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“Mhm,” Parker says, sounding unconvinced. “Only you could hook up with the biggest asshole we’ve ever met and turn him into a house husband.”
“Maybe her vagina is magical,” Vaughn muses.
NowI’mmaking a face. “No talking about my vagina either.”
I give myself another once-over, pressing my hands to my stomach to try and calm the nerves still fluttering around inside. I’ve been on a lot of dates this year alone, but I can’t remember the last time I’ve been so... anxious about one. I can’t even pin down all my feelings on the matter; I think I’m equal parts excited and nervous as hell. Which really is silly, considering all Noah and I have done, but something about tonight feels more real than anything else that’s happened between us.
I don’t think I ever even stood a chance of touching you and then just walking away.
I have to bite my lip just to keep from smiling at the memory.
Parker’s voice brings me back to the present. “What time is he picking you up?”
“He’s supposed to be here at six.”
“You’re cutting it kind of close, aren’t you?”
“Relax,” I tell him. “No one is ever on time anym—”
The sound of my doorbell makes me jolt. There’s no good reason for me to panic, but I look back at Parker with wide eyes, my gaze flicking from him to Vaughn as I duck to scoop up my shoes. “You guys need to hide.”
“What? Why?”
“I don’t want him to know I neededhelpto get ready for a date!” I slip one shoe on, hopping a little. “I’m trying for ‘put together’ here.”
“Clearly, you’re doing a great job,” Parker chuckles.
Vaughn tugs him up from my bed. “Come on, babe. We can hide.”
Parker looks around my small studio apartment.
“Where do you propose we do that?”
Vaughn gestures to the open door on the other side of my bed. “The bathroom?”
“If you think we’re just going to shove ourselves into her bathroom—”
Vaughn tugs his arm again. “Be good, and I’ll make it up to you later.”
I watch my best friend’s face flush pink, from his cheeks to his ears all the way up to his hairline. “Fine,” he mumbles. “We’ll let ourselves out.”
“No sex in my bed,” I chide with a laugh.
“Ugh,” Parker groans. “We’re not going to—”
The doorbell rings again, and I shoo them away as Vaughn pulls Parker into my bathroom. I pat my hair as I take one last look in the mirror hanging off the back of my closet, smoothing my hands down my dress after and telling myself that I have nothing to be nervous about. This is just a normal date, and Noah has already seenallof me.
Doesn’t mean my hand isn’t shaking a little when I reach for my doorknob seconds later.
I don’t know what’s more overwhelming, the sight of Noah or the scent of him. His suppressants have been a thing of the past for a while now, and the full blast of his fresh, clean aroma is dizzying in the best way. It rouses memories of his hands on me and his body covering me, and I have to swallow around a growing lump in my throat as I take in his dark jeans and his soft, black sweater that looks suspiciously like cashmere.
“Well.” I flash him a smile as I look between us, noticing how similarly dressed we are. “Clearly, one of us is going to have to change.”
Noah’s eyes traveling down the length of my body feels like an actual weight, feeling every slow inch as if he’s sliding his finger along my skin. “I hope it’s not going to be you,” he says quietly.
A little shiver passes through me, and I hear a soft sound from behind me that sounds a lot like a snort. I grab my coat quickly, stepping out into the hall and closing the door behind me to join Noah. “You look too good in that sweater for it to be you, so I guess we’re going to bethatcouple.”
My heart rate kicks up when I realize what I’ve said; it’s definitely too soon to be calling us an actualcoupleor anything, and just saying the words makes that lump in my throat swell a little larger.Noah seems completely unfazed, though, reaching to thread his fingers through mine before he brings my hand to his mouth to press a kiss against my knuckles.
