Chapter 466 - Contradictory thoughts

Noah could not sleep the entire night, for he was busy thinking about Aria's surprise. Every few minutes he checked the time, hoping for the sun to rise soon. He had had never felt this way before, for there was no girl with whom he wanted to celebrate his birthday. For the first time, he was happy to have someone who he loved dearly to celebrate his birthday with her.

Noah checked his phone again, only to grumble in annoyance. Barely ten minutes had passed since the last time he had checked his phone. "Why is time running slow today?" He sulked, twisting his body to find a comfortable position on the bed. After being accustomed to sleeping with Aria in his embrace, he was finding it difficult to sleep the last few days. Only he knew how he had forced himself to sleep, keeping himself awake until he fell asleep in exhaustion.​​

Finally, at the crack of dawn, Noah succ_u_mbed to what his body was craving for and fell into a deep sleep. By the time he got up, it was past one. Seeing the time on his phone, he jumped off the bed with a start. "Shit!! How the heck did I sleep for so long?" He mumbled, running his hand through his messy hair. 

He glanced at his phone to find a lot of missed calls from his parents, his grandfather, Rachel, and some of his business partners. Immediately, he called his grandfather, who bellowed from the other side as soon as the call connected. "You unfilial grandson. How dare you not pick up my phone?"

"Old man, please don't shout. I can hear well, and I don't want to become deaf, like you." Though Noah tried to mutter the last two words to himself, his grandfather had heard them clearly.

"What do you mean? Am I deaf?" Instead of reducing his volume, he only increased his voice, stunning the butler who was passing by him. The man gave him a strange look before he walked away, shaking his head. Whenever his Master spoke to his grandson, he argued like a small kid. And though the butler had been accustomed to it, he still found their conversation hilarious and peculiar. 

"Aren't you?" Noah shot back, irking Jonathan all the more. "If you are not deaf, you would have reduced your volume by now." He rubbed his forehead, smiling helplessly at the childish argument they were having on his birthday.

This shut his grandfather, and he stopped arguing. "Why didn't you pick up my phone earlier? Before I forget, Happy Birthday. May you make lots of babies for me to play with." He wished, his words making Noah roll his eyes.

"I was sleeping. And thank you for your wishes" Noah's answer was short, and he pulled out his towel, preparing to get ready for the day.

"Why were you sleeping until now?. It's already lunchtime. Don't tell me..." Jonathan paused when the realization hit him, and he smiled wickedly, his eyes gleaming in delight. "Were you busy with that girl? Is this the reason why you got up late?"

Though his grandfather had not mentioned it explicitly, Noah knew what the old man was talking about, and his lips twitched, wondering how his brain even worked. Every time they met, all he talked about was asking him grandbabies or l_e_w_d topics like this. Noah contemplated if his grandfather had studied the topic and has a doctorate in it.

"No, I was awake until dawn, and Aria is not with me." 

"Not with you." Jonathan narrowed his eyes, grasping his cane tightly. "Where is she?

"She is on night duty," Noah answered, his eyes falling on a purple lace bra that was peeking from under the folded clothes on the table. His eyes widened suddenly, seeing the slinky piece of clothing, and he wondered why Aria had left the clothes on the table instead of arranging them in the closet. 

Slowly, he inched towards the pile of clothes, his eyes not leaving the purple bra. Noah was so focused on it that he had not listened to a word his grandfather had spoken.

"Are you even listening to me?" Jonathan growled when he did not get any response from his grandson even after a minute had passed. This got Noah's attention, and he blinked several times, looking around to see where he was. "Noah? You unfilial grandson, are you there?" Jonathan queried again.

"Grandpa, I will call you later." Without even saying goodbye, Noah ended the call and dropped the phone beside the pile of clothes. His hands automatically stretched towards the bra, and before he knew it, the skimpy clothing was in his hands. Noah swallowed, his body turning hot all of a sudden. An image popped up in his mind where Aria was wearing only the purple bra with a matching u_n_d_e_r_g_a_r_m_e_n_t. And just his imagination was enough to send him on overdrive. 

He had seen Aria n_a_k_e_d once but still, he could not control his raging d_e_s_i_r_e for her just after seeing her freshly washed bra. 

"Do you think this a hint she is giving you?" A tiny voice popped up in his mind, and a demonic Noah in black clothes sat on his shoulder, swinging his legs slowly. "Is this the surprise she has prepared for you?"

"Do you think so? Is this what she wants to surprise me with?" Noah could not control his excitement, thinking what lay ahead for him if his suspicions were. "Is this what Aria wants to give me?" He mumbled only to be interrupted by another voice.

"I don't think so. I think she just forgot to place her clothes back in the closet." An angelic Noah in white clothes sat on his other shoulder, trying to balance himself to stay seated. "It was a genuine mistake."

Noah's excitement vanished hearing these words, and he became crestfallen at once. "Is that so?" He mumbled, running his fingers through the soft material that regularly c_a_r_e_s_sed his girl's skin.

"Why are lying to him? It is definitely a hint Aria has left him." The demonic Noah glared at the angel, who pouted lightly at being scolded. "Otherwise, why would she forget to place the clothes back in the closet exactly on this special day? This is her surprise."

Noah nodded at once, his excitement returning on his face. "Yes, he is right. Aria never leaves her clothes unattended. I am sure this is an indication. She is giving me a glimpse of what I can expect later in the day." Noah mumbled, tightening his hold on the bra.

"No, it is not. You are thinking too far ahead. Don't get your hopes high. As I said before, what if it was a genuine mistake? You will regret it later if my words turn out to be true." The angel spoke again, and this time even Noah glared at him, scaring the angel.

"There is nothing wrong in having hopes. It's his birthday. Even if this is not the surprise Aria has prepared for him, he can still try it out. Who knows she might accept to give him what he wants?" The demon continued.

"Don't try to feed him ideas, you demon." The angel stood up, placing his hands on his waist. "You are a bad influence on him."

"I am just saying the truth. It is up to him to think what he wants." 

With a poof, both the angel and the demon disappeared, leaving Noah to suffer from contradictory thoughts.