Page 36 of The Kissing Booth
‘Thinking of stopping by the kissing booth?’
He cocked an eyebrow at me, with an obnoxious look on his face. ‘Why are you asking, Shelly?’
‘All the girls, especially the ones working the booth, are asking me to persuade you to stop by. The chance to kiss Noah Flynn is just too exciting a prospect for some.’
He smirked wider. ‘Ah. You’re not asking for yourself then?’
In my dreams.
‘No, definitely not.’
‘Well, I’m not making any promises. You can tell them Imightstop by, though, when they ask again. And knowing me, theywillask again.’
‘You’re so full of yourself,’ I muttered, shaking my head. I paused, looking around for his car. He’d gotten out a set of keys, but I didn’t see it here.
‘Where’s your car?’ I asked, following him.
‘I didn’t bring it today.’
‘So... how’d you get here?’
‘I took my bike.’
I groaned, lagging behind, then stopped entirely, noticing the sleek red and black motorbike he’d created from the piece of junk he’d had sitting in his shed. It looked awesome, don’t get me wrong. But I’ve never been on a motorbike in my life; it scared the hell out of me just to think about it.
And here I was with no option but to get on a two-wheel death trap. With Noah, no less.
‘If I die, it’s all your fault.’
‘You’re not gonna die, Elle. Here. You can even have the helmet.’
‘You only have one helmet? But then, what if—?’
‘I’ll be fine,’ he interrupted me. ‘I haven’t crashed this thing yet.’ He patted the handlebars firmly, as if to show how sturdy the thing was.
‘But what ifyoufall off? What ifyoucrash? You’re supposed to wear the helmet for a reason! Do you have some kind of death wish?’ My voice got more and more hysterical with every syllable. I had my eyes on the bike the whole time. It seemed more monstrous and intimidating by the second.
‘Worried about me, Shelly?’ Noah teased.
My eyes narrowed. He was smirking, his eyes sparkling at me, tossing the helmet gently from hand to hand. I snatched it off him.
‘You don’t have to be scared of the bike,’ he said, patting it like it was a loveable pet dog. ‘It won’t bite.’
‘Maybe not, butyoumight,’ I muttered under my breath. But he heard me, and chuckled. He tucked his bag into the hollow space underneath the seat, and put my bag in after.
I rammed the helmet onto my head, gritting my teeth. I so did not want to have to do this... But I had no choice. I had to get home somehow before I went to join Lee and the guys. Though I’d rather have gone out like this than get on the bike with Noah.
I fumbled with the straps. The helmet was huge and I couldn’t see what I was doing. It smelled kind of citrusy. Like Noah’s pillow had. It was a nice smell.
I jerked my thoughts back to the matter at hand – getting the helmet on so I wouldn’t be so likely to die.
‘Here...’ Noah’s hands brushed over mine and fixed the helmet for me. His fingertips tickled my neck, and for some reason I felt all shaky. Weird... I shook it off, attributing it to dread at having to get on this so-called vehicle.
‘Don’t look so scared.’ He smiled at me – another real, genuine smile that showed his dimple. It made my heart somersault. I loved seeing that smile.
He slid onto the bike and I cautiously slipped on behind him.Thank God I’m not in a skirtwas all I could think.
Noah reached behind him and his hands found mine, pulling my arms around his waist. I stiffened a little, and he told me to ‘Just relax, Elle.’
