CHAPTER 16
NOAH
I rap my knuckles against the closed bedroom door and wait for the familiar grumble before turning the knob.
A smile lifts the corner of my mouth when as if on cue, a sleep ridden, “Go away, Noah,” sounds from inside the room.
“Wakey wakey, babybell,” I singsong, pushing the door open anyway.
This has become sort of a routine for the past two weeks since Bella has been staying with me. I quickly come to learn that Bella is in fact not a morning person and so the best way to approach her is lightly with an immediate offering of food and coffee.
As I step inside the dark bedroom, I hear the telltale rustling of the duvet before a mess of blonde locks appears, her eyes thick with sleep as she lets out a huff.
“I thought I told you to go away?”
Ohh… someone is particularly grumpy this morning.
I pause at the end of the bed, tilting my head. “Oh? So, you don’t want breakfast today then? Okay.” I turn on my heel, ready to leave the room when there’s more rustling.
“Wait,” she says, her voice less harsh this time.
I bite my lip to conceal my smile as I turn back to her. “Yes?”
“What is it?” She asks, sitting up slightly in bed in an attempt to see what’s on the plate.
I decide to fuck with her a little. “Oh, you know. Just some waffles with fruit and syrup. Nothing too exciting. I’ll just go and throw it out.”
I spin on my heel once again, my shoulders shaking with a silent laugh when she yells, “Noah Calloway, bring those waffles here right now.”
I look at her over my shoulder. “But I thought you wanted me to go away?”
Bella rolls her eyes. “You’re a dork. Give me my food.”
Shaking my head and chuckling, I relent, moving to her side of the bed and handing her the plate of food and placing her coffee on the side table.
Taking my usual seat in the corner of the room, I watch as she loads her fork with a piece of everything on the plate.
Resting my ankle on my knee, I wait until she’s halfway through the food before speaking. “Do you have any plans tonight?”
The fork pauses midair as Bella thinks on her answer. “Umm, no?” Her answer comes out as more of a question.
“There’s a drive-in tonight. Wanna come with me? They’re showing Grease.” I wiggle my eyebrows at her, causing her to laugh.
“You’re going to watch Grease?”
I run a hand through my beard. “Well, if you’ll come with me, yes.”
Bella chews on her mouthful of food thoughtfully and I hold my breath, fully expecting her to reject my invitation.
I wouldn’t blame her if she did. The drive-in will be filled with half the people from this town and I’m sure that the last thing Bella wants right now is to spark rumours by being seen with me.
Another minute passes and she shrugs. “Okay. What time?”
My eyes widen but a smile snakes up my face, excitement bubbling up inside of me. “Movie starts at eight but be ready for seven. We need to get a good spot.”
Bella’s tongue darts out to catch a drop of syrup at the corner of her mouth and I have to physically restrain myself from telling her how beautiful she is like this as she nods. “Seven it is.”
Dipping my chin, I wipe my sweaty palms on my jeans and stand. “I’ll see you tonight, Bells.”
***
At exactly seven o’clock I’m standing in my kitchen, a cold beer in hand and unfamiliar butterflies swarming in my stomach as I wait for Bella to come downstairs for our date.
Taking a long drink from the bottle, I mentally chastise myself.
This is not a date.
It’s just one friend taking another friend to a movie after a tough few weeks.
Bella has handled her break up with Justin surprisingly well. When she started staying with me, I was prepared for the anger, betrayal and tears that would inevitably follow. But other than that first night and the day that followed, none of that has happened.
I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t happy about that. That prick doesn’t deserve a single one of her tears.
A floorboard creeks above me and I shake off the thoughts of Justin before they get the chance to ruin my mood entirely and lean back against the island, crossing my legs at the ankles.
The click-clack of sandal covered feet hitting the stairs lets me know that Bella is making her way down and I quickly glance down at my white button down and jeans, only now beginning to wonder if I’ve overdressed.
I’ve never been to a drive-in with a girl before so I’m not sure what the right attire is, but when I look up to see Bella reaching the bottom of the stairs, all of the panic and overthinking rushes from me in a long exhale.
Holy fucking shit, she’s breathtaking.
Apart from the small amount of mascara that darkens the lashes framing her piercing grey eyes, her face is free of makeup.
Her long, wavy blonde hair is held back with a bow and falls down her back.
She’s dressed in a pink, oversized shirt that is tucked into a pair of light denim shorts on one side.
My eyes track the length of her tanned legs, landing on her matching pink flip-flops and Jesus, even her fucking toe-nails match.
I stand up straight, licking my dry lips. “You look beautiful, Bells.”
Understatement of the fucking century.
A pretty pink blush creeps into her cheeks and she smiles. “Thank you. So do you.”
I chuckle and she stutters. “I-I mean you look… nice.”
Placing a hand on my chest, I feign wounded. “Only nice?”
Bella rolls her eyes, moving toward me and taking the beer out of my hand. “Shut up. You know what I mean,” she says before taking a swig from the bottle.
My eyes zone in on her lips as they touch the rim mine had touched only moments ago and I swallow hard as my mind races back to the night we shared the bottle of my dad’s whiskey in my bedroom.
Suddenly I’m eighteen again and realising that I’m obsessed with my best friend’s little sister.
Only this version of her is different.
She’s older. Sexier. And a whole lot more confident.
Running a hand over the back of my neck, I look down at Bella and clear my throat. “Did you, uh, want one?” I point at the beer.
She shakes her head, using her finger to wipe a droplet that escapes the corner of her mouth. Her tongue darts out to lick it off the digit as she responds, “This one is fine.”
My God, I’m going to die.
It’s a completely innocent move but for some reason, with her standing this close and looking at me the way she is, it feels downright erotic.
I open my mouth to speak, but nothing comes out and I just stand there staring at her, watching as she finishes my drink and places it back on the counter, utterly clueless to the effect she’s currently having on me.
“Ready?” She asks, snapping me out of the delirious trance I had fallen under.
Clearing my throat a second time, I nod. “Yeah.”