Chapter 16

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Noah drove me back to my car at the school, which sat all by itself in the middle of the lot. The California sun was slowly setting, and the sky was a beautiful blue-orange hue. He pulled up next to my small silver car, and I sat there, looking at how ordinary it looked compared to Noah's sports car.

I reached for the door handle. "Thank you for a great time, Noah."

"Wait a minute." He got out of the car, walked around, and opened my door. "I had a great time too. Can I text you later?" He reached into his pocket and grabbed his phone.

"Sure." I took his phone; his finger brushed against mine, igniting a desire to kiss him. I wanted to know what it felt like to have his lips on mine. "Here's my number. I'll be home later tonight." I handed it back to him, gazing into his grey eyes. Then, I heard Ashton's mouth echo in my head that Noah was a player.

I started to turn to unlock my door when Noah grabbed my hand and turned me around. He brushed a piece of hair away from the side of my face and leaned down; the smell of peppermint tickled my nose. His mouth was inches away from mine, our eyes gazing into one another, and his soft lips were on mine before I could say or do anything. His tongue teased mine, making me want more.

"I'll text you later tonight, Gemma." He kissed me again, took my keys out of my hand, unlocked my car, and opened the door. "I'll talk to you later." He smiled as I slid down in my driver's seat.

"Okay." I smiled, setting my purse in the passenger seat.

I arrived home, and Ashton's car was gone, which was a relief because I didn't want him to ask me why I was late coming home from school. Instead, I wanted to go upstairs and daydream about Noah's lips on mine before I started on my homework. I was changing my clothes when my phone rang, and Chloe's picture popped up on it. I answered the call and hit the speaker so I could keep changing.

"I take it you are home. So, how did the date go? Tell me everything." Chloe asked, clicking something shut.

"What are you doing?"

"Getting ready to go out with Braedon. He'll be here in about thirty minutes. I wanted to hear about your date, so I called you while I sat here and did my makeup. That's why I called instead of video chat."

"No worries. I'm changing anyway. Mom's not here as usual, so I'm going to lounge the rest of the night up here in my room and do homework. As for the date, it was great. He took me out for pizza. Did you know his family owns Angelo's?"

"Wow...Are you dressed? I'm going to video chat."

"Yeah."

Chloe hung up and called back on video. "Were his parents there at the restaurant?" she asked, applying lipstick and swapping glances between her phone and mirror.

"His dad came out to greet us before we sat down, and his mom was our server." I crawled up on my bed.

"His mom was your server? What the..." She put the lid back on her lip gloss and set it down.

"Yeah, and he didn't tell me right away. We'd been sitting there for about ten-fifteen minutes when I found out. So, I was scared to say a lot after that." I took a sip of my drink.

"Yeah, I don't blame you. So, what happened when he took you back to your car?" She wiggled her eyebrows up and down, smiling.

"He kissed me." I smiled.

"I knew it!" She started to apply her mascara. "I think...You've got a boyfriend in the making. And not just any ordinary boyfriend, but one of the hottest boys in school." She smiled.

"I think you're crazy. Don't you have a date to get ready for?"

"Say what you want...But I think he likes you. I've got to go. Braedon will be here in five minutes. I'll see you tomorrow at school. Bye, Gem."

"Bye." The screen went black, and silence filled my room again, leaving me to think about what Chloe had said about Noah being my boyfriend. She was definitely dreaming, thinking for one minute that Noah and I would end up being a couple. We went out on one date, and she had us dating already. I grabbed my laptop out of my book bag, along with my books, and got some music going on my laptop while I studied.

The next morning, Ashton's car was gone when I left the house, which was unusual for him. He was always the one running late in the morning. I looked down at my phone to make sure I wasn't the one running late; the time read seven-thirty. I had plenty of time to run and get coffee at Sweet Escape. My phone buzzed as I got in the car, letting me know I had a notification. I grabbed my phone, expecting to see a text from Chloe, Ava, or Sara. I sat there staring at the number, surprised to see it was from Noah. I swiped my phone on to see what it said.

Hey Gemma, I wanted to see if you'd like to meet before school at Sweet Escape.

I texted him back, letting him know I was headed there and that I'd see him in a few minutes. I flipped down my visor and checked my hair and makeup before I backed out of my driveway. I put my phone in the holder and took off down the road. At the stoplight, I called Chloe on video chat.

"Hey, Gem. I'm almost ready to leave for school. You in your car?" Her brows furrowed.

"Yeah. I'm on my way to Sweet Escapt to meet Noah."

"What!" She screamed. "See! I knew it! I'll see you at school. I want all the details!"

"You're crazy. I'll talk to you in a little bit. Bye." I swiped the call off so I could concentrate on the road. I didn't want to miss the turn to Sweet Escape and miss meeting Noah before school. First, it was about the coffee; now, it was about Noah. I pulled into Sweet Escape eight minutes later and saw Noah's shiny sports car parked toward the back of the parking lot. He was sitting in the driver's seat with the window down, looking down. He had on a white t-shirt with an aquamarine short-sleeved button-down over it. There was a parking place beside his car, so I pulled in beside him. He looked up and smiled when he saw it was me.

I opened my car door, grabbed my purse, then got out and locked it. "How long have you been waiting?" I looked down at my smartwatch.

"Not long." Noah smiled, taking my hand. "We don't have much time. Let's go get some coffee, then head to school." He interlaced his fingers with mine. "So, what are you going to get?"

"Probably an iced latte."

He opened the door, and my eyes instantly locked with Ashton's as he stood in the middle of the place with Claudia, of all people. Ashton's eyes widened when he realized I had seen who was next to him. Noah walked in behind me and placed his hand on the small of my back. There was something about his touch that awakened feelings that I never knew existed. It was like every nerve in my body was on overdrive, begging for more.

"Hey, Gem, I didn't know you would be here this morning," Ashton said, swapping glances between Noah and me.

"I can tell." I raised an eyebrow.

"Hey, Ashton." Noah held out his fist for a bump.

"Hey." Ashton bumped Noah's fist, peeking over at me. I shrugged, motioning my eyes at Claudia.

"Ashton, we need to go before we're late for school." Claudia sipped on her coffee.

"Uh...Yeah. Noah...I'll see you later. Later, Gem." Ashton walked past us, following Claudia to the door. I turned and rolled my eyes.

"I thought they broke up?" Noah motioned over his shoulder.

"They did." I groaned.

"So, what's the story with you and Hughes?" Noah blurted out on our way to the counter.

"Story?" I turned to find Noah's brows knit together, looking worried.

"We're friends. He's my neighbor." His brows relaxed, and the worry had disappeared.

"Good." He kissed my cheek.

I ordered my drink and then stepped aside so Noah could order his. I peeked at him as he paid for our drinks and felt the corners of my mouth curl up in a smile at the thought of Noah being jealous of Ashton. Maybe Chloe was onto something, but nope, I wasn't going to get my hopes up.