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“What’s not long?”
Noah laughed. “Why do you always do that?”
“What? Ask questions?”
“No, that thing with your voice and eyes.”
I poked out my bottom lip as I shrugged. “No idea what you mean.”
“You’re doing it again.” She pointed at my face. “Right now.”
“What? Doing what?”
“Making me wonder if something’s changed and you…” She stopped herself.
“And I?” I thought I knew where she was going. Noah was catching up far quicker than I’d been to my own emotions.
She swallowed. “Nothing. I….I do think we’re stronger together.”
I didn’t press her any further, because I was pretty sure my cheeks were as warm as hers. I couldn’t press her for more emotion when I didn’t even know how to process my own.
“Which is why I’m willing to share my plan about beating kraken with you.” Noah nodded, as if she was convincing herself along the way. “I’ll share it with you if you share your ideas with me. Because I, regrettably, learn from you, and hearing your process is helpful."
“Is that so?” Even when embarrassed about a surprise crush, I could take a moment to enjoy an ego stroking.
“Shut up.” She tried to hide her smile. “My point is, we could critique each other’s chapters before posting. The notes could give us the perspective we need for a boost in the charts. We need an edge over kraken. Once we get it, we can stop helping each other.”
“That could work. It could help us be one and two,” I stated, pointing at myself first.
“One.” She pointed to herself first. “And two. Once we knock him out, it’ll be a race to the finish.”
“I’m in.” I sounded a little too eager, a little too excited. To compensate, I pushed away from her and back to my desk. “We can start tonight once our shift’s over.”
“Tonight?” The hesitation in her voice made me pause and look back at her over my shoulder.
“Yeah, unless you have plans,” I said with a wrinkled brow. She never had plans. Ever since she was hired, Noah was right there in her seat, working beside me.
“I do.” She nodded. “I thought we all did.”
“Excuse me?”
“The team bonding thing? The carnival?”
Memories of Tyson’s hopes and dreams about one happy team floated to the forefront of my mind.
“You’re not going?” Noah looked…disappointed? No, that couldn’t be right.
“Outings aren’t my thing.”
“You used to go out all the time when people in class planned stuff,” she noted, nervously tucking a twist behind her ear when she realized she’d revealed remembering a detail from years ago.
I smiled, trying not to look too excited so she didn’t get upset with me. “Times have changed. Are you going?”
“Yeah, that was the plan.” She shrugged. “I want to get to know everyone better, and I’ve never been to a carnival.”
“You’ve never been to a carnival?” My eyebrows shot up.
“Nope. Had busy parents growing up, and my private school didn’t do field trips that weren’t of educational value.”
