Page 166 of After All This Time

“If you’re calling to torture me by talking about Dani again, you can just forget it. I’m tired of this shit, Noah.”

“Grayson, shut up. It’s me.”

Noah violently shakes his head. “No,” he mouths to me and crosses his arms into the shape of an X.

“Dani? Why the hell are you calling me on Noah’s phone?” Grayson asks, confusion flowing throughout his tone.

“Is Xander with you?”

“Yeah, why?”

“I need you guys to pick up some food. I literally don’t care what it is.”

“Hey Dani, what’s going on?” Xander’s sweet voice is soothing my anxiety.

“Noah’s crashing. We haven’t eaten in hours. Lizzie texted him and said she was ready to be taken home. But, h-he can’t drive like this. I know we’re going to a hospital but I-I’m freaking out. I-I don’t know what to do.”

I hear Grayson’s voice now. It’s deeper than Xander’s. “We’re on our way. Hang in there buddy.”

“Yeah, whatever dickhead,” Noah shouts in my direction.

“Love you too, bro!” Grayson yells.

“Thank you,” I say.

“Anything for you, Dani.”

I roll my eyes. “You guys really are a bunch of idiots.”

Noah nods his head up and down, closing his eyes and grinning at me.

“Idiots who are saving your ass,” Grayson says.

“Do you know when you shouldn’t say shit like that?” Xander asks Grayson.

“Can you two try to not beat the shit out of each other for like an hour? There’s literally no time for this. Please go!”

I hang up the phone and Noah’s giving me the side-eye.

“You know, even if I called Xander, Grayson still would’ve come. Just saying. He’s going to have to get used to me being around. A lot more than he’s used to.”

“Fuck yeah, he is.” He tilts his head, smiling at me and making my body feel like it’s on fire.

Pursing my lips out, I let out a giggle that quickly turned into a laugh.

Every time I laugh, Noah stares at me. It doesn’t make me uncomfortable. His eyes become full of curiosity and admiration. It makes me disintegrate.

“You’re doing what you told me not to do to you back at the house. Quit it!”

“It’s hard not to look away from you when you laugh like that. There’s this invisible string that pulls me towards you and I can’t stop it. I don’t want to stop it.”

“I can’t handle romantic shit like this right now because I might spontaneously combust in this car.” A lump travels its way down my throat. “You’re distracting me from freaking out.”

“Really? I had no idea.”

My legs are shaking up and down.

Patience is soon to become non-existent. I lean over to him, feeling his forehead. It’s warm, but nothing to be alarmed about.

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