Page 6 of Scoring Slater
Smirking, Noah set down his tea, and then slow-clapped, laughing as Slater's eyes narrowed. "You wanted an award. I'll buy some confetti for next time."
"Confetti?" Slater's voice deepened, then his eyebrows moved in an exaggerated wiggle. "I think we can come up with something more satisfying than confetti."
Bathed in a flutter of feverish sensations, Noah tore his gaze away from the hairline scar twisting on the corner of Slater's bottom lip. His hip hit the corner of the counter, and squashing a curse, he motioned for Kelsey and Brianna follow him. "On that note, let's move on with the tour."
"Bedrooms?" Kelsey asked, glancing between them.
"Okay, sure." Noah latched onto his to-go cup and raised his other hand, stopping Kelsey in her tracks. "Maybe just a quick pan of mine."
"Got it."
He entered his room first and stepped to the side while Kelsey, Brianna, and Slater trooped past. The internal panic he'd tamped down roared back to life.Too close, too much, too private.
Slater ran a hand down Noah's arm. He leaned in until his lips hovered by Noah's ear and murmured, "You good?"
He nodded and relaxed his jaw and shoulders. "Sure."
Kelsey turned in a slow circle. "I like the shades of gray and blue. It suits you, Noah."
"Thanks." He watched over Brianna's shoulder as the camera panned his neatly made bed, bookshelf, and dresser. He'd tucked away photos and almost all personal effects under his bed, and the result was a room as impersonal as a hotel room.
Slater's fingers tightened around his wrist. "Where's all your stuff? You do still live here, right?"
Noah elbowed him in the ribs. "Shut up. I cleaned, that's all."
"Or you were robbed by the tidiest burglars ever."
Laughter burst out of him, causing Kelsey and Brianna to whip their heads in his direction. Noah bit his cheek, attempting to control himself, body shaking as he leaned into Slater. "Sorry."
Kelsey grinned at them and her eyes darted to Slater's hand still wrapped around his wrist. He quickly lowered his hand, breaking contact, as she spoke. "I'm glad you're having fun. So far, everyone has done a closet tour too. Can we take a quick peak in your closet? It's okay if you want to skip it."
"Do it," Slater urged, his hand resting on Noah's back. "Just trust me."
"All right." He pushed open his closet door. The top row held shirts and suit jackets, and pants took up the bottom row, all were organized by color, material, and season. His shoes were lined up by style too.
Slater smiled at the camera. "Now, keeping this closet in mind, come with me to check out my closet."
Oh no.Groaning, Noah waited for everyone to exit before following along. He closed his door at his back and then walked into chaos.
Slater stood in the middle of the room. A red and blue striped blanket was haphazardly pulled across the mattress. The bed pillows were still rumpled. The floor was a minefield of shoes and free weights. A pile of clothes was heaped on his desk chair. A scattered stack of comic books lay on the bedside table, probably the comics he'd purchased that day. The bookshelf opposite the bed held the rest of his comic book collection—the only thing Slater kept in meticulous order.
Kelsey gaped at the room, then quickly schooled her features. "Well, it looks more… lived in… than Noah's room."
Eyes brimming with laughter, Slater lifted his shoulders and addressed the camera. "Disorder soothes me."
Noah blinked several times as he stared into the disaster zone. "That isnottrue." Slater might be fine with more clutter than he liked, but his friend was never this messy. It was almost like he'd done this deliberately…
"Remember Noah's closet?" Slater pushed open his closet door. Sweaters and shirts and pants were all mixed together in a nightmare of disorganization.
Noah pinched the spot between his brows. He'd been expecting the messy closet. He'd given up counting the number of times he'd tried to help Slater organize it.
Laughing, Slater moved until he stood in front of Noah, blocking his view. "Sorry, this gives Noah nightmares."
"Dude." Noah looked over Slater's shoulder, then did a double-take at the pale pink button-down shirt hanging between a pair of athletic shorts and a cable-knit sweater. "That's my shirt. It's been missing for over a month."
He reached around Slater, grabbing hold of a wide shoulder to steady himself. When his chest pressed against Slater's back, they both sucked in a breath. His skin pricked with goosebumps. Slater removed the button-down from the jumble of clothes and passed it to Noah. He stepped back, trying to ignore his heated cheeks and racing heart.
Slater winked at the camera. "We share clothes once in a while, and sometimes, I forget to return them."
