“I’m not annoyed with you. At least I wasn’t until I saw you. And I guess that’s because I’m generally annoyed. Everything is going to annoy me today.”
“Can I come in so the whole town doesn’t hear our conversation?”
She didn’t budge from the doorway. “Kit told you to come over here, didn’t he? I can’t believe him. I upset him and he still told you to check on me.”
“He was worried he’d upset you …”
Her chest hitched involuntarily before her face crumpled and more tears came. “Iupsethim,” she said, her words garbled by a sob.
Noah stepped inside and closed the door behind him before embracing her tightly. She let herself cry into his shoulder for a few minutes before pulling herself together and leading the way upstairs.
“I feel horrible,” she said, slumping against the sideboard in the kitchen. “He looked so hurt. You should have gone to check on him, not me.”
“I’ll do that next.” He put the takeaway packages on the counter and moved to fill the kettle. “I take it you don’t feel the same way he does?”
She stared at her feet, wishing things were that simple. “It’sKit.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means he’s the little kid who followed us everywhere with his constant annoying chatter.”
“Hewas,” Noah pointed out unhelpfully. “He’s not a kid any more.”
“He practically is,” she mumbled.
Noah folded his arms over his chest as he waited for the kettle to boil. “Do you really still see him as a kid? Half the time I feel as though he’s more mature than me with the way he coped with Dad’s death and how he’s supported Mum. At the same time, he never takes his eye off the ball with his business. Not many twenty-two-year-olds are as dedicated to their job as he is.”
“He’s pretty much family,” she said, taking a different tack since she couldn’t argue with anything he’d just said.
Noah quirked an eyebrow. “No, he’s not.”
“You know what I mean. We grew up together.”
“You’ve known him his whole life, but you grew up in different houses with different parents. The fact that you spent a lot of time together as kids doesn’t mean you can’t have a relationship with him as an adult.”
“Why does it sound as though you want me to get together with Kit?” she asked accusingly.
“I’m just surprised by the way the conversation’s going. I thought you’d say you don’t feel the same, but instead you’re making up excuses for why you can’t be with him …”
“I’m not making up excuses.”
“It sounds as though you are. If you have feelings for Kit you can say so.”
“That would be convenient for you, wouldn’t it? If I got together with Kit you wouldn’t need to feel guilty about the fact that you completely ditched me when you got a girlfriend.”
He opened his mouth but clearly thought better of it and got on with making tea instead. Seren’s whole body felt tense as she grabbed a fork and the container with the crab cakes and went to the couch.
“Sorry,” she whispered when Noah placed two cups of tea on the coffee table and sat beside her.
“I’m not entirely sure what you’re so upset about. Is it to do with Kit or me? I’m pretty confused.”
“Me too.” She leaned into his chest when he put an arm around her. “I’m not annoyed with you. I promise.”
“What’s going on then?”
“I’m not even sure myself.” She took a moment to calm down and get her thoughts in order. “I spent loads of time with Kit while you were away in Bristol. He was always around … in the pub or at your mum’s place. I don’t think I appreciated what a good friend he’s become … I hate that I’ve hurt him. And I don’t know how things will be between us now. I don’t want to lose him as a friend.”
He squeezed her shoulders. “You won’t.”