I turn to face him, the tips of my ears burning hot with embarrassment, "Oh hey Noah," I say with an awkward smile, drawing out the 'hey'. "Funny seeing you here."
Really? I mentally facepalm myself.
He leans forward, crossing his arms over the table, "You know, when someone asks you a question, it's proper etiquette to provide them with an answer. You feel like doing that anytime soon?" he asks, smirking. He's enjoying this. And I hate him.
"Oh, that? I was just telling Syd about this show I'm watching. The male lead is a total smoke show," I lie and glance behind him at Syd who gives me a long wink and mouths 'good save'. I hate her too.
"He sounds like it," Noah replies with a cheeky grin before his tongue peeks out to draw his bottom lip between his teeth.
Luckily he seems to have had enough of seeing me squirm and abstains from teasing me farther, moving on to make conversation with Tyler. I lean back in my chair blowing out a breath, glad that our conversation is over. My cheeks still feel heated.
Finally, Syd stands up. "I need a drink," she announces. "Later losers." She's out of her chair and across the lawn before I can blink. Imagining she's probably gone looking for Jackson, I don't follow her, which leaves me alone with Tyler and Noah, short of a buffer. My hands start to sweat and I instinctually scoot my chair closer to Tyler. He shifts his foot so the tip of his shoe touches my boot.
"Do you want a drink, Mads?" Noah asks.
"I'm good, thanks."
"You sure?"
I spot Mason a few feet away from us near a small fire they've set up in the yard. He's got his arm around a girl, very obviously hitting on her, and even though I try I can't help but feel a sting of jealousy inside. "Actually," I correct myself, "I could use a drink."
"Lead the way," he says gesturing with his hand and I stand up.
"You coming?" I ask Tyler.
He hesitates but shakes his head a moment later. "Nah, you go ahead," he says. "I'll keep myself busy."
"You sure?" I press, not liking the idea of leaving him alone.
He stands and gives me a tight-lipped smile as he ruffles the hair at the top of my head. "Go."
I do as he says.
Noah and I head towards the kitchen and I look back before going in. I see that in the time it took us to cross the yard Tyler has blended seamlessly into the group sitting around the fire, so we head inside.
The kitchen counter is filled with a surprisingly wide assortment of alcohol and Noah heads for a squared glass bottle filled with an amber liquid, cracking it open as I hear the seal on the cap break off. "Have you ever done shots before?" he asks, grabbing two small glasses and setting them in front of him, pouring equal amounts into each one.
"Can't say I have. I'm a bit of a lightweight so I usually stay away from the stronger stuff, unless it's diluted with something else." I explain.
"Oh," he stops pouring, "Do you want to try?" he asks and I hesitate. "Totally fine if you don't want to, no pressure." he raises his hands.
"Okay, I'll do one." I concede. "But just the one. My dad's picking me up later and I don't want to be a mess when he gets here."
"Cool." It's the only thing he says as he sets one of the shot glasses in front of me and hands me a lime wedge he took from a nearby bowl. "Give me your hand," he says, reaching for it and I let him take it before my brain can even consider another option. He sprinkles a little salt on the back of it and proceeds to do the same with his.
"Ready?" he asks and I nod. "Bottoms up."
We clink our glasses together and I try not to stare as he swiftly glides his tongue on the back of his hand and I follow suit. I down the tequila shot and quickly bite down into the sour lime, shaking my head and narrowing my eyes as warmth spreads from my throat down to my chest. He laughs at the faces I make and I know he's aware of the flush that takes over my cheeks.
"Good?" Noah asks.
I still feel the burning sensation at the back of my throat. "Great...it was great." I croak and cough, making him laugh even more.
"Come on," he says grabbing a beer and I follow him back outside. He sits at the same spot we were before and I take the seat next to him. "I would've offered," he gestures to his beer, "but you said you didn't want to drink that much, I figured you'd want to let that sink in first."
"Oh, yeah, I got that. Don't even worry about it," I say as he picks up my legs and places them casually on his lap as if this was a habit of ours.
I stiffen, not exactly uncomfortable, just surprised. But I relax when he softly places his hand on my thigh near my knee.
We make conversation and he asks me how my exams went, thanking me again for helping him land a passing grade in calculus, and as time passes I stop being so aware of every word that leaves my mouth and every move I make.
"So tell me more about that scholarship," I prompt.
"In a few months, there's going to be a really big game, which college scouts will attend looking for new recruits for their teams. Luckily, I'm one of their prospects." As he talks, I try to pretend that the hand he still has resting on my thigh is not searing into my skin.
Jackson comes up behind Noah and grabs his shoulders, making him turn around and interrupting our little moment that I was so enjoying. "Sorry to interrupt but dude, we've got a code yellow," Jackson says.
"I'm not even going to pretend to know what you're talking about," Noah asks with an exaggerated sigh.
"Code yellow means projectile-vomit," Jackson explains, and if the mood hadn't already been killed by his intrusion, that most certainly would've done it.
"Ew, why the fuck would that be code yellow?" Noah asks disgustedly.
"I don't know dude, I didn't come up with the codes. I just know that while we're here discussing colors someone's puke is festering in my bathroom." Yeah, mood annihilated.
"And that's of my concern because...?"
Jackson kneels down beside Noah's chair, "Because I need someone to help me clean it up and you're my best friend and I love you...?" he pleads.
Noah stands from his seat with a heavy, annoyed groan. "How is it that even when I am not the host I always end up cleaning up other people's bodily fluids? This isn't even my house!" He throws up his hands in exasperation. Before he walks away he turns to me and says, "I'll find you later, okay? I need to talk to you about something."
"Okay, sure," I say, nodding my head.
After Noah leaves I head to the firepit looking for Tyler. He looks up as I take a seat beside him and acknowledges me with a small "Hey". I rest my head on his bicep right as a shiver runs up my spine, which prompts him to wrap an arm around me and pull me closer to keep me warm. There wasn't any need for the gesture, since the fire is enough of a heat source, but he smells so nice and I'm so comfortable I can't bring myself to pull away from his embrace. I listen as the other guys make conversation but I don't join in, and when I'm offered a drink by one of them I politely decline, deciding that one was enough for me. Tyler entertains himself toying with a strand of my hair.
Mason sits across from me, still with that girl from before, talking with their faces pretty close to one another. He whispers something in her ear making her laugh and she puts her hand on his bicep, not so subtly scooting even closer to him. This isn't my favorite thing to watch, and I tolerate it for about fifteen minutes before finally finding the will to pull away from Tyler. He doesn't question me when I excuse myself, telling him I'm going back inside the house looking for Syd. As I leave, Ashley readily takes my place beside Tyler and gives her best attempt at striking up a conversation with him. He doesn't seem too resistant, which makes me glad. She deserves a chance.
I wander through the house trying to find Sydney but she's nowhere inside and I decide against going upstairs and checking the bedrooms. So I go to the living room, which appears to be empty, and I sit on a large couch, hoping maybe she'll come find me instead. I take out my phone to check the time It's almost 12 am, and I have a text notification from my dad, saying he'll be over shortly.
I sit there, browsing through my phone, just waiting for him to arrive until I feel someone sink into the seat next to me and put their arm around my shoulder. I expect it to be Noah, but when I turn to look I'm surprised and disappointed to see it's actually Mason.
"You having fun, Maddie?" he asks drowsily.
"I was," I say, rolling my eyes facing away from him.
"You know, I was really glad when I saw you come in with your friends," he says.
I turn back to him "I bet," I say sarcastically. "The fact that you waited until the end of the night to talk to me really shows it."
"I was just waiting for the right time."
I sigh, noting that a week ago, that would've probably worked on me. "I know what you are doing," I say.
"Yeah? Tell me, Maddie. What exactly am I doing?" he asks, grabbing a strand of my hair and twirling it around his index finger, and it feels wrong when he does it.
"All the other girls are leaving, so you're coming to me now as your last resort. Same shit you pulled the other night," I explain, keeping my tone even as I scoot away from him on the couch. "I'm not your backup, Mason."
"Oh come on Maddie, don't be like that," he says leaning into me. I stop by putting my hand on his chest and lightly pushing him away, hating that it's the second time I've been forced to do this in less than a week.
"I'm gonna go get some air," I say. "Why don't you take that time to learn about boundaries? I'll see you later Mason. Although maybe, hopefully, I won't." I get up and walk outside.
At this point, almost everyone has left and the few people that remain are going inside the house. So I go sit alone on one of the tables.
"Hey," Tyler comes up to me with a kind smile, "Everything alright?" he asks, pushing my hair out of my face to examine my expression.
"I'm fine," I give him a half-hearted smile that I know he won't buy. "I'm just a bit tired. I really want to go home."
"That's why I came over here looking for you. Syd is inside getting busy, and I was just leaving. Do you want me to take you home?" He asks, comfortingly rubbing his thumb over the spot between my shoulder and my neck.
"No, that's okay. My dad's already on his way, he should be here any minute now. Thank you though." This time his kindness makes me smile for real.
We turn around at the sound of footsteps coming our way to see Noah come rushing out of the house, but he slows down when he sees us. "Maddison! Great, you're still here. I thought you already left." he walks up to me and Tyler.
"Nope, still here. Unfortunately." I add the last part under my breath.
The three of us stand there awkwardly and Noah's face twists into an expression I can't quite decipher. "Am I...Interrupting something?" he asks hesitantly.
"Oh no," I assure. "We were just talking."
"Right..." Tyler says, shaking his head. "I was just...I'm just gonna take off. I'll see you when you get back Mads." he says, pulling me in for a tight hug and kissing the side of my head near my temple. "Text me tomorrow okay? Have a safe trip."
"Will do," I reply.
"Bye man," Tyler adds quickly as he brushes past Noah.
"Love you!" I call out to him and he turns to give me a faint smile and a quick nod before disappearing into the house, leaving me and Noah all alone.
"Hey, I'm a little confused," Noah starts and then pauses. "Maddie, are you two..." Noah gestures with his finger, hesitating to finish the question. "Dating or something?"
"Me and Ty?" I ask, taken aback. "No! We're just really really close friends. Though I see how that can get mixed up. But no, I'm single..." I clarify, noting that sounded a bit desperate.
"Oh, okay I just thought... never mind." He shakes his head and silence falls between us again. "So that thing I wanted to talk to you about," he finally speaks up, stepping closer to me.
"What is it?" I ask, pushing off the table and craning my neck to look up at him.
"Well, I've been thinking and-" But before he can finish that sentence my phone starts ringing in my pocket. I pull it out and my dad's contact appears on the screen.
"One second," I hold up my finger to Noah. "Hey dad," I say, picking up and Noah takes a step back.
"Hi, honey. Listen I'm here, could you come outside?"
"Sure, I'll be right there," I say hanging up.
"I'm sorry Noah, I have to go. But we can talk about it some other time, yeah?"
"Yeah, sure" he replies sounding...disappointed? I don't have the time to dwell on it as I brush past him going inside the house.
"Maddison wait!" Someone calls out to me as I'm opening the front door. I turn around to find Mason standing a few feet away from me, Noah entering the house not too far behind him.
"What?" I ask impatiently.
"Just wanted to tell you that you looked really beautiful tonight," Mason says with a smile so soft it makes me want to deck him.
"Oh, fuck off," I say and slam the door closed behind me. As I get in the passenger seat, I'm fuming.
How dare he?
God, he's so manipulative. How come I hadn't realized this before? He always says what he knows I want to hear, and I just let him play with my feelings like that. I don't know who's more of an idiot, him for acting like this, or me for letting him.
The whole ride back home I stay silent. Wishing I had had the guts to go off on Mason and call him out on his bullshit. When I get home I say goodnight to my dad and head to my room.
Right as I sit on my bed, I feel my phone vibrate next to me. Noah's name appears on my screen as a call comes through. What is it with these guys contacting me at the worst times?
I consider declining the call, my thumb hovering over the red button. But I was just with him. He wouldn't call me if whatever he had to say wasn't important, right? I accept the call before I lose my nerve. "Hello?"
"Hey, Mads," Noah's smooth voice comes through the phone.
"Hey Noah," I say hesitantly as I stand and start pacing around my room. "What's up? Did something happen?"
"Oh, no it's nothing. I just-" he seems to be struggling to find his words and it makes my skin prickle with nerves. "Listen, I know you said that we could talk about it some other time, but I heard you're going away for the break and I'm just too impatient to wait till you get back. So I'm just going to come out and ask."
I wait for the question but it doesn't come. "Ask what?" I prompt.
"Uhm..." I hear him let out a breath before he continues. "Would you, maybe, want to go out with me sometime? Like, on a date? We could go wherever you want, and do whatever you want. All up to you. I just- I don't know. I want to get to know you better. Would you be interested in that?"
I pull the phone away from my ear to check if I have the right number. Noah's name is still there on my screen in bold white letters. Is he pranking me? No, he wouldn't do that. I think. I hope. Oh my god, I'm not speaking. Say something. Say something! Saysomethingsaysomethingsaysomethi-
"I...Erm..." SOMETHING ELSE! ANYTHING ELSE! "That's...That's really sweet Noah," I say, finally finding my voice. "But I just don't think that would be a very good idea."
"Oh," he sounds taken aback, and there's a long pause before he speaks again. "Why?"
I'm actually asking myself the same thing. He's really nice, forthcoming with his intentions, he's given me no reason to say no. So then why can't I bring myself to say yes? "I don't know," I say, rubbing the back of my neck. I just- I don't think I'm your type."
"Shouldn't I be the judge of that?"
I sigh. He has a point, which makes turning him down that much more difficult. "Look, Noah, I don't mean to offend you, but I've seen how you are with girls, and you don't seem to stick to the same one for too long. And there's nothing necessarily wrong with that, it's just not really my type of thing. So I don't think this would work."
A thick silence falls over the line and I start to think that maybe he hung up. "Is that really what this is about?" he asks finally.
I stop pacing. I wasn't expecting him to challenge me on this. "What else would it be about?"
I hear him huff out a breath "Listen, I may be out of line here, but I've never been one to put being tactful over being honest. I know you've got your eye on someone else, but I just don't get why him."
You and me both.
"I've seen the way you look at him," He says. "Like you hate the sight of him but you can't bring yourself to look away. And it's none of my business, I know, but it sucks to see you let him play with your feelings that way. Because you're a smart girl, and I think you know you deserve better than that."
I don't respond for a minute, taking in what he's saying, and before I can reply, he continues. "Anyway, if you don't want to go out with me I respect that. And I'll pretend to get why you're still hung up on him. But I know for sure that, as faint and as new as it may be, there's something going on between us. That pull I feel to be around you? I know you feel it too. So know this. I won't give up that easily."
There's no need for me to even try to find the words to respond to that, because the call disconnects, and I'm only left with the sound of the dial tone echoing in my ear.