Page 74 of Remember Us This Way

Her face flushes again, and her fingers drop to my waist, fidgeting with the material of my shirt. “What does this mean for you and me?”

My hand falls on top of hers, stilling her fingers and bringing her gaze back to mine. “What do you mean?”

“You practically slapped a property of Noah Ryan stamp across my ass in front of the whole school,” she reminds me as though I somehow forgot that I claimed her right in the middle of the cafeteria.

A smile pulls at my lips, liking the idea of stamping those words across her ass more than I’ll ever admit. “It means, Zoey,” I say, annunciating every word, making sure she truly hears me. “That I’m home, and that I’m going to start making up for all the hurt I’ve caused you over the past three years. I’m not going anywhere, and I’m sure as hell not about to let you go again. I want to put your heart back together.”

Her eyes glisten with unshed tears as she lifts her hand right over my chest, feeling the rapid beat of my heart below. “Do you love me, Noah Ryan?”

I nod, lacing my fingers through hers over my heart. “I’ve never been so in love with you.”

“Then you’ve already put me back together.”

30

Noah

The playground looks empty as I pull to a stop and cut the engine. I gaze out over the steering wheel, finding Zoey perched on one of the swings like she used to when we were kids. She doesn’t glance up, and as I watch her, it’s clear she’s lost in thought. She grips the chains on either side with one foot planted on the ground as she slowly rocks back and forth.

I’ve caught her like this a few times this week, and every time it always comes down to the same thing—Tarni Luca.

It’s been almost a week since their fallout in the school cafeteria, and while Tarni has been silent and kept her distance as the school’s newest outcast, she clearly hasn’t been cut up about it. But Zoey hasn’t stopped hurting. Her heart is too big for her own good.

Making my way to the playground, I slip around the back of the swings and come up behind her, my hands coming down on her shoulders. “Stop thinki—”

Zoey screams, leaping from the swing, her eyes wide as she whips around with her fists up, ready to take me out. All I can do is laugh as she realizes it’s just me. “Holy shit, Noah,” she breathes, bracing her hands against her thighs and taking slow, deep breaths. “Are you trying to give me a heart attack?”

I arch a brow, standing back and watching as she tries to get control of her breathing. “Were you going to punch me?”

“Damn straight,” she says. “Your ass was about to get laid out. You’re just lucky I saw you before I started swinging.” She cuts through the swings and steps right into me, pushing up onto her tippy toes to kiss me as my arms circle her waist. “You know, only a man with a death wish sneaks up on a girl like that.”

“I figured you heard me coming,” I tell her. “My car isn’t exactly quiet.”

She pulls a face, almost embarrassed because she knows I’m right. “How’d you know where to find me, anyway?”

“Lucky guess,” I say with a shrug.

“Try again,” she says, pulling out of my arms and arching a brow, knowing damn well I’m lying.

“Okay fine,” I say with a groan, not surprised to see just how well she’s able to read me. “I swung by your place and your dad said you’d gone out, and seeing as though Hazel was still at home, your car was in the driveway, and you kinda don’t have any friends, it narrowed down the options.”

She lets out a heavy sigh, her bottom lip jutting out, and I know it has everything to do with my comment about her friends. “She really hates me.”

I step back into her, pulling her into my arms again and dropping a kiss to her temple. “She does,” I say, not bothering to sugarcoat it. “But that’s because she’s a spiteful bitch who can’t see past her own wants and needs to the people around her. She doesn’t deserve your tears, Zo. You’ve given her ten years of friendship, and she’s going to throw it away over jealousy.”

She lets out a heavy breath, not willing to let it go just yet, so I go on, more than ready to drive my point home. “She was there, Zo. She saw us as kids. She watched from the sidelines as we fell head over heels in love with each other. She knows how happy you are when we’re together. If she’s the kind of person who wants to stand in the way of your happiness, then she was never a good friend to you,” I tell her. “She’s never had your best interests at heart. I saw it the very first day I met her, and I just hate that it’s taken this long for her to show you her true colors.”

“It just . . . It hurts,” she whispers, letting out a heavy sigh.

“I know it does,” I say, my hands rubbing up and down her arms. “But soon it’ll fade, and you’ll realize you never needed her.”

“Let me guess,” she says, her chin tilting up to meet my stare. “Because I have everything I need right here?”

“Wow,” I tease. “Whoever said you weren’t a fast learner?”

She rolls her eyes, but I grab her hand, pulling her back toward my car. “Come on,” I say, “I want you to come somewhere with me.”

Her brows furrow, but she allows me to pull her along, stepping into my side as we make our way back to my car. “Where are we going?” she asks as I open the door for her, knowing how my mom would clip me over the back of the head if I weren’t the perfect gentleman.

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