Awake Read Online Free PDF Page A

it. I slid the phone halfway out of my pocket and opened the message. It was from Noah, of course. My place after school. Everyone is out.
    It wasn’t often that we got time alone so I sent back an immediate reply of ‘yes’ and shoved my phone back away.
    School passed far too slowly, but that was only because it was the last day. Me and Noah walked back to his place after I’d got the okay and a back by nine o’clock reminder from my mum. I hadn’t told Imogen about Noah’s text because she would only give me that I-told-you-so expression that I could do without. It wasn’t her business anyway.
    “So where are your parents and Finn?” I asked.
    “Mum and Dad are visiting friends and won’t be back until the early hours of the morning and Finn is taking a girl from work out on a date. Hopefully, he won’t be back before I have to get you home.”
    “I’m sure he won’t, unless the date is really bad.”
    He squeezed my hand. “Let’s hope they like each other then.”
    We got back to his house and he went straight in the kitchen, knowing I needed a post-school snack. His family were health freaks, though, so I knew I wouldn’t be getting crisps or chocolate. That didn’t matter; their food was amazing and healthy.
    Noah fixed us some carrot and cucumber sticks, fresh, homemade bread, cheese, and dip. We sat down in the living room to eat and watch their TV that looked like it belonged in a museum. They weren’t big on TV.
    We ate, snuggled up on the sofa. It was perfect.
    “So, what’re you cooking for dinner to top this?” I asked, taking a bite of carrot.
    “I thought you might cook for me. You know, since you are the one leaving me for four days.”
    Shrugging one shoulder, I leant further into him. “Sure, if you don’t mind oven chips and a frozen pizza.”
    As I thought, he turned his nose up. “No, thanks. I’ll teach you to cook something decent.”
    “Pizza is decent.”
    “Freshly made pizza is decent,” he countered.
    “You’re teaching me to make fresh pizza? Like the dough, too?”
    “Yes.”
    This could end badly, but I was surprisingly excited. We weren’t completely alone much, and this was likely to be the only time before I went away. I was glad we weren’t just spending the afternoon watching the telly. “Alright. Don’t let me ruin it, though.”
    “You won’t ruin it.”
    Yeah, we’ll see about that.
    We went up to his room to chill before starting dinner in a little while. I sat on his bed, and Noah stood by his desk, tapping his fingers on his sketchpad. He was incredible and could draw pictures that looked like photographs – it was breath taking. He’d only just let me see them, and I seriously hated him for how much artistic talent he had. I had none.
    I could tell he was considering showing me something but was nervous and maybe a little unsure of it. Suppressing the urge to beg him to show me, I pretended to look around his room. The decision had to come from him.
    He bit his lip, picked the pad up and held it close to his chest. “I’ve been working on something.”
    My eyes lit up. “I know. You’ve been keeping it hidden. Are you ready to share?” He would absolutely not let me see anything that was unfinished.
    “I am, but I’m worried.”
    “Why?”
    “You have to promise me it won’t scare you. It’s something I have been thinking about recently.”
    “I won’t freak, I promise. What is it?”
    “Well, even though we’ve not been together long at all, I do think about our future, and I’m not saying I want to rush into anything, but it is on my mind.”
    I held my hands out, on cloud nine. “Show me!”
    Taking a deep breath, he gave me the pad and turned away. He hated watching someone looking through his work. It was really personal to him, and I loved that he shared it with me.
    I flipped the pad over, and the picture made my heart stop. It was me and him, probably about five years older than we were now, standing outside a