by Beth Reekles
‘You’re cute when you look like that,’ I told him, nodding at his expression.
He grimaced. ‘Don’t call me cute. Please.’
‘Aw, how cute,’ I teased, laughing. I shoved at his shoulder playfully, a gesture which he returned with an eye-roll.
I went to pick up my cell phone from the dresser next to his bed, and blurted out a question before I could help myself.
‘Why do you hate people calling you Noah?’ I asked.
‘Noah’s not exactly the coolest name in the book. You can’t imagine some guy running in terror at the name Noah. Flynn’s just—’
‘It suits you.’
‘Exactly. So why do you always call me by my first name?’
‘’Cause I grew up with you. Then I did it to annoy you. But it’s kind of hot.’
The words had come out before I realized what I was saying. My mouth snapped shut and my cheeks flamed as I held a hand over my mouth. I couldn’t believe I’d just said that! I mean, I did think Noah was a hot name – maybe not on some people, but Noah Flynn pulled it off. He made it sexy. I just couldn’t believe I’d told him that!
He smirked, pulling my hand away from my undoubtedly beetroot-colored face. ‘Well, when you put it like that, it doesn’t seem so bad.’
I gave an embarrassed laugh and he gave me a quick peck on the lips before letting my hand go. I needed to get going now. And if someone came home unexpectedly, it was bound to look more than a little suspicious that I was here with Noah. They’d hardly believe we were just ‘hanging out’.
I detoured to the kitchen on my way out to grab my purse and the video game for Brad.
When I turned around and saw Noah leaning in the open doorway, it made me jump. He hadn’t made a sound; I’d had no idea he was there.
‘Are you free tomorrow?’ he asked me.
‘I don’t think so . . . I have a ton of homework I have to do, so . . .’
Only after I’d said that did I think maybe I should’ve tried to be more mysterious – ask what he had in mind, tell him I might or might not be available. But I waved away the notion immediately – as if I could pull that off.
‘That sucks.’
I waited for him to expand on that, but he didn’t. He just gave me that infamous trademark smirk and his bright eyes bored into mine. I wondered if that meant he wanted to meet up with me. But he didn’t say anything more.
‘Um,’ I said quietly.
He grinned. ‘I’ll find somewhere out of the way to meet you, don’t worry.’
I smiled back at him. In just one day I’d gone from having no love life to what I could only call sneaking around with the most desirable guy in school, all because of that damn kissing booth.
‘Bye,’ I said quietly, brushing past him to get to the front door.
‘Hey, hold up,’ he said, tugging me back by the belt hook of my jeans. ‘I want my goodbye kiss.’
‘Hmm, no.’
Wow, that may just have been the flirtiest thing I’ve said today. Go me.
‘No?’ He raised his dark eyebrows challengingly.
He bent to kiss me anyway, and I was going to kiss him back – but he pulled away after barely brushing his lips to mine. He gave me an innocent look, at which I rolled my eyes.
‘Bye, Shelly,’ he called teasingly after me.
‘Bye, Noah,’ I replied in the same tone, smiling to myself.
I didn’t stop smiling the whole way home.
That night, I lay in bed thinking about it all. I had no way of knowing for sure how long this would last; I’d always thought of myself as the kind of girl who would be in more long-term, committed relationships. From what I’d heard, Noah’s longest relationship had been maybe a week. But I couldn’t help it. I didn’t want to hurt Lee, but I felt an attraction to Noah that wasn’t only something physical—
Not that I would do anything so stupid as to fall for him.
Nope. No way.
If anything could damage my relationship with Lee, it was that. It wouldn’t happen. It couldn’t happen. I wouldn’t let it.
I just had to try and deal with this whole thing the best way I could. And if that meant hiding the fact that Noah and I were together, then so be it. I didn’t want to not be with him; just the thought of this afternoon made me feel warm inside.
I’m pretty sure I fell asleep smiling.
Chapter 11
MONDAY MORNING CAME way, way too soon. I was all set to tell the girls about my kiss with Noah, because I knew they would want every detail. I was ready for the jealous looks I’d be getting. I was also prepared to wave aside any assumptions they might make about us getting together.
Noah and I had both been too busy to meet up the day before; but we’d texted. I still felt light and bubbly inside remembering his last text when I said I was going to sleep: Sweet dreams.
It had been very unlike Noah, but I’d still liked it.
A car pulled up outside my house, so I hurried downstairs and yelled goodbye over my shoulder.
‘Hey,’ I said to Lee, smiling as I climbed into the passenger seat.
‘Hey! What are you looking so happy about? I thought you were dreading today, after the whole kissing-booth situation.’
I shrugged. ‘I don’t know. Why can’t I be in a good mood?’
‘Well, for one thing, it’s a Monday. For another, you are not a morning person. Believe me, I know.’
I shrugged. ‘Don’t complain. I’m in a good mood – let’s leave it at that.’
Lee laughed. ‘Okay, then . . .’
Once we got to school, I had barely stepped out of the car before I was surrounded by squeals and questions. It seemed like every single girl wanted me to describe the kiss.
‘Give her some space, guys!’ I heard Lee laughing.
‘Ooh, you’re so lucky. I wish I’d been there. I would kill to kiss Flynn. I cannot believe you chickened out, Karen.’
‘I don’t blame you. It must’ve been terrifying when you realized you had to kiss Flynn!’
‘I wish it had been me.’
‘I can’t believe you got to kiss Flynn.’
‘Isn’t it really awkward though, with Lee?’
‘No,’ I scoffed. ‘Of course it’s not! Lee’s my best friend.’
‘Yeah, but it is his brother you made out with. And I saw – that wasn’t just a quick kiss,’ Candice added, waggling her eyebrows suggestively.
‘Yeah, but it’s Lee.’
‘Have you spoken to Flynn since?’
‘Do you like him, Elle?’ Faith was suddenly right in my face. ‘Don’t you have a crush on him?’
‘I can hardly form a full sentence around him,’ laughed someone else.
‘You’re not the only one!’
‘Elle’s the only girl who can talk to him.’
‘I don’t see how you can act so normal around him,’ Georgia said.
I shrugged. ‘I grew up with him, because I was always with Lee. And I don’t know, Faith,’ I said, turning to her. ‘He’s just Noah.’
‘Just Noah?’ they all cried out in shock. I bit my cheeks. I really needed to start thinking before I blurted out stuff like that. ‘This is Flynn we’re talking about! How can you say that?’
‘Look, I’m going to go talk to some of the guys. I kissed Noah – yeah, it was great. But can we all just move on now? I’m kind of sick of talking about it.’
I felt mean, and I tried not to storm across the parking lot too angrily.
When I finally reached Lee and the other boys, I let out a huge sigh of relief.
‘That looked like fun,’ Lee said casually.
I elbowed him in the ribs.
‘Oh my gosh! You, like, totally have to tell us everything! Oh my gosh! I cannot believe you made out with Flynn! Like, oh my gosh!’ Cam said in a falsetto voice. The boys cracked up and I rolled my eyes.
‘Don’t even start. Please, I’m begging you.’
‘Don’t worry, we’re not going to ask,’
Dixon told me. ‘But seriously, you’re not dating?’
‘No.’
He nodded. ‘Cool.’
‘Why – you interested?’ I batted my eyes flirtatiously.
‘Maybe,’ he joked. Then he added, ‘Nah, just – you know, rumors.’
‘I’ll let Noah know next time I see him,’ I said seriously, making all the boys laugh and push Dixon around playfully. ‘Have an ambulance on standby.’
‘Touché.’
‘Oh, hey,’ Warren said suddenly. ‘I forgot. My parents are out next Friday, so you know what that means, right?’
‘House party!’ Lee yelled, high-fiving him. ‘Awesome.’
‘Don’t go spreading the word, though. I don’t want things getting too crazy.’
‘Sure, no problem,’ they all agreed.
‘You in, Elle?’ Warren asked me, since I hadn’t commented yet.
‘Sure thing. But I’m sticking to the alcohol-free stuff at this one – I do not want another near-miss of the skinny-dipping episode.’
‘Damn it, Elle, my dreams are crushed,’ Cameron muttered, and laughed.
Lee looked at me doubtfully. ‘Don’t worry, Shelly, I’ll keep an eye on you.’
‘No you won’t, you’ll be too busy making out with Rachel,’ Oliver said, making everyone laugh.
The bell went then, and we all filed into the school for assembly.
Lee and I got a special commendation from the principal for raising so much money on our booth. That’s not the only thing I got, though.
There were so many comments and whistles from boys passing by about me and Flynn. It was really starting to bug me. Nothing as offensive as what had been said after Lee and Noah’s party. But the way they said it was really making my blood boil.
By Thursday all the excitement had mostly died down. New rumors and gossip came onto the scene, sidelining me.
I couldn’t have been happier.
I was so sick of talking about kissing Flynn at the carnival. I was so sick of hearing the girls tell me how jealous they were. I was so sick of having boys look at me differently in the corridors because now I wasn’t quite as innocent anymore.
And then, to top my week off, I got to Lee’s on Thursday afternoon, like we’d arranged, to find he wasn’t there.
‘I’m heading out to the store,’ his mom told me. ‘But if you want to stay and hang around for a bit, you’re more than welcome.’
‘Okay, I’ll see how long he’s going to be. Thanks, June.’
‘Bye, Elle!’ she said cheerfully before leaving. I sighed and texted Lee to find out where he was.
Over Rachel’s. Sorry! :-( I didn’t know you were coming over.
He’d clearly forgotten that we’d arranged to hang out. That was so unlike him.
No problem, I’ll head on home. I added a smiley face to let him know I wasn’t mad at him – even though I was a little annoyed. Lee never blew me off for other girls without at least giving me advance notice.
He must really like Rachel, I thought.
I was heading for the door when I heard movement at the top of the stairs and looked up.
‘Oh, hey,’ said Noah. ‘Lee’s not here.’
‘Yeah, your mom just said. She’s gone to the store, by the way.’
‘Oh, right.’
I rocked back and forth on my heels while he just looked at me as he came down the stairs. I didn’t know whether to leave or not . . . I didn’t want to now I knew Noah was here.
All week, whenever I saw him in the corridors or on the field at lunch, I remembered the feeling of his lips on mine, and I ached to kiss him again.
He was just wearing a pair of threadbare sweatpants with old oil stains on, and a white T-shirt. Nothing special. So why did he manage to look like a freaking male model? He was so out of my league.
I’d been starting to convince myself that whatever had happened with Noah on the weekend was just a closed chapter in my life, and that he’d forgotten all about it. That I just had to get over it and move on.
Then he kissed me. Taken by surprise at finding him there, I let him back me up two steps to the wall, and then I put everything I had into kissing him back.
Apparently, my worries and doubts had been entirely irrational.
When we finally broke apart for air, he stayed so close that when one of us spoke, our lips moved against each other.
He said quietly, ‘I’ve been waiting to do that all week.’
I felt a thrill of excitement run through me. I willed my cheeks not to color and tried to keep my cool, so he didn’t see how relieved and happy I was.
Not that I should be getting too attached to him, I told myself; I had to be careful. For Lee’s sake.
Attempting to be the flirty, confident girl I really wasn’t, I replied, ‘Sorry to have kept you waiting.’
He shrugged. ‘It was worth it.’
Now, that I couldn’t help but blush over.
‘How long do you reckon we’ve got?’ he asked me.
‘Hmm . . . half an hour, at least,’ I mused, and there was a laugh in my voice.
Noah’s blue eyes looked even brighter than usual, if that was possible. He gave me another quick kiss, and then took my hand, leading me upstairs.
‘Are you going to Warren’s party next week?’ he asked me suddenly.
‘Yeah,’ I answered. ‘Are you?’
He nodded. ‘Just don’t go wearing anything too revealing, all right?’
‘Why not?’ I asked curiously. He’d never said anything about that for previous parties.
‘You wouldn’t believe what guys have been saying about you all week,’ he said angrily, a muscle jumping in his jaw.
‘I think I would,’ I muttered under my breath without thinking.
‘What have you heard?’ he snapped, even angrier now – though the anger wasn’t directed at me.
Resisting the urge to roll my eyes, I shrugged. I really, really needed to keep my mouth shut more. ‘Just comments about the kissing booth, really.’
‘Like . . .?’ he prompted. I could tell he was starting to get mad. I knew all the warning signs after all these years – that muscle in his jaw; the cracking knuckles; the line creasing his forehead just above his eyebrows; his legs shifting into a fighter’s stance.
His fingers were flexing, the muscle in his jaw was going . . .
Oh, and there went the legs.
‘They’ve just been saying stupid things,’ I sighed, falling onto the bed. I couldn’t even enjoy the bouncy mattress – that’s how tense things were. ‘Making comments about me kissing you, asking if the two-dollar fee was still standing . . . It’s fine, nothing happened,’ I assured him quickly.
Noah was shaking his head. ‘You’re sure nobody tried anything? At all?’
I sighed. ‘Positive. Calm down already.’
‘I’m serious, Rochelle,’ he said, frowning. Way to kill the mood, I thought bitterly. ‘Anyone comes near you and—’
‘I’m a big girl, I can look out for myself. You don’t need to be so . . . so . . . so damn controlling all the time! Calm down.’
‘I’m not being controlling!’
‘Yes you are!’ I yelled back, sitting up now to scowl at him. ‘I’ll wear whatever the hell I want to that party next week. I don’t need you telling me who I can date or what I can wear or who I can talk to!’
‘I’m trying to stop you getting hurt,’ he shouted at me.
‘I’m not going to get hurt! Not everybody’s a jerk like—’
‘Like me?’ he finished for me.
‘Yeah! Yeah, like you!’
By now I was standing right in front of Noah, trying to look him in the eye. It wasn’t easy when he was about four inches taller than me, but I did my best to glare back at him.
‘You don’t seem to understand just how bad some of these guys are,’ he argued. ‘You act normal, but they think it’s flirting and take it the wrong way. They’ll try something and you might not think you’
ve led them on but you sure as hell have.’
‘I’m not leading anyone on!’ I cried in outrage.
‘That’s exactly what I’m talking about! You don’t mean to, and you don’t know it, but when you act like yourself and joke around, some guys take that the wrong way – they think you’re flirting. And if you’re not careful, you’ll end up getting hurt.’
‘Fine! But I don’t need you making my every move for me!’ I jabbed him sharply in the chest, and he grabbed my hand before bringing his lips down on mine.
The kiss tasted strangely sweet, fuelled by an anger that melted into passion. It was weird how the situation flipped from a really heated argument to a really heated make-out session.
Noah’s hands knotted in my hair, keeping me as close as possible while he pulled me down onto the bed. I couldn’t think straight when he was kissing me. He sent my head spinning and banished every rational thought.
We broke apart for air, and I noticed his eyes were roaming over my body while I was trying to get my thoughts together. I was fully clothed, but I had never felt more incredibly self-conscious.
Noah pulled me back down, holding me tenderly, and placed a soft, lingering kiss on my lips. ‘You’re gorgeous, Elle, you know that?’
Gorgeous.
Not hot. Not sexy. Gorgeous.
It’s one thing for Lee to say that when I’m picking at my clothes, asking if I look okay. It was one thing for my dad to say that when I went to the Winter Dance a few months back. It’s a totally different thing coming from Noah Flynn’s mouth.
I smiled and kissed him back.
‘I don’t mean to be so controlling,’ he murmured, not quite meeting my eyes; he toyed with the ends of my hair, wrapping it around his fingertips. ‘I just . . . it gets me really mad hearing guys talk about you like that. I don’t want to see you get hurt. I – I care about you too much.’
I was certain he didn’t mean that he ‘cared for me too much’ in a romantic sense; we’d grown up together, so of course he cared about me. But it still made my heart skip a beat.
I smiled. ‘That’s nice to hear.’
‘Even if I’m a total jerk?’
I laughed. ‘Even if you’re a total jerk.’
‘Not to mention a hot jerk,’ he smirked.
‘Mm, debatable.’
