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He slid into the driver’s seat and turned on the car.
I’d expected to feel the familiar, overwhelming ball of nerves in my gut, of being alone with a stranger, let alone a hot guy. Yet, around Noah, all I felt was a strange calm.
It was different than the type of security I felt with Sam. Sam felt like a childhood friend—familiar, teasing, and someone from the past where we’d tried something romantic, but it had never worked out for some reason or another.
Noah felt quiet, understated, kind. I could tell he didn’t have an agenda.
Honestly, he had that same therapist vibe as Dr. Silk.
As he pulled out of the driveway and turned down the street, I didn’t feel a nervous need to fill the cab with conversation.
I could just be.
It was soothing and refreshing, like a warm bath after a night of filth.
Another pang of guilt clenched in my stomach, and I made a conscious effort to strangle it. There wasno needto feel guilty about having a hookup; it was a natural part of life. And I was single.
I was still single.
A question slowly formed in my mind; not from the need to fill the space with conversation, but because I was genuinely curious about him. “So… where do you work?”
I turned and watched a slow smile spread across his lips. Wherever he worked, I could tell he very much enjoyed what he did. “Glass Candy.”
“What’s that?”
“A small architecture firm. We specialize in designing buildings with unconventional materials.”
“Like candy?”
He laughed, the sound honest and open and whole. “I wish! You know, it’s funny you say that. When I was a kid, I’d draw houses made of candy. Towers made of candy. Entire cities made of candy.”
“That’s taking Hansel and Gretel to a whole new level.”
“Yeah, no kidding,” he said with a smile. “I’d list the materials that would go into them, too.”
“Like twelve candy cane logs? Fifty peanut butter cup bricks?”
He laughed. “Yeah, kind of! And I’ve never considered having a peanut butter cup brick. Would that just be a rectangle of fudge with creamy peanut butter at the center?”
The stirring in my gut returned. It seemed like now that I’d opened the slutgates, I couldn’t close them. I looked out the window to hide my blush. “A building material like that sounds like it would have poor integrity.”
“Oh yeah, the whole thing would collapse the second you apply any kind of pressure or heat to it,” he said with a wave of his hand.
I sank down in the seat a little further.
He glanced at me, his light brown eyes shining gold in the sunlight. “But it’s fun to think about, isn’t it?”
Oh, I was thinking about it.
Noah dropped me off at my crappy apartment complex, and surprisingly, I didn’t feel self-conscious for once. He had that air of acceptance about him, like I could tell him anything and everything and he’d be chill with it.
That’s just what he was: a chill dude.
I wanted to hang out with him again; have him pour some of his chill into me. Because heaven knew I needed it.
As I trudged up the stairs, my thoughts began to accelerate. I mentally braced myself for having to deal with Effie. I texted her last night to let her know I was going home with Sam, and this morning to let her know I was safe.
She’d responded with a barrage of innuendos and emojis both times.
