The rest of the week is pretty dull until it’s Friday and I’m on my way back to the room to chill. Jayde invited me over and Jax told me he’s going to a rager in case I wanted to go with, but I’m kinda tired, so I figured I’d just have Syd over and play Pokémon while she watches like normal. I text her so, and she tells me she’ll be over in fifteen after she showers. I don’t say anything about the fact that it’s six at night and a completely unusual time to shower. College is just like that, to be honest.
Noah actually has practice tonight, so it’ll be just me and her. Which… will be nice. Love Noah to death, but he’s been kinda driving me nuts the last few days. Just… touchy. Excitable. He tucks me in every night and pretends like it’s a joke, but he makes sure he rubs my head each time. And he’s gone to the bathroom with me every morning. Again, he pretends it’s just silly, just a coincidence, but I know better. He’s been… around more. And he’s my buddy, and I love spending time with him. But the attention has just been getting overwhelming, if I’m honest.
So yeah, I’m looking forward to being away from him for an evening. Sue me.
The hallways are bustling right now, and every time a staircase opens, it’s filled with sharp squeaks from wet shoes. The snow is swirling with fury outside, and every single window looks like a strange, dull white. There isn’t much sunlight left, so all it has left to reflect is the light from the streetlamps, which gives it that dirty quality.
A group of people rush past me, all giggling up a storm. I don’t smile at them. People who run in the hallways are annoying.
The RA comes and says hi, too, and I give her an enthusiastic greeting back. She’s a sweetie; she deserves that kindness.
I see Ben, my neighbor, in one of the lounges. I don’t say hi.
The rest of the hall is a straight shot, and my room is across from the second lounge just a little ways down now. I don’t even see anyone in my way. I barely have any homework tonight, and I can sleep the rest of the weekend. I’m just… kind of in a good mood. This is gonna be nice. It’s gonna be a nice, chill weekend.
I mess around with my keys once I get to the door, grabbing the one with the green piece of paper I taped on and getting ready to shove it into the hole. Except the door opens before I get it in. For a split second, I think it’s Syd who somehow broke in. Maybe she knows the RA.
But then I look up and it’s Noah with a bouquet of roses in his hand. He’s got a cute little flannel on his body and an even cuter sheepish grin on his lips. Which, okay, yeah, he looks cute. But he’s supposed to be at practice right now, and I’m supposed to get some time away from him. I immediately walk in and brush past him.
“Hey, you!” he says. “I, uh, got you these. I was wondering if you wanted to go out to dinner tonight? I know your favorite is--”
“Noah, don’t you have practice tonight?” I snap, then feel guilty when I watch him blush.
“Uh, yeah, but I figured… You know… A good boyfriend would skip practice to take his guy out. So that was my plan, you know? Not an all-the-time thing, just… tonight. To make up for ghosting you. And I got the flowers because Sofia said that I should get you flowers. But I didn’t know if you liked roses or not. But I got them anyway because red roses are supposed to be for romance, right?”
I shake my head and throw my backpack onto my desk chair.
“Look, Noah, I don’t know how to tell you this without sounding like a gigantic asshole, but I am not your boyfriend. I have feelings for you, yes. And right now, I kind of want to strangle you. This isn’t what I meant when I said I wasn’t ready! I meant like, we needed to build up that romance, not jump straight in to you putting your hand on my thigh in public and skipping practice to go out on a date that you didn’t ask me out on!”
He sets the roses on my desk and stares at me with the biggest, most wounded puppy eyes I’ve ever seen in my life. Those big browns could move mountains. Lucky for me, I am not a mountain.
“I’m sorry,” he replies, quietly. Dejected.
I tug at the top of my hair and rush back and give him a big hug. My nose goes into his chest and he doesn’t hug me back for a moment, like he’s surprised, then his arms reach around me. I take a deep breath and push the air out at him. He takes one back, but it’s sort of shuddery. Then I take another and pull him closer.
“You being like this is cute. I love that you care so much. But Noah… I like you being you, not you trying to impress me and stuff. That can come later. You’re already impressive as it is.”
I relinquish my grasp on him and start to lean back, but he just pulls me tighter.
“No. Not letting you go,” he says, his voice a cute little pout. I roll my eyes and subject myself to more of his crushing grasp until he squeezes me even tighter and lifts me off of the ground. Then he loses his balance when I shift in his arms and we end up tumbling backwards onto his bed. He almost hits his head on the wall but manages to readjust at the last minute so we hit the pillow together instead.
When I open my eyes again, his are staring back at me. He smiles, and I lean forward and nuzzle him in the neck with my nose. He shudders and moves closer, wrapping his arms around me.
Then, he falls off the bed.
I start to giggle, then roll over to make sure he’s okay. He gets up and I get off the bed to help him up, then he pulls me down so I collapse on top of him. Our faces are close. And, giggling on top of him, I think about it for a second. His lips are close. I can see every shade in his eyes, each crease of his smiling skin.
Fuck it.
I lean in to kiss his smile.
And then the door swings open.
“Cowabunga, bitches!” Syd shouts, kicking the door open. I didn’t realize it was unlocked. “Aw, fuck, I walked into some gay shit, didn’t I? I can leave.”
I scramble up off of Noah, who stands up awkwardly behind me and arches his back forward, like he’s trying to conceal something. He flops on his bed and pulls a blanket over himself. Damn. Didn’t know I had that effect on the guy.
“Sorry, Syd, Noey decided to surprise me and stay home for the evening. You’re, uh, welcome to stay, though. As long as Noah’s cool with that?”
He looks at me from across the room and raises an eyebrow with a pout on his lips. At first, I think he’s going to say no. Then, he nods.
“Yeah, just as long as you’re both cool with getting your asses handed to you in Mario Kart.”
Syd grabs a controller from behind my TV and tosses it to him.
“Listen, dude. Liam might have forgiven you, but you’re still in the doghouse with me. If you’re able to beat me in Mario Kart I might forgive you.”
“Syd, you’re a god at Mario Kart,” I mutter. She punches my arm.
“Duh. He’s gotta earn his place in my life. And as your boyfriend.”
She jumps on my bed and pushes my pillow out of the way.
“He’s not my boyfriend.”
I hop on my bed next to her.
“Yeah, I’m not his boyfriend,” Noah adds, pulling over his desk chair and getting in line with us. “Not yet. Plus, boyfriends don’t absolutely murder each other without mercy in Mario Kart, right?” He winks at me, and I feel myself blushing.
Yeah, I think Mario Kart will be nice.
Syd ends up kicking both of our asses on almost every single track, though I end up winning once--mostly because Noah distracts her, then winks at me. I’d tell him off for cheating on my behalf, but it’s nice to actually win for once, so I leave it be.
Syd leaves a few hours later, and Noah and I brush our teeth together. Then we go to bed. In our own beds. He says goodnight. No cuddling, no kissing. And I kinda can’t stop smiling. Nothing even happened, but… I don’t know. Life is nice.
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