hadn’t realized I was still holding onto my cup. I set it beside Noa’s untouched one.
I began to worry once she’d been gone for over fifteen minutes. I maneuvered around bodies and climbed the steps slowly. I was halfway up when a familiar face caught my attention.
Becca.
She was making her way down the steps.
She smirked and pushed past me, the scent of alcohol coming off of her in waves.
At least she hadn’t spoken to me.
I walked up to the first door I saw, but before I could turn the knob, it flung open and revealed Noa’s tearstained face.
“What happened?” I demanded, pushing her back into the bathroom for privacy and shutting the door behind me.
“Auditions, Dexter? Really?” She pushed me when I tried to grab her, tried to reason with her. “I’m surprised I made the cut!”
“It wasn’t my idea.” It was a cop-out. “Look, I went with it but Ralph, he was just trying to help.”
“Help? Help you get laid?” She wiped at her face with the back of her hand. “I was cornered tonight by a lunatic. What the fuck!”
Becca.
I wanted to put my fist through a wall. How had she even heard about the stunt Ralph pulled?
“Listen to me, please,” I said, holding my hands out, putting hated space between my body and hers. If she’d felt cornered when Becca had verbally attacked her, I didn’t want to remind her of that.
“You listen. Take me home. Take me home right now.” She sobbed out a breath. “I don’t know why I even came here. I don’t belong here.” She was wiping the lipstick off of her lips, and I understood just how quickly this night went to shit.
I shook my head. “I need to know why you’re so upset. Help me understand.”
“You’re a pig! Just like I thought you’d be. This is some fucking joke to you! And I let you get in my head; I let you in more than anyone
ever
. I’m in a downward spiral, Dexter. I don’t expect you to understand.”
“Maybe because you haven’t let me in at all,” I yelled in frustration. I instantly regretted it. “Noa, come on. You call this letting me in?”
She shoved past me and walked out, pushing into people to get away from me. I caught up to her on the front lawn.
“Stay, please. Talk to me,” I pleaded, walking beside her.
“I can’t be here.” She wiped at her tears again and it broke me.
“I don’t want to push you but—”
“Then don’t!” she screamed and whirled around running back inside. I hadn’t known what to expect when I caught up with her again but it certainly wasn’t the sight of her downing vodka. She set the bottle down and saw me standing there, shocked. She spread her arms, welcoming my confused stare. “See? Imperfections.”
She took more shots, and when I thought she’d had enough, she kept going. I figured she’d get up and dance like the other drunk people, but I began to understand that she was a sad drunk. She stumbled along, swaying to the music, slurring, and shooting me looks that made me want to shake her and beg her to talk to me. At some point in the night, she was too drunk to function. It had taken quite a lot of alcohol to get her to that point, which confused me. And that was when I realized I was only beginning to learn who Noa was.
Chapter 12
I
t isn’t going to be easy. Love worth keeping hardly ever is.
I groaned as the sun streamed through the blinds I’d forgotten to close last night. I sat up and blinked, feeling disoriented. I was lying on the couch in my room. Immediately, my eyes went to my bed, where I’d tucked Noa in last night. The bed had been made, and there was no sign of her. Except that I could smell her everywhere. I never thought I could relate a color to a scent, but Noa smelled like the color blue. Like slow summer rain and lavender fields.
Where’d she go?
I got up, opened the door to my room and walked as quickly as I could down the stairs.
“Where are you going?” I asked as I saw her opening the front door. “You’re just going to
I began to worry once she’d been gone for over fifteen minutes. I maneuvered around bodies and climbed the steps slowly. I was halfway up when a familiar face caught my attention.
Becca.
She was making her way down the steps.
She smirked and pushed past me, the scent of alcohol coming off of her in waves.
At least she hadn’t spoken to me.
I walked up to the first door I saw, but before I could turn the knob, it flung open and revealed Noa’s tearstained face.
“What happened?” I demanded, pushing her back into the bathroom for privacy and shutting the door behind me.
“Auditions, Dexter? Really?” She pushed me when I tried to grab her, tried to reason with her. “I’m surprised I made the cut!”
“It wasn’t my idea.” It was a cop-out. “Look, I went with it but Ralph, he was just trying to help.”
“Help? Help you get laid?” She wiped at her face with the back of her hand. “I was cornered tonight by a lunatic. What the fuck!”
Becca.
I wanted to put my fist through a wall. How had she even heard about the stunt Ralph pulled?
“Listen to me, please,” I said, holding my hands out, putting hated space between my body and hers. If she’d felt cornered when Becca had verbally attacked her, I didn’t want to remind her of that.
“You listen. Take me home. Take me home right now.” She sobbed out a breath. “I don’t know why I even came here. I don’t belong here.” She was wiping the lipstick off of her lips, and I understood just how quickly this night went to shit.
I shook my head. “I need to know why you’re so upset. Help me understand.”
“You’re a pig! Just like I thought you’d be. This is some fucking joke to you! And I let you get in my head; I let you in more than anyone
ever
. I’m in a downward spiral, Dexter. I don’t expect you to understand.”
“Maybe because you haven’t let me in at all,” I yelled in frustration. I instantly regretted it. “Noa, come on. You call this letting me in?”
She shoved past me and walked out, pushing into people to get away from me. I caught up to her on the front lawn.
“Stay, please. Talk to me,” I pleaded, walking beside her.
“I can’t be here.” She wiped at her tears again and it broke me.
“I don’t want to push you but—”
“Then don’t!” she screamed and whirled around running back inside. I hadn’t known what to expect when I caught up with her again but it certainly wasn’t the sight of her downing vodka. She set the bottle down and saw me standing there, shocked. She spread her arms, welcoming my confused stare. “See? Imperfections.”
She took more shots, and when I thought she’d had enough, she kept going. I figured she’d get up and dance like the other drunk people, but I began to understand that she was a sad drunk. She stumbled along, swaying to the music, slurring, and shooting me looks that made me want to shake her and beg her to talk to me. At some point in the night, she was too drunk to function. It had taken quite a lot of alcohol to get her to that point, which confused me. And that was when I realized I was only beginning to learn who Noa was.
Chapter 12
I
t isn’t going to be easy. Love worth keeping hardly ever is.
I groaned as the sun streamed through the blinds I’d forgotten to close last night. I sat up and blinked, feeling disoriented. I was lying on the couch in my room. Immediately, my eyes went to my bed, where I’d tucked Noa in last night. The bed had been made, and there was no sign of her. Except that I could smell her everywhere. I never thought I could relate a color to a scent, but Noa smelled like the color blue. Like slow summer rain and lavender fields.
Where’d she go?
I got up, opened the door to my room and walked as quickly as I could down the stairs.
“Where are you going?” I asked as I saw her opening the front door. “You’re just going to
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