He’s the one to make the first move, stepping into my room and holding out a little to-go box.
“Brought you back a slice.”
I smile, take it, open the box, and let the pizza slip right into my trashcan.
He unfurls a proud smile. I think he would have been disappointed had I actually accepted his gift.
“Busy night?” he asks, pointing toward my neatly arranged desk. There’s not a pencil out of place. My nail polish is already put away.
I hold up my nails to show him my work. Cherry red.
“I like it.”
“Then maybe I’ll change it.”
He props his butt on the edge of my desk and makes himself at home, his long legs stretched out and crossed at the ankles. He’s too big for my small room. He crowds me. I’d roll my chair back, give myself some space, but I don’t want him to have the pleasure of seeing how he affects me.
He dressed up for the date. His white button-down makes him look mild-mannered. What a lie.
I make my way back up to his face, taking my sweet time, and find he’s studying me too.
“Is that her lipstick?” I ask, pointing.
He swipes at his cheek. “Pizza sauce. I’m a messy eater…I like to enjoy my food.”
Why that sends a shiver down my spine? Don’t ask.
“And yet there’s not a speck of sauce on your white shirt. Did the restaurant let you wear a bib?”
He pinches his eyes shut and looks down at the ground, collecting himself. Or, more likely, praying for the patience to deal with me.
I poke poke poke him with one of my pens until he looks at me again.
“Ready for tomorrow?” I ask.
“Can’t wait. Where are you taking me?”
I shrug. “Oh, I dunno. I’ll let Lorenzo decide. He’s so knowledgeable about that kind of thing. I’ve always wanted to date a worldly guy.”
“Jeff not traveled enough for you?”
I narrow my eyes, suspicious that he knows about my ex. “When did you meet Jeff?”
“He came up to the school a few times. Asked me once if we’d ever dated.”
“What?”
He can’t be serious.
“Yeah, he came into my classroom puffed up like a peacock, wanting to know our history.”
In what bizarre-o world would someone assume Noah and I have history?
“He never told me.”
Noah’s eyebrows jump like he’s surprised.
“Well…” I wave my hand for him to get on with it. When he doesn’t, I’m forced to ask, “What did you tell him?”
“There was nothing to tell. I couldn’t exactly tell the guy that you and I are at eternal odds. It’s not the sort of thing that’s easy to explain.”
“You’re my mortal enemy,” I say, like it’s commonplace. “What’s hard to explain about that?”
“Sure. But then people want details.”
“Details? Simple.” I might as well be reading the back of a cereal box. “It was hate at first sight. I annoy you and you annoy me. As long as we both shall live.”
I expect him to agree wholeheartedly, inflict some sort of horrific trauma （like kicking the lever of my chair so I sink down until I’m a foot off the ground）， and then disappear like a phantom.
Instead, he seems to mull something over, bobbing his head left and right before leaning in like he’s about to tell me some juicy piece of gossip. He crooks his finger for me to get closer.
“I get it. Believe me.” His eyes narrow. “But do you ever…”
His curiosity dwindles into a cliffhanger that has me champing at the bit.
“Do I ever what?” I ask, impatiently.
Spit it out.
“No, it’s just. Have you ever thought…”
Eons pass.
He waves away his thought. “No. Never mind.”
I have half a mind to grab ahold of his shirt collar, tug until we’re nose to nose, and growl at him to finish what he’s saying.
Instead, I hold perfectly still like Noah’s a mustang I don’t want to spook. If I had a sugar cube, I’d feed it to him.
When he pushes off the desk and stands to leave, my heart sinks.
“Forget I said anything.”
Chapter Ten
I think the universe has it out for me.
I’m just over here minding my own business, and then—WHAM—I wake up the next morning to a barrage of reminders that I am a party of one and everyone else is in love and isn’t life just grand as long as you have your soulmate by your side?