Chapter16 " You work this many shifts every week ... just so you can send money to the orphanage ? " Lydia Rivers held Noah Sterling's notebook , her eyes wide with surprise . Noah calmly took it back , his fingertips brushing the remittance slip tucked inside . His voice was even , almost understated . " Yeah . It's the orphanage where I grew up . Evelyn Carver - the director - raised me . Now it's my turn to take care of them . That was when it finally clicked for Lydia . That was why , even with top scholarships , he still juggled two part - time jobs , wore the same faded shirts , and always chose the cheapest meals in the dining hall . Most of his earnings weren't for himself at all . They all went straight to St. Gabriel's . Her chest tightened as she studied his lean profile . What rose inside her was complicated - part sympathy , part deep admiration . And the more she came to know him , the more she realized Noah was far more extraordinary than she had imagined . At the university's annual arts festival , Lydia had found him backstage at a grand piano , his fingers moving with effortless grace . The melody spilled into the air so naturally that passing professors stopped in their tracks , quietly listening . Later she learned he could also play the guitar and the violin - skills passed down by a retired music teacher at the orphanage , Arthur Whitaker . " You're seriously good at everything , aren't you ? " she asked once while they were running errands together . Noah was pushing a shopping cart , examining cartons of milk . His tone was matter - of - fact . " At the orphanage, I had to pick up whatever would help Evelyn . Later , working different jobs , I just kept running into problems . You figure it out , or you don't make it . " He said it lightly , but Lydia could imagine the weight behind the words - this quiet , aloof boy grinding through obstacles alone , carrying more responsibility than most his age . Beneath that reserved exterior lay a resilience and a gentleness - that no one would expect at first glance . In early December , the Alderton Museum of Art hosted an " Impressionist Retrospective . " Lydia had been talking about it for weeks . When Noah found out , he traded shifts just so he could take her . By the time they left the gallery , snow had begun to fall , blanketing the streets in white . The two of them walked side by side , boots crunching softly against the fresh layer . Streetlamps stretched their shadows long across the snow , and flakes drifted into their hair , melting almost instantly . At the bus stop , Noah suddenly halted . He turned to her , cheeks flushed pink from the cold , ears burning crimson . His hands fidgeted at the ends of his scarf as if to steady himself . " Lydia , " he breathed in , voice trembling but firm . " I like you . " Her heart skipped hard , words deserting her . " I always told myself I didn't have time for this , " Noah went on , his gaze unwavering . " I didn't want to drag someone into my mess , into all the things with the orphanage . But now the youngest kids are in middle school . They don't need me sending so much anymore . I finally have space to ... to be with someone . " He swallowed , every syllable weighted . " So ... would you want to be with me ? " Chapter 16 72.73 % Lydia's breath caught . In her mind flashed the moments that had quietly bound them together - the way he crouched on the floor to fix her laptop , the way his fingers trembled while bandaging her cut , the sandwiches he slipped into her bag when she forgot to eat . Every hesitation she had vanished like smoke . She smiled , her voice light but sure . " Yes . I want to . " Noah froze , stunned , as though he hadn't dared believe it . When she reached forward , tugging gently at his sleeve , he finally came back to himself . Slowly , a small smile unfolded across his face , and in his eyes was the gleam of starlight . After a moment's hesitation , he clasped her hand in his , warm and dry , his palm slick only with a nervous sheen of sweat . Snowflakes swirled down around them , the bus stop aglow in soft yellow light . Against the winter night , their joined hands radiated a quiet , undeniable warmth . Chapter16