Taylor

Noah and I both look over our shoulders, and there is a student around our age watching us with a mixture of amusement and pity in his eyes.

Noah opens his mouth, but before he can decline, I quickly chime in, “Sure. We could use a pair of eyes that can actually tell if the poster is hanging crooked or not.”

“Well, I have eyes,” the student says cheerfully and stares right into mine as if to prove it. I raise an eyebrow, and he smiles, before taking a few steps back. He makes a show of making a square with his fingers and tilting his head from left to right. Noah turns toward the wall and rolls his eyes. I don’t know what to make of that reaction. 

“A little higher on the right, I would say.”

Crap. So Noah was right. I ignore his smug smile while moving the corner up until the student says from behind, “Okay, stop. Just like that.”

I fiddle with the tape when the guy closes in behind me and gently pulls it out of my hands. “Let me help with that.”

His warm breath tickles along the bare skin of my neck that isn’t covered by my scarf, and I involuntarily shiver, goosebumps rushing along my arms. I freeze, and it takes Noah calling my name to drag me back to reality. I notice the student holding out a piece of tape to me. 

“Oh.” I hastily take it, and with the additional help, we get the tape in place. As soon as I can, I let go and step back, rubbing along the back of my neck to chase away the odd feeling. 

The student returns the tape to me. “I’m guessing you are helping out today? I’m Ethan, by the way.”

“Yeah, thanks for your help,” Noah says and turns away, cutting the conversation short.

Ethan’s smile slips, but he forces out a laugh. “Well, you seem quite busy," he says to me and tilts his head, his gaze wandering across my body, before he meets my eyes. “Are you free later? I’m stuck here until my little brother has seen every last booth, so I wouldn’t mind some company.” 

I start to fiddle with the tape in my hand with inexplicable unease. “Are you not a student here?”

“No. I’m still in high school. My little brother might become a student here soon, though.”

My brain takes a few seconds to compute the information. “How old is your brother?”

Ethan grins. “14.”

“Damn.”

He laughs. “Tell me about it. Nothing like a little genius brother to humble you.”

“That … that’s crazy, I wouldn’t know how to deal with a genius sibling.”

Ethan shrugs, and his smile turns gentle. “You just gotta be wholeheartedly proud of him.”

“Are you?”

Ethan laughs again, this time it sounds tired. “I’m trying every day. Helps that it’s a great conversation starter.”

I nod politely. “I guess people are fascinated by the idea of a kid genius.”

“Tay.” Noah is suddenly at my side, his arm slung around my lower back. Even through the winter jacket, I can sense his radiating warmth tingling up my spine. “We need to get started with the freebies.”

I turn my face to Noah, who is awfully close, but his gaze is set on Ethan. “He won’t have time. We’ll be busy with tasks all day.”

Ethan purses his lips and steps back. “Too bad. Guess I will have to hang with my lil’ bro then.”

When he disappears through the entrance, I frown at Noah, who ignores my pointed look and lets his arm slip from my back before heading to the stack of boxes nearby. He lifts one, but I get in his way, arms crossed. 

“Why did you get involved? I could have told him that myself. In a much friendlier tone, too.”

Noah tries to pass me by, but I step in his path. Instead of getting defensive or angry, he scoffs at me and throws me a pitiful look. “I thought you might need help with that particular conversation, because you probably didn’t realise the guy was hitting on you.”

His words put me in a state of shock, and Noah easily passes by me. He halts next to me and leans in. “Or did you perhaps know and didn’t mind?”

I whip around. “No, of course, I didn’t know!”

I trail after Noah, who puts down the box and opens it with a cutter knife. 

“Wait, why do you think he was hitting on me? It was just a normal conversation. We just talked about his brother.”

“It’s not about the words, Tay.” Noah lifts one hand, counting his fingers one by one. “The suave approach, the closeness, the gaze, the way he tried to get you to spend time with him. I mean, he basically pressed himself against you when taping that poster.”

I bite my lip and clench my hands, then loosen the grip. He might have a point. My stomach feels weird with the realization that I was just flirted with.

“You look like you want to puke,” Noah comments flatly. 

“I don’t know how to feel about this.” My hands find their way into my curls, and I pull at them.

“What? Are you bothered that it was a guy flirting with you?”

“No, of course not-”

“Oh?”

I stutter. Wait, what did I just say? Noah waits for my brain to catch up with a knowing smirk. I hit his chest. 

“Stop it.”

“Stop what?”

A sudden thought keeps me from flipping him off. “Wait. How were you able to tell so quickly that he was flirting? Do you get hit on by guys?”

Noah stills. Then he relaxes and smirks. “Have you seen me? Of course, I attract all kinds of people.”

Fuck.

“Fuck.”

Noah laughs. It’s full and hearty, and it makes his face glow in a way I haven’t seen before. The box of little pins I was holding slips from my hands, and they scatter across the ground. “Fuck,” I repeat, but my frown is short-lived because Noah's laughter increases in volume. I shake my head and crouch down to pick up the scattered goodies. It's an unexpectedly catching laugh.

“You could help me, you know.” I raise my head to Noah and my hand freezes at his sight. The winter sun reflects in his eyes, strands of silky black hair flow around his face and his smile is relaxed and open. If I didn’t know better, I would almost think he is looking at me with affection. I blink and the impression is gone like an illusion.

Noah kneels next to me and starts picking up the pins with the university’s logo on them.

“Have you really gotten hit on by a guy before?” I ask because my mouth is quicker than my brain. 

Noah’s answer seems nonchalant. “Yeah.”

I swallow. “How-How did you react?”

Noah tilts his head towards me, but I keep my focus on putting the pins back in the box. Noah puts his hand over mine to keep me still. “Tay, look at me.”

I press my lips together. It takes some willpower to follow Noah’s request. My cheeks heat up, and all I can think about is that my freckles are probably glowing right now.

“Does it scare you that someone hit on you? Not because it’s a man, but because it’s … anyone at all?”

My laugh sounds hollow. “Why would I be scared?”

“Because it would be very normal.”

His straightforward and honest answer makes the air escape my lungs. I can’t meet his knowing gaze. 

“Maybe it scared me a little. Just a tiny bit,” I mumble. “More like a very brief shock. It’s fine. I’m over it.”

I get up and put the box back on the table while Noah follows me.

“If you say so.”

“You didn’t answer my question,” I say to escape his scrutinizing eyes. “When did a guy flirt with you?”

To my surprise, he answers for once. “Hm. The first time a guy flirted with me, it was at a café. He worked there, and I didn’t notice his flirting when I ordered, but it was hard to miss once he drew a heart next to my name on the coffee cup along with his phone number.”

“What? How old were you?”

He shrugs. “Maybe fifteen?”

I gape. “Fifteen?!”

My shout is loud enough to make a couple of people turn their heads. He shrugs as if it’s nothing. “I mean, girls started asking me out when I was 13.”

I feel faint. “I can’t believe I’m so many years behind you for the first time someone flirted with me.”

Noah shoots me an odd glance and then mumbles, “The first time you noticed.”

I ignore his snide remark. “What did you do? With the number, I mean?”

I never get his answer because we get interrupted by a horde of kids, and after that comes a steady flow of visitors to keep us occupied for the next hour. 

By the time our shift ends, my feet are frozen blocks, and even the hot chocolate Noah hands me doesn’t do much against the chill that has settled deep in my trembling body.

“Jeez, Tay, why didn’t you say you felt cold? Let’s get you inside.” Noah guides me, one hand on my arm, towards the entrance to the main event hall. Once inside, he leads me to a table and takes the hot chocolate out of my hands. 

“Strip.”

I put my arms protectively in front of me. “Is that your answer to my question?”

Noah stills in the middle of unbuttoning his coat. “What?”

“That coffee guy. I asked about your reaction.” I grin. “Did you go up to him and tell him to strip, too? Does that usually work for you?”

Noah shakes his head. “I must say, I preferred you when you were still running after ducks and making robot noises.”

“I did no such thing.”

“Don’t even try, there are pictures. Now take off your darn jacket.”