Lib Novel Page 57
Careful of what?
I don’t have time to ponder what she means, so I drain the rest of my coffee and head to the bathroom to get ready. Elsa’s words have given me some of my confidence back. She’s right: I always have been somebody who tackles problems headfirst. Only when Alex showed up did I start acting out of character. I can’t afford to be weak. It’s better that I confront him about what he wants and what his intentions are. If he doesn’t want to be with me, he needs to give me a reason as to why, a reason I can understand. And then he needs to stay away from me. He can’t have his cake and eat it, too.
Feeling more bolstered, I shake off the last dredges of misery that had been clinging to me. After taking a quick shower, I finish getting dressed just in time to hear a knock on my front door.
“Be right there!”
Putting my wet hair up in a bun, I grab my wallet and phone and stuff them into the back pocket of my jeans. As I expected, Noah is on the landing. Compared to my simple blue shirt and jeans, he looks quite dressed up in a navy blue suit.
I look down at my clothes. “Do I need to change?”
He smiles at me, his handsome face lighting up. “You look perfect.”
His new, changed behavior makes me wonder sometimes whether the Noah I remember was just a bad dream. The person standing before me is sweet and gentle, and it’s hard to reconcile him with the cruel boy from my memories.
“So, where are we going?” I ask as I follow him out of the building.
“I wanted to check out the beach.” He glances at me. “It’s been a long time since I’ve been to one. And then, I thought we could grab lunch.”
I speak without thinking. “A walk on the beach and lunch? That sounds like a date.”
He gives me a careful look. “Would you mind if it were?”
Would I?
I don’t know where Alex and I stand, but it sure seems like there’s no relationship to speak of at the moment.
“Maybe not a date just yet,” I murmur.
Noah accepts this quite easily. “Just two friends spending some time together, then.”
“Are we going in your car?” I ask, seeing the Mustang that I know belongs to him parked outside.
He shakes his head. “I thought it might be nicer to walk. The weather is so lovely.”
October is fading away, and the icy winds are getting warmer. Not everybody likes the gray skies of springtime here, but I do. I’m pleasantly surprised that Noah feels the same way.
As we begin walking, I glance at him. He’s so easy-going, and he’s also incredibly handsome. The only problem is that his presence doesn’t make butterflies flutter in my stomach. Not the way being near Alex does. With Noah, now that my suspiciousness has faded away, I feel a sort of comfort. A quiet calm.
But there’s no attraction.
When Alex is close to me, it feels like I’ll combust. His mere touch burns my skin with desire. Even if I dislike him, I can’t deny that the attraction between us is growing at an exponential rate. When he ambushed me in the hall by the kitchen at the arena, I felt the hardness in his pants pressed against me, and it made me want to whimper in need.
I wish Noah did the same for me. He’s clearly interested in me, for whatever reason. If I could reciprocate, I’m starting to think I would.
Noah takes my feelings into consideration. He’s pushy, but not in an uncomfortable way. My opinion matters to him.
We walk along the road that leads to the beach, and he asks, “What do you do in your free time?”
I shrug one shoulder. “I don’t have a hobby as such. I usually go for a walk or come to the beach.”
He grins at me. “You need to have a hobby. Walks can only take you so far in life.”
His smile is so infectious that my own lips curve in response. “Maybe I should take up knitting.”
He laughs at that. “I can’t imagine you having the patience to knit.”
“I think I’ve become plenty patient in this town. Besides, knitting is one of the only things to do around here. I’m not the strongest of swimmers, so I don’t think I should be doing any water-related activities. The ocean may just sweep me away.”