The sun was shining, birds were sitting contentedly in the tree by Noel's chair, and Nick was creeping up on her with a water hose. She smiled to herself because she knew something he didn't. While he was creeping up on her, the rest of the guys and their friends were preparing for a surprise party at his house.
It wasthe Fourth of July and everyone's spirits were high. Even Noel's, though she was nervous about later that night. She barely held back a giggle as she turned over. Moments later she felt a shadow fall across her back.
" Nick," she said, " If you're going to spray me with that stupid water hose get it over with." She glanced up so that it would look like she was staring up at him.
Much to her surprise it wasn't Nick who answered. " I'm not Nick Howie's voice said softly. " They're right, aren't they?"
Noel went pale under her deep tan. " Who's right about what?" she asked, trying to stall for time.
Howie sat down on the grass beside her. " I heard Kevin and Brian talking a few nights ago… About you. I didn't believe what I was hearing then." He turned to her, even though he knew now that she couldn't see him. " You are blind, aren't you?"
Noel laughed recklessly. It wasn't as if she had anything to lose, so why not try to make him think he was wrong? " No, I'm not blind. I don't know why Kev and Bri would say that." She sat up and smiled. " I can see just fine."
Howie slipped her sunglasses off her face and sat them beside her. " Then tell me what I look like Noel."
Her green eyes fluttered and closed as she realized that she couldn't keep playing the charade she'd been playing for nearly a month. " They're right." She said in a low voice.
Howie cupped her face in his hand. " Why didn't you tell us?"
Noel opened her eyes and stared in front of her. " I was afraid you guys would treat me differently if you knew."
For the first time, Howie noticed how disconcerting in was to have Noel look at him. She wasn't exactly looking at him, it was more like looking through him. " I'm not going to treat you different." He whispered as he kissed her cheek softly. " I promise."
He slipped the sunglasses back onto her face and stood. " You'll be at the party tonight, right?" he asked.
Noel didn't say anything for a long moment. " I guess I'll be there."
Howie nodded and then caught himself, remembering that she couldn't see it. " I'll see you later then. Be careful Noel."
Noel listened as his left. " I'm slipping. Pretty soon they're all going to know." Deep in thought she lay back down to rest for the long night ahead of her.
A.J. emerged from Nick's back door triupphantly carrying a lighter in his hand. " Told you guys there was one around here."
Noel sat nervously in a lounge chair as far away from the fireworks as Kevin could find for her. She had said that she wanted to sit far back to let everyone who could see have a good view but in truth, she was afraid. More afraid than even of having Nick find out about her sight. Or lack of it.
She listened carefully as everyone talked quietly about the upcoming show that Kevin and Brian had put together to go with the fireworks. She almost laughed out loud when she heard Tina telling Brian to be careful.
Be careful? She snorted in something akin to contempt. Telling a person to be careful never worked. Well, not always. Hadn't they told her to be careful as she went to that stupid party so long ago? Oh yes, they had. And she had been. But not the kid in charge of the fireworks there. Not at all.
Her body tensed involuntarily as she smelt the sickeningly sweet stench of sulfur in the air. Another reminder of what playing with fire could do. She turned away from the sound of hissing. Someone, Brian probably, had lit the first round of fireworks.
“Hey! What’re you guys doing?” A.J.’s voice rang out. “I wanted to light the first one! It’s my lighter.”
Nick laughed as he waved a pack of matches in A.J.’s face. “Never leave home without’em. I already lit them.”
As if to punctuate his words, the air was suddenly filled with the shrill whistle of a loud firework. Noel cringed involuntarily as it grew shriller at the peak of its eruption. Higher and higher until Noel was sure her nerves would break and she’d scream, and then it suddenly stopped. It was over. With only about fifty more times to go.
Tina and Kevin had told her that Nick and Brian had bought tons of them so Noel steeled her nerves again for the next round. Ready, she thought as she heard some one flick the tabona lighter. “A.J.,” she said aloud.
“What about him?” Nick asked as he sat down next to her.
Noel nearly jumped out of her skin. “That’s got to be the millionth time you’ve done that since we’ve met.”
Nick looked at her confused. “Done what?” He had no clue that everytime he said “hi” to her or simply sat down that she had no idea who he was. And how was he to know how quietly he seemed to sneak up on her?
“Nothing.” Noel said softly. She didn’t want to be here. She knew that. But she was and so she was going to have to be careful, no matter what. One little slip like the one she’d nearly made would ruin all of her careful acting.
“So, do you like them?” Nick asked trying to make small talk. “The fireworks, I mean.”
Noel held back a shudder. “They’re lovely.””
Nick watched her carefully. He’d see her acting strangely while the first set went off and now, as the second was being lit, he was worried about her. He didn’t know why but suddenly he felt protective of her. He saw her shiver and his heart tightened painfully at the thought of her being cold.
Without a thought he pulled his sweatshirt over his head and laid it in her arms. “Put it on,” he said. “You’re cold.”
Noel smiled at his thoughtfulness and quickly tugged it over her head, running her hand along the neckline to feel for the tags so that she knew it wasn’t on backwards. She settled it onto her shoulders and snuggled into the warm depths of it, breathing in the scent of his shampoo and offhandedly wondering what it would be like to run her fingers through his hair.
Shaking off thoughts that were headed in a dangerous direction she thanked him. “It’s really sweet of you to loan me this.”
The second set went off. “Took’em long enough,” Nick snorted. “Obviously they need my expertise to do it right.” He was about to get up and leave when he noticed that Noel’s body was rigid.
Without an intelligible thought he pulled her into his arms and held her close. In the next few minutes Brian and A.J. somehow managed to set off at least ten rounds of fireworks in quick succession and with each new round Noel’s body grew tenser and tenser until Nick was afraid she’d break as he held her.
Not knowing what else to do he rubbed the small of her back and whispered softly to her about little puppy dogs and little green men in search of cellular phones. He finally ended up making up a story starring all of the strangest characters from television commercial history, including the infamous Budweiser frogs and the little green chamele on who wanted their jobs. “It had to be for the money,” he said at one point trying to entice a smile from her tight lips.
It worked, she even giggled for a moment until the next round of fireworks went off. Then it was back to square one for Nick. It ended eventually, but only after exhausting almost all of Nick’s creative genius. He finally had a stroke of brilliance and told her how to file income taxes. She was asleep in less than two minutes.
It was nearly ten before the rest of them had used all of the fireworks and by that time both Nick and Noel were asleep on the lounge chair, Noel nestled safe and warm in Nick’s arms. When Brian found them he poked Kevin in the side.
“Oww! Damnit Brian, what the hell is your problem?” he all but yelled.
“Shh,” Brian whispered. He pointed at the sleeping pair.
Within minutes they had gathered the entire group of party goers to see “how cute the stupid love birds were” as Brian said.
“Nick’s not stupid,” a low voice said from the back of the crowd.
A.J. turned around and rumpled the kid’s hair. “Hey airhead.”
“Stop, you know you just want my hair.” Aaron laughed. He was taller than Brian was and quickly catching up to A.J. and his brother. At thirteen, Aaron was a heartthrob and was starting to attract more attention in the music business than ever before.
“He is too stupid,” Brian said. “Look at him. He likes her, it’s obvious that she likes him, they’re both stupid cause they can’t see it.”
Aaron shrugged. He wasn’t much into the dating scene yet so he had nothing to offer as opposition. “Whatever, I’m just here for my gameboy.”
“In the house,” Kevin said as he walked up behind Aaron. “On the couch.”
Aaron bounded off with the endless energy only teenagers have and was soon out of sight. “I brought a blanket to cover them with.”
“That was nice, sweetie.” Karen said.
Kevin beamed at her as he lay the comforter over Noel and Nick. “Let’s let them sleep,” he said as he headed for the house.
The rest agrees with him and one by one left the peaceful scene until only Brian was left. “Be careful with her, Nicky. This one’s a keeper, treat her right,” he advised his sleeping friend. He watched for a second longer and then left.
When the yard was deserted Nick opened hise yes. “I know, Brian. I know. The only question is, does she want me?””
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