17. Jade
Once I askedRuby about traveling with her to the boys’ away game, she excitedly agreed. It was surprising to me that someone who was so popular and talented was so very lonely. Her friends didn”t get the hockey “thing,” showing no interest or inclination to go to a game with her to see what it was all about. They also didn”t understand why she was so interested in taking pictures of other people or things when she herself was the perfect subject. It seemed to me she needed different friends, but it wasn”t my place to tell her that. We didn”t know each other that well yet.
I had just finished talking to her after I”d taken a shower. I had painted this afternoon when I got home from a class that had been canceled. Getting paint splatter in my hair was a hazard, so I had just jumped in to get clean. Ruby had given me some more details about the trip. Now it was time to start dinner. Since I was making meatloaf, it would take over an hour to cook. On my way to the kitchen, I walked by Oliver and Cora kissing . . . wait. What the fuck? I stopped and walked back by the hallway I had just passed, and yep, sure enough Oliver and Cora were pressed against each other, and they were either kissing or doing CPR really wrong.
I soundlessly turned and briskly walked to the kitchen, not wanting them to know they”d been caught. I smiled and hummed to myself while I got out the ingredients for dinner, making sure to purposely bang things around so they knew I was in the kitchen. I was happy for them, whether this was a one-time fling or the start of a relationship. I knew that Cora found Oli attractive—everyone did. Also, I was aware of the fact that Oli thought Cora was gorgeous and he seemed to like her. Pushing all thoughts about them out of my head, I threw myself into the preparation of the food.
When I was finished pressing the meat mixture into a loaf pan and putting it in the oven to cook, I cleaned up the mess I had made. The front door closed, and I walked over to the threshold of the kitchen so I could look down the hallway and see who it was.
Noah walked around the corner and smiled when he spotted me. I returned his grin and hurried my steps to meet him. His arms pulled me into him, and I wound mine around his neck, looking up at him towering over me.
“What are you doing home so early? Did someone ditch without inviting me?” he asked in his normal husky tone that just did things to me.
I laughed softly. “Nothing like that. My last class of the day got canceled. I texted you. You know I’m only a good girl?” I teased, knowing full well he was going to call bullshit.
He chuckled and nipped my earlobe. “Good girl, huh? Baby, the only good thing about you is how well you come on my fingers when they’re inside you.” He breathed into my ear, before swiping his tongue and lips up the column of my neck.
A moan bubbled out of my throat, and just when I was about to drag him into our room, Oliver’s voice sounded behind me. “Oh, look at you two. You do know you have a room.”
I smiled mischievously at Noah, then turned with his arms still around me. “Really? You know you have a room too, and if you don’t want someone to catch you kissing someone else, then you should probably use it.”
Noah chuckled behind me and at the agape expression on Oliver’s face.
He tried to recover but it was too late. “What are you talking about?”
“I saw you kissing someone in the hallway. I’ve been home since two,” I explained to him, raising my eyebrow and smirking.
“Shit. Sorry, Jade. This isn’t going to make it weird between us, will it?” he asked.
I shook my head. “You and Cora are adults, and it’s none of my business what you two get up to. Just remember those who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.”
I honestly didn’t care what those two were doing or what the situation was. There was no plan to bring it up or say anything about it, but when he basically tried to tease us for making out in the hallway, I couldn’t let it go without retaliation.
I hummed and let out a loud exhale, turning to Noah and shaking my head, trying to clear the fog of lust. I had to change the subject quickly before we mounted each other in the hallway.
“I contacted my uncle Steve. I didn”t tell him all the details, and he said he hasn”t noticed anything weird, but he was going to poke around and see if our parents have noticed anything odd.” I shrugged, feeling all of Noah”s attention on me. I didn’t know if I”d ever get used to his intensity. “He won”t blow it by telling them we were asking. I don”t know, maybe it won”t turn up anything. He seemed kinda short with me, so I think he has made some assumptions.”
He sighed and looked away from me for a moment. I didn”t miss the flash of anger in his eyes. I hated feeling like I was caught between him and my family, but I also knew that if it came down to it, I would choose him every time. I grabbed his arm and got him to look at me.
“Come on, Noah. It doesn”t matter. Whatever happens, we”ll deal with it, but I don”t care what he thinks. Okay?”
He nodded and pulled me into an embrace. “I know, J. I just don”t like that it”s even an issue in the first place. But you”re right, we will deal with things as they come.”
We headed to the living room and did our own studying and homework, also enjoying being in each other”s presence. It was amazing not to have to fill the silence with meaningless chatter. We could talk; we just didn”t need to make conversation that meant nothing.
Tomorrow was Thursday, my last day of classes for the week, then on Friday morning, Ruby and I were leaving for Michigan at about the same time as the guys. Noah was convinced that whoever was messing with me was waiting for them to leave to do it again. If I wasn’t here, the hope was they would simply give up. Maybe if I was unavailable to torment long enough, they would just move on to an easier target. I hated the thought of someone else being in this person’s path because I wasn’t, but Noah would only be around so long before he was gone and in the NHL. I couldn’t follow him. I had to finish college first, so that I could get a job and do the whole adult thing.
When dinner was ready, Noah went and gathered his roommates, returning with Oli and Callum in tow. Even though I had lived there for over a month, I still never got used to Callum. He was too quiet for me, and I never learned much more about him. Ruby seemed to like him and that gave him some definite points, but she never explained to me why their relationship was complicated. Maybe she would open up to me this weekend and tell me. I just joined in the conversation when it was warranted and ate my food.
Talk turned to hockey, and while I was a fan like most everyone else in this school, I wasn”t in the mood. I excused myself from the table, then went to the sink, rinsed my dish, and put it in the dishwasher. Once I was done, I headed to the office I had been using to paint. I just lost myself in the canvas. I didn”t come out until it was time to get ready for bed.
Friday morning wasa flurry of activity because we were all leaving the house for a couple of days. I had received a text from my uncle earlier this morning, and I told Noah about it. My uncle had wanted to meet to discuss what was going on a little more. Being vague had always been a specialty of mine, and since I couldn’t tell him I was going to Noah’s game, I just told him I was taking a weekend trip with a friend of mine, and I would let him know when I was back. His response was a little snippy, but I brushed it off, not wanting to make the weekend awkward with Ruby.
I was waiting for Ruby to show up when Noah walked up to me and pulled me from behind until I was flush with his chest. His arms wrapped around me, and I grabbed his arms, essentially hugging myself. He buried his face into the crook of my neck. Moving my neck to give him more access, I hummed. Letting go of one of his arms, I reached back and gripped his hair in my fists, the feeling of being surrounded consuming me. I might have acted as if I was so unbothered by everything, but the comfort Noah brought me was becoming essential. He incited feelings of safety inside me that my stepparents never could.
I turned in his arms, wanting to see his face and those eyes that always entranced me. He sighed and smoothed the hair back that had blown in my face, then kissed my cheek, his lips straying close to my ear. Just like he could read my thoughts, he let out a humorless chuckle.
“It’s only a couple hours, baby. Then you will be right back with me, where you belong.”
Burrowing my face in his chest, I sighed in agreement. Before I could say anything more, a horn sounded behind us. I turned to see Ruby’s car pulling up. She got out, waved to me, and then she and Callum were all over each other. Noah and I chuckled before I gripped his shirt and pulled his lips to mine. He tightened his arms around us, pulling me impossibly closer. I knew it was silly to be reluctant to let go, because I would see him in a few hours, so I pulled away from him and gave him my best reassuring smile. Once Ruby extracted herself from Callum’s arms, we both headed to her car. The guys followed us, helping us with loading our bags in the trunk.
Once we were inside, our seatbelts fastened, we gave another wave to the guys, then pulled onto the road, on our way to Michigan.
“Are you hungry?” Ruby asked me when we had only been in the car a few minutes.
“Uh, yeah. A little. I didn’t eat when I got up this morning. My mind started going in a million different directions the moment I opened my eyes,” I answered her.
She smiled and flicked her turn signal on. Before very long, we were pulling up in front of a diner that looked like it had seen better days.
“It doesn’t look like much, but they have the best food,” she said as she opened her door.
I grinned and opened my door, following her inside the building. Noting the “seat yourself” sign, I trailed Ruby to a booth. She pulled two menus from the holder and handed me one. I started browsing over the selections.
“So, how did you discover this place?’
Ruby chuckled. She put her menu down, then folded her hands over it. “Callum took me here on our first date. When we pulled up, I remember thinking this would be the first and only date we would go on, so ready to write him off. Then we came in and it was one of the best dates I have ever been on.”
“That sounds pretty amazing when something like that happens,” I replied to her, making my decision and placing my menu down as well.
She nodded her agreement.
“So, I don’t mean to pry, but then why is your relationship complicated? I think that was what you told me when we met.”
She huffed a breath, but before she could explain, the waitress came up. We gave her our orders, and when she walked away, Ruby looked thoughtful.
“Callum and I started dating a year and a half ago, and I was always waiting for the other shoe to drop, so to speak. He was a hockey player, and girls always wanted him. His reputation before we started dating was against him too, so like some self-fulfilling prophecy, he cheated on me.” She closed her eyes and rubbed her temples. When she opened her eyes, she looked resigned. “The circumstances were sketchy at best. The girl he slept with was trying really hard to get him in bed, and I wouldn’t be surprised if she roofied him, but there was no proof, and sex between drunk college kids is always looked at as just like that. We tried to move past it and work on our relationship, but with him leaving at the end of this year to do his professional career, I am starting to get a little worried.” She looked at me with a sort of pleading expression. Like she didn’t want me to think she was being irrational.
I put one hand on top of her folded ones and shook my head. “I completely understand that. I’m trying not to show it, but I’m freaking out a little that Noah will be gone next year, and there is so much out there besides college. I don’t want to feel like . . . ” I couldn’t even say it. Because saying it made it real, and I couldn’t cope with that feeling.
“Like you’re holding him back,” she said in a small voice, just above a whisper.
I huffed a short laugh, void of humor. “Exactly. Like I’ll be a liability and to blame if he is off his game or not focused.”
“I wish we had met at the beginning of the school year.”
“Noah and I are a new thing, so maybe I wouldn’t really have understood how you feel if we’d met then. But I am glad we know each other now. No one really understands this life until they go through it. I’ve known Noah since I was fourteen, but I never really understood what dating someone like him would be like,” I told her. I wondered if she knew how we were connected. Not everyone did, but I didn’t know if Callum told her.
“Is it weird? Being stepsiblings?”
Well, that was my answer.
“I certainly don’t judge, Jade. I just wonder if it was awkward at first.”
“No,” I said, shrugging. “Noah and I were never close growing up nor did we really spend time together.” I didn’t tell her about the times he would comfort me after my nightmares. Those moments were intimate to me, and I didn’t want to share them with anyone else.
She nodded, getting what I was trying to say. We fell into thoughtful silence until the waitress brought our food. I took a big bite of my French toast and groaned.
“Right?” she said, confirming she’d been spot-on about the food.
“That is really good. I know it’s just French toast, but I have had people screw it up.” I chuckled.
Ruby laughed, a bright smile breaking out across her face. “Did Callum try to make breakfast again?”
I swallowed the bite in my mouth and nodded. “I took over preparing dinner for them since they are rushed before practice, so they have a schedule of who makes breakfast. I showed him the right way to make French toast after that because it was not good. Either too much egg or not enough,” I explained, both of us chuckling.
We continued to converse back and forth while eating breakfast. Ruby came over to my side of the booth and snapped a selfie. After that, we both paid our bill, put a tip on the table, and then headed back to her car so that we could continue on to Michigan. I already somehow felt lighter, leaving Chicago behind me for now.