Page 73 of Before We Break

“I hope not.” He smiles. “It’d be embarrassing as fuck if you didn’t.”

My feeble heart skips a beat, and that’s when I realize I’ve just made a near-fatal mistake.

It’s my fault—he warned me this would happen and I didn’t listen. No grand romantic gestures, no titles, no riding off into the sunset.

Not only did I not fuck him out of my system, but I might’ve actually fucked him deeper. The jokes write themselves.

But it’s not too late—I’m not so far gone that I can’t still save myself.

Noah’s smile slowly fades, and his throat bobs on a swallow.

Like a rollercoaster creeping into the station at the end of the ride, I carefully climb off his lap and put some distance between us.

“Noah, I don’t think…”

He grabs a throw pillow and places it over his lap. “Yeah. I know.”

“Ok. Good. I should go.”

He nods.

“Good night then.”

“Night.”

At least it’s a short walk of shame.

NINETEEN

PENNIES FOR YOUR THOUGHTS

♫ Late Night Talking - Harry Styles

NOAH

My fist closes around the door handle, and I stride into the bank. As I stand in the back of the line, I glance between the teller and the exit. Last chance to turn around and put an end to this absurd plan.

Clio’s spending the day in Oak Ridge at the Whispering Oaks Ranch Fall Festival, and she took Auggie with her so he could hang out with his best friend, Emmy Lou. They left early this morning, and in the time since, I’ve apparently lost my mind.

The line moves forward before I can find it again.

“Hey, Noah, what can I do for you?” Landry asks from behind his computer screen.

I don’t do grand gestures or romance. I don’t typically care if people are generally happy. So, why the fuck am I standing here?

We said no strings, but this feels an awful lot like casting a line.

“Can I get like ten rolls of pennies?”

He stares at me incredulously. “What the hell do you need five hundred pennies for?”

“That’s my business.” I slap a five-dollar bill on the counter. “Can you do it or not?”

He laughs. “I mean yeah, obviously you’re in the right place.”

“Do you need a purse for those?” A mocking voice behind me says as Landry sets the rolls of coins on the counter. “Perhaps a bag with a giant dollar sign on the outside?”

“Fuck off, Ben.”