Page 95 of All of Him
Once in a while, he’d check in on me, but he always emailed first. That day, he had given no warning. My heart fluttered at the sight of him. He’d put some muscle back on, and the bags under his eyes seemed to be fading. His smile was also encouraging, but he was still a little uneasy.
“I thought maybe we could grab a drink tonight,” he said, his hands awkwardly on his lower back.
“I thought you weren’t supposed to be drinking with the stronger antidepressants,” I said even though I was excited he was asking me.
Noah shrugged and shook his head, then spoke quietly.
“They lowered my dose, so I can have a few. I just can’t drink as often right now.”
“Okay,” I said hesitantly. “Is this…are you telling me…”
Noah shook his head again and cleared his throat.
“Not yet,” he responded.
My stomach sank just a little. He walked close to my desk, leaning over it and making eye contact. His green eyes bored into mine, and I noticed that he was barely wearing any foundation on his scar.
“I just really fucking miss you. I need a couple of hours with you, just to catch up. I know you wanted space, but we haven’t spent more than twenty minutes together since that night in my house.”
I nodded slowly, trying not to notice the way he bit his lower lip.
“Pick me up at seven?”
Noah nodded and pushed away from the desk, a smirk spreading across his face. I just hoped I wouldn’t regret teasing myself.
“And, hey, Manda?” he said, pausing in my doorway. “Once we start dating, will I need to transfer departments?”
I chewed on the inside of my cheek, attempting to hold back a huge grin, while raising my brows at Noah. He raised his right back, flirting lightly.
“I’ll talk to HR. See you tonight.”
I rushed around after work, trying to get some things together for the wedding. It was in just two weeks, and I felt like my stress level should have been higher. The more I did though, the more Teel and Delia told me to relax. They just didn’t understand that the awkward girl always found something to screw up.
I didn’t tell either of them about the plans to see Noah. While I tried to explain a little, they’d never understand, and Teel would need to simply accept it when he was ready for us to be together. I figured it would be easier to have that conversation in one fell swoop rather than bits and pieces ofmaybes. I knew Teel would tell him to get lost behind my back or maybe even yell at me. That was her job as a big sister.
After checking my jeans for holes at every seam and putting on perfume, just in case, I let my hair down and went outside to meet Noah. Upon climbing into his car, I was encompassed by his smell—the smell I had been so familiar with for all that time. I hadn’t even realized it was so distinct until that moment.
“You look beautiful,” Noah said, smiling at me.
His hair had gotten shaggier again, and I had the urge to run my fingers through it. My smile spread as he pushed it back with his hand and leaned toward me over the console.
“Yes?” I asked, feeling awkward for the first time in a while around him.
Noah didn’t seem to notice though and shifted closer to kiss my cheek.
“Bar or my house?” he asked.
The bar would be a much safer bet, but then I remembered the sunsets on his back porch and how long it had been since I’d seen one. If we got there quickly, we’d have a few minutes to watch the sun settle beneath the horizon.
“Your house,” I answered. “Those sunsets are worth big money.”
Noah sat back and put the car into gear, then backed out of the parking spot. I noticed his biceps under his tighter-fitting T-shirt, then let my eyes travel lower.
Oh my.
“Noah Murphy! Are those youroldjeans?”
He laughed and shrugged.
