Page 11 of The Cuffing Game
Thankfully, by the time Mia and Noah had settled into their seats, the performer had resumed singing. Everyone was back to doing whatever they were doing before.
She handed Noah’s drink—an iced Americano, no straw—to him.
And then they just sat there. Face-to-face.
Mia took a sip of her coffee milkshake and shifted uncomfortably, accidentally digging herself deeper into thebeanbag. She’d felt nervous talking to him after class, but that didn’t compare to how on edge she felt now, outside the familiarity of the lecture hall.
When Noah had described Ground Smoothie, she was expecting more of a boba shop vibe. Some place they could still have a relatively formal conversation. Instead, they were at this quasi-lounge area with live music and dim lighting. They were sitting onbeanbags,their knees almost touching because of his stupidly long legs.
This was the closest she’d ever been to Noah. And unfortunately, even in the dim lighting, it was the perfect distance to clearly make out his long, dark lashes and chiseled jawline. It was the perfect angle to see how the stage lights bounced off his eyes, making them even more mesmerizing than they normally were when he stared at her in class.
This was the face that enchanted over a million people into following him on social media.
A chill went down Mia’s spine. She shivered.
Noah sat up, before relaxing back into his beanbag.
“Sorry,” he said, his eyes dipping down to her crossed arms. “I’d offer you my jacket if I were wearing one.”
Mia narrowed her eyes. “And why would you offer me your jacket?”
Noah frowned. “A habit of mine, I guess.”
“It’s a habit of yours to give just any girl your jacket?”
He shrugged. “When they’re cold, yes. It’s called being a gentleman.”
“More like being a flirt.”
Noah looked down at his smartwatch. “Let’s cut to the chase. I thought about it more, and I won’t be able to join the show unless you make some changes.”
Mia blinked. Well, he hadn’t saidno.“Like what?”
“First off, I can’t film during the semester. It’s too short notice and my schedule’s already full. I could probably do winter break, though.”
Mia bristled. “And why should we change everything to fityour schedule?”
He took a sip of his coffee. “It’s not just me that’s busy, though. It’s the middle of the semester. A lot of people have their commitments already laid out. Some probably even have their winter breaks planned.”
Mia bit her lip. She had to admit that Noah had a point. After all,shewas one of the latter. Christmas was a big deal in her family, and she’d bought her plane ticket back home for the last day of finals—a full week before Christmas Eve—before she’d even left for Move-In Day. Her heart squeezed just thinking about the possibility that she might not get to go home for winter break this year.
“Also,” Noah continued, “you might have a better chance of getting greenlit by the SPC during break.”
“And why is that?”
“Fall is the hardest time of year to get a show made through the school, since everyone comes back from summer vacation with tons of new ideas,” he explained with another sip of his drink. “And a lot of students rent thesame equipment for class projects, so there’s always a shortage of cameras. Spring is hard too, but it’s still easier than fall. Winter, though...”
“No one’s using school property,” Mia finished with a sigh. Another point for Noah and his logic.
Hoping Damien, another senior, would disagree with Noah, Mia sent him a text. But before she could even put her phone down, it buzzed in her hand. Damien was always a quick responder, but this was fast, even for him.
That’s very true. I agree with Noah.
Mia wanted to growl in frustration. She would have too, if she and Noah were back in class and not out in public. She’d already caused a scene in Ground Smoothie. The last thing she wanted to do was become the center of attention again.
“Okay, fine,” she said. “Ifwe can find enough people to commit to the show during winter break, we can do it then. What else?”
Mia’s heart was beating fast. This meetup was supposed to beherpitching the show to Noah. But he’d somehow completely derailed everything in one fell swoop.
