Chapter 17
Toddy’s Burgers was teeming with Weybridge students.
Somehow, Cress had managed to work her magic and find us a booth so we could sit and eat, which was lucky, because it was messy work.
I probably had sauce on my face, but I couldn’t have cared less because Anna wasn’t kidding.
The burgers at Toddy’s were unbelievably good.
I had completely tuned out from the surrounding restaurant the moment I’d taken the first bite of my burger because food like that deserved nothing less than my undivided attention. When I got down to the last few mouthfuls, I almost wanted to cry. How could my burger bliss almost be over?
“Geez, newbie, you’re making me wish I was that burger …”
I glanced up at Luther who was standing at the edge of our booth watching me.
My eyes didn’t stay on him for more than an instant.
I looked right past him to Noah, who was at his side.
My stomach dipped as he fixated on my mouth.
I quickly grabbed a napkin to wipe my lips in case there was any burger sauce splashed across them.
I tried to look unfazed as I turned to Luther. “Don’t you know that you should never interrupt a girl when she’s eating a burger?”
“But in my head, I am the burger,” he replied.
A flicker of surprise flashed in Noah’s eyes, but I knew Luther was only joking. There was no way I was letting him get away with it though.
I lifted one eyebrow at him. “If you were the burger, there’s no way I would be enjoying it this much.”
Anna burst out laughing. “Burn, Luther.”
He didn’t look the least bit bothered as he slid into the booth beside her. “If I can’t be Isobel’s burger, perhaps I can be yours. What do you think, London, want to take a bite of me?”
She rolled her eyes at him, but a smile still played on her lips as she turned back to her conversation with Cress.
There was definitely something between them.
Luther’s expression had seemed just a little bit more sincere, even a little hopeful, when he’d joked with her compared to me.
Anna didn’t seem nearly as put off by him as she made out either.
“The burgers here are really good.” Noah sat down next to me, and my mouth went dry at the total lack of distance between us in the tight booth seat.
He certainly hadn’t been this close when we’d sat together in the courtyard the other night, and it set my nerves on edge to have his leg brushing against mine.
He smelled of fresh shower gel, and his hair was still damp, making him look like some god of the sea who’d just emerged from the turbulent waves and made his way onto the shore.
He was looking at me expectantly, and I realized he was waiting for a response. What the hell had he even said? As his gaze flicked down to the burger in my hand, I remembered. The food. Right. Duh.
“It’s got to be the best I’ve ever had,” I agreed with an envious look at the remainder of my food. I was still upset my last few bites had been rudely interrupted, and the remains of my burger looked so tantalizing as it waited for me to finish it off.
Noah let out a small chuckle. “Don’t let me keep you from it.”
It took me a moment to process the lightness in Noah’s voice and how he was struggling not to smile.
The expression seemed so natural, and yet it was completely at odds with the air of indifference he radiated when he roamed the school halls.
I definitely saw none of the cold and calculating soccer player who’d decimated his opposition on the field tonight.
It would have been easier to sit beside Weybridge’s arrogant leader—the one I’d first encountered in the woods and saw at school every day surrounded by walls so thick even Superman couldn’t see through them.
I knew what to expect from that Noah. This Noah’s motives were a mystery, and I couldn’t tell if the friendly routine was simply an act.
“Seriously, eat,” Noah insisted.
I shot him a scowl but focused on my food all the same.
Noah was hardly interested in me, so what did it matter if I inhaled the rest of my burger like I so desperately wanted.
I couldn’t quite bring myself to eat with the same gusto as before, and I was slightly more delicate about the whole process.
I really didn’t want to end up with sauce on my face again.
I glanced up at Noah when I finished and found him watching me closely.
His eyes seemed bright with amusement, and while he wasn’t exactly smiling, the corners of his lips were lifted like they were fighting gravity to curve upward.
My cheeks flushed, and I quickly searched for something to say because I didn’t know what to make of Noah when he looked at me that way.
“So, do you guys come here after every game?” I asked.
“Just when we win.”
“Oh.” It was hard not to be disappointed. I could have really got on board with a regular visit to Toddy’s. “So, it’s not every week then …”
Noah shook his head before leaning in slightly closer. “Of course, it is. We always win.”
My tummy fluttered in response, and I seriously hoped it was at the thought of more burgers rather than Noah’s proximity. “Well, I think you’ve just found your new number-one fan. I will be cheering the loudest at every game.”
His alluring half smile seemed tempted to break out on his lips. “So, all it takes for your undying loyalty to the team is a burger?”
“That or good pecan pie. It’s my favorite.”
“Pecan pie?”
“Yeah, my mom’s, more specifically. It’s the one thing she bakes at the café and people come from miles around to grab a slice.” As soon as the words were out of my mouth, I realized I’d said too much. I hadn’t told anyone my mom owned a café, and I hoped Noah had missed my comment.
“Sounds nice,” he said. “So, your mom’s a chef?”
“Uh, yeah, sort of,” I stumbled over the words as I thought about how to explain. “She’s a restaurant owner. Do you have a favorite food?” I asked, quickly trying to move past my slipup.
“Pancakes.”
I breathed a sigh of relief as we steered away from the subject of my mom. “Really?” I laughed.
“Yep. I will do just about anything for a stack of fluffy pancakes. They’re my greatest weakness in life.”
“Huh, who would have thought that all it would take to bring Noah Hastings to his knees was some pancakes?”
“Only the fluffy ones.” He smiled.
Noah always appeared so intimidating and distant, but talking to him was far easier than I had ever imagined.
I had no idea why he was talking to me when a whole room of people was vying for his attention.
They all seemed to be hovering, waiting for the right moment to approach him.
I imagined they wanted to celebrate the team’s win with their star player, and I could constantly feel eyes on us as everyone waited for the perfect moment to steal his attention.
Levi had a similar effect on the people in Rapid Bay after a football game, but he preferred to soak up the adoration as much as possible.
Noah didn’t seem to give it a second thought, and he hadn’t taken his eyes off me since the moment he sat down.
It was almost enough to convince me he might actually be interested in me.
But I knew there was no way that was possible.
I was just the shiny new student, and everyone, including Noah, would be bored of me soon enough.
“Well done on the win tonight,” I said, realizing I hadn’t congratulated him yet. “You played really well.”
“Thanks.”
“You looked pretty intense out there. I wouldn’t have wanted to be a Langley player coming up against you.”
He looked slightly uncomfortable as he rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah, I can sometimes get a bit lost in the moment. Soccer’s my outlet.”
“Outlet for what?”
He shrugged, and his gaze detached from mine for a rare moment, a slightly distant look entering his eyes. “It just lets me stop thinking for a while.”
I couldn’t imagine what he needed to avoid thinking about, but I wished he’d tell me more. I felt an intense urge to dig deeper, to see if there was anything he wanted to talk about, but quickly stopped myself. I was the last person Noah would want to confide in if he needed to.
“I should go find Kaden,” he said, breaking my train of thought. “I’ll see you at school, Crash.”
He left without another word, and Luther quickly moved to follow him. I was surprised by Noah’s abrupt departure and had to wonder if I’d said something wrong.
I continued watching him as Noah was swarmed by a group of people.
They couldn’t wait to slap him on the back or shake his hand to congratulate him.
I had been right. Almost everyone in the room was waiting for the perfect moment to swoop down on him.
He was like a lone french fry amid a squabble of seagulls who were constantly tugging him one way and then another. I didn’t envy him one bit.
My stomach tensed when Veronica appeared at his side.
Apparently, their argument at Luther’s party hadn’t deterred her because she was running a hand down his arm and smiling up at him.
Something about her smile was a little too forced, and her eyes glowed with a strange combination of pride and jealousy.
It was like she both loved and loathed the attention Noah received.
Noah didn’t seem to notice, and he barely even looked her way, but seeing them together still left me feeling a little uneasy.
I wondered if the feeling was jealousy, but I quickly dismissed the thought. I’d only just met the guy, and I certainly didn’t want Noah that way. It was far more likely I was just having a negative reaction to seeing Veronica after she’d been rude to me in English.