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Noah drew back just enough to look at her.

Claire barely took a breath before she curled her fingers into the front of his shirt and kissed him again.

That seemed to surprise him.

For approximately half a second.

Then his other hand settled at her waist, and the kiss deepened—not desperate, just more certain.

Claire couldn’t remember why they had waited so long.

Apparently, they had both waited long enough.

It wasn’t rushed. It wasn’t uncertain. It was gentle and familiar, like every quiet moment between them had been leading here.

When they finally pulled apart, they stayed close. His forehead rested against hers, and she could still feel his breath against her lips.

Neither of them spoke. They didn’t need to.

“I’ve wanted to do that for a stupidly long time,” Noah admitted.

“Worth the wait?” she teased.

He grinned. “I waited far too long, didn’t I?”

“I’d say so. But it was worth the wait.”

“Yeah, it really was.”

“What now?” Claire asked him.

He let out a laugh. “Really? That’s what you want to know?”

“I need structure,” she mumbled.

He smiled into her hair. “Of course you do.”

“Answer me.”

“We figure it out. We keep doing what we’ve been doing, except now the dates are real, you’re actually my girlfriend, and I get to kiss you. Just like tonight.”

“I like that,” she replied.

“Me too.” He kissed her again, slower, and Claire promptly forgot every follow-up question she had planned to ask.

CHAPTER 23

I Really Like You

The next few days felt different.

Noah still showed up with coffee. He knew what she wanted. Some things never changed. Claire still overthought, but now she said the thoughts out loud. They didn’t pretend anymore. Which made everything louder. More real. More important.

Noah had been right. Nothing really changed.

They behaved exactly the same.

It simply carried more weight now that it was real.