“You’re my only plans,” he shares.
I don’t know why, but I’m suddenly nervous.
Noah senses it, chuckling as he comes to stand beside me, calling my gaze to his. He lifts his hand, as if he was about to reach out and touch me but decides better of it, quickly lowering it to the bag beside us. His eyes, though, they stay on mine. “You wanna stay, veg until your leggings are too tight and I’ve gotta loan you a pair of sweats?” His mouth hooks higher. “Watch a movie with me?”
“Yeah.” My brows pull. “I do.”
He nods several times before blowing out a breath and turning to the sink to rinse the chicken. Who knew that was a thing?
The pot pies take the longest out of all the meals we made today, if you count the baking time. Once the big one is ready to be cut into, Noah grabs plates, but I put them back, stuff two forks into my hoodie pocket, and carry the entire pie into the living room.
We eat straight out of the throwaway tinfoil tray, watching Bad Boys For Life in comfortable silence.
At some point during the movie, I shift closer to Noah. My shoulder is now pressed to his, my bent knees resting against his thick, football player thighs.
When I tuck my hands into my lap, he reaches behind us, grabbing a blanket. He drapes it over my legs without a word, leaving his arm to rest along the back of the couch.
I sink in a little more as he settles into the cushions.
When a low sigh escapes him, my mind begins to wander.
I watched him closely tonight. The peaceful look on his face, the ease of his movements, it’s so obvious he’s at home when cooking, as if it’s second nature for him. It reminded me of being at home, watching my parents in the kitchen.
He kind of reminds me of home.
And that… is kind of scary.
Chapter 18
Arianna
* * *
Putting the car in park, Noah turns off the engine and looks at me. “You mean to tell me you’ve never had sushi?”
“I have never had sushi,” I admit, picking my bag up off the floorboard.
He drops back against the seat. “How is that possible?”
“It’s always grossed me out.” I shrug. “I like catfish.”
“Cooked catfish, I assume?”
“You assume correct. There’s this little place my grandparents used to take us to called The Catfish House; we’d go, eat fried catfish, okra, and hush puppies. It was out in the country in a little town on the way to the bay. But sushi?” My nose pinches, and I shudder. “Heck no.”
“I’m gonna make you some, change your mind.”
“No way!” I pretend to gag. “Homemade sounds so much worse.”
“Trust me, Juliet.”
I sigh, playfully, a single thought running through my mind as I stare at him, and that is, man, is he easy on the eyes.
A small smirk tips his full lips, and he steps out, so I follow, and as usual, he walks me all the way to my dorm room.
At the door, I turn to face him. “Just to be clear, I should get my game face on, ready to try some sushi soon?”
He smiles wide, glancing down the hall.
A short piece of hair falls over his forehead as he does, and before I realize what I’m doing, my hand is brushing it back into place.
Noah doesn’t tell me no, he doesn’t reach out halting my hand, warning me that I shouldn’t touch him. Not even as it lowers from his thick, dark hair, but instead allowing fingertips to test the feeling of his skin from his temple to his jaw.
My eyes lift to meet his, and then the door behind me is ripped open. Laughter flows from the room, but cuts to silence in the same second.
My hand flies down, and I whip around, coming face to face with a wide-eyed, glued in motion, Cameron. Brady’s at her back with a frown in place.
“Uh, hi,” I offer lamely, my face growing hot, even more so when I peek into the place, spotting Mason and Chase inside. Both slowly rise from their place on the couch, matching glares on their faces, and I quickly look back to Cam.
Cam’s smirk slowly slips into place, and she crosses her arms. “Well, hell to the oh.”
I snap my attention to Brady, too nervous to allow it anywhere else.
Come on, Brady. Help me out.
His features twitch the slightest bit, but he eases up, offering Noah a small grin. “Perfect timing. FunWorks is closing the bumper boats for the season this weekend, so we’re going to get a round in. Looks like you guys are free to join us.”
I glance at Noah over my shoulder, and his eyes snap from where they’re pointed across the room to mine and I don’t have to guess to know what—or more who—he was looking at. His expression holds so many questions right then, but he says not a word, waiting to see what leaves my lips instead.