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She was at the grocery store on Thursday after work, and without realizing she grabbed a bag of coffee grounds for Noah because she noticed he was running low.

She had not added it to a list or reminded herself to check his cabinet. She had simply noticed.

“Huh,” she muttered. “When did Noah Carter start influencing my shopping list?”

She had barely set the bag outside his door when it opened. Noah immediately said, “You didn’t have to.”

“I noticed you were running low on coffee. You need coffee,” she joked, before getting serious. “Seriously, I wanted to.”

I wanted to? She really was starting to sound like Noah.

Example Two: Coffee

The next morning, she knocked on Noah’s door. With coffee.

He opened the door. “Good morning, princess.” She could tell he was barely awake.

His sleepy voice was entirely too attractive. It made her stomach flip. And princess? She did not like how much it affected her. Not at all.

But he kept saying it, so she had better get used to it.

“No pet names,” she reminded him quickly. “I got you coffee.” She handed him a cup. He wasn’t the only one who could deliver coffee.

As much as she tried to resist it at first, Noah taking care of her had become normal. Now she found herself looking for ways to take care of him too. Hence, beating him to it and showing up with coffee.

“Sorry.” He did not sound sorry. “Thanks for the coffee, princess.”

She rolled her eyes. “Noah Carter, I am going to kill you.” She attempted to sound angry, but she was laughing the entire time.

Noah stood in the doorway smiling at her, hair still messy from sleep, coffee warm between his hands.

Claire had spent months being surprised by how closely he noticed her. She had started noticing him just as closely.

CHAPTER 17

Brad’s Engagement Party

Claire and Noah sat in his car outside Brad’s house, where they were expected to spend the evening acting like a couple. Pretending had become a little bit too easy. It was normal for them now.

Claire wore a yellow sundress, and Noah was in khaki slacks and a white button-up. He looked devastatingly attractive. Nobody should be allowed to look so good.

The sleeves were rolled to his forearms, which felt unnecessarily hostile considering she was already struggling to remember that he was not actually her boyfriend.

“You ready?” Noah asked her, pulling her out of her thoughts. Heat rushed to her cheeks, as though he had somehow heard what she was thinking.

“Yeah.” She got out of the car. Noah walked around the front of the car to meet her and grabbed her hand. Like holding her hand was a reflex. Something he did without thinking. She feared it was.

They walked into the party together, Noah right at her side and their hands joined.

String lights stretched across Brad’s backyard, glowing against the deepening evening sky. Music played from a speaker near the patio, and a patch of grass was set up as a dance floor.

Brad noticed them. “Hey Claire! Everyone, this is my coworker, Claire, and her boyfriend, Noah.”

Boyfriend.

Her stomach did somersaults. She was starting to like Noah being known as her boyfriend. She frowned, remembering it was all fake and would have to end eventually.

Maybe she wasn’t ready for it to end.