Page 27 of All of Him
Noah flung open a cabinet, moving faster than I’d ever seen him, and pulled out a white stick. He sat up on the counter quickly and jabbed himself in the thigh.
“Allergic?” Dad asked, cautiously approaching Noah.
“Only mildly,” he answered. “But I got a lot of stings.”
He seemed out of breath but calm enough so that I wasn’t panicking.
“If you’re allergic, why did youpokethe nest?” I asked.
Noah glared at me. Right. He’d had a rough few days.
“I wasn’t thinking clearly, I guess.” He shrugged. “I’ll be fine.”
“Right, okay,” Dad said, clearly tired. “I’m going to head out. Amanda, maybe you should stay for a while?”
I wasn’t sure if he was suggesting that so that I would spend time with Noah or if he was worried. Either way, I wasn’t leaving until I knew he was fine.
“You probably should,” Noah admitted, though he didn’t seem too excited. “I should be monitored for an hour or so.”
I watched his sincere expression as he hopped off the counter and winced upon landing.
“EpiPens hurt.”
“All right,” Dad finally said, grabbing his keys. “No. More. Poking. Bee. Nests.”
Noah rolled his eyes but smiled a little, waving him off.
After the door shut, I followed Noah up the stairs. “I’m supposed towatchyou,” I scolded. “Where are yougoing?”
Noah turned back to glare at me briefly and then turned the corner into the bathroom. I trailed behind him and watched as he peeled his shirt off. He leaned forward, facing the mirror and connecting our eyes within it.
“I need you to count the stings on my back,” he said sincerely. “If I have more than ten, I might be in a little more trouble.”
I looked at his bare torso, feeling my cheeks heat up. He was thin but also well toned. His back muscles flexed under the redness of the stings as he leaned forward, gripping the counter.
But the most obvious thing about the way he looked? Embarrassed.
16
Noah
“CAN YOU JUST COUNTthem, so I can put my shirt back on?” I gritted through my teeth.
Amanda could only stare at my scratched and scarred torso from where the glass had cut me in the accident. I faced the mirror and watched her as she pointed at spots on my back and counted.
“Four,” she answered, a hitch in her breath. “And it looks like one on your chest…”
“That’s a scar,” I spat at her rudely.
She stepped away and locked eyes with me in the mirror again, taken aback.
“I have a lot of those.”
I hadn’t let anyone see me shirtless in a long time. Even with Morgan, I’d tried my best to cover up. As soon as I’d felt a sting on my back though, I had known someone had to check. Tony would have asked about the scars, and maybe Amanda would have too, if I hadn’tjusthad a talk with her about what I didn’t want to be asked.
“So, you’re part titanium?” she asked jokingly.
I looked at her strangely in the mirror, then turned to face her.
