Page 15 of The One Night Dash
“So, Noelle, you lied to me. You do have another dream.” He pouts out his lower lip.
The pub noise fades, or maybe I just stop hearing it. My heart’s thudding so loud it might as well be on the table between us.
I shake my head.
“No? Was it a diary entry then?”
My jaw drops, and he chuckles. “Now I don’t even feel a little bit bad about putting you out today.”
“Not gonna lie, I’d have kept reading if I didn’t get a message from Koa telling me to use the back staircase.”
I narrow my eyes at him, and he gives a low laugh.
“I play hockey for a living. People think that means I don’t read, or if I do, it’s stats and playbooks. But your words, they’re stuck.” He taps the side of his head.
I press my palms against my thighs under the table, trying to ground myself.
“You really read my work?” My voice comes out smaller than I want.
Dash leans forward again, his voice soft now, almost reverent. “Yeah. And it made me want more.” Before I can reply, he continues. “Friends don’t lie to each other.”
I scowl. “The best friends I have haven’t even read my words.”
He relaxes his elbow, allowing his arm to reach across the table, and he holds his pinky out. “I, Dash Sterling, promise not to tell a soul about the naughty little words you wrote as long as you promise to never lie to me again.”
“You’re such a dork,” I mumble and hook mine around his, and give it a shake. “Fine, I promise not to lie, even though I don’t think not telling a personal secret is a lie.”
I begin to pull away, and he hooks his tighter.
“What are you doing?”
“Pinky’s hooked; no room for lies. Plus, I already have your promise. But tell me, what’s the dress for?”
FIVE
DASH
It’s notlike I haven’t seen Noelle a dozen or more times since Nalani and Koa did the whole second chance dance. And it’s not that she wasn’t cute as hell in that quirky, awkward way freshman girls are when they fly the nest and end up in unknown territory, with a roommate like Lauren who was born knowing what she wanted.
She had to find her footing, and boy, did she ever.
I didn’t think her face could blush any hotter than it had when I made the crack about never having been tied up, but I was wrong. And hell yes, after reading what she wrote, it wouldn’t surprise me if she doesn’t play hard like that. But I’m blocking that thought because, well, because I should, and also, I want to see if she tells me the truth.
She leans in and places her other hand over mine. “Sometimes, we don’t tell people things, because we don’t want to hurt them.”
“You momming me?” I laugh.
“Just let it go.”
I put my hand over hers, lean in, and talk just as soft and sweetly as she did to me. “I got an invite, too.”
“What?” she asks, completely shook.
I unhook our pinkies and sit back. “Lauren reaches out on occasion.”
“What about her future husband?” She shakes her head. “He couldn’t possibly wantDash Sterlingat his wedding.”
I place a hand over my chest, above my heart. “Am I that unlikable?”
