3rd Person
The Christmas Holiday was one to remember. They were still "unlabeled," but they were certain they were in love. They couldn't go on many dates outside of the house, unfortunately. She either spent time at his home or he spent time at her apartment. Everyone began to warm up to their relationship when they saw each other's families. Noah spent a few days with his family during the Christmas break and the rest with Dixie's, while Dixie spent New Year's with his family.
Matt, his brother, was thankfully not present. His parents and sisters were told not to bring up the subject of their relationship in front of him. Noah was with an unknown woman, as far as Matt knew. She kept in touch with her friends, but Richard was nowhere to be found. She hoped he'd gone for good.
For Christmas, Noah gave her a life-size plush frog and a panda, and she gave him a bracelet with her initials and personalized jewelry from his favorite store. It was a fun season to be a part of. They had a good time during the holidays, and we're happy to see their relationship improve.
When Dixie awoke and didn't see him in bed alongside her, she yelled out, "Noah!"
"Yes, babe," he murmured as he walked back into her room. They were currently staying at her family's home in Connecticut.
"Where were you?" she yawned, pulling the sheets as though to let him in.
After going in and locking the door, he continued, "I was just talking to your dad and helping your mum with some things."
"Mom! Dad!" she shouted, jokingly. "Stop hogging my boyfriend!" she yelled.
"Dixie," Noah responded, surprised, "you are insane," he laughed.
"You know what's crazier?" she said as she climbed on top of him, kissing his neck and running her hands down his abs.
"Mhm?"
"I need dick, we haven't fucked in three days," she whimpered softly.
"You're absolutely insane," he murmured, raising his eyes to her.
"No, I'm just horny," she guffawed, her gaze falling on his.
"I'm the same way; I get hard ons around you, but we'll have sex somewhere else out of respect for your parents and family."
"Understandable," she replied, hugging him from the straddle position. They relished this time together as two grownups in love, wrapped in one other's comfort and warmth.
"Did you get enough rest?" he asked, caressing her back.
"I did," she said with a smile, "did you?"
"I slept next to the love of life, and it's always a good sleep."
She kissed his lips softly and murmured, "I love you so much."
With a smile, he replied, "I love you."
"Do you plan to move from your house?"
"Yes, but why? I plan to leave when we're beginning a family and have babies and need a lot more space."
"I just want to know because I don't think I'll enjoy living in such a central location," she explained. It was now up to Noah to figure out what she was implying.
"What? But you don't live—oh my god,"he gasped, his eyes wide with surprise as he looked up at her "Are you going to move in with me?"
"You gave me the option to and I think I want to explore it," she said with a smile.
"I can't wait to wake up next to you every day," he expressed his delight with a lengthy groan.
"Me too," she whispered as she tightened her grip on him and rested her head on his shoulder.
As she neared the door, her mother yelled out, "Dixie."
She pulled away from Noah and donned her T-shirt. It wouldn't be pleasant if her parents saw her dressed so flamboyantly.
"Yes," Dixie answered as she pushed open the door. "Good morning, mom," she said with a smile.
"Hello, sweetheart, where is Noah?"
"Here I am, Mrs. D'Amelio," he remarked as he got out of bed, "is everything all right?"
She laughed as she added, "Yes, Marc and I just need one extra hand downstairs."
Noah kissed Dixie and then headed downstairs to see Marc. Heidi stood there, lost in thought, staring at Dixie.
"He's great for you, Dixie," her mother exclaimed happily. "Dad and I both like him a lot. Keep him."
"I have no intention of ever letting him go," she stated.
Charli jumped into the conversation and said, "Let go who?"
"Char hey and Noah," Dixie exclaimed "we're talking about him."
"Mom is right; you've never been happier in your life, and you even brought him to Connecticut to be with our entire family. There's no turning back for you two now, "Charli asserted herself.
Dixie stood there in amazement. The life she dreamt about was falling into place and she couldn't be happier. There wasn't a thing she regretted right now.
•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•
"I have some weird questions," Charli stated as they sat on the living room couch together.
With her mouth full of popcorn, Dixie asked, "For who?"
"You and Noah," I say.
She was given the green light to ask the question. Charli was renowned for being nosy and unfiltered.
"Doesn't it feel weird to be in a lecture with the same professor who teaches you and also is your boyfriend?"
"Weird? What are you talking about?" Dixie had questioned. Charli was speaking in a jumbled manner.
"As in, you two are dating, and Noah teaches you psychology, so I'm wondering if this isn't a little strange for both of you. It'd be strange to wake up next to someone and then have the strength to seat in front of them in class," she clarified her explanation.
"No, it's not that wayfor us," Dixie explained. "To me, it seems to be normal," she shrugged and returned her attention to Noah.
"Is there going to be a mini Dixie next?"
When Charli asked the question, everyone's head spun around. To say the least, it was a frightening experience.
"Char, I don't think they're even thinking about that," Marc stated. He kept his mouth shut the bulk of the time because he adored Noah and saw him as a fit match for Dixie.
"Actually, I want a baby," she remarked, rolling her eyes, "but Noah said no, we should wait."
"I only said no because you're only looking at it through the lens of what you can see on the internet. It's difficult, yet you're still a student with goals. We can try after you've completed things, and if it happens before then, you have the option of what happens next, he stated. Noah was the most outspoken he'd ever been in front of her parents, and they were taken aback.
Marc and Heidi exclaimed, "I love Noah even more now."
They sat down and talked the rest of the night away. It wasn't often that Dixie had the chance to be with both her boyfriend and her parents at the same time, so she treasured the time she spent with them. This year's Christmas holidays were a blast, and she couldn't wait to spend the rest of them with him.
•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•
The returned to California a few days ago, and Dixie got her period. She hates the cycle. Being a woman was the most inconvenient thing in the world. She didn't care for the pain and discomfort in this situation.
Dixie was too preoccupied with packing her apartment and avoiding Noah for them to spend much time together. They'd talk on the phone for a few minutes but not for too long. School wasn't in session which made the whole game of ignoring last longer.
She glared angrily at the ibuprofen bottle and grabbed it, causing the pills to shake. During her period, these were her saving grace. They didn't completely relieve the pain, but it was enough for her, and she was happy for that.
Her apartment had been turned inside out. Despite its vastness, she had no idea she had so many belongings stored away here, and the time to depart was approaching soon. There were large brown boxes strewn everywhere, as well as clothes, shoes, books, and even flowers. She loved the only transparent washing bed she could find. It was the most relaxing of settings.
The young pupil took the bottle of grape juice and held it up to her head. She had cups, but she was too lazy to get them all right now. Dixie paced around the flat, attempting to complete her packing.
Dixie shouted, "Who is it?" when she heard a loud knock on her front door. She hadn't expected anyone to notice her, especially considering her current state of mind.
With each knock, the knocking became more obnoxious, and she became furious. She finally plucked up the strength to get out of bed, got the juice, and walked over to the door.
"Who the fu- oh, hi," she exclaimed, surprised. She hadn't expected him to show up, but then again, what did she expect to happen?
"It's been six days since you've ignored me, and all I get is an oh hi?" Noah asked as he entered the apartment.
"Wait, Noah, it's broad daylight," she remarked, irritably glancing at him.
"Yes, I came out in broad daylight to see my girlfriend, isn't that how it works?"
"Dumbass, did someone see you come up here?" she complained.
"Certainly," he stated. He chuckled as he replied, "I told them I'm fucking you."
She sighed and walked into the living room, saying, "You're so aggravating."
"Hey," Noah remarked as he drew her closer to him, "why are you so irritated today?" he said, pushing her hair away from her face.
"I'm on my period," she mumbled as she yanked away from his grip.
"Could you have told me," he reassured, "is that why you've been ignoring me?"
"Yes," she whimpered, "because it's nasty and I look gross and I feel like shit."
"You're as beautiful as ever, and it's not gross; it's natural."
"It is gross, but whatever," she murmured as she backed away from the embrace and reached for her bottle of grape juice.
The young student and her professor climbed into bed after walking over to the bedroom area. Dixie's surroundings were a mess, but her bed was immaculately laid out. Being around Noah or thinking about him made her highly hormonal, on top of the fact that she was in pain. She was aware that she couldn't have sex when on her period, but he made it difficult not to consider it.
Noah rubbed her stomach and asked, "When are you moving in?" He could see how much the gentle, deliberate rubbing helped to relieve her stomach discomfort.
"After graduation or during final exam week. It all depends on when I finish packing, of course."
"Alright. I could either send some people to help you or I could help you myself." He was courteous in his offer.
"I'd love it if that were the case, but it's not going to happen. This is something I'll have to do myself because I'll be throwing things out and putting things in a precise order when packing."
Noah knew how important her independence was to her, so he let her pack her belongings on her own time. That's a common problem in relationships; people frequently intervene where and when they shouldn't, putting a lot of strain on the connection. Dixie and Noah were well aware of the dangers of making such a blunder.
The couple sat in bed together until Dixie fell asleep. Before he left, Noah planned to cook her something light for dinner. It was too dangerous to spend the night at her apartment. On his way up today, he noticed a handful of these first-year students roaming around the foyer, and he was almost caught off guard. This is an example of how God intervenes and saves lives. Teachers and other members of staff were not allowed on the students' apartment premises without passes from the admin office at any time, thus him getting caught would be a tough justification to come up with.
When he opened the refrigerator, he saw Dixie had no food. She had a couple opened packs of chips, some cheese, and takeout boxes from Chipotle, KFC, and Raisin Caines, among other places. Noah was well aware that she ate mostly fast food, but he had no idea how horrible it was. This was unusual for him to see because she usually ate cooked meals at his house. He's never spent enough time in her house to look at the dorms, now that he was thinking about it. Tarton produced enough money to provide improved living conditions for the students, but the board is stingy.
He decided to phone and place an order for them from the Flower Garden, a Mediterranean restaurant approximately a twenty-five minute drive from the building. Noah placed an order for grilled chicken, garlic shrimp, rice, mashed potatoes, and tossed veggie salad over the phone. He figured she had enough drinks in the fridge and that would be plenty food. At the very least, it wasn't the pre-packaged poisoning she's been surviving on.
When he opened the cupboards, he saw that Dixie has very few tableware. She wasn't judged for it at all; instead, he was more concerned about her health and correct nutrition.
"I don't have much here," she admitted as she entered the kitchen.
"How was your nap?" he asked, closing the cupboard door and turning to face her.
"It was eh, and what were you looking for?"
"I needed plates since I had ordered dinner for us from the Flower Garden. I was planning on cooking, but you don't have any food."
"I'm don't cook here. When I'm at home, I order takeout every day," she chuckled as she walked up to the refrigerator.
He added, "You cook at my house."
"You're not a fast food person, and you're not going to buy me any fast food," she stated emphatically.
"Mhm fine," Noah murmured as he approached her.
"You haven't kissed me all day," she pouted as she stared at him, "do you not love me anymore?"
He wrapped his arms around her waist and whispered, "You didn't want me to touch you today, and of course I still love you."
"All right," she replied as she leaned in for a slow passionate kiss.
It was usually in these moments when things seemed to slow down and you had a chance to think. And all they could think about was how fortunate they were to be together right now.
"I have plates, by the way," she continued, pointing to the boxes, "but if you check in the oven, you'll see two clean plates and cutlery that I left out."
Dixie approached and took the plates, placing them on the table. They both heard a knock on the door, but they decided to let Dixie open it in case it wasn't the delivery person.
"I'm here from the Garden, is this Dixie?" While reading the name on the receipt, the delivery man said.
"Yes, that's me," she replied with a smile, "how much is the total?"
He informed her that the bill had already been paid and handed her the brown paper bags stuffed with goodies.
"Thank you," she said as she walked back inside to Noah. "OK, my boyfriend must've paid it," she chuckled. At this time, she wasn't astonished that he paid the bill; it had become routine.
•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•
He took a piece of his dinner and replied, "This tastes excellent."
"It does," she said, slightly chuckling, "but I have to eat carefully or I'll throw up."
He observed, "The anatomy of a lady is quite interesting."
"What do you mean?" she asked, her brows wrinkled.
"I just think it's fascinating how a woman's body can handle so much."
She shrugged her shoulders and said, "Because we're better."
He grinned and said, "I wouldn't say better, but ladies are a treasurable gift, especially mine."
"Do you ever forget that you're my professor?" This was a lingering question she had. It wasn't anything exceedingly serious but she still had her questions.
"Forget? What do you mean?," he asked.
"I mean, I forget you're not just my boyfriend sometimes. If I go to my psychology class the next day, I'll see you outside of school and forget about it."
"I get it, but it all blends together for me."
"Can you explain that?"
"Sometimes I'll see you in class and feel compelled to approach you and say 'babe' or something else inappropriate, but I know you're my student, so it all mixes together. I don't think of you as anything except my girlfriend."
"Understandable."
They finished their meal and continued to converse. It was the special moments they had that made their time together so memorable. The location was pleasant and easy to enjoy because of the silence and exclusivity of the night. No amount of dates or pricey getaways could ever compare to the pure joy of being in love. Dixie never expected to find someone who would love or accept her, but it happened when she wasn't looking, and that's the thing about love: it shows up when you least expect it. The two said goodbyes and continued on with their evenings. Even though he wanted to sleepover, it was too dangerous for them both.
She received her evening messages from Noah while lying in bed. Without them, her days would be incomplete. Sweet sentiments, especially if they come from him, will always hold a special place in her heart.
Noah Beck: goodnight my love. call me if you need me, i love you.
Dixie D'Amelio: you're the best person ever. i love you more.