Pierced by Love (13 page)

“And you’re not worried that you’ll get hurt?”

“No, not in the least because he really is just a good friend,” she said evenly. “I’ve known him for a while. He’s always been nice to me and in the past few weeks, I’ve seen a side of him that I don’t think too many people get to see.”

Melody’s brows raised in query. “Really?”

“Uh-huh.” But Noelle refused to elaborate. She’d let Melody stew over that one a bit.

Melody waited a few more minutes, but when no more information was forthcoming, she shook her head in disgust. “I give up, Noelle. I’ve been trying to make amends. But you won’t let it go.”

“Maybe that’s the guilt talking to you.”

“Get over it!” Melody exclaimed. She turned and slammed the door on her way out.

Noelle sat there, her heart hammering in her rib cage. What had just happened? Was it genuine concern that motivated Melody’s actions or a need to control Noelle? Why did every conversation they had with each other lately have to end so badly?

Briefly, Noelle wondered if she should back out of Pierce’s offer to take her to San Diego. If Melody was freaking out this much over the two of them simply washing dishes, then she would positively explode once she found out about the trip. Noelle decided that it would be better for Melody—and the others, for that matter—not to know.

Slowly, she stacked her papers and put her supplies in her backpack, feeling dejected. Even the excitement she’d felt for her lessons, which she thought were winners, was gone. The grade she’d been hoping to receive on it no longer seemed to matter.

Melody might not see it, but Noelle had been trying to make amends too. She had tried to stifle her own jealousy, although she hadn’t been completely successful. She promised herself—
again!
—that she would try harder to overcome these negative feelings. Noelle reached for her tablet and tapped the screen. Matthew 18:21–22 appeared. She’d been reading the four gospels at her parents’ urging and had bookmarked this scripture about forgiving a person seventy times seven. It might take that many tries to get it right.

She put on her Nikes and headed out the door to clear her head.

Spring break had officially begun. Hannah had gone home on Friday afternoon and Jessie, who was in the Relief Society presidency in her ward, was staying for church today and would be leaving for her home tomorrow morning. When asked earlier in the week what her plans for spring break included, Noelle’s blithe answer that she would be visiting a friend’s family seemed to appease Jessie and Hannah, though Noelle couldn’t shake the feeling that she hadn’t fooled her sister. The long look Melody had given her just before heading out the door with Chase had filled her with dread.

Now, as Noelle stood before the mirror getting ready for church, she jabbed herself with her earring when the doorbell rang. “Ouch!” She hurried to answer it since Jessie had already left to fulfill her calling. The three Flagstaff singles wards were combining into one meeting today due to the sparseness of the students left on campus. Noelle would meet up with her later.

She was pleasantly surprised to see Pierce standing there. “Hi,” he said with an easy smile. “You want to ride with me to church? I figured we might as well just take one vehicle rather than two.”

Noelle smiled. “That would be super.”

“Anyone else need a ride?”

“No. It’s just us. Come in. I’ll be ready in a few minutes.” Without a backward glance, she hurried back to her room to insert the second earring and grab her tablet. When she reentered the living room, she was surprised to see Pierce still standing on the doorstep with the door wide open. Surely their friendship had progressed past the point of him feeling awkward around her, hadn’t it? “I’m ready.”

She flashed him a brilliant smile before following him out to his Explorer. “So how did your midterms go?”

“I had a killer of a test on Thursday. Actually, I had just finished it when I called you.”

“Oh,” she said guiltily. “I hope you didn’t have to give up too much of your time for studying to find a ticket for me.”

“Nope. It was fine.” He glanced over at her while driving. “Were you able to get the time off work to come to San Diego?”

“I’ll have to work tonight and next Sunday as well, which I don’t like to do, but that was the only way I could swing it. Another girl traded her hours with me.” Noelle bit her lip, debating about telling him the next part. Finally, she cleared her throat and said, “Pierce, I know you only asked me to go out of sympathy. I’m sorry that I put you on the spot like that, but you don’t need to worry about me. I can stay home this week. It’s no big deal. I can even refund the money for the ticket if you’d like.”

She expected him to agree, but he surprised her by saying, “I thought we already agreed that money for the ticket is not an issue. What if I want you to come?”

Aside from not quite knowing what to think of that question, Noelle was unsure of what her answer should be. It sounded like fun, actually. And it would be nice to get away for a few days. But the argument she’d had with Melody was weighing on her shoulders.

Pierce must’ve noticed her reticence because he asked, “What’s wrong, Noelle?”

She chose her words carefully. “My roommates have noticed that we’re spending a lot of time together lately. Melody thinks I’m dating you on the rebound. I told her that we’re just friends, but she doesn’t believe me.”

Noelle braved a look at him. His jaw was set and he was drumming his fingers on the steering wheel. “That doesn’t come as too much of a surprise, although I feel bad that you had to listen to her worries. The truth is that I heard the same thing from my roommates.”

“I’m sorry.”

He lifted a shoulder. “That’s life. But, hey, they can’t give us too hard a time for hanging out since we haven’t had much of a chance to do that lately.”

“Yeah.” Her voice came out sounding flat. “The thing is, if I go to San Diego with you, I’ll never hear the end of it from the others. Especially Melody. She’ll throw a conniption fit.”

His face hardened much the same way it had when he’d been on the phone with his dad before they left for the temple. “Why? Does she think I would take advantage of you?”

Her cheeks warmed under his scrutiny. “I’m sure it’s not that,” she said quickly. Though in truth, she wasn’t sure what Melody would think at all. “Actually, I haven’t told them yet. I’m sort of hoping to avoid that scenario.”

“And so you’re backing out of coming to avoid the repercussions?”

She looked at him apprehensively.

Pierce looked her squarely in the eyes and said firmly, “Look, Noelle. We all have choices to make. We can’t control the way other people react to those choices. Are you going to let what other people think determine your actions?”

“When you put it that way, I guess I’d have to say no.”

“So do you want to come?”

“Only if you want me to.”

“Is that how it was with you and Chase? ‘Yes, Chase. Whatever you say, Chase.’ What’d he do, turn you into a zombie?”

Noelle’s jaw dropped. “No. It wasn’t like that.”

“Oh, yeah?” He lifted his brow in obvious challenge.

“Of course it wasn’t!” she insisted hotly. “Stop it!”

He was instantly contrite. “Okay. I’m sorry.” They had arrived at the institute building and he found a parking space. Pierce shifted the Explorer into park and cut the engine. “He just seems a little conceited to me. He’s always telling a story about his mission, as if he can’t get over himself for serving one.”

Noelle laughed. “You’re right about that.”

“I don’t know what you saw in him anyway.”

Noelle was silent for a long moment. “As you know, I was engaged before I transferred up here. I was devastated when my fiancé broke it off with me. I told myself that I would be very careful about beginning a new relationship. I appreciated how nice Chase was to draw me into his circle of friends. I felt safe, like I was being taken care of. But after a while, his cutting remarks made me feel like a little kid.”

“That’s exactly what he was hoping for, even if he didn’t consciously admit it.”

Noelle was in a somber mood when they walked inside the institute building and down the hallway into the chapel, finding a seat next to Jessie just as the prelude music ended. Noelle couldn’t concentrate on the talks. Pierce had given her a lot to think about. There had been times after having stated her opinion in a discussion between the two of them that Chase had given her a cursory smile and murmured, “That’s nice” or “That’s what I love about you, Noelle. You’re a dreamer.” Noelle had worked hard to gain the courage to express her opinions during group discussions as well. While he never said anything at the time, Noelle inevitably knew that he would lecture her later, discounting what she’d said. At the time, Noelle had squelched her irritation, thinking that she was just being sensitive.

Noelle didn’t realize how fidgety she was becoming until Jessie leaned over and whispered, “Are you okay, Noelle?”

Noelle turned toward her and smiled for her roommate’s benefit. “Fine.” Jessie eyed Pierce and Noelle speculatively before turning her attention back to the speaker.

From her right, Pierce took her hand and squeezed. Then she saw his concerned expression. “I didn’t mean to upset you,” he said quietly. “Are you all right?”

She swallowed past the lump that had suddenly formed and nodded. His warm hand and gentle smile steadied her instantly. She took a deep breath and squeezed his hand in return. To her surprise, he didn’t immediately let go. Secretly, she admitted to herself that it felt kind of nice.

When sacrament meeting ended, Pierce waited for Jessie to exit the chapel before turning to Noelle. “I wouldn’t have invited you to San Diego if I didn’t want you to come. But only you can decide if it’s worth the hassle. Jessie seemed to handle us being together all right, but I can understand Melody being upset because of my reputation. I don’t want to place you in a difficult situation.”

“I’m already in one, as far as I’m concerned,” she stated matter-of-factly. “I’m going,” she decided, determination sealing the deal. “And if they don’t like it, that’s their problem.”

She liked seeing the look of admiration on his face. “Great.”

ELEVEN

W
HILE PACKING HER bags later that night after returning home from work, Noelle’s phone rang. Seeing Melody’s number on the screen, she sighed. She was tired and not really in the mood for the conversation she’d known was coming. “Hello, Melody.”

Melody’s voice was urgent. “Noelle, I’ve been wrestling with myself all day over whether to call you or not. I haven’t talked to Mom and Dad about this yet. They asked if something is bothering me and I was able to put them off. But I have the sneaky suspicion that you’re going off somewhere with Pierce this week. Am I right?”

Noelle wouldn’t lie even though she wanted to. “Yes. He’s going to visit his dad and stepmom and invited me to come along.”

“Are you sure you want to do that, Noelle? If you’re just friends, then you will definitely be sending the wrong message to Pierce and his family.”

She shrugged even though Melody couldn’t see her. “It’s just for a few days of fun in the sun. Swimming and relaxing by the pool.”

“So you’re using him for a good time? That makes you just as bad as him.”

“Knock it off, Melody. Intimidation isn’t your style. I’m not breaking any commandments nor am I using anybody. Pierce invited me on a trip so I took him up on his offer. And he’s not like that anyway.”

“How can you be sure? Look what happened between Pierce and Kasey Hamilton.”

Noelle’s brows wrinkled in confusion. “He took her on a date. Isn’t that what guys do?” Why was Melody so uptight lately? Noelle couldn’t say anything without setting her off. “When did you become so by-the-book, Melody? You’ve always been a little bit of a Goody Two-Shoes, but this is a little over the top, even for you.”

“When did you become so reckless, Noelle? It seems like this breakup has turned you upside down. It’s normal to feel sad over being dumped, but it’s almost like you’re trying too hard to have a good time, trying to cover the pain.”

Dumped!
How she hated that word! “So now you have a psychology degree?” Noelle taunted acidly. “Impressive.”