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It was a terrible idea. But the people pleaser in me wanted to make her smile.
“Yay.” She clapped quietly. “You won’t regret it, I promise. Besides, you’ll get to see big bro and his friends play.”
I gave her a half-hearted smile. “So long as you don’t embarrass us.”
“Hey, I’m not that bad.”
“I bet Ella is going. We could all get tickets.”
“Sure.”
“Where is Professor Mac—and out of thin air, she appears.”
“Sorry I’m late,” she announced, dropping her bag on the lectern. “Today, we’re going to look at gender roles and the emergence of strong female characters as a catalyst for challenging gender stereotypes and ideologies at the time. Before we—”
My cell vibrated, and I slid it out of my pocket, smiling at Noah’s name. Glancing up to find Harper focused on Professor MacMillan, I opened the message.
Noah: Being hot or being cold?
Aurora: I’m sorry, what?
Noah: Do you prefer being hot or being cold?
Aurora: Is that even a thing? I like being… comfortably warm.
My lips twisted with amusement.
Noah: You’re supposed to pick one.
Aurora: Fine. Cold. I like being able to layer up and snuggle under a blanket.
Noah: You know, I’ve heard that I make an excellent blanket.
Aurora: I’m sure your adoring fans all love you for your snuggling capabilities.
Noah: I’m not going to take the bait, shortcake. I might have history around campus but I’m a changed man.
Another text came through while I debated on how to reply. Only this one was an image. An image of a really badly hand drawn pin reading ‘CSA.’
Aurora: I’m scared to even ask…
Noah: Casual Sex Anonymous. I’ve been sex-sober now for almost a month.
I smothered a laugh of disbelief. Harper glanced over, raising a brow, and I mouthed, ‘house group chat.’
Aurora: A changed man indeed. You’re really pulling out the big guns.
Noah: Desperate times and all that.
Aurora: I have to go, I’m in class.
Noah: Meet me at lunch.
Aurora: I can’t, I’m having lunch with Harper.
We hadn’t planned anything yet, but he didn’t need to know that. I still hadn’t figured out how I felt about everything—specifically, giving Noah another chance.
Something told me he was going to make it impossible for me to say no to him. But I didn’t want to rush into anything. Besides, watching him work for it was an endless source of entertainment.
