Come Back to Me

Chapter 4 Present Day

I felt someone's hand on my face as I slowly came awake, brushing away my hair and tucking it behind my ear. I leaned into the hand, the warmth feeling so good, the calluses somewhat familiar. A small sound of satisfaction may have even escaped my lips which was returned by a quiet, deep, and very familiar laugh.

My eyes snapped open.

I swatted away Noah's hand and shot upright. Disoriented, I frantically looked around, realizing after a moment that I was at home, on the couch in the living room. In the dim light coming in from the moon, I could make out the blue striped upholstery and the matching throw pillows.

"Hey beautiful," Noah spoke up from beside me as he flipped on the light.

Squinting against the brightness of the lamp, I saw he was sitting right next to me, my legs draped over his and covered with a blanket. His long legs were casually crossed in front of him on the ottoman, his shoes were off and so were his socks. I frowned as I struggled to remember if I always thought his feet were sexy or if was that a recent development? He'd changed from the hoodie he had on earlier, now in a suit and dark grey shirt. His suit jacket was off and slung over the armchair next to us. My frown deepened as he watched me study him. Damn him for looking so good just sitting there.

Speaking of looking good, I know I did not. When I got home I immediately changed out into a pair of Riley's old soccer shorts and a ratty t-shirt. Beth had escorted me upstairs to help me change and put me to bed, knowing rest was the best thing at that moment. I had insisted on coming back downstairs with her, arguing that I was fine and didn't need any rest. And then I promptly passed out on the couch.

"You're in my house."

"Yes, I am."

"Why the fuck are you in my house?"

Noah laughed again. He was breathtaking when smiling. Something I would never forget. "God, your mouth. I've missed that." His laugh faded as he gazed at me. I didn't realize how much I missed having him look at me like that. The tension between us was thick, so many memories were being drugged up by him simply sitting there with me and I could tell he was feeling it too.

I clutched the blanket tighter to me just as he reached out to grab my hand. I couldn't pull it away in time.

His fingers intertwined with my own and he sighed. "We still fit together."

"Noah-"

He felt me tense to pull away and grasped my hand even tighter. "Just give it a second."

I decided to let him win this round. Neither of us said anything for a long time. We just sat, holding hands, his thumb lazily tracing circles on the back of my knuckles. Exactly like he did when he took my hand before.

"What were you dreaming about?" His hazel eyes were a little sad as he looked at me from under his lashes.

"Nothing. I don't know." I couldn't honestly recall if I had been dreaming or not.

"It must have been about me because you said my name. You sighed it, actually. Sounded sexy."

Fuck it all to hell.

"Apparently you still talk in your sleep." His lips quirked, not quite a smile. Under my glare, he kept it from forming.

I jerked my hand from his and started to get off the couch. One of us needed to leave this room and judging by how comfortable he looked, it wasn't going to be him. As soon as my feet hit the floor, it started to tilt and I had no option but to let him steady me before I fell on my face. Noah gently pulled me back against him, wrapping an arm around my shoulders. I couldn't even fight, feeling so weak all of a sudden and things continued to spin. He tucked me into his side and it was so comfortable to be in his arms again. My body was betraying me and relaxed into his embrace. He sighed.