It felt like my throat wasn’t working right—probably the result of having my heart in it moments ago. I brushed a hanging pair of jeans away from my face. Other than that, there really weren’t many clothes in there.
“Where are Geoff’s clothes?” I whispered. Okay, that was a dumb thing to say. It was right up there with, “Lovely weather we’re having, isn’t it?”
“Mostly on the floor,” he said. “Or in his suitcase.”
Oh, right. Vacation house. Stupid.
“Quit,” Kenzie whispered from somewhere behind us.
“Just trying to help,” Dylan said.
She whispered again, but I couldn’t make out what she said. Dylan stepped back as if giving Kenzie more room and knocked me into Noah’s warm chest. “Hey, watch out,” he said.
“Sorry,” Dylan said.
“Quit talking,” Kenzie hissed. “They’re gonna find us.”
I didn’t move. I was up against Noah’s warm, solid chest. Why mess with a good thing? But apparently, Noah had other ideas. He pushed me slightly away, his fingers gripping my upper arms. Okay, that stung. I had to leave. Get to the guest room to hide out. I tried to wrench free of his grasp, but he held on.
“Wait,” Noah whispered, and then moved us in a circle until we’d switched places.
He let go. Then came the whispery rasp of his hands as they slid along the closet wall and stopped on either side of my head. What was he doing? Trying to protect me or something? Whatever his reason, that position was way worse than just being held against him. We didn’t touch, but I was aware of every part of him. Of his scent, of his warmth. Of the simple fact that he was Noah, and no matter how hard I tried not to, I still cared about him.
A low-voiced argument was going on between Kenzie and Dylan, but I couldn’t focus on any of their words. Noah leaned in closer, still not touching me, the heat of his body weirdly sending tingles racing up my spine. His breath filtered across one side of my face. Was he going to kiss me?
I should push him away. Or go to the other end of the closet, but I was trapped. And I had to admit; I didn’t want to move. I was waiting. Waiting to see what he would do. Waiting to see what I would do.
The rumbling of the closet door on its track sounded again. “Ha!” Amanda said in a loud whisper. “That was easy. Y’all are making too much noise.”
Then came the sound of clothes rustling, bodies jostling, and one of the girls giggling.
“Dylan!” Kenzie hissed.
“What?” he whispered.
More arguing. More giggling. But it never affected the tiny cocoon wrapped around Noah and me. His breath across my face came faster than before. Something was about to happen. I didn’t know what, but I couldn’t stand it anymore. I was just about to grab his head and pull it down when he touched my cheek.
I let out a shaky breath. He slid his finger across my cheekbone, trailing it around to my earlobe, and then along my jaw. The touch was so light I might’ve been imagining it. Yet on he went. He repeated the pattern on the other side, somehow ending up just above my lips. My breathing came shallow and quick. Would he touch my lips? Or would he lean in to kiss me?
“This is taking forever,” Amanda said in her normal volume. “Geoff and Molly are probably not even looking for us at all. They’re probably off making out somewhere.”
“You’ve been in here for a full sixty seconds,” Kenzie said.
Someone giggled. Probably Haley. More shifting. More whispers.
Noah moved his finger again. But instead of landing on my lips, he traced the arc of each eyebrow. I twisted the hem of my T-shirt in both hands. I was going insane. I had to be. Every little trailing touch made me want to slide my hands around him and pull him close. If he didn’t kiss me soon, I was going to tackle him in this dark closet no matter how many people were in there with us.
His fingers left my temple, and I actually tilted my head up, seeking his touch. Move away. Leave. Stop wanting this so much. Then his fingers teased my chin. And slowly, agonizingly slowly, up to my mouth. Once there, he outlined my lips with his finger.
I couldn’t tell if I was shaking or not, but I knew I was holding my breath. What else could I do? If I breathed, he might stop.
As if he’d read my very thoughts, he murmured near my ear, “Breathe. It’ll be really hard to explain if you pass out.”
I inhaled deeply and smiled. Noah caressed the dimple in my cheek. “This spot,” he said into my ear again, “may be my very favorite on your face. But I need to do more exploring to be sure.”
Laughter welled up in me—along with a renewed desire to lock my lips onto his—and I cleared my throat to keep from doing either. Why were there so many people in that stupid closet? The others were still jostling and whispering. And if I didn’t know better, it sounded like Kenzie was swatting Dylan, whose deep chuckles rolled around the enclosed space.
If I couldn’t have all of them gone, at least they were making enough noise to mask what Noah and I were doing. “We need to stop,” I whispered to him.
“Do we?” He was running idle circles around where my dimple usually was.
“Who’s whispering back there?” Amanda asked, her voice coming out in a hiss.
Noah’s fingers left my face. He shifted, his warmth stirring the stuffy air around us. I didn’t want the moment to end, to go back to being wary adversaries again, so I reached up and rested a hand on his shoulder. His muscles bunched under my touch. Muscles that hadn’t been so developed last summer.
“No one’s whispering,” Dylan said. “Was it a skittering sound? That’s probably just the roaches.”
The younger girls erupted in squeals and Kenzie laughed. Someone opened the closet door, and amid more laughing, grunts, and exclamations, people stumbled out of the closet. The light came on in the room, and Geoff’s voice rang out. “I wondered how long it was gonna take y’all to come out. We’ve enjoyed the wait.”
Noah
I choked back about a hundred cuss words. Really inventive ones, too. Why did Dylan have to be all hilarious right at that moment? Gabby was touching my shoulder. One innocent point of contact that had me practically jumping out of my skin. I wanted to, no needed to, pull her against me, to hold on as long as she would let me.
But the door had opened, the light had been turned on, and Gabby’s hand had fallen away. Her eyes glimmered in the semi-darkness, and I wished I could shut the closet door again so we could go back to what we were doing. Only alone this time. I shook myself. Right. Moving on.
I took Gabby’s hand to guide her past me so she could go out first. Everyone didn’t need to know I’d had her up against the wall. Thank goodness Dylan was so huge. People couldn’t see around him, whether it was dark or not.
Following Gabby out, I squinted at the light in the room. Geoff and Molly sat smiling on the bottom bunk, looking rumpled and a little dazed. Heh. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out what they’d been doing. Just the thought of it made me take a deep, long breath. Gabby and I had been seriously close to doing the same thing. Not that I didn’t want to. But a lot needed to be said first.
Amanda and Haley were whispering and giggling about something. I ignored them and instead watched Gabby, who stood a little aside from everyone. She looked totally calm. Except for the fact that she was winding a long strand of hair around her finger—a sure sign she was distracted.
I dragged my thoughts away from her and faced Geoff. “So, what now? Y’all found us as a team. Who’s it?”
Kenzie laughed. “Right. It can’t be both because no one’s going to want to join the two of you in a hiding place.”
Amanda and Haley burst into laughter. Geoff’s face actually darkened. Was he blushing? I was so going to give him crap about that later.
“Anyway,” Kenzie said, twisting her hair into a knot at the back of her neck, “I think I’m done for tonight. I’m heading to my room.”
“Aw, Kenz,” Amanda said. “You’re ruining everythin
g.”
Kenzie smiled. “I doubt that.”
“I will go too,” Gabby said as Gabriela.
Molly slid off the bed and stood. “I think it’s time for a second bowl of ice cream.”
“Good idea,” Geoff said, joining her.
“What about playing outside?” Amanda asked, her voice a fraction from whining.
Geoff looked back from the bedroom door. “We can either do that after our ice cream or tomorrow night. Or Saturday night. The possibilities are finite!”
Dylan laughed. “Way to be positive.”
“I try,” Geoff said, and Molly tugged him from the room.
“You know,” Kenzie said, “ice cream sounds really good actually. Or maybe some of the cobbler from the other night.”
“Ooo,” Haley said. “I loved the cobbler.”
“Or both,” Dylan said.
The group filtered out of the room, Kenzie and Gabby walking side by side down the hall. To catch up with her and tell her we needed to talk, I’d have had to pass Amanda and Haley.
That wouldn’t work. I didn’t want anyone to notice me whispering to Gabby, and those two watched my every move.
We moved quietly down the stairs and into the kitchen. I waited until Amanda and Haley went to grab one of the bowls Molly had set on the counter before making my move. Gabby stood a little apart, a half smile on her face. I came up behind her and touched her elbow, knowing that she’d probably jump if I started whispering in her ear with no warning.
She looked up, a light pink color spreading across her cheeks.
“We need to talk,” I whispered.
She glanced around at everyone else, then frowned.
“Please,” I said.
Haley laughed loudly at something and Geoff lifted his hands. “Guys,” he said, waving his hands downward. “We need to keep it down. Gamma’s light is already off.”
People resumed their conversations in lower voices.
Gabby turned her head slightly toward me but kept her attention on the kitchen. “Back deck, ten minutes.” She moved closer to Kenzie, not waiting for me to reply.
Okay, then. I grabbed onto the back of one of the kitchen stools to steady myself. It was finally happening. I was going to get the answers I needed. And hopefully more.
I closed the back door slowly so it wouldn’t make even the slightest click. I could just make out Gabby’s shadowed figure sitting on the back steps. I waited a few seconds for my eyes to adjust to the dark, and then joined her. “Hey,” I said quietly.
She had her arms wrapped around her legs with her chin on her knees. She raised her head and looked at me. “Hey.”
I couldn’t see her eyes well, but still felt her gaze burn into mine. “You okay?”
“Yeah. Just a little confused.”
Join the club. “Why?”
She braced her elbows on top of her knees. “Why are you being so nice to me? Just last night you said you didn’t know who I was. But today you’ve been really sweet.”
I didn’t know. I just had a sense she still liked me. And even though I knew I shouldn’t trust her, couldn’t trust her, I wanted to. It was clear—I obviously wasn’t over her. But there was no way I’d tell her that. So I tried something different.
“Why did you let me get close to you in the closet?”
She let out a noisy breath. “That’s obvious.”
“Not to me.”
“We’re still attracted to each other, Noah.”
Attracted to each other. I swallowed. “Is that all?”
“What do you mean?”
“You’re going to make me say it?”
She gave her head a quick shake. “Say what? I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Don’t play games, Gabby.”
“I’m not—” She stood abruptly and went down the steps.
She was running away. I’d better cut to the chase if I wanted to get any answers about last summer out of her. I leaped down the steps and followed. She’d stopped near the blacktop, staring up at the sky. Clouds had rolled in and covered the sliver of moon, turning Gabby into a slightly darker shadow than the ones around us.
I moved in close. Near her warmth, but not touching. I inhaled the light scent of strawberries from her hair. “Gabby,” I whispered.
She turned. “I’m so confused,” she whispered back.
“Me too.” With that, I finally did what I’d wanted to do when I first saw her three days ago. I drew her into my arms. She relaxed against me, and I almost lost it. I’d thought that girl was gone forever. That I’d never see her again. And there she was, beautiful and frustrating, her warm body against mine. I still couldn’t believe it was real.
With her clasped in my arms, the questions I had flew off into the night. I couldn’t help myself. I bent down just as she lifted her face to mine. Good, we were on the same page. I kissed her gently, allowing her to pull away if she needed to.
But when she ran her hands through my hair, I let myself go. Into the softness of her lips, the taste of her mouth. The rightness of it made me lightheaded. This. This was what I’d needed for a whole year. Not just the kiss. But Gabby against me as though I were her anchor. Just like she was mine.
A low sound came from Gabby’s throat, and I tightened my grip. It wasn’t enough. I couldn’t get close enough. She must have felt the same because her hands kept moving. From my hair to the back of my neck to my shoulders. She pressed hard against me, and with my blood blasting through my veins, I felt like one giant heartbeat. But it still wasn’t enough.
And all at once, I knew why. That heavy bruised feeling in my chest meant I still needed answers. I had to know what happened last summer. What had made her disappear?
I lifted my head, the sound of our quick breaths harsh in the night. “I need—”
“Please don’t talk,” she whispered. She tugged me back to her mouth.
For a full three seconds I gave in to the kiss, but then I wrenched my head away. “No. Gabby, listen. I need to know—”
“Noah.”
“—why. Please tell me. What happened?”
She made a choking sound, like she was trying not to cry, then pulled completely away. “It never would’ve worked. Don’t you get that?” She doubled over, her arms wrapped around her stomach. “And now it’s happening again, and it’s still not going to work.”
I drew her upright. Tears poured down her cheeks. She wiped them off with angry swipes of her hands. I cupped her face. “Shh, it’s gonna be okay.”
“How can you say that?”
“We just need to talk about it. If we’re talking, it’ll all work out. It’s got to.”
She shook her head.
I pulled her into my arms again, holding her against my chest. “Why wouldn’t it have worked?”
“Because we would be apart,” she said through rasping breaths. “With you in San Antonio and me in Austin … things would change. You wouldn’t—I can’t—”
What the hell? It was all because we lived in separate cities? I couldn’t believe it. All the hurt and pain from last year was just because it would’ve been a long-distance relationship? There had to be more to it than that.
Her muscles tensed under my hands. She was going to run again. I knew it. So I did the only thing I could. I raised her face and kissed her. Soft kisses all across the smooth skin of her cheeks and back to her mouth until she relaxed. I lifted my head. “It’s all right. We can talk about it later.”
“Noah?” a girl’s voice came from somewhere behind me.
Gabby inhaled sharply and yanked out of my arms.
“Wait,” I said, but she was already striding away toward the corner of the house.
I started after her, but the voice came again, more insistently. “Noah?”
If I chased Gabby, the person behind me would probably find us, and I wasn’t positive, but it would probably freak Gabby out even more.
I turned around. A small shape approached. N
ot Kenzie or Amanda then. “Haley?”
“Yeah.” She paused three feet away. “Are you hooking up with Gabriela?”
Gabby
I raced around the side of the house to the front drive, my heart pounding out a furious rhythm. Who was that? It had sounded like Haley, but I couldn’t be sure. And if whoever it was actually saw us kissing, then … what? Gabriela was out of the closet? Because why would Noah be kissing someone he barely knew? Or maybe it was actually okay, because, hey, people hook up all the time. Dammit. No matter what identity I used, I didn’t like being thought of as “the skank who stole my crush.”
I tiptoed up the steps to the front porch and peeked through the living room window. People were sitting around eating ice cream and laughing about something. Amanda stood and walked toward the kitchen with her bowl. Okay, then. The person who’d caught me with Noah had to be Haley.
I drew in a long, slow breath, and let go of my throat. I’d been clutching my neck like my hand was the only thing keeping my head on my shoulders. Could I possibly get to the stairs without anyone noticing? I peeked in the kitchen window. Amanda walked toward the back of the house, leaving the kitchen empty. Good. All I needed to worry about were the people in the living room. There was no way I could face anyone. It didn’t matter how I managed it, but I wasn’t stopping even if Kenzie called my name.
I eased the door open, squeezed into the house, and let the door click shut. Okay so far. My pulse thumped in my ears. I steadied myself and then moved, zooming by the opening to the living room and straight up the stairs. It sounded like someone said, “Who was that?” But I wasn’t stopping for anybody.
In moments, I was leaning against the closed door of the bedroom, my heart aching as if someone had smashed a fist into my chest. I slid down to the carpet, the sobs welling up inside of me. Don’t. People might hear.
I bolted to my feet, stumbled into the bathroom, and locked the door. And just like I’d done countless times at home when I’d been getting over Noah the first time, I turned on the shower and stripped off my clothes. I shook with the effort to keep the flood of pain inside. Just hold on. Keep it together until the water’s hot.
About Last Summer Page 13
