Upon his arrival at WOAK, Noah Mayer immediately began working with fellow interns Maddie Coleman and Luke Snyder. One of the first ideas that Noah came up with was a cell phone broadcast drama with Maddie as the focus written by Luke. He also offered to help aspiring singer Gwen Munson promote her upcoming CD in Branson, MO. As the summer went on, Noah's friendships with Maddie and Luke progressed. Then came the arrival of Noah's father which Noah clearly was not happy about. A military man, Col. Mayer informed Noah that he would no longer be paying for his schooling at Northwestern University and instead wanted him to enlist in the Army to toughen him up. At the same time, Maddie was dealing with a break-up. One day while confiding in each other about their respective heartaches, the pair was drawn into a kiss that led to them making love. Unfortunately, Luke walked in on them and immediately became flustered. When Noah suggested that it was because he was jealous, Luke confessed that wasn't it: he was gay. However, that didn't matter to Noah. He still considered Luke a friend and Maddie something more. Later, Maddie encouraged Noah to call his dad about going to school, but the Colonel refused to allow him to go to Northwestern.

Meanwhile, Luke was becoming increasingly distant toward Noah and finally confessed that it was because he had feelings for him. Noah insisted that he was not gay but made it clear that he still considered Luke a friend. However, after a day of swimming, Luke suspected that there was something more. The suspicion grew stronger when Noah abruptly refused to spend the rest of the day with Luke and later asked Maddie to apply to Oakdale University instead of Wesleyan. Meanwhile, Noah's father bribed him with cash to get him to enlist in the Army but again he refused. Afterwards, Noah shared a surprising kiss with Luke when he helped Noah with his tie. An unsettled Noah told Luke that he only kissed him to play with his head and quickly asked Maddie to move in with him.

Several days later, Noah finally confessed to Luke that the kiss was genuine, however insisted that he could not be gay because his father just would not understand. Noah pleaded with Luke to keep quiet about the kiss and went ahead with his plans to move in with Maddie. Luke tried to convince Noah that he would never be able to fully love Maddie but Noah refused to listen. The tension between the pair continued to build as did the Colonel's interest in Noah's relationship with Maddie. Thanks to her brother, Maddie started to wonder if something was going on between Luke and Noah and called him on it. Noah denied it and then accused Luke of telling Maddie. Not understanding how Noah could be attracted to Luke and her, she decided against moving in with Noah. Noah remained in denial for a short time though out of fear of coming out to his father. Finally, after a talk with Maddie, Noah decided that he could not deny his true self any longer and prepared to confess to his dad. As expected, the news did not go well. Noah's father accused him of lying and then angrily disowned him. However, he quickly did a 180 and told Noah that he would not lose him.

Weeks later, it became apparent that the Colonel was lying when he was caught aiming a rifle at Luke during a hunting expedition. Noah came to the scene just in time to see his father violently shove Luke while Luke's father was able to wrestle the Colonel to the ground but the Colonel ran off. Afterwards Noah defended his father to the police insisting that something must be wrong with him. He then got a shock--Noah's mother was a madam named Charlene Wilson aka Cheri Love. Not only that, his father recently murdered her. Soon after, after failing to kill Luke at the hospital, Col. Mayer was apprehended by the police and defiantly insisted that his actions, including the murder of Noah's mother, were in Noah's best interests. In the meantime, Noah learned that injuries cause by his father led to Luke becoming paralyzed. Ashamed, Noah was reluctant to visit him at the hospital at first but relented thanks to come encouragement from Dusty Donovan. Soon after, Noah finally asked Luke if he'd like to be his boyfriend and Luke accepted. As for Maddie, she soon transferred to Wesleyan. With Noah's support, weeks later, Luke started to regain the use of his legs.

Months later, a woman named Ameera al Aziz entered the boys' lives. An Iraqi citizen, Ameera approached Noah, looking for his father. According to Ameera, the colonel befriended her family during his tour in Iraq (probably during Operation Desert Storm) and kept in contact with the family over the years, often sending money. Fearing she'd be killed if she returned to Iraq, Ameera wanted the colonel's help in letting her stay in the United States. Hearing Ameera speak of his father's generosity confused Noah since it completely contradicted the man that he knew. Wanting to know more, Noah quickly befriended Ameera. When she failed to obtain a student visa, Noah decided that the only way to keep her from being deported was to marry her. Although Luke wasn't entirely happy with Noah's decision, he supported it since he knew that Ameera would be killed if she returned to Iraq. Unfortunately, Noah's marriage put a great strain on his and Luke's relationship. Warned by ICE that Noah could be severely prosecuted if it was discovered that this was a mere marriage of convenience, Noah became paranoid about spending time with Luke. Noah's preoccupation with his wife seemed to take precedence over his relationship with Luke. In the meantime, Ameera was developing a crush on Noah and, eventually made a pass at him. Noah gently informed Ameera that nothing would ever happen between them.

Four months later, Luke and Noah were shocked to learn that Col. Mayer had escaped from prison. They were even more shocked when he kidnapped Ameera. Noah went to New York to locate the pair while Luke followed. In the end, Noah caught up with his father, who informed Noah that he was taking Ameera back to Iraq since a political group was very interested in her return. As Noah tried to reason with his father, Luke and Lucinda, along with the authorities, managed to stop the colonel's boat before he could get away. Believing that Noah betrayed him, Colonel Mayer jumped overboard to evade capture and was later declared dead. Though Noah feared that Ameera would be deported, she was released and later moved to California to stay with a family that she knew. Meanwhile, in the wake of his father's death, which he felt he could have prevented, Noah briefly pulled away from Luke. Afterward, Noah told Luke that he planned on enlisting in the Army as a way to get his life together. Luke tried to convince Noah he was making a rash decision that could end up ruining his life, but Noah was convinced that the stable environment in the military would be good for him. Soon after, Luke and Noah got back together at the Cyndi Lauper Pride concert at Yo's where Luke was actually befriended by Cyndi.

Unfortunately, there was one glitch—Noah had just enlisted and was due to ship out. Again, Luke tried to talk Noah out of it but to no avail. Desperate to keep Noah from making the biggest mistake of his life, Luke went to the recruiter's office and introduced himself as Noah's boyfriend—thus outing Noah. Though the recruiter was willing to ignore what he just heard, it soon became clear that Noah wasn't joining for the right reasons and he released Noah from his obligation. Immediately after, a forgiving Noah returned to Luke.

Soon after, Luke and Noah became acquainted with a brother and sister duo named Zach and Zoe. The pair quickly ingratiated themselves with Luke and Noah. Not long after, Luke was almost struck by a car but was saved by a surprising person---Damian. Damian assured an angry Luke that he was there to make amends. According to Damian, he accepted Luke's sexuality and accepted Noah's role in Luke's life. Though Luke had doubts, Noah was convinced of Damian's sincerity. While Holden didn't trust Damian at all, Lily came to trust Damian more and more and did her best to help Luke and Noah, even though Holden and Luke didn't approve her professional involvement with Damian. Eventually, Zach and Zoe (who turned out to really be lovers), kidnapped first Noah and then Luke. Zoe, apparently an illegitimate heir to the Grimaldi fortune, felt entitled to Luke's money. In the end, Lily proved to be correct about Damian when he saved Luke and Noah from Zach and Zoe.

Meanwhile, Mason, Noah's faculty advisor, offered to help Noah out with his film project. Though it was clear to Luke that Mason had eyes for Noah, Noah refused to believe it. Unfortunately, this caused a strain in his and Luke's relationship. Luke proved to be correct when Mason kissed Noah. Though Noah tried to dismiss the incident, Luke told Damian who filed a claim with the university for inappropriate behavior. Though Mason told Luke that he'd go after Noah once the film project ended, Noah called Mason harmless, and assured Luke of their commitment. An upset Noah incorrectly wired some pyrotechnics on the set, and blew himself off a ladder. After the explosion, the hospital couldn't operate on Noah without family consent. Lily and Damian adopted Noah, and gave their consent for surgery. Noah lost his sight, and refused everyone's help. Luke convinced Noah to accept the adoption, despite what Damian had done. Unable to resolve their differences, Luke and Noah took time apart while Noah recuperated in an out-of-town clinic.

When Luke successfully completed Noah's film on his own, Noah rebuked Luke for his controlling nature. Meanwhile, at Damian's suggestion, Luke coerced Dr. Reid Oliver to travel to Oakdale to perform a risky, sight-restoring procedure on Noah. As the weeks went on, Noah still wanted distance from Luke, and Luke decided to end their relationship. In the meantime, Noah's surgery has successfully restored his sight. While Noah recuperated, Luke embarked on a new relationship with Reid—sparking Noah's jealousy. Though both Luke and Reid fell in love, things ended tragically when he was killed in a car accident. Later, with Luke's encouragement, Noah set out for Los Angeles to make his movie. Before leaving, Noah invited Luke to visit him.