Page 81 of The Cuffing Game
Even from where he was standing, he could hear the excited chatter and drunken laugher of the holiday revelers on the street below. Noah held up a hand as Kyle got back into his car and drove off with Celine.
“Hello?” Mia asked. “Noah, are you there? Are you really in Las Vegas with Celine and Kyle?”
“Sorry,” he replied. “Yeah, I was waiting for them to leave.” Noah cleared his throat. After talking nonstop with Celine and Kyle for almost an hour, his voice was a bit hoarse as he continued, “It’s a long story. Basically, I heard from Matías about what happened, and then I was able to track Kyle down. I would tell you how, but then I’d have to kill you.”
Mia snorted. “Frat business again?”
“Don’t know,” Noah deadpanned. “Also, it’sfraternity.”
“Noah...”
In a big rush, he blurted out, “Matías said you cried and then, the next thing I knew, I was driving to Vegas. It just kind of happened, and I know you hate me, but—”
“Thank you,” Mia said, cutting him off. “Really. You didn’t have to go all the way to Vegas to talk tomyroom—friend. But you did. Also, I don’t hate you.”
“Isroom friendthe term first years are using these days? Weird, but okay.”
“I’m being serious.”
Noah heard sniffles on the other line. “Wait, are youcrying?”
A woman shot him a dirty look as she walked back to her car. He turned away and whispered, “Mia, I did everything so youwouldn’tcry.”
“No, I know, sorry,” she replied, her voice tight and pinched. “It’s just... it’s been a stressful week. And this is the nicest thing someone has ever done for me. I can’t believe you spontaneously drove four hours to make sure my friend was okay.”
I’d do a lot more for you,Noah thought. But he didn’t say that part aloud. He was coming on too strong already.
Mia sniffed again.
From where he was standing, Noah could just make out the edges of the big Christmas tree set up downtown. Hestared at the glimmers of light as Mia asked, “Wait, so what happened between you and Kyle? Celine mentioned a dance-off?”
Noah groaned. In the last five hours, he had sped hundreds of miles through the desert, yelled over enough loud EDM to make him never want to hear another beat drop again, and had no less than two dance-offs. He was exhausted, but he’d thankfully been able to make peace with both Celine and Kyle by the end of the night.
“Yeah, it was a lot, but we worked everything out, eventually,” he told Mia. “Kyle is super competitive, but I think he genuinely likes Celine.”
“That’s good. But...” A small giggle came from the other line.
“But?”
“He’s not the one that did a backflip, though, right?”
Noah laughed. “I never saidI’mnot competitive, too.”
Someone honked, and Noah got back inside his car. The rental’s interior wasn’t as nice and roomy as his Jeep’s, but at least it was speedy. He connected his phone to the car via Bluetooth and leaned back in the seat.
“But yeah,” he continued. “I’m pretty satisfied with the outcome of the night. Celine called you, and Kyle agreed to get his own personality next semester.”
“His own personality?”
Noah could picture the way Mia scrunched up her nose in confusion. “He admitted to copying me. Apparently,he was just having some kind of first year identity crisis. I almost felt sorry for the guy.”
There was a long stretch of silence, and Noah wondered if Mia had fallen asleep when she said, “Thanks, Noah. Again. And sorry I didn’t trust you the first time. It sounds like you’ve had a busy night.”
“It’s fine. Thanks for the apology.” Noah couldn’t resist asking the question for any longer. “Now do you believe that I like you?”
Another pause.
In a quiet voice, Mia said, “Yeah, I do. But before anything happens between us, there’s something you should know about me, Noah. That everyone should know about me.”
