I drop my pillow on one of the couches and then sit down on one of the stools situated around the island. “Thank you for taking care of me.”
Noah comes to take a seat next to me with a cheeseburger and shoestring fries for himself. He waits until I eat a spoonful of the soup, and only then does he turn his attention to his own food.
“Forest texted me. Aria won the competition,” I inform Noah before I scoop up another spoonful of soup.
“That’s great news,” he says, then he admits, “I haven’t seen any of her work yet.”
“She’s really good. I have a photo of one of her pieces on my phone.” I slide off the stool and go get the device from my room. Opening up my gallery, I search for the photo as I walk back to the kitchen. I turn the screen to Noah so he can see. “She painted this one for our senior year.”
One of Noah’s eyebrows raises slightly. “Damn, that’s an amazing piece.”
There’s a proud smile on my face as I sit down again. “Yeah.”
We continue with our meals, and the thought hits me that Noah has spent the entire day with me. It means everything to me. Still, I ask, “It’s a Saturday night. Didn’t you have any plans?”
He swallows the bite down, then wipes his mouth with a napkin before he replies, “Nothing I couldn’t cancel.”
His answer makes a grin spread over my face.
When we’re done with our meals, I pick up my pillow and sit down on the couch. Noah grabs the TV remote and then comes to take a seat next to me.
Screw that.
I throw the pillow onto one of the other couches, and lifting his arm, I position it around my shoulders. Cuddling up against him, I murmur, “Mhh… you’re better than a pillow.”
He lets out a chuckle while turning on the TV, then he asks, “What do you want to watch?”
“Anything. I’ll probably fall asleep halfway through.”
“Are you okay with a documentary?”
My lips curve up. “Sure.”
He goes to Netflix and puts on Dancing with the Birds. As he gets lost in the show, his fingers begin to brush up and down my arm, and the touch makes a kaleidoscope of butterflies take flight in my stomach.
Suddenly Noah murmurs, “I’m glad you didn’t go with Forest and Aria.”
I glance up at him. “Yeah?”
He nods, his eyes not leaving the TV screen. “I was thinking we could slowly start with a relationship.”
I sit up, and turning my body toward him, I cross my legs in front of me. “Like… dating?” I ask to make sure.
My heart begins to beat faster as I wait for Noah’s answer. He turns off the TV, and then his eyes lock on mine.
“Yes, dating,” he answers, making a burst of happiness rush through my heart. “But I still want to take it slow.”
I nod quickly. “I’m fine with taking things slow. No rush.”
Noah reaches for my hand and when his fingers brush against mine, tingles race over my skin. My breaths begin to speed up as I stare deep into his eyes. He brings his other hand to the back of my head, and then he pulls me closer as he leans in. My breath stalls in my throat as the distance shrinks between us, and all my senses heighten, not wanting to miss a thing.
Noah’s lips brush softly against mine, and then he pulls back an inch. I feel his breaths on my face, and it makes an intense sensation spread through my body. My abdomen tightens, and my heart begins to thunder in my chest. When his lips brush against mine again, it feels like my soul might burst from all the happiness I’m filled with.
He pulls back, and the corner of his mouth lifts as his eyes drift over my face.
NOAH
My phone begins to ring, disrupting the intimate moment between us. I dig the device out of my pocket and frown when I see Kao’s name flashing on the screen. “Hey, what’s up?”
“Hi, I don’t know if you heard yet, but there was an earthquake in San Francisco. Forest and Aria are missing,” Kao says.
My mind instantly begins to race, pulling up stats about earthquakes and survival rates.
“Shit,” is all I manage to say, though.
Carla’s phone starts to ring, and before I can grab hold of her hand to keep her from answering, she darts up and dashes to the kitchen, where she left the device.
Fuck, this is bad.
“Mr. Reyes is keeping us updated. They’ve taken a flight to San Francisco to arrange a search party with the Chargills’.”
“That’s good,” I answer, for lack of finding the right words. “Keep us updated, please.”
“Will do.” Kao pauses, then he says, “Take care of Carla. She’ll be worried and upset. Comfort her.”
“Yeah, sure,” I mutter.