Invisible – Chapter 1

Laughter and garbled conversations melded together, overrun by the music blaring from the stereo in the corner of the room. The small house wasn’t meant to hold so many people. It was sticky, even with the windows open, as heat emanated from every body in the compact space and mixed with the humid summer air. Skinny girls held their hair up off of the back of their neck to try to stay cool and fat guys did their best not to drip sweat on anything. Anyone standing close to a window or door was not giving up their prime real estate if they didn’t have to, since they were the only ones able to catch even a semblance of a breeze. The backyard would have been the natural spill over, but a thunderstorm had decided to roll through bringing a dousing of rain with it and trapping everyone inside.

Noah leaned against the only empty patch of wall he could find in the living room and observed the commotion while nursing a beer. He wasn’t really a drinker. One bottle would last him all night. It was all about the appearance of fitting in with the crowd. He didn’t really. Fit in. He never had. It wasn’t that he stood out from the crowd in a noticeable way either. His best friend once described him as the suburbs. Everyone else was downtown, and Noah was on the fringe. Close enough to see the action but never really involved. He wanted to be part of things, but just hadn’t figured out how.

Anyone looking at him would wonder how he could possibly not be part of the in crowd. His looks would lead one to believe he was an Abercrombie model. Sandy blonde hair that hung to his chin was pulled back and hidden beneath a Yankees cap. Worn jeans and a plain white tee shirt clung to his thickly muscled frame. Add a scantily clad supermodel and glossy pages were inevitable. But Noah had never even had a girlfriend, let alone a supermodel. Like everyone else, girls were a mystery to him.

Noah watched as his buddy Kellan chatted up a girl who, he assumed, was visiting from the city. That was the most likely scenario since she was wearing heels with shorts, and wasn’t anyone he recognized. Considering she actually seemed interested in what Kellan was saying there was no question she wasn’t from around town. Kellan had worked his way through nearly all the single girls on the mountaintop. One of two things typically happened. Either he loved and left them, or he just left them. No woman with any self-respect was going to put herself back in that position again, and any girl who had heard of his exploits was unlikely to think she would be the one to tame his wild side. So, the likelihood of him getting any play from a local girl was slim to none. That didn’t keep him from trying at every opportunity though.

Noah could tell Kellan was working fast to close the deal with this girl before she could be warned off by one of her mountaintop sisters. Spoiling a friend’s fun wasn’t really the norm for Noah but in this case he wasn’t about to let this girl be taken advantage of. Pushing off from the wall he raised his beer above his head to keep from spilling it as he made his way through the press of bodies crowding the small house. He worked his brain for something to say that would effectively end the danger to this young lady’s reputation without getting him into a fight. In the end he decided a fight might be worth it.

“Hey! Kellan!” Noah called as he squeezed between the last couple of people that separated them.

“What’s up Noah?” Kellan’s tone bright but the glare he shot toward Noah was less than welcoming.

“Who’s your friend? I don’t think we’ve met!” Noah reached his hand out to the attractive, unaware, blonde.

“I’m Jenny.” She accepted his proffered hand and as she appraised Noah her expression changed from reluctance to avid interest.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Noah, Kellan’s best friend.” Noah noticed her intent gaze but was oblivious to the fact that she was clearly attracted to him.

“I’m so glad we are all friends now,” Kellan tried to bring Jenny’s attention back to him, taking her hand back from Noah, “but Jenny and I were just about to get outta here.”

“Oh that’s cool,” responded Noah, “I was just coming over to pass along a message from Shelly. She said make sure you bring home diapers tonight. Little K is almost out and it’s your turn to buy she said. She also wondered if you had heard back from the clinic about your bloodwork yet and says she’s sorry about the syphillis.”

Jenny’s jaw dropped and she pulled her hand from Kellan’s, spun on her Jimmy Choo’s, and stalked away, people parting before her obvious anger like the Red Sea. Noah headed back the way he had come, his job effectively completed, while glancing over his shoulder to see if Kellan was coming after him. He wasn’t. Kellan was standing in the middle of the living room with his head thrown back in laughter.

“Some best friend you are!!!” Kellan shouted at Noah’s retreating back.

Noah just raised his beer over his head in acknowledgment and kept walking. His wall space had been taken over the moment he left so he headed for the kitchen and the back door. Before he could get there a soft voice and softer hand stopped him in his tracks.

“I appreciate you looking after my friend. She just went through a break up and would have made a bad decision.”

Noah found himself dumbstruck. In his entire life he had never been approached by Loray. Nor had he ever had the courage to speak with her on his own. She stood about five feet eight inches tall with golden blonde hair that hung in waves nearly midway down her back. She took care of herself and her figure reflected the work she put in. Her entire body was toned and tan. Throw in her striking blue eyes and Noah thought she would fit in better on a beach in San Diego than a New York mountain town. What really drew him in though was her kindness. He had never witnessed her be anything but warm and intentionally considerate of others.

“No problem.” Noah finally stammered. He must have looked as dumb as he felt because Loray laughed and kissed his cheek before turning back to her girls.

Noah did his best to play it cool and headed out the backdoor. The rain had diminished to a fine mist. He could still hear thunder rumbling off in the distance and see the occasional lightening bolt arc between thunderheads. It felt good to be outside of the stuffy house. It felt even better to be away from the crowd. It really wasn’t his thing. He pulled his cap off and ran a hand through his hair, letting the moisture soak in and cool him down. A summer shower was one of his absolute favorite things. As the clouds broke so did the tension of the world. A moment of relief desperately needed no matter how long it had been since the last celestial release.

“I love the rain.” The same soft voice from a few moments ago caressed Noah’s ears. He looked at her for a long moment trying to decide if he was dreaming, or if she was actually there, speaking to him.

“Me too.”

“I know most people are sun worshippers, but there’s something so therapeutic about a good rain. Don’t you think?”

“I do.”

“You don’t say much do you?”

“Sometimes.”

Loray considered Noah for a moment and then began to laugh.

“I don’t think I’ve ever heard you say more than you’ve said tonight.”

Noah looked at the ground and shrugged making her laugh again. He had to look up. That laugh was intoxicating.

“How long have we known each other, Noah?”

“Don’t know. Guess since we were about five.”

“I do believe this is our first real conversation. Why is that?”

“Because you’re shy and I’m handsome,” Noah added the last part quickly and could feel his cheeks burning but kept his eyes fixed on Loray’s. He was never this bold, especially with a woman like Loray. He was glad it was dark out so she couldn’t see how nervous she made him.

After a moment of stunned silence, Loray rewarded him with the melodic laugh he had hoped for.

“Well, Handsome, I think I’m done being shy if that’s ok with you?”

“Are you asking me out?”

“Yeah, I am. What’s your answer?”

It was Noah’s turn to go mute. His mouth had gone dry and his mind raced. This was new territory for him. Finally, he realized the obvious answer was the right answer.

“Yeah, sounds great.”

“Good. I’ll swing by your place in the morning and cook you breakfast.”

“You know where I live?”

“It’s a small town. Of course I know where you live.”

“Ok.”

“Ok. Well good night then. See you tomorrow.” Loray smiled, waved, and headed back inside.

Noah ran his hand through his wet hair again, unsure of what had just happened. He had no complaints. He showed up at a party, barely spoke with anyone, sabotaged his best friend’s chances with a pretty girl, and his dream girl asked if she could come over and cook him breakfast. He should have done this sooner!