Falling in Love : I love you, Today and Forever

After Aria's departure, all Noah had in mind was endless thoughts. Although he had somehow managed to curb his sadness and anger in front of her and swallowed his grievances for the small duration, all of it came back to him when the solitude hit him.

Since he was all alone with no one but Rachel in the mansion, he drowned himself in his happy memories, the ones he had spent with his grandfather. And subconsciously, his eyes teared up. His anger towards his grandfather was justified. But more than being livid, he was heartbroken and it was not until he heard slow footsteps from behind him did he snap out of his painful thoughts.

"Noah, where's everyone?" Rachel queried as she looked around the now empty mansion. Even if she had been semi-conscious, she had heard voices around her when she had been brought back after being rescued. Moreover, she was not avert to the fact that Noah and Aria were staying together with Aria's father, Oliver.

Even if there was no one at home at that moment, Oliver had to be present considering how dangerous it was for him once he was devoid of Noah's protection. Rachel was not a stranger to Oliver's predicament and she wholeheartedly supported her brother in this matter.

She took her seat beside Noah and looked at the man whose face was filled with fatigue and anguish. Her forehead creased with worry and she scooted nearer to him, observing him closely. At first, she had only been suspicious when she had noticed his strange behavior. But when the man turned to her, his eyes red with tears, Rachel was in no doubt that something extraordinary and serious to have happened for Noah to cry.

"What's wrong, Noah? What happened?" Rachel was more than worried. As far as she could recall, Noah had been tough and a fighter all his life. Never had he broken down and looked dispirited as much as he did at that moment and she could not help but bother about him. It was traumatic to see him this way and her expressions softened.

Noah did not speak a word. Instead, he moved away from Rachel, making her frown in confusion before he lay down on her lap, startling her utterly. It was the first time ever her elder brother was behaving this way and she did not know what to make out of it.

"What is troubling you, Noah? What's wrong?" Rachel ran her fingers through Noah's hair and slowly, the man's mind cleared, her soft and soothing caresses assuring him greatly. "Did Aria fight with you? Where is she by the way and where is Mr. West?"

Noah let out a smile when he heard her words. Her trust in him surprised him greatly. She did not question him if he fought with Aria. Instead, it was the other way round and Noah could not help but marvel about his younger sister.

Irrespective of how many times they had fought in the past, she was always there for him and trusted him unconditionally. Her sisterly love was not malicious and Noah was more than glad that he had such an amazing sister.

On not getting any reply from her brother, Rachel was about to continue when Noah started speaking suddenly, forcing her to swallow her words.

"Rachel, what would you do if you were to find some truths, truths that could potentially hurt you and eventually break your trust?"

Noah's question stunned Rachel and she gazed down at him, flustered to see him so weak and crestfallen.

"What happened, Noah? What's wrong and why are you asking me this? Did Aria do something..."

"No, it's not Aria." Noah intervened before her thoughts ran wild and she made wrong assumptions about Aria. That was the last thing he wanted.

Rachel and Aria had an amicable relationship and he did not wish to sabotage it by false assumptions and misunderstandings. Already he had wrecked his relationship with his father-in-law due to his lack of composure and thoughtless actions. He did not wish to add more to his problems.

"It's someone else, someone I'm quite close to and today, I found out his true character." Noah looked far ahead, his eyes filled with melancholy and Rachel could not comprehend who he was referring to. It could not be Ian or Joshua. There was no way in hell the two men would betray Noah. Never.

For once, Rachel would even accept Aria to have broken her brother's trust, but not Ian and Joshua.

Who else could it be? Who could break Noah's trust to this extent and make him this aggrieved? Rachel thought for a long time. But no name or face flashed in her mind and eventually, she gave up.

"Noah, who are you speaking about? Who broke your trust? Tell me, I will break his legs." Rachel stated with such resolve that Noah let out a chuckle and turned around to face his sister who was already gazing down at him.

"Let's just say there's someone who I respected greatly in the past. I'll tell you about it once I find concrete evidence. Before that, how are you? How do you feel?" Noah jumped to his feet when he realized that he had been lying on Rachel's lap all this time and had totally ignored her injuries and fragile state.

In his panic, he dropped to his knees and held her gently by her shoulders. "I'm so sorry, Rachel. I completely forgot about your state. I should not have..."

"It's fine, Noah. Really. I am fine and I'm now more or less recovered. I'm not lying."

Noah looked at her sternly for a few seconds before he was convinced and he let out a sigh of relief.

"Fortunately, you are fine. Otherwise, I do not know what to do. And be prepared..." He warned all of a sudden and Rachel quirked up her brows questioningly. "Dad and Mom and of course, Grandpa will visit you today."

Rachel did not notice how dark Noah's expression had become when he had spoken about their grandfather. She was more concerned about how she would have to face her parents' endless nagging after all that transpired with her. It was a hell worse than anything she could remember.