Noah
My phone chimed with a new message shortly after lunchtime on Thursday.
Mr Pickles raised his head at the sound.
“Oops, sorry. I usually keep my phone silent,” I explained as I picked it off the table.
Oh my goodness, you just apologised to a stray cat.
I snorted as I unlocked the screen.
Lewis: Hey, Bright. How was the rest of your week? Are you still up for a trip to the museum tomorrow?
“Yes, of course,” I typed back with shaking fingers.
Okay, he still wants to be alone with you for hours.
Maybe I didn’t fuck everything up that I touched.
Lewis: I’ll pick you up at 8?
Noah: Looking forward to it x
I’d barely hit send when my brain went into overdrive.
You sent a kiss, Noah. Wtf is wrong with you?
It was Lew’s next message that stopped my spiralling thoughts.
Lewis: Me, too x
Chapter 10
Lewis
“Morning, Lew,” Noah greeted me with a big grin on his face, his whole body vibrating with excitement as I picked him up for our first fake date.
I’d tried to dress up as much as I could without looking like a fool, and, judging by the way he looked at me, I’d succeeded.
“You look amazing,” he said in a hoarse voice before clearing his throat.
“Thanks, you too. I tried to look nice for the camera.” I shrugged, feeling my ears heat.
“You could have worn those ripped jeans and that T-shirt you wore to the airport and would have looked hot, Sinclair.” Noah quivered his lips at me, then—oh, fuck me—ran his pink tongue over his bottom lip.
I vividly remembered the outfit I had worn when Ollie and I had picked him up from the airport the previous week. He’d called me perfect that day—twice.
As far as I knew Ollie hadn’t checked on Noah at all since he had arrived.
Damn you, Ollie!
I wanted Noah to be so happy about being back in Scotland that he didn’t want to leave. What would happen if Noah thought nobody but me gave a fuck? Having Ollie on my team would help, I was sure, but if he didn’t show up for his brother, I would.
I’ll convince him to stay.
“Uh, I got you something.” Noah’s face went through a range of emotions in the space of only a couple of heartbeats: surprise, then shock, then... “Noah? Oh no, don’t cry, please. It’s just, ah. I had a bit of time the other day and Nøkken isn’t too far away and ….” My voice trailed off as I pulled a bawling Noah into a hug.
“Do you want to see what I got for you or do you want me to take it back?” I asked him when he’d calmed down again. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to—”
