“She can handle her own, Ezra,” Noah’s voice rings around the living room, and once again, silence follows while he takes his time to keep the napkin neatly on the table and looks up.
“Am I wrong?” he cocks his head to the side very slightly and asks the room a question, though his gaze is locked on mine, and for some reason, my pulse hammers in my throat as I forget how to speak, because damn, this man hasthe most stunning pair of eyes I’ve ever had a chance to look into.
For just a moment in time, it feels like it’s just the two of us in the room, staring at each other, unearthing secrets no one is privy to, until Kaeli breaks the silence.
“No, Noah, you’re not. That’s what I’m trying to tell your foolish friend,” she agrees with him, glaring at her boyfriend.
Ezra raises his hand in surrender. “I’m sorry,” he drawls.
I roll my eyes at him. Sometimes my brother can be daft, even though he’s kind and considerate. He often overlooks what’s right in front of him. But being with Kaeli is making him a better man.
Noah’s still staring at me, waiting for me to answer. I finally blink and clear my throat. “No, you’re not,” I mumble, and it’s like approval shines through his eyes when he barely nods.
God! It feels like we’re sharing something illicit in front of these two. Even though nothing really happened.
Soon, everyone is done with their meal, sharing stories and spending some time together. Later, I help Noah clear out the table.
Ezra and Kaeli head into the backyard, soaking in some sunshine, while Noah and I load up the dishwasher. The second I shut the door and turn around, Noah is hovering over me.
“Oh,” I gasp, my eyes flaring and my hands grabbing onto the counter behind me, as I rise on my toes.
“Hey,” Noah whispers, looking down his chin, his hands stuffed in his pockets.
I lose myself in the broadness of his shoulders, the shape of his lips surrounded by a light beard, and his eyes that seem to beckon me whenever they’re on me.
Then I remember the wait, the hurt, and the humiliation I suffered in his presence. So, dropping any pretenses, I ask in a clipped tone, “What do you want?”
“I’m sorry,” he expresses, his eyes downcast, but this time I don’t lose myself in the allure of them.
Taking a couple of steps forward, he continues, “I’m sorry for—”
My hand lands on his buffed chest, as my eyes turn to slit. “No,” I snap.
Noah’s eyes widen, not expecting me to react.
“You don’t get to apologize to me afterpromising we’d do what we agreed to and then leaving me hanging.” I stop, my throat bobbing to swallow the hurt. “You’ve humiliated me enough. So, no, I don’t particularly care for your explanation or your apology.”
I push him back and walk off, but not before noticing the hurt on his face. My hands curl into fists as I restrain myself from going back and stretching his lips into a smile.
I know he let me go; he let me push him away. If he wanted, he could’ve stopped me. And maybe, I wanted him to. Maybe I wanted him to grab me and tell me that there’s a good reason why he didn’t reach out to me.
My stomach drops even further when he doesn’t call out for me. Huffing and angrily swiping the tears I didn’t know escaped, I take a deep breath before stepping into the backyard.
Pasting on a smile to mask the hurt I feel.
Nine
Andie
“Come on, Kiddo, I’ll drop you off,” Ezra offers as the four of us enter back into the house, the sun now positively settled beneath the evening clouds.
I know I have lots to do, but I couldn’t bring myself to leave early. It’s been more than a month since we spent some time together. It was, in fact, the first time after Kaeli came back from the hospital that we had the chance.
Though what I didn’t suspect was that Noah would stay for so long. He’s usually the type tostay alone and brood in all his loneliness.
“See you soon, Andie,” Kaeli hugs me after I’m in my sandals, and Ezra grabs his car keys from the bowl on the entrance table.
“Bye, love. Thank you so much for having me,” I say with a genuine smile.