Some Loves (14 page)

Noah’s tone softened when he said, “And he couldn’t just call to tell you that?”

“He didn’t think you’d like it if he called me,” I pointed out. I ran a fingertip under my eye to wipe away a tear that had leaked out. “He’s here with a friend and he saw me walking down the steps. He just wanted to talk to me about Evan, that’s all.”

“Okay,” Noah said as he moved in closer to me. “Come here,” he commanded. He pulled me into his arms and I rested my head on his chest.

“I would’ve told you about it when I got back to my seat,” I said.

“I’m sorry I went off on you.” He pressed a kiss onto the top of my head. “It’s just that when Melanie said she saw some guy leading you under the stairs, I didn’t know what to think. At first, I was worried because she didn’t recognize the guy. Then when I saw it was Caleb…”

“You need to stop worrying about Caleb,” I said as I took a step back. I wanted to be able to look him in the eye. “I swear to you, you have nothing to worry about. But we have this connection because of Evan and I can’t ignore that. I’ve done what you asked. I’ve taken a big step back from him. But I can’t help it if things still come up from time to time.”

He closed his eyes and leaned his forehead against mine. “I know,” he whispered. “I don’t know why I’m still havin
g such a hard time with this.” He moved away again and his gaze moved out to the crowd beyond the staircase. “I’ve never felt like this before. I’m jealous and I’m…I don’t even know what I am. I just know it fucking sucks. When I saw the two of you together, it was like someone kicked me in the gut.”

“Noah, we were just talking.”

“I know. I do. I just…I can’t help the way I feel. If Caleb Jackson fell of the face of the planet, I’d be okay with that. In fact, nothing would make me happier than having that guy disappear,” he admitted.

I shook my head in frustration. I didn’t know what else to say to him. It didn’t seem wise to point out to him that if he still blamed Caleb, he should blame me too. Or maybe it had nothing to do with blame. Maybe it had everything to do with jealousy. If that were the case, I wasn’t sure what else I could say or do.

“Can we go watch the game now?” I asked.

“Yeah, let’s go get your water,” he said he took my hand in his.

I took a step away but he didn’t budge. I looked back at him with a questioning look.

“If you want someone with you when you get the pictures of you brother, I’ll go. Not because I don’t want you with Caleb, but because
I
want to be the one there for you. Does that make sense?” he asked.

“It does. And thank you.”

“Forgive me for acting like a jealous ass?”

The look on his face was repentant. I had to admit that it was probably a shock to him to find Caleb and me together. It probably looked less than innocent, given our history. I forced a smile.

“There’s nothing to forgive.” I gave his hand a tug. “Now let’s get moving before you miss any more of the game.”

By the time the semester came to an end, the sharp pang of Adelaide’s death had receded to a dull ache. I was looking forward to a fun, relaxing summer. One year of college down, three more to go.

The first year had been trying on many levels but it was now behind us. I was looking forward to spending the first night of summer break with Noah, celebrating. When he arrived at me house, I let him in as I tried to wrap up my phone call.

“Do you want me to wait in the other room?” Noah whispered as he pointed to the phone at my ear. He was clearly wondering if I wanted privacy.

I shook my head and mouthed, “It’s my dad.” His eyes widened in surprise. I held a finger up in the air to indicate I would only be another minute. I felt a little pang of guilt. The timing of the phone call hadn’t been very good. We’d only been talking for a few minutes before Noah showed up.

“Noah’s here,” I said to my father. “So I should probably go. But thanks for calling.”

“Of course,” Dad said. “Can you tell him ‘hello’ from me?”

“Sure.” I watched as Noah perched himself on the edge of a barstool. He propped his elbows on the countertop and watched me with a questioning expression.

“Hey,” Dad said, “Ty wouldn’t happen to be there, would he? I’d like to talk to him.”

“No, he’s not here,” I said. “I’m sure he’d like to talk to you though.”

“Alright. I’ll give him a call at Aubrey’s.”

“Actually, he’s not there either. He’s with a friend,” I said with a grimace.

“What friend is that?” Dad asked.
“Jack?”

I fought the urge to roll my eyes. His newfound desire to be parental sometimes felt like more hassle than it was worth.

“He’s with Caleb.”

“Good, good,” Dad said. “He’s a good kid.” I didn’t bother to point out that Caleb was hardly a kid. “You tell Caleb that I really appreciate it.”

“Uh-huh,” I said in the most noncommittal fashion I could manage. Dad had no idea that there was tension between Caleb and me. That was something I had no intention of explaining to him.

“Dad, I really do need to go,” I repeated.

“I guess we’ll talk later then.” He sounded completely put out by the prospect.

We finally said our
‘goodbyes’ and disconnected.

“Sorry about that,” I said as I turned to Noah. I slid my phone across the countertop.

“You didn’t need to cut it short because of me,” Noah said.

“Trust me,
I didn’t mind. I know he’s trying, but it’s still awkward.” After nearly two years of no contact, Dad had started calling at random. I was sure it was his way of stepping up now that Mom was temporarily out of the picture.

I constantly told myself that he meant well, yet his calls felt like an intrusion. I really had very little I wanted to talk to him about. The phone calls were always on his timeframe, usually when he had some downtime in his hotel room. The fact that I might be busy never seemed to cross his mind. When I had to go before he was ready to end the call, I always felt his annoyance.

Still, he was making an effort, I reminded myself. And at least that was something.

“So Ty’s out with Caleb again, huh?” Noah asked.

I nodded.

“Isn’t it kind of strange that he spends so much time with a seven year old?” He tapped his hands against the countertop in a rhythm that started to grate on my nerves. Or maybe it was the feeling that he was trying to pick a fight that was grating on my nerves.

“No, actually, I don’t think it is. I think it’s really nice. Evan and Ty were really close. I think it makes Ty feel closer to Evan when he’s with Caleb,” I explained. I could go into more detail than that. I could tell Noah that Caleb had essentially grown up without a dad too. But that was personal and I didn’t feel like I should have to e
xplain Caleb’s actions to Noah. “I appreciate what Caleb does.”

The drumming of his hands stopped and he scowled
. “He’s a standup guy alright.”

“Don’t do this,” I pleaded. I had no doubt that finding Caleb and I together at the game was still on his mind. Until now, we’d managed to dance around the issue. I had no doubt he’d inferred from my phone call that Ty was with Caleb.
It had obviously set him off.

“You’re right,” he said with a shrug. “He’s not worth talking about.”

“Noah, spending time with Caleb means a lot to my brother. I’m not going to apologize for that,” I said firmly. We hadn’t talked about Caleb, in any fashion, since the night of the ball game. I’d hoped the issue was permanently closed.

Apparently I was wrong.

I bit my tongue before I said something that I would regret. This was a side of Noah I rarely saw and I didn’t like it at all.

“What are we going to do tonight?” I asked as I decided to change the topic completely. “A movie? Is there some kind of ball game somewhere?
A party? I’m kind of surprised that Riley didn’t mention anything. Although she was kind of busy moving out of the dorms.”

To be honest, Riley had been distant lately. I was trying to give her some space because the few times I’d pushed, it hadn’t gone well. I figured she’d talk to me when she was ready. I tried not to be too angry with her over that. It had grown more obvious that whatever her secret was,
she was sharing it with Casey. It kind of hurt to be shut out like that but I wasn’t sure what more I could do about it.

“Actually,” Noah said as he slid off the bar stool
and cut into my thoughts, “Drew’s having a field party tonight. Kind of a welcome to summer, throwback kind of party. Do you mind if we go?”

My face lit up with a smile. Noah and I had gone to countless parties of Drew’s over the years. In fact, the first time Noah had kissed me had been at one of those parties.
I smiled at the memory.

“Count me in,
” I said.

We decided to go out for a late dinner of pizza. By the time we got to Drew’s the party was fully underway. We had to park at the end of a line of cars. When we got out of my car the flickering light of the bonfire could be seen lighting up the night.

The thumping of bass pumping out of Drew’s car carried easily to us. Some things just never changed.

The acrid scent of burning wood floated through the air. I closed my eyes and pulled in a deep breath. I loved the smell. It reminded me of so many other nights with Noah.
The scent was pure summer; fun, barbecues, nights under the stars—

“What are you doing?” he asked with a laugh. He squeezed my hand
as he tugged me along the gravel road that led to the field.

I opened my eyes and giggled at the questioning look on his face. “I’m reminiscing,” I admitted.

“Hey, are Kira and Renee back in town yet?” Noah wondered.

“Nope. Kira isn’t coming back but Renee should be here in a few days,” I said.

“And Riley...?” he wondered.

I shrugged. “She must be moved out of the dorms by now. I texted her to let her know about tonight but I haven’t heard back from her. Nothing new there.” Or at least, nothing new lately. In the past she never would’ve ignored me, or avoided me, the way she’d been doing lately.

He frowned at me. “Things are kind of weird between you two, aren’t they?”

“Yes,” I admitted. “And I’m not entirely sure why. I feel like I’ve done something wrong but I don’t know what.”

“I wouldn’t worry too much about it,” Noah said. “You know I like Riley, but the girl can be moody as hell.”

“Look whose here!” Drew said as he staggered toward us. He threw one arm around Noah, one around me. “I always knew you two would get your shit together.” He gave my back an awkward pat. “You should’ve seen this guy moping around.”

“Drew,” Noah grumbled.

Drew turned to me. “No, man, it’s true. You totally wrecked him. Didn’t she?” he asked as he turned back to Noah.

“Yeah,” Noah agreed, probably because he knew it was the fastest way to get out of the conversation, “she did.”

“But now everything is just A-okay,” Drew drunkenly surmised. He lifted his arm and messed up my hair. “And you have me to thank for that.”

“Thank you, Drew,” I obediently replied.
“It was so kind of you to drop Noah off at my house in the middle of the night.”

He grinned at me. “You’re welcome.” Then his arms slid away from Noah and I as someone else caught his interest. “See you two lovebirds later,” he called over his shoulder.

For the first hour or so we mingled with old friends. It was fun to see everyone again. Eventually, Noah pulled us away from the crowd.

We moved closer to the fire and then Noah dropped down at the base of a tree. “Come on,” he patted the ground in front of him. I lowered myself down so that I rested between his legs. He tugged me backwards until I was resting tightly against his chest. His lips skimmed against my ear.

“Just like old times,” he murmured.

“I like old times,” I admitted.

“Do you remember the first time we kissed?” Noah asked.

“As if I could forget it,” I said.
“I believe it was over there, somewhere.” I pointed vaguely in the direction.

He had walked me to my car. I had ended up breaking my curfew by almost half an hour. It had been worth it though. I would remember that first kiss for the rest of my life.

“Who would’ve thought aside for a bump in the road we’d still be together almost three years later?” Noah asked.

A bump in the road. I hoped that was all it was and would ever be.

***

Noah’s fingers rested inside of my back pocket.  They gently massaged my backside through the denim of my jeans. It was just a small action, but bundled together with all of the other small touches, stolen kisses, and whispered promises; it was driving me a little mad. I’d had enough of the party, of the people. I wanted Noah all to myself. I wanted him to make good on those whispered
words that had been fluttering around in my mind.

I
did not want to spend another minute at the party, listening to a drunken Drew reminisce about his promiscuity. Granted, some of the stories he had to tell left us rolling in laughter. But right now, I’d rather be rolling around in bed.

With Noah.

Preferably naked.

And preferably
soon
.

“Come on,” I said as I took him by
the hand.

He looked at me in surprise.
The flickering flames danced across his face. The soft glow made him look delectable. “We’re leaving?”

“Yes.” I turned to Drew. “This was fun. It was a great idea. We’ll see you later.”

“Uh, okay,” Drew said. He didn’t look particularly bothered. Not when he had a girl under his arm that was unabashedly nibbling at his neck.

“Later,” Noah said as he tipped his head toward Drew.

I tugged him along before he could get tangled up in another conversation.

“Where are we going?” Noah asked as I led the way back to my car.

“Back to my house,” I said over my shoulder. The glow of the fire faded away as we reached the road. I slowed my pace, not wanting to trip on the gravel. “So that I can have my wicked way with you.”

He stopped in the middle of the road and pulled me to him. It was nearly pitch black and now that we were away from the fire, I shivered. The noise from the party easily carried to us, mixing in with the sounds of crickets chirping.

“You think so, huh?” he asked. His hands skimmed down my backside. He squeezed my behind, pulling me closer.

“Yes. Do you realize that you’ve been driving me crazy?” His hands had been floating over me all night long. Just light, teasing touches. Nothing that would be inappropriate in front of a group of people but the touches were enough to leave me feeling very, very turned on. Every now and then he’d lean in and nibble at my neck or whisper in my ear.

He leaned in to kiss me but I laughed and backed away.

“Like I said, I’m taking you home. I want you all to myself.”

He let out a little growl of frustration but didn’t protest.

I hadn’t realized how far my house was from Drew’s. By the time we reached my front door, I felt like I couldn’t wait another second longer. Noah’s hands had continued to wander the whole way home. It had been a challenge to keep my attention completely on the road.

I fumbled with my key, finally managing to open the front door. We tumbled inside, a hot mess of kissing and touching and tugging at clothes.

We worked our way up the stairs to my bedroom, leaving a trail of clothing in our wake. I pushed Noah backward, guiding him toward the bed. We collapsed onto it.

His
hands slid up and down my body as he lowered himself down beside me. My fingers dug into his shoulders as his body slid against mine, teasing, taunting, not giving me nearly what I needed.

Our tongues entwined in a slow caress.
His fingers grazed over one breast, then the other. My nipples responded to his gentle touch and I couldn’t resist the urge to moan. He moved, pulling himself on top of me. His knee slid between mine, urging my legs apart. I complied but was left wanting more when he hovered above me, sliding against me but not giving me what I so desperately wanted and needed. His mouth left mine to search for the spot near my collarbone that always drove me crazy. My head fell back as I gave myself over to the sensation of Noah’s body pressing against me, his lips tasting me. His fingers slid into me, teasing me, as they slid out again. His hand slid up to my breast once more, cupping it, kneading it.