Chapter 27
Alex
‘N oaaaa,’ Alex warned, dragging out her name for emphasis. ‘I am not playing around right now. You are not getting on a moped on your own. I’ve been a reasonable man, but even I have my limits. I am putting my foot down. Over my dead body…’
Before he could even finish, he was forced to jump out of the road and press his back to the café wall.
The five bikes that had threatened to either knock him on his ass or flatten him like a pancake just carried on their journey like nothing out of the ordinary had happened.
Meanwhile, he tried to calm his racing pulse as Noa smirked into her fist, probably at the irony of it.
Or because the little troublemaker enjoyed seeing him all flustered.
Hanoi was like a whole other planet. In his entire life, Alex had never been anywhere quite like it.
He’d never been a city boy, preferring the small-town life, but he’d always thought London was busy.
This place was next level and never stopped.
The noise was constant, car and scooter horns being the main source.
He wasn’t even sure where all the people came from. He’d never been to a place so hectic.
Since the moment they arrived, he’d been on high alert, constantly needing to have a hand on Noa, scared that one of them was about to be taken out by the insane number of vehicles that flew through the streets with no particular rules of the road whatsoever.
Noa, however, had taken to it like a natural.
He was surprised but, then again, she and Lola had been practically joined at the hip, so maybe she was rubbing off on her.
Noa would walk out into the road like a local, shoulders held high, demanding that people stop for her.
His stomach almost bottomed out every single time, and Alex couldn’t wait to get her out of there safely and in one piece.
Today was their last day in Vietnam, and the reckless girl in front of him wanted to rent a moped as a means to travel around the city and see the sights.
She must have bumped her head if she thought he was about to allow that.
She’d tried saying that she’d added it to her ‘30 before 30’ list to justify the act of lunacy, but there was absolutely no way in hell he was allowing it.
If she wanted to go on a moped, he would take her so that he could keep her safe. All she needed to do was ask.
‘No,’ he stated, after he’d righted himself from his near miss with the other side .
His voice was firm and steady, leaving no room for her to question him. But that stubborn streak reared its head, meaning she would try anyway.
‘I’m sorry? When was it that you think that I asked for your permission?’ she argued with a serious face that would be so cute if she wasn’t currently trying to put herself in danger.
‘Noa,’ he warned.
‘Alex.’
She was absent-mindedly testing the stability of the moped as she sat on it, like he wasn’t standing there warning her otherwise. Testing his patience, too.
He was already irritated by the humidity that hung in the air and the inconvenience it caused.
The monsoon they’d been caught in during their time in Hoi An had drenched their clothes, and drying anything here felt like trying to start a fire with ice.
His jean shorts now felt rough on his skin and his T-shirt clung to him in an uncomfortable way that had his fuse already pulled short.
So, Noa trying to take risks today? Not happening.
The excitement on her face was adorable, but he ignored how her smile made his stomach flip, putting her safety at the forefront of his mind. He loved seeing the carefree, spontaneous Noa, but this was just reckless.
‘Those things are a death-trap, and don’t even get me started on the roads,’ he stated, waving in the direction of the chaotic side streets outside the café entrance that they were currently blocking.
They happened to rent out mopeds at this particular café and, God, was he wishing now that they had stopped somewhere else for breakfast. In the space of five minutes, he’d ordered and been to the toilet only to come out to find her straddling this death-on-wheels outside .
‘Honestly, you call me the dramatic one, but you are being such a baby about this,’ she pouted.
The action sent a warning bolt of electricity through his body. No, he couldn’t think about what it would be like to pull that plump lip in between his teeth. Now was not the time. He quickly rid himself of his inappropriate thoughts to deal with the current task at hand.
‘I don’t care what you want to call me. As I said, over my dead body are you getting on one of those things on your own. I will not be peeling you off the road, Noa. I don’t plan on having to call your brother to tell him I failed to do the one thing I promised him I would. Be smarter.’
Questioning her intelligence seemed to rattle her for a second, but then he saw the mischievous glint in her eyes return and he knew he wasn’t going to like whatever was coming.
It was almost as if she liked torturing him and seeing how far she could push him, like she was trying to make it as hard as possible to keep her safe.
It was infuriating. And the grin on her face said she knew it.
He wanted to bend her over his knee and smack that perfect ass of hers, punish her for arguing with him and driving him crazy like this.
He wanted to show her who was really the boss. He wanted to, but he wouldn’t.
‘Fine,’ she said, shrugging her shoulders casually.
Fine? She couldn’t be giving in that easily, could she? He felt uneasy at her calm tone now, like he was walking into a trap, but he just couldn’t see it yet.
‘Fine?’
‘Yes, fine. I’m not unreasonable .’
He sighed, relief flooding him for a moment but, before he knew what was happening, Noa was waving someone in their direction from over his shoulder.
As Marcus appeared, she whispered in his ear, then he hopped on the back of the moped, wrapping his arms around her tightly.
Alex stepped forward, his fists balled at his sides, ready to rip him from the moped.
But then, Noa looked at him with defiance in those eyes and said, ‘Like you said, I shouldn’t go on my own. So, I won’t.’
And, with that, she sped off into the busy streets, with Marcus grinning like all his Christmases had come at once.
He looked like the cat that got the cream and, as they drove away, the bastard shot Alex a wink over his shoulder.
A fucking wink that had the hairs rising on his arms as he pictured all the ways he wanted to make him regret it.
Watching Noa leave, her hair dancing in the wind behind her, Alex felt a familiar sting in his chest. He stood there, alone, watching her disappear into the crowded street, leaving him behind like she always was.
He was unable to control the rage and fear overpowering him and, unlike Marcus, Noa didn’t look back.
S houlders slumped and feeling heavy, Alex walked through the hostel, praying to make it back to his room without having to socialise with anyone.
He wasn’t company worth keeping in that moment, and he needed to go and pull himself together.
He needed to figure out his next move, because it was becoming more and more clear that, with Noa, he was only seeing what he wanted to see.
That, maybe, he’d imagined the chemistry that seemed to pulse like a constant undercurrent between them. That, in all of this, he’d been the hopeless one, pining for the girl who would never see him as more. And nothing had ever changed .
Coming here had been a mistake. Once Noa and Marcus left, Alex spent hours aimlessly wandering the streets, thinking about nothing else.
After all, she’d said it before. She was a grown woman that didn’t need his protection, so what had he hoped to achieve?
Time and time again her actions had made her disinterest clear. Maybe it was finally time to listen.
But why did that feel so wrong?
As he walked past the pool tables that took up the social area of the hostel lobby, familiar voices carried in his direction with a familiar name on their lips.
‘He’s finally gone and done it, you know. Noa was clearly gagging for it when he got on the back of that bike. It looks like his plan’s coming together,’ came from a guy Alex had seen hanging around Marcus, but he hadn’t learnt his name.
Slowing his pace, he kept his eyes low, not wanting to give his presence away. He knew they were talking about Noa, and the direction the conversation was heading made his skin hot, but he needed to hear more.
‘Oh, come on, there’s still time to fuck it up yet,’ was someone’s retort.
‘It’s a watertight plan. Marcus said once they come back, he’ll take her out for some drinks. She loosened up after some rum last time, remember?’ the first dickhead sniggered.
‘Remember? It’s all he’s droned on about. That and how quickly he’d be able to get her on her knees.’
‘Yeah, I think he’s hoping his charm will have worn her down enough that, after a few cocktails, tonight will be his lucky night.’
The asshole’s casual tone had Alex balling his fists and wanting to teach him a lesson, but he also wanted to listen to anything that could help him keep Noa safe. So, instead, he just bit the inside of his cheek to stop himself from erupting and quietly listened to their conversation.
‘That’s fucked. But also, I don’t buy it. She couldn’t be less interested. He just needs to give it up… It’s not like there isn’t plenty more actually available women around here.’
‘And less dangerous ones at that. If Alex finds out, Marcus may as well get a flight back home. I wouldn’t like to be on the receiving end of that when it blows up.’
And wasn’t that the truth.
Having heard enough, Alex stormed out of the lobby toward his room.
Once he got inside, he didn’t even bother to close the door before he began pacing.
Fuck .
Should he go looking for her? The dipshits downstairs seemed to think they’d be coming back, but was that a risk he was willing to take?
The thought of anyone taking advantage of a woman like that, let alone Noa, made him feel sick.
He had to muster all the strength in him to fight the nausea that threatened to fold him over.
If Marcus so much as laid a finger on her…
Just then, Alex’s thoughts were interrupted by the sound of conversation outside his door. It was still ajar, and the sweet sound of Noa’s voice felt like an instant balm for his anxiety.
Christ, was this what she dealt with every day?
He didn’t know how she did it. The past twenty minutes were confirmation that she was the strongest person he knew.
The calm didn’t last long, though, as her voice was followed by one that had his jaw crunching with the strength of his gritted teeth. Marcus’s flirtatious tone grew closer as the next words spilled from his mouth .
‘I just thought, why end it here? Maybe we could go for—’
And just like that, Alex knew he couldn’t hold back.