58. Dani
“Thank you guys for coming. I’m sorry I was kind of a bitch on the phone.”
“You don’t need to apologize. Any person would’ve reacted like that if they were in the same situation,” Xander says to me.
Dubbing Xander as the voice of reason, I can see why Noah is best friends with him. Xander brings you back to earth when it feels like you’re looking down at it.
Grayson piggybacks off Xander. “He’s right. And there’s nothing we wouldn’t do for Noah. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for him. I’ve known the guy since we were kids. He’s been there for me through the good, the bad, and the ugly.”
“I know. And I know he’s very grateful for both of you even if he might not say it enough,” I say.
Grayson makes eye contact with me. “Since it appears the two of you are a package deal now, don’t ever hesitate to reach out if you ever need anything. Seriously, I mean it. And I’m sorry for acting like an asshole to you. I’ve been trying to convince Noah that he’s been in love with you for years. Took him fucking long enough to realize it. Don’t tell him I told you this, but he was freaking out about how he should tell you how he feels about you.”
“We thought he was going to have a heart attack,” Xander chimes in.
“I’ve never seen him like this,” Grayson says.
My lips twitch. “Seen him like what?”
“Noah’s fucking crazy about you. He’d literally murder someone for you if he knew someone was trying to hurt you. He’d go to the ends of the earth to find you if he lost you. By the way, I know why you call him Heart Eyes. When you’re around him, his pupils transform into little hearts like they do in cartoons.” Grayson pauses to catch his breath. “He deserves to be with someone like you. Someone who will protect him and his heart. I hate being sappy and shit like this, but you two belong together.”
Wow, that was beautiful.
I’ve never heard Grayson get all sentimental like this before and I’ve known the guy for a long time.
We were never really close because Noah and I couldn’t stand to be around each other.
For some reason, I’ve always known he’s a good guy. He is a good guy. Noah’s lucky to have Grayson and Xander in his life. He needs them.
“Okay, I lost Noah. I can’t lose you too. Who the hell is this person, Gray?” Xander asks.
Grayson rolls his eyes. “You’re so fucking dramatic.”
Xander sticks his middle fingers up, waving them in Grayson’s face.
They walk towards the truck with me following them.
The guys get into the truck, slamming the doors shut and buckling their seat belts.
I walk around the driver’s side, and knock on the window.
Grayson rolls down the window.
I look at both of them. “I’m going to do everything in my power to protect him, you know.”
“I know you will.” Grayson pauses. “Give me your phone, so I can put my number in it. Xander’s too so you don’t have to contact us through Noah’s phone.”
Giving Grayson my phone, he inputs his and Xander’s numbers into my phone and hands it back to me. “Now, you can contact us yourself. Whenever you need us, we’ll be there.”
“Thank you,” I say.
Xander peers his head at me. “I just want to say Noah’s lucky to have someone like you in his life. He’s not the only one who’d save you from a murderer. I know you’d save him if he was in the same situation. I mean you’ve hated the guy for years, but you came anyway because you knew he’d need someone to console and take care of him. It’s admirable. Don’t you ever let anybody tell you you’re less than because Dani…you’re pretty fucking awesome.”
Closing my eyes, I absorb everything Xander just said to me.
God, this guy is pure sunshine.
I smile, placing the palm of my hand over my heart to show him his words meant the world to me without verbally saying anything.
I wave goodbye to the guys as they drive off, walking back over to Noah who is sitting in the driver’s seat. “I’m driving,” he says, oozing confidence.
“Over my dead body.” I look around the car, coming to the realization I haven’t eaten any fries yet.
Stupid thought to have right now, but I’m still hungry.
“Wait a minute, did you eat all the fries?”
“How dare you accuse me of such a thing?” He looks deep into my eyes, smirking at me.
God, that fucking smirk is going to be my cause of death.
He reaches over to the passenger seat, opens the styrofoam box, and shows one to me. “You mean these fries?”
I plant my ass in his lap while he continues to tease me with the fry, pulling it farther away from me. “Give it to me.”
“We really need to teach you a thing or two about manners, Solomon.” His tone is playful, but I’m not in the mood to play this game.
Rolling my eyes and wiggling my nose out of anger, I look everywhere else, but at him.
“Open your mouth,” he commands. He inserts the fry into my mouth, allowing me to bite off half of it as he shoves the other half down his throat. “Sharing is caring.”
“You’re such an asshole.”
“Yeah, but I’m your asshole.”
We’re both staring at each other’s lips, anticipating who’s going to kiss who first.
I decide to go in for the kill, planting my lips hard on his.
He’s losing the ability to breathe properly. “Dani, we…n-need to g-go,” he stutters, moaning while I pepper kisses all over the nape of his neck.
“Fine, have it your way.” I kiss him on the cheek before I get off his lap, climbing into the passenger side of the car.
His eyes are melting me down to pure liquid. “Consider this as unfinished business. I’m not done with you.”
Yeah, obviously. You were hard the second I started kissing your neck.
Heat is pooling in between my thighs.
No, it has to be sweat.
It does feel like one hundred degrees out here with the mix of the blazing sun and intense humidity.
“Let’s go rescue your sister,” I say.
He presses the button to turn on the engine, switching the gear into drive. Resting my hand on the console, he flips my hand over so he can thread his fingers into mine.
His thumb is rubbing gentle vertical motions on my thumb.
I shift my head towards the window so he doesn’t see how red my cheeks are and allows me to smile without him knowing.
It’s a fifteen minute drive to Sunset Cove Hospital from the house.
We spend the entire drive belting out songs by Gracie Abrams, The Cure, and Arctic Monkeys.
We’re both horrible singers, but it doesn’t matter. Singing with Noah is freeing, especially when his ocean eyes meet my brown eyes for a brief moment when we’re at a traffic light that’s located right across from the hospital.
The light turns green and Noah turns left, making a right into the hospital’s main parking lot.
Seriously, I feel like I live here.
After driving around the parking lot closest to the entrance for several minutes, we find a spot.
Noah pushes in the engine start/stop button, moving the gear shift into park.
Removing the elastic holding together my braid, I comb through the loose waves with my fingers.
“Hey, you’re ruining my masterpiece.” He frowns.
“Sorry, I’m starting to get a headache and it’s hot outside.”
“It’s hot in here too,” he says as he raises his eyebrows.
I wet my lips, giggling like a schoolgirl. “Did I really ruin your masterpiece?”
His eyes trail down to my waist and back up to my face, causing my lips to twitch. He leans into me and runs his fingers through a loose tendril of my hair. “If I’m being honest, you’re my masterpiece.”
My nose scrunches, lips curving up into a dorky smile.
Did Noah hold my hand up until this moment? Yes, he held my hand the entire time. I love the way his hand fits in mine like it was made just for me.
He makes his way to my side, opening the door for me and sticking out his hand, so I can hold it again. “Let’s go rescue Rapunzel from her tower, shall we?”
“We shall.”
Once we breeze our way through security, we run to the elevator.
When the elevator doors open, he presses the button with the number four on it.
As the doors close, I gather my hair at the back of my head and secure it into a low ponytail.
His gaze is setting me ablaze.
“What?” My face scrunches before my lips shift to the side of my mouth.
Strutting over to me, he pins me against the wall. His lips make a crash-landing on mine, one hand cupping my face as the other wraps around my waist.
Ding. Level 2.
His mouth makes its way to my neck, gently tugging on my skin.
This cannot be happening right now. He’s trying to freaking kill me.
Ding. Level 3.
“Noah,” I groan through a faint breath.
His lips are soft and cushiony like a great quality pillow you’d get at a fancy resort.
Ding. Level 4.
He pulls his lips off mine and walks out of the elevator.
I stop to collect myself.
That was one of the best kisses I’ve ever had in my entire life. That says a lot because pretty much every kiss I’ve had with him has been life-changing.
Goosebumps cover the outer layer of my skin, visible for everybody to see.
He looks behind, noticing that I’m not following him. “You alright?”
“Uh-huh. I just…um…I need a moment,” I say before letting out a smooth exhale.
A big smile appears on his face. “Took your breath away, didn’t I?”
“You could say something like that.”
“Just wait until tonight, Sweet Peach.” He winks an eye, a smirk clutching onto the corners of his lips.
My eyelids rapidly blink. Brain attempting to process what I just heard come out of his mouth. God, his mouth. It’s trouble in all caps.
My cheeks are overheating. They’re most likely bright red.
“Your flushed cheeks aren’t going to go away if you keep rubbing them. That’s only going to make it worse.”
“Oh, shut up.”
“If you keep telling me to shut up all the time, you’re going to have to make me. Every. Single. Time.”
I exhale, rolling my eyes. “Let’s go, Heart Eyes.”
Walking over to Lizzie’s room, Noah’s speed-walking to catch up to me. When he does, we see his mom and my mom standing in the doorway.
“Hi, Mom,” he says to Laura.
“We were beginning to think you guys weren’t coming. Are you okay, Noah Bear? Lizzie told me what happened.”
He goes in for a hug before coming back to stand next to me.
“I’m fine because I had my little helper with me.” His hand hardcore squeezes my ass, making me jump.
“Everything okay, sweetheart?” Mom asks me.
I give him a death stare and turn my head back around to meet Mom’s gaze.
“Just peachy.” I give Mom and Laura a fake smile and thumbs up.
Our moms walk into Lizzie’s room.
“Are you guys coming?” Laura looks at both of us, waiting for an answer.
I nod. “Yeah, just give us a minute.”
He’s in so much trouble.