Life was beautiful.
The excitement coursing through my veins was impossible to contain, and I found myself pulling my blanket over my head and screaming in elation into the makeshift tent. I screamed and squealed and kicked my legs against the bed—
Until the door burst open. I whipped the blanket off my head—clinging the sheet to my chest as Noah’s frantic eyes scanned the room.
“Are you okay?” he asked, gripping the doorknob. “I heard screaming.”
My cheeks heated, and I readjusted the sheet to cover the blush spreading down my chest.
“I’m good,” I answered hoarsely before clearing my throat. “It must’ve been the girl next door. She sounds okay now, though.”
Noah’s brow rose, but he accepted my bold-faced lie easily enough and left without another word.
Any embarrassment eased away as I fell back against the pillows and closed my eyes. Mindful of listening ears, I kicked my feet a little less zealously while muffling my squeals with my palm.
I slept with Noah.
A goofy grin fused itself to my face as I mentally replayed the events of the night before, shamelessly embracing the way the memories lit my skin on fire. It wasn’t until I opened my eyes that I noticed a certain stuffed elephant staring disapprovingly from his upside-down position atop my bookshelf. I’d been a little careless when removing him from bed the night before.
“Mr. Elephant, don’t give me that look,” I whispered with a scowl. But still, I tugged the blanket up to cover more of my nakedness as his glare didn’t let up. “I have needs, okay? Perfectly acceptable needs.”
His stern expression didn’t change—never mind that itneveractually changed—and I frowned.
“Oh, please. You weren’t being all holier-than-thou when Noah and I were sucking face the other day. Don’t act innocent on me now.”
I looked away—effectively ending any rebuttal Mr. Elephant could’ve had.
My phone showed Noah’s thirty minutes had almost passed already—which meant I’d been daydreaming for quite a bit. There was a text from Teresa saying she’d stay away from our dorm until I gave her the all-clear, as well as a few motivational gifs about getting it on.
My personal favorite was the one involving camels.
Below her texts was aPiano Newsnotification.Oliver Bishop Takes the Stage in LA Next Month – Already Sold Out. I stared at the screen, feeling a little strange seeing a thumbnail of Oliver smiling on a red carpet. After seeing him in jeans and a leather jacket, the tux he wore looked different. Still amazing, but a little out of place.
I chewed on my lip and glanced at my nightstand drawer, where his invitation was tucked away. An invitation with two tickets and a phone number.
An invitation that raised feelings I couldn’t even begin to unpack.
Swallowing, I cleared the notification with a jittery finger and scrolled through the others. But there was nothing from Noah, and he’d definitely promised to be back in thirty minutes. I frowned when that actually made my heart drop. God, how pathetic was I? Spend one night with a guy, and suddenly I was the paranoid girlfriend who questioned his promises.
My phone rumbled with a text, and I eagerly swiped without a second thought.
Noah: Taking a little longer than expected. I’ll be back as soon as I can. Don’t move. <3
I sank back into the mattress with a sigh before pulling the covers back over my head and trying to ignore how much my cheeks hurt from smiling.
* * *
Noah walked through the door exactly fifteen minutes later, carrying a to-go bag and a drink carrier. I sat up with the sheet held against my chest.
“You went to get coffee.” I couldn’t hide my surprise, and Noah grinned like he was beyond proud of himself. “You trickster! Why didn’t you just tell me?”
“It was a surprise.” Noah set down the paper bag and handed me one of the to-go cups from the carrier.
I really,reallyliked surprises.
The coffee’s rich aroma invaded my nose, and I took the deepest breath possible while he rifled through the bag. It was pure heaven. Then another scent filtered through the divine fragrance of freshly brewed coffee, and I did a double take. “I smell waffles!”
Noah pulled out a bottle of maple syrup with a chuckle and set it on the nightstand.“Good nose.”
