Books and Kisses

Chapter Thirteen - Michael

The final score to our game? Sixteen numbers for Noah, twenty seven for me.

"You cheated." Despite his declaration, the clean in Noah's eye told me he was more upset he hadn't thought of my idea first than by unconventional strategy.

"Can't cheat if there were no rules." The thrill of victory added an extra bounce to my step.

We'd left the bar after tallying our numbers and were currently walking from the metro station. Maybe it was the alcohol or the body radiation off Noah as he walked beside me, I was roasting in my coat even though the early evening temperature hovered in the lower fifties. I didn't feel like carrying it though, so I kept it on.

"Should've known you would've found a loophole." Noah angled his chin towards my bag, where I'd stuffed the dozen of tissues with men's numbers scribbled onto them. I threw the women ones away without him knowing.

"You gonna call any of them?"

"Maybe. Couldn't be worse than trying to find someone on a dating app." My smile dimmed when I remembered my encounter with William. He had some nerve, approaching me like that. Then again, most men possessed nothing if not audacity.

"Hmm."

The disgruntled sound settled into my bones and caused my pulse to spike.

Was Noah jealous?

No. That was fucking daft. To be jealous, he'd have to like me, and while we'd developed a grudging mutual respect, we didn't like each other. I still wanted to punch the cocky smirk off his face everytime I saw him.

Besides he was straight anyways.

"And you? Are you going to call any of the numbers you got?" I asked casually

"Maybe," Noah said

"Haven't thought about it."

"Hmm."

Oh fuck. The sound slipped out without thinking. Now it sounded like I was jealous.

"What's the deal with you lately, anyway?" I added quickly in an attempt to draw attention away from my slip up.

"Is it Violet cheating on you? Cause normally you wouldn't give a fuck and you'd find a new girl in zero point five seconds."

"Most people just aren't my type."

"Noah, your a player, you don't give a crap if they're your type."

"So are you, you'd understand." He slid a glance towards my direction.

I did. Our approach to sex and relationships was one of the few things we had in common. Like Noah, I wasn't really interested if the person was my type I just got on if they were you randomly like me and I'd just pretend I did as well.

The alcohol induced buzz in my head grew louder.

I don't know why your father decided to keep you, your a whore.

"Michael!"

Noah's panicked shout pierced my ear at the same time squealing tires screeched through the night. I lifted my head, my eyes widening at the sight of headlights barelling towards me.
I'd been so caught up in my own thoughts I'd wandered into the middle of the road without looking.

Move! My brain screamed, but my body wouldn't obey. I just stood there, frozen, until an iron grip closed around my arm and yanked me back onto the sidewalk a millisecond before a truck sped past, horn blaring and an old man flipping me off through his dirty window.