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Noah laughed and tried to squeeze over so I had enough room. I crossed and uncrossed my legs, also trying to give her enough space. We learned rather quickly that no matter what position we were in, some part of our bodies was going to touch.
"Sorry," Noah murmured when her thigh pressed against mine. She moved, exchanging the thigh for her elbow in my ribcage.
"Careful," I grunted at the sudden pressure.
"Oh, crap." She pulled back the instant she realized what had happened. "My bad."
"Was that payback for my Toasty comment?" I smiled as I rubbed my side.
"No, it was for not winning me the bear," she corrected.
"Oh, well, in that case, warranted."
Her eyes sparkled in amusement. "Is this okay?"
Noah's thigh overlapped with mine, and the warmth and weight of her made my chest tighten. I didn't know what to do with my hands, so instead of resting them in my lap—where she occupied half the space—I held them awkwardly in the air.
I was a hot, sweaty mess, and it seemed to be getting worse every second. I couldn't say the same for Noah, though. She looked poised beside me, her voice casual and her gaze playful. Her faux freckles were faded from the day, allowing the red blush on her cheeks to take the complete spotlight. The brown of her eyes was richer up close. In the daylight, Noah had a doe-eyed stare. At night, it was haunting. She could be a siren; I painted her on the water in my mind, her hair splayed across the surface, eyes daring the viewer to jump in. Would she save them? Save me? Did I want her to? Mutual destruction didn't sound too horrible if, for a moment, I was able to touch her.
Wait, what the hell was I going on about?
Noah stared at me, looking like she could hear my thoughts.
"Yes?" Her gaze flicked to our legs. "Or no?"
"Oh, yeah," I said quickly as I did something that made my heart race: I placed an assuring hand on her thigh. As soon as I did it, I wanted to pull away—not because I didn’t want to touch her, but because every part of me was turned inside out once I did. A gate opened, and I couldn't close it again. I couldn't go back to before, not without knowing if her nerves were as unstable as mine.
"How does this work exactly?" Noah's casual tone made me release an unsteady breath. How was I the one panicking over this and she was the unbothered one? Did she not…feel this change? If she didn't, then where did that leave me?
I'm not this. I'm not this person.
Fuck, I was now. I was an anxious person, worried if my crush felt a minuscule amount of how I felt.
I cleared my throat. "We pay, press the button, wait for the countdowns, and pose."
"Hm." She looked at the screen. "Easy enough."
"Yeah." My voice was breathy as she leaned over to swipe her card. Her top stretched forward, revealing a bit of her lower back. I looked toward the curtain, wishing with every ounce of my being that the crowd outside was more interesting than the woman half-sitting on me. They weren't, and I prayed for a quick death. Darkness would be more hopeful than sitting next to Noah and wondering if she'd ever consider me. After everything I’ve said to her and about her, would she ever? I inwardly groaned when my brain gave me a swift ‘nope.’
"Okay!" Noah straightened quickly, the back of her head nearly banging into my nose.
"You have zero spatial awareness, Pastel," I snapped, because it was easy and comfortable to gripe.
"We're in a one-by-one box," she threw back. "Relax."
I grunted when she tossed me a taunting smile. "Pick a pose."
"Happy," she said without giving it much thought.
"Of course."
Noah frowned at me for only a second before clicking the button for the countdown. "Look however you want. I want to be cute."
I watched her toss her hair over her shoulder. Noah's smile looked easy and genuine, cheeks so round, they remind me of the cotton candy she'd scarfed down earlier.
"What are you doing?" she asked through smiling teeth.
My skin burned when I remembered she could see me on the screen. "Nothing."
