Chapter 22
Noa
F our white walls with four sets of bunk beds pushing against them welcomed her and Alex to their hostel.
Noa closed the door as they entered and turned to Alex where he stood completely still, just taking it in.
Bags were strewn all over the place and shoes littered the floor, a hazard Noa had come to predict when it came to late night toilet trips.
A travel-sized washing line was tied between two bunks, someone’s once white washing hanging from it.
Lola and the others had all stopped by the expedition stand when they’d arrived, not wanting to miss it before they closed, but Noa wished she wasn’t the only one bearing witness to this.
Alex was almost catatonic next to her, and she rubbed his back, trying to stifle the laugh that wanted to break free from her chest. This had to have been the best idea she’d had yet.
As an almost-distressed whimper slipped free from Alex’s lips, Noa had to dip her head and bite her lip so she didn’t give her satisfaction away.
When they had arrived at the hostel in Ho Chi Minh, Alex agreed to stay in a shared dorm for the first time during their stay, and she could tell the thought pained him. Noa knew that he liked his own space, but he was adamant on proving a point.
‘You know, you really don’t have to do this. You can stay in the comfort of your posh little single if you want,’ she teased.
He shook his head, either at her or, maybe, trying to shake off the image in front of him.
She couldn’t be sure. It wasn’t that he was a snob.
The opposite, actually. But Alex had always been a little bit of a clean freak.
When they were younger, he’d follow her and Ryan into their home and, as they flung off their shoes in all directions, he’d pick them up to line them up along the hallway.
Dorms, she had discovered so far, were loud and chaotic and were only as clean as their messiest occupant.
They sounded like Alex’s worst nightmare.
So, in an effort to bait him, Noa and Marcus had spent their plane journey taking much delight in ribbing him about being a travel snob.
And the second he discovered she would be in a mixed gender dorm, Marcus included, Alex had been quick to want to prove them wrong.
Despite Alex thinking he behaved with stealth, Noa knew that he didn’t like Marcus.
Where testosterone was involved, men were just so obvious sometimes, and Alex was no exception.
The only thing she could assume was that it was fuelled by Marcus’s obvious attraction to her, and the idea that this bothered Alex sent a thrill through her body.
He probably got similar vibes from the guy that she did and wanted to protect her, but either way, she could definitely use it to her advantage. And she had.
It was clear that Marcus was the kind of fuckboy that liked to set himself a challenge and then persist until he’d won the trophy. But it was nice to be desired, even if it was only for one thing. And it was nice to flirt, even if she knew she wouldn’t take it any further.
Marcus was harmless and fun, but Noa wasn’t naive enough to think that a night with him would solve any of her problems and would likely only lead to his entire group of friends hearing about it.
However, every time she batted her eyelashes in flirtation with him, she’d watch Alex’s nostrils flair, and his jaw become locked with tension.
So, she’d made sure to emphasise the fact that her and Marcus would be sharing a dorm.
She took too much pleasure from provoking Alex, and it had led to their current stand-off.
He refused to back down to the challenge, which was why they currently stood on the threshold of an eight-bed mixed dorm room.
To Noa’s delight, Alex gaped at the dingy room in front of them.
Barely a few inches of floor space separated the opposite bunks, and the slither of light that was creeping in from the tiny window in the corner did nothing but highlight how basic it all was.
For her, this was no different to any of her previous nights on her travels, but Alex looked like he was in physical pain .
Noa unsuccessfully tried to hold back a snicker as she watched him try and fail to wipe the horrified look off his face. Alex could be just as stubborn as she was, and she knew he wouldn’t back out now he’d said he could do it. This would be so much fun.
‘What? No. I’m fine. More than fine, actually. It’s great,’ he coughed and muttered something undistinguishable under his breath.
Noa just smiled sweetly at him. She turned before he could notice just how much she was enjoying this and started to lift her very heavy rucksack onto the top bunk, feigning innocence that her master plan to make his life a little more difficult was going perfectly.
Before she could lift her bag above her head, large and sturdy tattooed arms came around either side of her, boxing her in against the bunks.
Alex’s chest was pressed against her back, and she could smell his musky and rich cologne.
He smelt like tobacco and spices, and breathing him in at this proximity almost made her go faint. What on earth is happening?
Maybe it had nothing to do with the giant hunk of a man pressed against her but was, instead, the early morning and lack of sleep that was currently making her weak at the knees.
Yes, that must be it. She needed food and sleep.
Nothing else. Definitely not his hands on her.
Food and sleep. Her body’s reaction could not be trusted until then.
Oblivious to her racing thoughts, Alex placed his hands on top of hers and took the bag from her grip, lifting it with ease onto her bed.
His hands were large, with bulging veins snaking across them and up his muscular forearms. She was starting to rethink the whole not-wanting-them-on-her thing.
It was clear that he could likely inflict all kinds of pain and pleasure with those things, and even just the thought alone made the blood coursing through her veins feel like it had hit the boiling point.
Her entire body felt molten hot, and Noa prayed that Alex couldn’t feel it emanating off her.
She watched out of her periphery as his muscles flexed and rippled against the strain of his white T-shirt and, suddenly, all the heat pooled and settled in her core.
She was quite sure it was visible on her cheeks, making her want to hide from his gaze that was no longer on the bag but fixed on her.
Aiming for anger rather than lust, she turned around to chastise him for the fact that she could, in fact, do it herself.
But that was an error on her part and the words quickly died on her tongue as she scrutinised him.
He was so close and devastatingly gorgeous.
She could feel his breath fan across her face, but he didn’t pull away.
Not at first. He kept his eyes on hers, their chests touching.
Was he holding his breath? But then, his demeanour changed.
As if she had imagined the whole thing, a coldness took over his features and he rushed away from her like he would catch fire just from being in her vicinity.
She ignored the sting that she felt from that.
They were friends, nothing more. He was her brother’s best friend.
She needed to remember that she had not invited him here, and she needed to make sure she reminded him of that, too.
They’d clearly forgotten and had gotten way too close lately.
She would have to be more careful not to get sucked into romanticising things between them again.
That was a road that could lead nowhere good.
The two of them busied themselves in silence for the next hour, brushing past each other in the small confines of the room as they unpacked and got themselves ready for the rest of the day .
After both of them engaged in separate activities for the day, they had made their way back to the dorm. Noa tossed and turned in her bed, only feet from where Alex lay, and she couldn’t stop playing those moments from earlier in her head over and over.