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“I should get back to our place. Always good to visit,” I said as I stood from the table.
I crossed over to the sink to rinse my mug and set it in the dishwasher. That was the kind of neighbors we were with Melanie. She would do the same in our place. She followed me to the door. “I’ll miss having you as a neighbor.”
“What?” I had just started to turn the doorknob, and my hand froze as I looked back toward her.
She winked. “I hope you’ll actually move in with Noah at some point. And Lord knows, you deserve some more space.”
My chest pinched with worry. “What will—?” I began.
Melanie shook her head. “Don’t you dare use some sort of flimsy excuse that you need to stay my neighbor to prevent you from moving forward with Noah. Yes, you and Quinn have been my neighbors for over a decade, and I consider you family. You’re not going to lose me. I’ll finally be able to raise the rent. There, that’ll give you a reason to go.”
“Melanie, you can raise the rent. I can afford it.”
“I’m teasing, plus it’s my call.” She pulled me into a quick hug and then pretty much shoved me out the door.
As I crossed the hall, my eyes were drawn down to the front entrance when I heard the door opening. The second I saw Noah coming in, my heart let out a cheer. Seeing him made my entire body smile if that was possible.
I waited, my hand resting on the smooth railing on top of the stairs. As soon as he saw me, he pocketed his keys and came up the stairs two at a time. He stopped in front of me, and I was breathless merely at his presence.
I smiled up at him. “Hey. I didn’t know you were coming tonight.”
“I texted over an hour ago, but you didn’t reply, so I got worried.”
A little thrill ran through me. It was silly, but it was nice to have somebody worry about me. “I left my phone in my apartment. I was having tea with Melanie,” I explained.
He stepped closer, sliding an arm around my waist as he pressed a kiss to my temple and then my mouth. The moment his lips brushed over mine, our kiss went from a brief greeting to deep and searching. Only Noah could do that to me. Undiluted pleasure raced through me, and I moaned in his mouth.
The sound of the door opening behind us nudged my awareness. Noah lifted his head, and I was breathless.
“Hi, Noah,” Melanie said in a deceptively level voice. “Just checking my mail,” she added as she walked down the stairs in her robe.
“Hey there, Melanie,” Noah called. “Always good to see you.”
“Likewise!” she returned.
I bit my lip to keep from giggling as he stepped away, his hand sliding down my back and coaxing me forward. A moment later, we were in my apartment, and I finally let my laughter loose as I leaned against the door.
“What’s so funny?” Quinn asked when she glanced over at us from the kitchen.
My cheeks got even hotter. Noah’s smile was bland as he glanced over and shrugged out of his jacket. “Is that popcorn I smell?” he asked, deftly ignoring her question.
Quinn nodded. “Want some?”
“Maybe. Is it the kettle kind?”
He finished taking off his shoes and walked into the kitchen as I trailed behind him a little more slowly, thinking that we had more than enough chaperones around between my daughter and our elderly neighbor.
“Of course,” Quinn replied. They had already established that they shared the same preference for popcorn.
“Should we make a second one?” Noah asked solemnly as he rested his shoulder on the inside of the archway between the living room and kitchen.
Quinn shook her head. “Don’t think so. I don’t want the whole bag. Are you going to want some, Mom?” Her eyes bounced to mine.
I felt stuck where I was, absorbing their easy interaction and realizing that maybe this moment felt mundane but also huge. Nothing was remarkable about it. Just my teenage daughter sharing popcorn with my boyfriend, the very first boyfriend I’d ever officially had since high school. It felt like a family, and there was a peculiar ache in my heart, a desire so fierce I was almost afraid to let myself actually want it.
“Mom?” Quinn prompted.
Giving my head a little shake, I replied, “No. Do you want to watch something together?”
