“I’m happy with the arrangement. Is it my turn, yet?”
“Yes—of course, sorry. It’s definitely your turn now.”
He hummed and tilted his head as he peered at me. “What do you want to do after college?”
I paused to consider it. That far into the future wasn’t something I usually allowed myself to think about. “I’m not really sure. I was thinking about Music Therapy, but I don’t want to limit myself to just one thing right now.”
The way Noah’s brows rose shouldn’t have warmed my chest as much as it did. He looked impressed.
“Admirable,” he said. “That field isn’t nearly as supported as it should be.”
“I think so, too,” I said as I fished around for a delicious dumpling. It kept slipping through my chopsticks, but I refused to give up. “What you said about it not being supported, I mean. The two main paths I’m looking into are mental health issues and abuse, and I’m hoping to get an internship next summer with a behavioral health institute nearby.”
Music was more powerful than a lot of people thought, and I knew it was responsible for getting me through most of my childhood. Plus, the internship would give me an excuse not to go back to Kansas over the summer.
Noah’s eyes were all too knowing as he gazed back at me, and my heart leapt into my throat. Even though Iknewhe knew nothing, it was almost like he knew everything.
“What’s with the blazers and dress shirts?” I asked before he could comment, using the first out I could think of.
Noah didn’t immediately answer, and it took effort to hold his gaze as soft music played in the background. Then he blinked, and I could breathe again.
“They’re what I like to wear.”
“No specific reason why?”
“They’re formal.” Noah ran a hand down the front of his sweater. I smiled when I realized that was where the lapel of his blazer would’ve been. “I like formalities and routines.”
“No kidding,” I muttered through a smile.“Okay, your turn.”
He took his time thinking, and he watched me with a curious look as I ate. “So far, I’ve learned that you’re clumsy, you can down enough coffees to put anyone else in a coma, and you have an affinity for playing piano. What other talents do you have?”
I snorted a laugh, and the butterflies tittered along with me at him referring to my clumsiness as atalentof all things.
Would it be too forward to tell him I was a really good kisser?
It was tempting.
I tapped my chin as I thought, since I honestly had no clue what would qualify as a talent. Putting on socks with my eyes closed?
Somehow, I didn’t think that was what Noah was looking for.
“I can roll my tongue?” I stuck out said tongue and rolled it into a cylinder shape as my eyes crossed to watch it. Attractive, I know.
“That’s inherited genetically. Nothing to do with skill, I’m afraid,” Noah said, dismissing it easily.
I scoffed and sat up straighter. “Okay. Let’s see, I can play a mean game of Hungry Hungry Hippos. I was the hula hoop champion in sixth grade, and I’ve still got it. I can’t cook worth a dime, but I can heat up the best pepperoni pizza rolls you’ve ever tasted in your life. I can solve a Rubik’s cube. It’ll take me like a week, and I’ll probably end up looking up videos on the internet for instructions, but I can do it.”
Noah’s brows rose, and I’d say he looked pretty close to impressed. “Sounds like you have some tricks up your sleeve.”
“And what are your tricks, Noah? Besides piano.”
“I have a few things. I’m proficient in academics,” Noah said evenly. “I still play soccer with a local league occasionally, and we won the under-thirty championship last year. I can cook a few tiers higher than pizza roll level, but I’m no gourmet chef. And I have a tendency to solve unsolvable problems.”
It was my turn to raise my brows. “Like math problems?”
Noah chuckled, and the sound bordered on patronizing. “People problems. More like personal problems. Qualms. Or even company issues. I have a level head when it comes to times of crisis, especially when it involves the people I care about.”
That was cryptic, to say the least. Definitely intriguing.
