Hold up.
Wait a second.
I blinked back up at him as I played his sentence over again in my mind.
“There’s still plenty of trout,” I blurted, entirely too eager. But it was worth it when Noah laughed and his eyes glinted with amusement.
A drop of water landed with a quietplopon the tip of my nose and broke the moment of me creepily staring at his smile. I went cross-eyed looking at it, then tilted my head back and gazed up at the darkening clouds. The skies opened, and droplets of moisture landed with an increasing tempo against my face.
It happened faster than I could blink.
The skies turned to a darker grey, and rain fell in a torrential downpour. Goose bumps popped up along my arms.
Noah cursed as I yelped, and we scrambled off the bleachers like our butts were on fire.
“Son of a monkey.” I fumbled with my water bottle before crossing both arms over my chest. Bad day to wear white.
“It’s coming down in sheets,” Noah said over the downpour. His fingers met my wet elbow, and I blinked through the onslaught of raindrops to see him squinting. “Let’s head for cover.”
“It’s not that bad. Maybe we can weather it—”
“Come on.” Noah tightened his grip on my elbow and pulled me along.
“Emma!” a voice called behind us, and I spun around to see Teresa standing behind the fence and looking like a drowned cat as she clung to it. She beckoned me over, and I jerked my head for Noah to follow before hopping around the puddles already forming in the grass. The rest of the crowd ran the opposite way for cover, and we wove through them. Teresa held a hand above her eyes as she waved us closer. “Hey, they’re delaying the game. You guys better go ahead and get out of here.”
“Are you coming with us?” I held a hand up to try and block the rain from hitting my eyes as I glanced around. Cold water trickled down my face and neck, sending shivers through my body. “We’ll probably just head back to the dorm.”
Teresa smiled slyly, and her gaze darted pointedly toward Noah before she winked at me. “The dorm, huh? Nah, you two go ahead. We’ll probably head over to Stacie’s house.”
I offered her my best glare through the pouring rain, but it wasn’t very effective when I couldn’t keep my eyes open long enough to prove a point.
“Okay, we’ll see you later.” I waved, and my shoes slushed in the drenched grass as I turned away. Water soaked my socks, and I cringed with each soggy step.
“Nice to meet you, Noah!” Teresa called after us. “Be safe!”
I groaned as I picked up my pace and lost any care for where I placed my Keds in the minefield of puddles forming.
“That’s Teresa,” I said, not sure if Noah heard me over the rain. “My roommate.”
“She seems charming,” he said dryly, and I pursed my lips against a smile. “She’ll be all right out here?”
“Stacie lives close by,” I said as we made it to the sidewalk, where we picked up our pace. Mud clung to my Keds, and I futilely tried to wipe it off against the concrete as we rushed along. “Let’s cut across the parking lot to my dorm building.”
Noah followed my instructions, leading the way as he overtook my pace. My heart flipped over itself as Teresa’s words played over in my head.
Was it wise to take Noah to my dorm?
I rubbed a hand over my chest and followed him.
CHAPTER23
An Album
Once we reached my building,I took the stairs two at a time—feeling a burn in my thighs from the short workout when I reached the top—and swiped my student ID to get inside. My shoes sloshed and squelched with each step.
We clambered into the lobby, where we found others who’d taken cover from the rain. I didn’t waste any time in wringing out my dripping hair and taking off my soaked shoes. Noah followed suit with his loafers, and I tried not to stare at the water droplets tracing down his jaw and how striking his bone structure was.
I might’ve failed.
