I desperately needed to reunite with my bed.

"Oh come on mom, you know you're my friend–" I said and she stopped her little act to raise her brow at me. "–best friends, that is." She nodded, her hand returning back to her forehead. "I tell you everything that matters. This wasn't one of those things, so I just thought getting you excited for what might be nothing was pointless."

"A boy showing up to our house and staying for dinner doesn't matter?" She asked, frowning at me for a second before her face returned to her forlorned expression. "It matters not, I understand, for you it is of little consequence what is shared between us..."

Oh God. Once more started speaking as if she walked out of a historical novel, I knew it was time to wrap things up. Otherwise, if she got too into it, she'd rope me into some rendition of a Shakespear play.

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry. I'll tell you what you want to know, I promise, just enough of the theatrics," I relented, raising my hands in defeat.

The change was instant, her face morphing from a sorrowful gaze into one of clear mischief and curiosity.

"You promised," she sung, happy with her little victory.

"You really need an Oscar. And not the plastic one I got you for your birthday," I muttered, in protest and mom giggled.

"Why thank you, thank you," she said, and bowed her head two times before straightening and leaning closer toward me. "Now tell me everything."

"I mean... there's not much to tell."

Mom clicked her tongue impatiently and started tapping her manicured fingers against the table again.

"Where did you meet?"

"Uh, school?" Duh.

"Is he in your classes?"

"Some of them, yes."

"Is he the old friend you started talking to recently?"

"Uh, yes and no."

Raised eyebrow. Further explanation necessary.

"I started talking to an old friend recently so I used him as an excuse that day. Cause... dad."

"Mhmm," mom mumbled knowingly. She knew how protective dad would get. "Did he ask you out?"

"Uhh... no. I, um, kinda asked him out." I blurted this out as quickly as I could. The little gasp Mom let out made it clear she'd heard me crystal regardless of that.

"You asked him out? What did you do to my Skyler?" She asked, in mock horror and I snorted, rolling my eyes. And then she tried to seem overly casual while adding, "You have to like him then or something, right?"

Or something. I'd asked him out with such negative emotions attached that I felt a wave of shame wash over me.

"I don't know. He was... interesting." Not a lie. Not the truth either. I took a sip of water, my throat getting uncomfortably dry.

"Are you using protection?"

The water came flying out of my mouth and across the entire table. "Using what?"

"Protection," Mom said, staring at me in confusion. "For sex." And then added, for extra clarification.

Heat surged to my cheeks. "Mom! Sex?! What?!" I stumbled over words, my voice sounding alarmingly close to a squeaky toy a dog would chew on.

"Oh, you're almost eighteen and a senior, I'm not going to pretend like you're not going to have sex with your boyfriend. I'm not your dad." She waved her hand in the air, a mischievous smirk on her lips. "Just make sure you use protection. It's not just for pregnancy, it's for STDs as well, and–"

"Mom, please stop, we will not be having the sex," I mumbled, closing my eyes and wishing this conversation could erase from my head.

"Definitely don't let him pressure you, darling. It's fine to wait, if that's what you want. Just trust your own feeling about it," she said, and I exhaled, hoping this meant we were done with the topic. I was wrong. So very wrong. "I had sex my first year of college, and wow, that was like an awakening, but honestly until I met your dad I didn't really–"

I stood up from the table abruptly, clenching my hands over my ears. This was too embarrassing. Maybe we could revisit this conversation in a few years. Or never, never seemed good.

"Well this was a great convo mom, thanks. My future therapist will definitely be thrilled unpacking all of this in a decade. I'm gonna go drink bleach and go to sleep now," I said, giving her a pointed look.

Mom smiled and shrugged, looking innocent and pure. This woman was the undiscovered gem of Hollywood.

When I reached the door, she yelled after me.

"My darling, you do know you can come talk to me, right? About anything. I'll never judge you. Never think less of you. I will always love you, no matter what."

I turned back to her, and the gentle expression on her face made me tear up. Mom was playful and joking and this whole stunt was mainly her curiosity getting the best of her, but she could be serious when she needed to.

Taking the few steps back to her, I bent down and hugged her. Taken aback for a second, she let out a happy giggle and squeezed me back.

"Thank you, I love you," I muttered and she ran her hand down my hair gently.

"Oh my darling, I love you too."

Something felt distinctly different as I walked toward Noah's car the next morning. In fact, everything felt different and it was messing with my head.

For starters, when I left the house he was there, leaning on the side of the car. Instead inside of the car, in his seat, as usual.

As soon as I saw him there I almost tripped over my own feet and had to extend my arms for balance. Which he, of course, noticed and that perpetual smirk popped up on his face again. He looked effortlessly casual but still managed to look better than most people could hope to, in his black jeans, dirty salmon colored hoodie, and a black, leather bomber jacket on top. It looked damn attractive on him. And it bothered the hell out of me that I genuinely thought that.

A frown marred my face at the realization, and by the time I reached the car, my cheeks felt hot.

The fact that he opened the passenger door for me, like a perfect gentleman, did not help with the flaming cheeks problem.

"Morning, honey," he said, his deep voice washing over me live velvet.

A shiver ran through me. Calm down. This is Noah. Just Noah.

"You gonna stick to that one?" I said, grateful that my voice sounded way more cool than how I felt.

"Hmm, don't know, I'm still trying them out." He shrugged and winked playfully, closing the door after I sat down.

"Well let me know what you settle on so I can settle on something equally embarrassing for you," I muttered as soon as he sat down and he laughed, shaking his head.

As always the music flared to life as soon as he turned on the ignition and we enjoyed a minute or two of comfortable silence.

"You up for some questions?" Noah asked, a smile on his face.

"Always." I said and grinned back.

He glanced at me, his smile widening, before he focused on the road.

"Hmm... well, we might as well get this one out of the way," he started, making me wonder what kind of question he was about to ask. "Do you have a secret hunch about how you will die?"

My head snapped toward him so quickly I almost got vertigo. "What?"

"Do you have a hunch about how you will die?"

"That's a... pretty morbid question," I said, raising one eyebrow.

"Hey, don't look at me, I didn't come up with these," he shrugged, chuckling.

I frowned trying to come up with an answer. "Honestly, I never thought about it before. But I'm hoping I die in bed, of old age, surrounded by people I love. I'm guessing most people wouldn't want that."

"That's not really the question. It's about whether you have a hunch how you'll die," Noah said, giving me a knowing smirk.

"Well, it's the best I've got for you." I shrugged.

Noah sighed and shook his head, but the smile on his face told me he didn't fault me for my slight avoidance of the question. Or rather, my inability to answer with anything other than no.

"What about you? With that reaction you've got to have a better answer," I raised an eyebrow and he leaned his head from side to side, as if debating whether to tell me. "Come on, spit it out."

"Probably from some illness, before I turn 45," he finally said, no emotions showing on his composed face.

"Uh. That's oddly specific." Frowning, I tried to study his face. What a strange answer for someone so full of life.

"It is what it is." He shrugged again, as if what he'd just said wasn't unnerving. I'f been planning to ask follow-up questions, which he clearly sense because he continued. "Another question?"

For a moment, I debated whether to ask my questions still. Get to the bottom of such an uncomfortable and enigmatic answer. But, at the same time, I knew that there was no way you were getting answers out of Noah Archer unless he provided them.

"Yeah, sure," I muttered, filing my questions away for another day. One when we weren't about to reach our school and he'd maybe be more open to talking.

"What is the greatest accomplishment of your life?" he asked and immediately continued, "For me, I think it was the first time I played music in front of a crowd. Seeing everyone's reactions to the melody, and how it triggered their emotions really solidified my love for music. Seeing how proud and excited my mom was in he crowd was a plus too."

His face had softened and I was instantly glad that we had time for another question at least. Leaving the car on the topic of death seemed like a grim start of the day. Seeing him brighten up, caused a chain reaction and I felt myself brighten up as well.

"Mine was... getting through these questions, sheesh. Your love interrogation is rough," I said playfully and was rewarded by the sound of his laughter. The unexpected kind that fills the whole space and suddenly makes it warm.

"I like to keep you on your toes, Fox," he offered, glancing at me with his dazzling smile and I felt the heat rush through my body again.

I knew I still owed a serious answer but my brain was starting to feel fuzzy. Words needed to be formed, and yet, the entire english alphabet had just flown out of my head.

He parked the car in front of the school and turned to me, eyebrows raised, but that should-be-illegal smile still on his face.

"Um, uh, I guess I could say like an award I won, or something but... this is going to sound weird, but, being myself? I won't say I still don't struggle with this, because I do, but when I was younger I really wanted to fit in with everyone. Be invited to birthday parties and sleepovers. I had a phase when I was just trying to copy whatever the more popular kids in middle school were doing. I just wanted to be liked, you know?" I said and could see him nodding from the corner of my eyes.

"I acted different, even my relationship with Lily and Mel was... bad, for a while. The summer before high school, I was just exhausted at the prospect of having to spend the next four years being someone that didn't feel like myself. So I stopped trying. Lily and Mel still loved me for me. I found other people that did as well. And honestly, I realized I'm pretty freaking awesome as I am. Other people agreeing with that or not, has no impact on my life. I have an impact on it though, and the people I surround myself with do as well. So, yeah. My greatest accomplishment is accepting myself as an awesome work-in-progress."

I finished speaking and took a deep breath. This was not the answer I expected would pass through my lips. It was way too raw, way too real. But for some reason, the truth was the only thing I could say with my brain so rattled.

Noah was quiet. His face serious as he looked at me. Our eyes met and I held my breath. Seconds passed, or at least that's how it felt as I waited for him to say something. Anything. I was about to make a joke about how we'll be late for class when he inhaled and leaned back into his seat, leaning his head back.

"Aw, shit," Noah said, letting out a groan before he turned to me, the softest smile on his face. "I'm really starting to like you, Skyler."

My heart stopped.

Then started up again.

And skipped a few more beats when I remembered what he'd just said.

Heat consumed me. From the tips of my toes to the root of my hair, everything felt hot. Especially in this tiny space with the person who caused this reaction in the first place.

What were words? Speaking, that was a thing, right?

My mouth opened and closed several times. I didn't get to say anything because Noah chuckled and opened his door. "We're gonna be late."

He was already at my door by the time I managed to come back to my senses. Noah held the door open while I stumbled out, muttering a quiet thank you.

When he closed the door, he held out his hand. Looking back up at him, and the smile on his face, I smiled back, entwining my fingers with his before we went toward the school.

The way he held my hand as I walked, his thumb ever so slowly rubbing against my skin, was doing funny things to my insides.

Something had definitely changed between us and it terrified me. 

Hi lovely! ❤️

OMG, before we get into story related stuff, I have to share this... It's like past midnight for me and I'm tired af so I didn't noticed I clicked new part for Match Made in Quarantine instead of this book... and published this chapter in MMIQ. 😂 😱 I noticed like 5 mins later but omg, so awkward. I hope not that many people noticed...

OKAY MOVING ON. 

Finally the new chapter is here! If you follow me, you might have seen my update that I'd been sick and recovering slowly due to taking no time off, but I'm all refreshed this week so we'll be back to regular updating. YAY! 🎉 More importantly though...

HOW DID YOU LIKE THE CHAPTER?

I mean, hopefully you don't think it will be easy sailing for our little love-hate birds because... yeah. We're just past the half way point of the book soooo...

Which also reminds me... You all don't know this but TWTFIL was supposed to be just like a light 50k novel to write before starting some other projects. And then I started writing it and it turned into something completely different than what I initially thought it would be, and now we're past 50k words and the best is still coming... Not that I'm complaining, it's what the kids (Sky & Noah) wanted from me. They were like, yeaaaaah our stories aren't that simple, 50k is just not gonna work for us DOUBLE IT. 😂

And so here we are now.

I hope you're liking how it turned out though. This is just the first draft so I'm super open to editing. I wanted to include some thoughts I dealt with as a teenager and adolescent but I don't know if it's too much so, I'm always open to honest feedback. And I'm sure I'll need to cut words heavily if I ever publish this book (lol, I can dream right?) ❤️ ❤️

ALSO OMG since I had to rewrite and copy things due to the accidental post in the wrong book I skipped the questions.... 😭

I'll just post them now, in case those who haven't read this chapter (or those who might re-read it!) want to reply/play!

10. Do you have a secret hunch about how you're going to die? 

I used to stress about getting breast cancer because that's how my mom died. BUT that's also why now I'm not entertaining those thoughts anymore. No hunches about dying from me. I don't want to summon no bad vibes.😂

11. What is the greatest accomplishment of your life?

Hmmm, honestly, the thing that comes to mind first is writing a book. Just finally taking the leap and writing a book, but not just that, also posting it online for the world to see and judge. 😂 That took some serious pep-talking, but I'm really glad I decided to do it. You all have made this experience beyond anything I could have hoped for. When I was young, I would daydream of becoming a writer and (back when people wrote those) one day receiving a letter from a reader, telling me they loved or related to my book. Knowing I made someone happy. With Wattpad, and all of you amazing supportive people, this is my reality. Getting to see you read and enjoy what I write... it is one of the greatest accomplishments I could ask for. (other than having a book published or adapted to TV/movie, haha) ❤️

OKAY I'M DONE. Gonna go reply to all your comment from the last chapter (and my status update)!

Love you, stay strong, stay safe! ❤️