Noah sighed as he read Violet's last text. He sent her one back that said goodnight but he knew he well enough to know her phone was already off for the night and she wouldn't see it until morning.

He knew everything about her. It would be impossible not to after spending twenty-four years together.

She knew everything about him too except one very important detail. Violet was completely clueless that he had been in love with her for more than half of his life.

By all accounts, it didn't make sense. She was such an intelligent person about everything but emotions. Ever since she was young she had been that way. She could decipher people's intentions better than some but was clueless when it came to the basic emotions of others around her.

Her people radar was oddly skewed in that way. Everyone else who had ever seen them interact together could see it. But Violet couldn't no matter how much people teased them about being married.

Noah didn't get it. How could she dismiss her brothers talking that way and still think they were only buddies?

He was afraid to enlighten her though. Violet dreamed of romance; the kind she read about in novels. She would never admit to it but he had seen the way she lit up around chick flicks and other sappy things like that.

She would never see him because he had always been quietly by her side without any dramatics like those male leads she liked. He had thoroughly dug a hole for himself in that way because he was incapable of loving anyone else.

It hadn't mattered much so far. The few times Violet did get a boyfriend it didn't last longer than a few torturous months.

She kept the promise she made when they were back in high school too. Even when she was dating other people she still made time for him. Noah knew his place in her heart was the most solid out of anyone's in her life.

For now it was enough. He was trying to think of a way to make her see him in a romantic light but until that happened, he was content to know he was her most important person.

But flashiness had never been his style. If Noah suddenly tried to woo her like a male lead she would think he was making fun of her. That was a downside of knowing someone too well. Any small change in behavior was noticeable.

He had to do this right. If he didn't, he could risk losing Violet forever. He couldn't even imagine what life without her would be like since she had always been there.

Ever since they were little, they had seen each other almost every day. Even when they were in different schools they still hung out on the weekends or got together on weeknights after their extracurricular activities.

If Violet left, it would leave a gaping hole that would never be filled. Noah knew he needed to act fast before some random jerk came along and snapped her up based on her beauty alone—it was what all of her other boyfriends had done—but wasn't sure how.

Changing his status in her heart would require meticulous planning. Noah had never been all that meticulous.

"Why are you sighing, Sensei?" Joey asked sleepily.

He was the only other person in the room who was still awake. Everyone was in a sleeping bag on the floor since there was only one bed and that went to the dojo owner. He was the oldest one there and had a bad back.

"Because women are complicated," Noah replied in a weary tone. "Go back to sleep, Joey. You have a big day tomorrow."

"Okay," the kid yawned. "But don't worry about Miss Violet too much, Sensei. You have a big day tomorrow too."

Sometimes kids were oddly perceptive. But Joey had never seen any other woman around him either. Violet really did act like his wife. So why couldn't she see that?

Noah turned over inside his sleeping back and shut his eyes, desperately trying not to worry about losing the woman who meant everything to him to someone more romantic.

===

Joey ended up getting second place in the finals. Instead of being proud of his accomplishment, he had been mad he didn't get first. Noah had to give him a pep talk on the bus ride back to New York City.

He didn't make it home until 10 PM because the bus ride was four hours long and they got a late start on top of having to stop for dinner. Then he had to fill out some paperwork before leaving the dojo. It had been a very long weekend.

Tomorrow was Monday so Noah didn't even get to rest properly. It was back to teaching classes in the morning. At least he would be able to see Violet.

Maybe he could convince her to bring the rest of Nathan's apple rose puffs over. Those sounded delicious. As Violet's best friend, he had enjoyed quite a few of her brother's gourmet meals over the years.

Nathan should definitely open his own restaurant someday. Uncle Aaron would definitely fund it for him; he was very supportive of his children. Noah was lucky to have supportive parents too.

His dad had offered to help him start his own dojo someday if the owner of the one he currently worked at wasn't willing to hand it over when he retired. Cameron had never fully understood his son's love of martial arts but he knew they did Noah good so he was all for them. Jennica was too; they had never missed one of his competitions or belt tests.

Both of them were lucky to have parents who loved and supported them even if they didn't fully understand them. A lot of kids Noah had known in high school had their parents try to shove unfair expectations onto them.

As much as he loved Grandma Anna, she had definitely done the same thing to his mom. She always picked at her daughter's dream of being on Broadway, right up until the day Jennica landed her first Broadway role.

If he really thought about it, his mom was probably so supportive because of what she had gone through with her own mother. Whatever the cause, Noah was grateful. Not just anyone would support their child not wanting to go to college.