She pursed her lips and coyly ran her hands over the front of his T-shirt. “Clothes are overrated, don’t you think?”
“Well …” He swallowed hard and took a step back. “I’ve never really thought about it. I’m just going to run home and then I’ll pick up food on the way back here. Okay?”
Grabbing at his hand, she stopped him from moving any further. “I’m not really that hungry.”
“I’ll take my time. By the time I get back you’ll be hungry.”
That wasn’t her point, but he seemed suddenly keen to get away. Maybeshewas coming on too strong now.
“I’ll see you later,” he said, planting a kiss on her cheek and rushing off. She was about to call after him to see if he wanted a lift home, but the front door banged behind him before she could get a word out.
The way he’d pulled away from her so abruptly left her with a knot of anxiety in her stomach. She told herself she was being paranoid. He’d be back soon and everything would be fine.
When the doorbell rang an hour later, she skipped down the stairs on a rush of anticipation.
“I missed you,” she said as the door swung open.
Noah stood on the doorstep with boxes of crab cakes in his hand. He looked momentarily surprised. “I missed you too,” he said, stepping inside and giving her an awkward hug while balancing the takeaway boxes behind her back.
“What are you doing here?” She backed away and scowled at him.
“Bringing crab cakes like you told me to. What do you think I’m doing here?”
“I didn’t tell you to bring crab cakes.”
“Yes, you did.”
“I think I’d remember that. I told Kit to bring crab cakes.”
“You might have thought you were messaging Kit, but you actually messaged me.” Huffily, he reached into his pocket for his phone.
“I didn’t message anyone.”
He held the phone out. “What’s this then?”
Squinting, she read the message, which appeared to have been sent from her phone.Come over and hang out after work. Bring crab cakes and I might forgive you for being such an arse.
“That’s exactly what I would have written,” she said, feeling a touch emotional.
“What’s going on?” Noah asked.
“Kit sent the message from my phone. I suppose he noticed it was bothering me that we’d fallen out.”
“Well, my brother’s an idiot. If you didn’t invite me, I really don’t need to be here.”
She growled as he stepped outside again. “If you leave with those crab cakes, I swear to god I will never speak to you again.”
He stopped but didn’t turn back. “Is that a threat or a promise?”
“Come in,” she said, her lips twitching to a smile as she held the door for him.
“I’m sorry,” he said as they walked into the flat. “I should never have got involved in your relationship with Felix. In my defence, I didn’t think he was good enough for you. I had the best of intentions, but I should have trusted your judgement.”
“Did you come to this conclusion yourself?” She took the takeaway boxes from him and went to the kitchen. “Or did Keira tell you you’re an idiot?”
“When I explained the situation, she might have taken your side. Which was kind of annoying.”
“I’m sure it was.”