He just shrugs a shoulder and quietly dares me to say something further. I won’t. It feels good to be desired and right now my self-esteem could use all the help it can get.
“I’ll be home around five if you want to take another shot at the videos,” I offer.
“It’s a date,” he says before putting his feet up on the table and sinking back into the couch. “There’s an extra key hanging on the hook in the kitchen. Take it in case I’m not home. Come and go as you please; my house is your house.” He stretches his arms wide like a king showing off his kingdom. I hold the hem of my towel and dip a small curtsy before stepping into his room and closing the door behind me.
Chapter 14
Noah
I tell myself to stop being selfish. I need to man up and call the building manager about delivering the bed they owe Leah to my apartment while they work on hers. Every time I reach for the phone I find something else to distract me. To be honest, I don’t want her sleeping anywhere else.
I tap the screen on my phone and see that it is almost four. I haven’t been able to get the image of her in that towel out of my head since this morning. Waiting for her to come back has been torture but it’s only another hour. I pull some chicken out of the refrigerator and hope that she hasn’t eaten yet.
A buzz from the dryer lets me know that my sheets are finished so I grab them and take them to my room. When I hear the front door open my heartbeat speeds up. I take a moment to close my eyes and tell myself to calm down before she sees how pathetic I am.
“Noah?” she calls. I love the way my name sounds on her lips.
“Back here!” I yell as I separate the bottom sheet from the top and begin to stretch it across my mattress. I hear her footsteps approaching and she cautiously pushes the door open and peeks inside.
“Hey,” she greets me and with just that word she has my complete attention. I smile at how ridiculous I’m being. Her simple greeting shouldn’t spread through me like a wave of happiness but it does. I begin to wonder when I turned back into a fifteen year-old version of myself.
“What’s up?” I ask, trying to be nonchalant.
“I’m back early. I thought maybe you’d want to grab a bite to eat before we get started. I see you took out some chicken—what were you planning on making?” She crosses her arms and leans against my doorframe. How is it that she can look so beautiful in an old tee and jeans?
“I guess that depends on what you like.” I pull one corner of the fitted sheet over the mattress and Leah makes her way to the opposite corner and helps to slip it on. Her smile is brilliant.
“I’m not picky,” she says, moving to another corner. “If you’re cooking, I’m eating.” She pulls the sheet down and I stretch the last corner into place. I hand her one end of the top sheet and we work together to straighten it out. She tugs it to her side and I can’t resist pulling it back my way. At first she chases her end, not realizing I’m doing it on purpose, but when I do it again she raises an eyebrow. The battle is on. With a look of sheer determination she yanks the sheet out of my hand.
I regain the edge, gather as much as I can in my hand and pull. She does the same and within seconds we’re shrieking and laughing, engaged in a full tug-o-war.
I twist the sheet around my arm and dig my feet in, giving one last heave. She slides along the floor, losing ground quickly, and flips onto the bed as her shins meet the mattress. I stumble back a few steps from the slack, and then I release my end and throw my hands up in the air in
“I’ll be home around five if you want to take another shot at the videos,” I offer.
“It’s a date,” he says before putting his feet up on the table and sinking back into the couch. “There’s an extra key hanging on the hook in the kitchen. Take it in case I’m not home. Come and go as you please; my house is your house.” He stretches his arms wide like a king showing off his kingdom. I hold the hem of my towel and dip a small curtsy before stepping into his room and closing the door behind me.
Chapter 14
Noah
I tell myself to stop being selfish. I need to man up and call the building manager about delivering the bed they owe Leah to my apartment while they work on hers. Every time I reach for the phone I find something else to distract me. To be honest, I don’t want her sleeping anywhere else.
I tap the screen on my phone and see that it is almost four. I haven’t been able to get the image of her in that towel out of my head since this morning. Waiting for her to come back has been torture but it’s only another hour. I pull some chicken out of the refrigerator and hope that she hasn’t eaten yet.
A buzz from the dryer lets me know that my sheets are finished so I grab them and take them to my room. When I hear the front door open my heartbeat speeds up. I take a moment to close my eyes and tell myself to calm down before she sees how pathetic I am.
“Noah?” she calls. I love the way my name sounds on her lips.
“Back here!” I yell as I separate the bottom sheet from the top and begin to stretch it across my mattress. I hear her footsteps approaching and she cautiously pushes the door open and peeks inside.
“Hey,” she greets me and with just that word she has my complete attention. I smile at how ridiculous I’m being. Her simple greeting shouldn’t spread through me like a wave of happiness but it does. I begin to wonder when I turned back into a fifteen year-old version of myself.
“What’s up?” I ask, trying to be nonchalant.
“I’m back early. I thought maybe you’d want to grab a bite to eat before we get started. I see you took out some chicken—what were you planning on making?” She crosses her arms and leans against my doorframe. How is it that she can look so beautiful in an old tee and jeans?
“I guess that depends on what you like.” I pull one corner of the fitted sheet over the mattress and Leah makes her way to the opposite corner and helps to slip it on. Her smile is brilliant.
“I’m not picky,” she says, moving to another corner. “If you’re cooking, I’m eating.” She pulls the sheet down and I stretch the last corner into place. I hand her one end of the top sheet and we work together to straighten it out. She tugs it to her side and I can’t resist pulling it back my way. At first she chases her end, not realizing I’m doing it on purpose, but when I do it again she raises an eyebrow. The battle is on. With a look of sheer determination she yanks the sheet out of my hand.
I regain the edge, gather as much as I can in my hand and pull. She does the same and within seconds we’re shrieking and laughing, engaged in a full tug-o-war.
I twist the sheet around my arm and dig my feet in, giving one last heave. She slides along the floor, losing ground quickly, and flips onto the bed as her shins meet the mattress. I stumble back a few steps from the slack, and then I release my end and throw my hands up in the air in
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