Page 29 of What are the Risks
The appreciation in his voice sent a shiver down my spine, not that anything could happen tonight. Stupid period. The timing could not have been worse. It had been way too long. Like, ready-to-rip-my-dress-off-and-climb-onto-Noah’s-lap-in-front-of-everyone long.
I’d been worried to tell him that I was out of action. If I was feeling this way, he had to be wound up too. But in Noah fashion, he’d taken the news in his stride, kissing my forehead before telling me he could order me in ice cream after dinner. Sugar did always help.
“Where are we going tonight?” he asked.
“The bar where I work,” Daisy answered. “They’re throwing a ticketed New Year’s Eve event. The place will be packed.”
Luckily Daisy had managed to score two last minute tickets. Even better, I hadn’t had to pay for them.
Whenever she was working, drinks were always on the house. Even when she wasn’t, the bartenders still gave us cheap deals. It was a great arrangement. When the price of a vodka soda was the same asjusta soda, I had no complaints.
“Are you sure you still want to go out?” I checked with Noah for the umpteenth time.
I was more than happy to stay in. He was only here for two nights, and one was already over. Tonight’s party would be hectic. I doubt we’d be able to have a proper conversation over the music.
“It’d be a crime to stay home when you look this good, babe.”
Grinning, I placed a quick kiss on his lips. “Sweet talker.”
“The Ubers are here,” Bri said, checking her app.
Leaving the warmth of Noah’s arms, I walked to my purse and slipped my phone and lip gloss into it. “Don’t forget your phone is on charge, babe.”
Standing, Noah tapped the sides of his thighs. He was dressed in a fresh pair of chinos his mum had bought him for Christmas. They hugged his legs deliciously, the cream fabric carving around his muscles.
Though as much as I loved those legs, one of the few icks I had when it came to Noah was the fact that he shaved them. The entire water polo team did. Between them all, they had less body hair than a sphynx cat.
“Shit. These pants don’t have pockets. I’ll have nowhere to put it.”
“It’s fine,” I said. “You can keep it in my purse.”
He chewed his lip thoughtfully. “I’ll just leave it here.”
I frowned. “Why would you do that? There’s enough room in my bag.”
Jaz stared at him in disbelief. “I’d freak leaving the house without my phone.”
Noah merely shrugged before throwing his arm over my shoulder and guiding me towards the front door. “All I’ll be missing out on are drunken Snapchats from my teammates or frat brothers.” He kissed my forehead. “Besides, the only person I’m interested in speaking to tonight is already right here.”
*
Within twenty minutes of arriving, Jaz and Bri had caught the attention of two brothers, so now there were eight of us crammed into the one booth. We barely fit, so I was practically in Noah’s lap.
The bar was too loud to have a conversation with anyone other than the person right next to you. At least it gave me an excuse toavoid small talk with any of my friends’ dates. There was no point getting to know them. It was unlikely they’d be around come January second.
“I’m so glad to be here with you, babe,” Noah said, his lips pressed to my ear.
That made one of us. I’d discreetly been checking my phone for the last hour, counting down. There were now less than ten minutes until midnight. After that, I was calling it and getting Noah out of here.
“Four months,” he breathed. “Four months and we’ll be together again in Detroit.”
“What about if we didn’t go back to Detroit?”
“What do you mean?”
I tried twisting to face him, but it was impossible. We were packed in this booth so tightly, it was almost claustrophobic.
I understood why my friends had wanted to come out tonight – it would be fun if you were single. But I wasn’t, and I had nothing to prove by being here.
