Noah
I wake up and glance at the clock, feeling like I’ve been left hanging at blue balls o’clock without a word from Liz.
What was up with her just bouncing like that?
All night, I couldn’t shake thoughts of her—the way her fingers danced through my hair, the sweet cherry-mint taste of her lips.
Fuck! It felt like my hands were made to fit perfectly around her hips, like they were destined to be mine.
Look at me, acting like a lovesick fool. Seriously, get it together.
I finally peel myself off my little nest of despair when my phone starts ringing. My heart skips a beat, thinking it’s Liz finally reaching out. I scramble to answer, trying to play it cool.
“Hello?”
I say, dropping my voice to a deeper tone, hoping to sound more suave than usual.
“What the hell is up with your voice?”
comes Liam’s voice, and I groan, realizing its him.
“What do you want?”
I manage, clearing my throat, feeling like a total idiot. Just my luck.
“Ahh, what happened to that deep voice of yours? Wait, were you waiting for someone to call?”
I roll my eyes, exasperated.
“What do you need, Liam?” I ask again, teeth clenched.
“Aha, anyway, get dressed, Adonis and I are at the café, come meet us.”
He hangs up, and I toss my phone aside, grumbling as I get dressed. Seriously, he’s so needy; you’d think we were married or something.
════ ?★? ════
“Noah, over here!”
I strolled in and spotted the guys huddled around a table.
“Adonis, you’d think you’d tire of this place after all this time.”
He flashed a grin and handed me the menu.
“Oh man, I wonder what I’ll choose today?”
Ever since he and Lilly had their first date here, this has become our go-to spot. Honestly, I’m completely over it.
“Hey there, darlins, what can I get for you?”
I glanced up and caught her name tag.
“Well, Joan, I’d like the lunch special, but could I swap the beans for coleslaw?”
She smiled and nodded, and I waited while the others finished placing their orders. As she walked away, Liam piped up.
“So, how’d the mission go last night?”
I nearly choked on my Dr. Pepper and shot a glance at Adonis, who was suddenly fascinated by the wall.
“It went fine,”
I replied, keeping it brief. I knew Liam well enough to expect a barrage of questions.
“Just fine, huh? I heard Liz was, oh, what’s the word… flustered. She never gets flustered on missions, so I’m curious what could’ve flustered her.”
My throat went dry, and I took another sip of my drink.
“She was, uh, flustered?”
I asked, trying not to sound too eager, but judging by the smirks exchanged between Liam and Adonis, I’d clearly failed.
“Oh yeah. She was super flustered. You should’ve heard her,”
Adonis said, and I couldn’t help but grin. That only fueled their excitement.
“So, something did happen! I knew it!”
Adonis exclaimed, and I blinked in surprise. They were both looking at me like eager puppies.
“Alright, let’s not act like a couple of giddy schoolgirls here, okay?”
I glanced around to make sure no one was eavesdropping.
“Yeah, something did happen. After the mission, we were walking back to the cars, and I noticed she was in some kind of trance. I tried calling her name, but she didn’t respond.
I got worried, so I took her face in my hands, and for a moment, she just stood there, looking…
I don’t know, happy maybe? Or at ease? It was hard to tell. ”
I shared, just as our food arrived.
“Okay, and what else?”
Adonis asked, popping a fry into his mouth.
“So, we locked eyes, and then she kissed me, and I’m sure you can fill in the blanks from there.”
I grinned, and for a moment, we looked like a bunch of giggling teenagers talking about crushes. Adonis had changed since he met Lillian, not in a bad way, but now we all felt relaxed around one another. We had definitely grown closer.
“So, why’d she go home alone if everything was going well?”
Adonis asked, his mouth full of chicken-fried steak. I couldn’t help but roll my eyes.
“I can’t tell you, man. One moment we’re kissing, and the next, she pushes me away like I’m contagious.”
I felt utterly defeated. They exchanged glances before Adonis cleared his throat.
“Anyway, enough about your girl problems. We’ve got a new mission.”
Both Liam and I straightened up.
“Noah, you’ll be the one traveling.”
I nodded before I even realized what I was agreeing to. He handed me the file, and when I opened it, I saw where he wanted me to go.
“OH HELL NO.”
I exclaimed a bit louder than I intended.
“Yes, Noah, it’ll be good for you. Going to Arabia will help clear your head.”
“No way, I refuse. I’m not going.”
I shot back, and he sighed. Liam, munching on his fries, wouldn’t even look at me.
“So, you knew about this too, you traitor.”
I shot at Liam, who raised his hands in defense.
“I think it would be good for you.”
We sat in silence for a moment, then we paid for our food and headed out of the café.
“You know, Noah, it’s probably a good thing Liz isn’t really into you.”
I heard Liam say, and a pang hit my chest.
“What? How could you possibly know she isn’t into me?”
I replied, a bit too much bite in my tone.
“All I’m saying is you couldn’t get her to fall for you even if you tried.”
They both laughed.
“Yeah, Noah, honestly, she’s never going to fall for you.”
Adonis chimed in, and I felt my fists clench.
“You don’t think I can make Liz fall for me?”
I challenged, and Adonis and Liam exchanged smirks.
“I mean, personally, I don’t think so. From what Lilly tells me, it’s tough for her to fall for anyone. She’s got some serious family issues, you know.”
I raised an eyebrow. In that moment, a wicked idea sparked in my mind, maybe a little cruel, but hey, only if someone gets hurt, right?
“Alright, here’s the deal. If I can make her fall in love with me within a year, then I don’t have to go to Arabia.”
Adonis and Liam exchanged raised eyebrows.
“Alright, fine. If you can pull that off in a year, then you win. But we’ve got to make sure Lilly or Mare doesn’t find out about this. My wife would kill me if she knew.”
Adonis said, and I grinned. I shook his hand, sealing the bet.