AllFreeNovel
Share Us
27
My thumbs moved over my phone screen as I tapped out a reply to my mum, who’d sent one of her biweekly messages asking for updates on my student life.
Me:Good. Too much coursework though. The lecturers are sadists
Mum:Make sure you take time out to enjoy yourself. There’ll be plenty of time to live a boring existence of all work and no play when you’ve got your degree
Me:Can’t wait *eye-roll emoji* You make it sound so appealing
Mum:It won’t be all bad. You’ll find a nice girl you can come home to every night, and soon enough, you’ll be happily married with a family to take care of and to take care of you. Mark my words
I groaned under my breath, guilt—and a tiny bit of annoyance—churning in my stomach. She meant well, and I knew that everything she’d mentioned was all that she and my dad had wanted for me, but right now, with everything that had been happening with Noah, my head was too fucked to even begin to think about anything that might happen in the future.
Me:I have to go now. Love you
Mum:Okay. Love you! Come home for a meal soon. I bet you haven’t had anything home cooked since the last time you were here.
Me:That’s actually true *laughing emoji* Speak later x
Mum:xx
When I’d shoved my phone back in my pocket, I climbed to my feet and crossed the kitchen to the open back door. Most of my housemates were congregating outside for some reason, despite the cold. Someone had lit a fire in the rusty old firepit that sat in a neglected corner of our yard for 90 percent of the year, and the flames illuminated the faces of my friends.
I felt a sting of disappointment in my chest when I noticed that Noah wasn’t there.
“Hey, Liam, grab us some more beers while you’re up,” Travis called out, raising his hand. Kira was curled up in his lap, both of them covered by a blanket, leaning against the wall. I nodded to acknowledge his request, then turned to head over to the fridge.
I stopped dead. A smile spread across my face, and I couldn’t have stopped it even if I’d tried.
“Hi.”
Noah’s lips curved up, his eyes bright and full of warmth as he looked at me, and I wanted to kiss him so fucking much. I took an automatic step towards him, needing to close the distance between us, but he took a step back, and then I remembered.
My smile fell, and so did his. Fuck, why was staying away from him so hard?
“Uh.” I cleared my throat. “I just came inside to get some beers.”
“Want me to help you carry them?” he offered, his voice soft. I nodded, because it meant I got an extra minute of time with him, here in the quiet kitchen, even though our housemates were only a few feet away.
Breaking his gaze, I moved towards the fridge. He came to stand beside me, and I was so aware of him that my entire body was reacting—racing heart and fucking goosebumps included. When I handed him a bottle, our fingers brushed, and both of us jumped at the tiny contact. Noah immediately stepped away, exhaling a shaky breath. For my own sanity and his, I grabbed an armful of beers, and then moved out of his reach so he could get the rest.
Forcing myself to head outside when I wanted to stay took all of my willpower, and the only reason I managed it was because it was clear that he was trying to hold himself back. If he’d given me any indication he wanted something from me, I wouldn’t have hesitated. It felt like forever since I’d had my mouth on his addictive lips and my hands on his hot-as-fuck body.
Fuck. I was going to have a dickuation if I didn’t think about something else right now. I recited football statistics in my head as I handed out the drinks, until I was calmer. Someone had brought the beanbags outside, and I sank into a free one close to the fire, placing my beer on the ground next to me.
The second I was settled, Noah appeared in the doorway. He glanced around the tiny yard, and I noticed the moment where he realised that the only remaining beanbag was next to mine, because I watched his mouth twist. But he squared his shoulders and headed in my direction.
“Noah!” Travis raised his bottle. “Cheers.”
A smile appeared on Noah’s face, and he lifted his own bottle. “Cheers.”
I attempted to distract myself from Noah by turning to Damon. “Pass me one of those blankets, would you?”
“Here you go.” Damon handed me one of the blankets, and I draped it over my outstretched legs. Not that I really needed it—I was warm enough this close to the fire.
“Now we’re all assembled, are you gonna tell us the story?” Damon addressed Travis, and everyone’s attention turned to him. I raised my brows—I had no clue what story Damon was referring to, but going by the smirk on Travis’ face, it was probably going to involve either me or Ander.
“Yeah, okay. So this was our first year at uni. We were clueless freshers, no idea what we were doing. It was our fourth night here, I think, and we’d all been downing shots. Everyone was pretty drunk, and Davis, one of the guys that used to live here, decided it would be a good idea to create a slip ’n slide down the front path of the house.”
