Page 40 of It Was Always You

That seemed to wake Noah the rest of the way up because he startled and immediately reached for the button to get the recliner back up to sitting position.

He cleared his throat. "Yeah, Mr. Stevens, I-I was just leaving."

He tossed the blanket he'd been using to the side and made ready to stand.

"Wait." I gripped his arm.

He looked at me with question in his eyes. "What is it?" He glanced around like he thought he must have forgotten something.

I drew in a deep breath, hoping it would make me braver. "What are you going to do tonight? Where are you planning to sleep?"

He grabbed his shoes and put them on. "I'll probably go to my usual spot in the forest. Can't risk having anyone else find me sleeping in my car."

"Do you really have to sleep in your car?"

He shrugged. "For the next few days, yeah. Unless I feel like going to my dad's house with my tail between my legs. But he's usually pretty annoyed with me anyway, so I can't imagine him welcoming me if I show up at ten o'clock on a weeknight."

My heart pounded in my chest. "H-how about you just stay here then?"

He paused and studied me with uncertainty in his eyes. "I don't think your dad would like that very much. He's a nice guy, but I know how he is about you and boys."

"We could tell Easton and have him ask."

Noah looked down the hall as if worried Easton would overhear us from his room. He lowered his voice. "I love the guy, but I just want as few people to know about this as I can have."

"My dad will understand."

Dad's voice came from upstairs. "It's late, Noah. Your mom is probably worried about you."

"Just putting my shoes on, Mr. Stevens," Noah called. Then he turned to me and shrugged. "I'm not his problem."

Why was Noah so worried about being someone's problem?

"But I can't send you outside to sleep in your car. I checked the weather and it's going to be just as cold tonight as it was yesterday."

"And I survived last night just fine." He stood and wiggled his feet the rest of the way into his shoes. "I'll see you tomorrow, Lexi." And without another word, he grabbed his book and disappeared up the stairs.

I watched Noah trudge down the sidewalk from the darkness of my bedroom. The lights onhis car flashed when he unlocked it. Then he opened the driver's side door and just stood there for a while, looking at my house. I couldn't see the expression on his face, but I imagined a look of longing for warmth and family.

It wasn't fair. He shouldn't be sleeping in his car. He shouldn't be worrying about where he was going to be staying the night, or how he was going to stay warm, or where he'd be getting his next meal.

How could his mom do that to him? How could neither of his parents know where he was staying?

But I knew from my own experience with my mother that not all parents were created equal. And just because you were related by blood didn't mean you necessarily loved your family.

Noah climbed into his car. I looked around my room, faintly lit by the moonlight streaming through the window. It was spacious enough. Maddie and Grant had both fit in here for years with the full-sized bed that was now mine, and the crib which later turned into a toddler bed for Grant.

My gaze traveled to my closet. It was pretty big. And I had that air mattress in there that Juliette used when she had slept over this summer.

My mind made up, I did what was possibly the stupidest thing that I've ever done in my life: I texted Noah.

Me:Just come sleep in my room so I'm not worried about you all night.

My heart banged against my rib cage as I waited for him to respond. The read receipt changed from sent to read, then the conversation dots appeared on the screen.

I ran to the window to see if his car was still there. It was, and I could see a small blue light coming from his phone in the front seat. But when a message didn't immediately come through, I started to doubt myself.

He had to know that I was just being a good friend and not offering something more, right?

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