Page 72 of The Kissing Booth
He said it all kind of fast – ever since we were little he’d hated to admit he was in the wrong. Everybody knew it.
But now he’d just admitted he was wrong – and that I was right.
Okay, so it wasn’t something I liked being right about, but... I felt kind of smug. I wondered if Noah always felt like this when he won our little bickering matches.
‘You just admitted I won...’ I couldn’t help the jeering, sing-song tone that crept into my voice.
Noah rolled his eyes. ‘Yes, I did. All right, you had your moment of glory.’
‘I was being serious though,’ I told him. ‘About you, you know... seeming to get off on fighting.’
He sat back, his eyes still level with mine. There was none of the teasing or joking in the air now.
‘I know you were. And I know I am. I can’t help it. Remember that summer when you and Lee went to soccer camp? You were thirteen or something. You came back raving about how nice cheesecake was.’
‘Yeah...?’ Where was he going with this?
Then I thought,He remembered when I went to soccer camp? Ihardly remembered that. It was just a blurry few weeks of fun. I’d forgotten all about the cheesecake thing.
‘Well, that was the summer after I’d started getting into fights at school and shit: my parents sent me to see a couple of counselors. They were trying to help, I know that. But the thing is...’ He sighed a little. ‘They tried, but they failed miserably. I’m a bad boy and always will be. Guess it’s just the way my brain’s wired up.’ He shrugged like he couldn’t care less.
I really liked these rare conversations where I saw the Noah behind the sexy smirk; when he let me see his vulnerable side. I never knew he’d been to see counselors – maybe Lee didn’t even know about it.
‘You’re cute when you look all embarrassed like that,’ I teased, lightening the mood.
‘One, I’m not embarrassed,’ he said, knowing I was joking. ‘And two’ – he bumped his knee against mine – ‘don’t call me cute.’
I laughed now, and he gave me a smile, one that flashed the dimple in his left cheek. My smile started making my cheek hurt, and I groaned, putting a hand to my aching face.
Pulling my hand away, Noah leaned forward and gave me a light kiss there. I felt all fuzzy inside; I guess kissing the boo-boo better doesn’t only work on five-year-olds.
I jolted, though. I shouldn’t be feeling all fuzzy and happy. I was being careful and cautious with my feelings for Noah.
We were probably closer now he’d confided in me like that – but that wasbad. We shouldn’t be getting closer. I couldn’t let myself have feelings for Noah; if I did, when things ended up messy, everything would spiral out of control. Lee would hate me, and I wouldn’t have Noah to fall back on, and I’d be a total mess.
But looking into his eyes, suppressing a giggle as he tenderly kissed my sore cheek, all I could think about was him. How much I liked being with him. How amazing it felt even when he just had his arm around me. How bright and blue his eyes were...
‘Elle—’ he started to say, looking grave, but I’d already started talking.
‘I think I hurt my lips too,’ I told him quietly, pointing at them.
He laughed almost inaudibly, shaking his head at me but leaning in closer—
The door, which hadn’t been closed properly, was pushed open before we could move apart.
‘What’s going on?’
Noah shot to his feet and turned around while I stayed numbly on the edge of the bed.
A whole string of curses I’d never say aloud ran through my mind when I saw Lee standing in the doorway.
‘I said, what’s going on?’ he repeated, his eyes narrowing suspiciously as he looked from me to Noah. Then his eyes flashed back to me and his jaw dropped. ‘Jesus! Shelly, what happened to your face?’
‘Thanks,’ I mumbled sarcastically, but it didn’t have the right amount of enthusiasm to lighten the mood.
Lee was in front of me in a second, looking at my hurt cheek. He whirled around to glare at his brother. ‘Did you do that to her?’
‘What?’ Noah asked tightly. ‘What did you say?’
