Noah grins, nodding.
“What about you?”
“What about me?”
“How did Noah Riley, superstar quarterback, end up in Oceanside?”
“Haha,” he teases, as he looks away, only to turn right back.
At first, I wonder if he won’t share, but then he nods.
“I’m from near here, stayed around so I could be close to my mom.”
“Aww,” I coo.
Noah gives a playful glare, and I can’t help but laugh.
“I love that. It’s pretty much why we wanted to stay, too.” I lean back, wrapping my arms around my drawn-up knees. “She’s the real Master Chef, isn’t she? I know you told me she taught you how to cook, but I’d bet a dollar the recipes you use are hers.”
“A whole dollar, huh?”
“What can I say, I’m a broke college kid.” I shrug.
Noah chuckles, but it’s solemn, and I can’t help but search his eyes for more.
“You and your mom, you’re close.” My tone is gentle.
“Yeah,” he admits. “She’s all I ever had.”
“Here in Oceanside?”
His eyes find mine. “Anywhere.”
“Really?”
He nods.
“No siblings… a long-last dad, maybe?”
“Nope, neither. No cousins, aunts, uncles, not even grandparents. It’s just us.”
A small ache forms across my ribs. “That’s sad.”
He shrugs, looking away. “Normal for me. I never had more than her, so there was never anything to miss.”
“You must miss seeing her every day. You must get lonely here.”
Noah’s blink is slow, but he doesn’t say anything.
Now that I think about it, I never see him with anyone. It’s always him on his own.
I wonder if he likes it that way?
I can’t imagine life without my friends and family. It would be so hard if I didn’t have open arms to fall into when life got tough.
Who does he have in his life to catch him should he fall?
“So, you and Cameron,” he changes the subject. “Have you two always been best friends?”
“Since birth, yeah.” I laugh.
“She comes here often.”
“Yeah.” I nod. “Trust me, I know. She makes sure I’m aware.”
“Why don’t you tag along with her next time, make your way up here with me,” he suggests.
My cheeks grow warm, and he chuckles.
We stare at each other a moment, and his grin slowly fades. His tongue slipping out to wet his lips, calling my attention to his mouth, but only for a second.
I push to my feet. “I should go.”
“Yeah… I’ll drive you.”
I smile. “I can walk, Noah. I’m only across campus.”
He frowns, standing tall, forcing my chin to lift in order to meet his gaze. “You really think I’d send you down those stairs, into a house of twenty or more guys, and leave you to walk out alone?”
* * *
“You realize my brother and best friends are among those, right?” I smirk and his eyes narrow more, making me grin. “Come on. Walk me down, and if Mase isn’t around, I’ll take you up on that ride.”
“How ‘bout we plan for me to take you, but you can still see if Mason’s around for fun?”
My cheeks grow warm, and I laugh, leading us down the stairs. “Come on, Romeo.”
At the bottom, Noah reaches over my shoulder and unlatches the lock, pushing the door open before me.
A couple big guys nod at Noah as we slip out, grinning my way as if they know exactly what we were doing. Their grins are very Brady-like—a mix of proud papa with a naughty little twist. While Noah pauses to answer a question from one for them, I step through the entryway and into the common room area, allowing my eyes to travel the large space.
There’s a TV on both walls, a pool table in the center and a couple of couches pushed against opposite sides. The walls are a deep blue, a giant white Avix Sharks logo painted dead center. The mantel has trophies—hopefully they’re glued down—scattered along it, with a few abandoned beer cans, adding to the reality of a house full of college boys.
I grin, seeing the place for the first time. This is exactly what I’d imagined, maybe even a little cleaner than I’d have thought. Gliding my hand down the frame of the entryway, random beer bottle caps stuck all along the edges, I scan the area for Mason, but I don’t get far before a clipped voice breaks through from behind me.
“Thought you were going out for dinner?”
I whip around, coming face to face with Chase.
My breath freezes in my throat, and I cut a quick glance toward Noah, who’s still talking to his teammate. I force myself to look back to Chase, praying my voice comes out steady as I say, “Noah cooked for me instead.”
Chase scoffs. “Yeah, I bet he decided to get you up in his room last minute.”
My head tugs back. “Are you really acting like this right now?”
Chase slips closer, his voice a tense whisper for only me to hear. “What do you expect, Arianna?”