Page 79 of It Was Always You

She scratched the back of her neck like she was actually considering it, making my heart pound in my chest. But then she said, "No, that's okay. I think Easton wanted some guy time tonight. I would just be in the way."

My heart, which had swelled in my chest, shrunk again. "Well, you have a good night. I'll just wait for Easton then."

She nodded. "Yep." And she went down the hall to her room.

27

LEXI

I shutthe door to my bedroom and walked straight into the bathroom to look at myself in the mirror. What was I doing? Noah had just invited me to go in the hot tub with him and Easton. Why was I turning him down?

I stared at my reflection in the mirror. I was so stupid. Why couldn't I just follow through with Juliette's plan? Make him want what he couldn't have.

I shook my head. He wouldn't want this. I looked ridiculous. I already had smudges of mascara under my eyes, probably from those stupid tears that had wanted to escape when I'd seen Noah at the game. I probably looked like a mess the entire time.

I wiped angrily at the smudges then went back into my bedroom. I opened my dresser drawers and torethrough them until I found the one swimsuit I owned—a plain blue one-piece. Definitely not eye-catching at all.

I sighed and dropped it back into the drawer.

Who was I kidding? I was not the kind of girl that could get a guy with her looks. That wasn't something that had ever even remotely worked for me in the past.

Plus, going into the hot tub with Noah and Easton would be totally obvious—even if Noah had invited me. I could just imagine how awkward it would be. Me sitting there, trying to look cool like I belonged in their world while surreptitiously taking sneak peeks at Noah and his perfectly sculpted chest.

No, I would not follow them into the hot tub. I refused to look desperate. Plus, it was freezing outside. Sure the hot tub was hot, but I had to actually make it there first. And it was, like, five degrees outside.

I would just hang out inside where it was warm. Maybe I could bake something in the kitchen. There was the perfect window that could give me a view of Noah from here.

Not that I was going to be creepy—that was so me three years ago. I did have some pride.

Noah did like to eat... Hmm. Maybe I could find my way into his heart through his stomach. That usually worked in the girly movies, right?

But first I needed to get out of this ridiculous band polo. I went to my closet next. When I opened the door, Iwas greeted with Noah's gray shirt on my closet floor. He must have left it there this morning. Would it be so bad if I kept it as a souvenir if this plan of mine didn't work out?

I shook that thought away. This would work. It had to.

But first, I needed something to wear.

I fingered my way through the clothes hanging inside. I had to have at least one thing that said,hey, remember me?I pulled outfit after outfit off the rack, holding them against myself and looking in the mirror before ultimately tossing them to the floor. I stopped when I found something that might work. It was a white and teal striped knee-length dress that I had worn to one of the few parties I'd let Juliette drag me to last summer. Noah had been there, and I had noticed him take a second glance when he'd seen me. I hadn't really thought anything of it at the time since he had just broken up with Ashlyn. But maybe he had liked the dress. It was worth a shot, anyway.

Once I was ready and I had touched up my makeup once again, I went downstairs, feeling a fluttering of nervousness in my chest.

When I walked into the kitchen it was empty. But a quick peek out the window above the sink showed me that Easton and Noah were already in the hot tub. And my memory did not do his physique the justice that it deserved. He was averynice specimen of a man, if I didn't say so myself. Now if only I had a reason to just stand here and stare without looking too obvious.

That's right, baking. I pulled out a cake mix from the cupboard, deciding I would make some chocolate cupcakes with the peanut butter frosting that I loved.

I grabbed what I needed from the cupboard and then got to work mixing the batter together.

As I stood at the counter stirring, my gaze wandered out the window again. What were they talking about? Could they possibly be talking about me?

I shook my head. Of course not. Noah wouldn't talk to Easton about me.

But when I checked again, I was surprised to find Noah looking at the window. Heat prickled across my skin as I held his stare. He was just talking to Easton and staring at me. Had the dress actually worked?

I was pouring batter into the cupcake liners when the sliding door opened and Noah walked in.

"It's cold out there," he said, shivering as he grabbed a towel off the chair and started drying off his arms and chest, and then his hair. I just stood there in a daze, with my mouth hanging open until he looked back at me, snapping me back to reality.

"A-are you done already?" I asked.

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