Page 7 of It Was Always You

How dare they say any of that! They didn't even know me!

It was either insanity or anger or both that made me do what I did next. But I was not about to end an already bad night on an even worse note. So I stepped closer to Noah and linked my arm through his possessively.

"Yes, please tell everyone it was just a favor. I really don't want Easton or anyone else finding out that we've been secretly dating behind my brother's back for months."

They didn't look convinced. "If you're secretly dating, why are you leaving early?" Ava asked.

My mind went blank, but Noah pulled me even closer, overpowering my senses with his too-heavenly cologne. He gave me a suggestive look that made me blush all over. "We wanted to find somewhere more private. Easton never leaves us alone and we can't pass up this chance."

My insides did a little flip at his words. Was he suggesting we were going to make-out? Make-out with Noah? I would probably hyperventilate if he actually tried.

And Easton would most definitely kill Noah...if my dad didn't get to him first. The backseat of a car was exactly where my cute nephew, Grant, got his start, and ever since my dad found out he was going to be a grandpa at thirty-seven years old, he'd been paranoid that I'd follow in my sister's footsteps. So, thanks to my sister Maddie, I was the one who got the super strict rules and the purityring with the promise that my dad would pay for my college if I kept it on.

But these girls didn't have to know about any of that, so I pulled on Noah's arm and said, "We only have an hour, Noah. Let's get to the overlook before we miss our chance."

To his credit, Noah didn't even laugh at my ridiculous suggestion. Instead, he winked at the girls, leaving them standing there with their mouths hanging open and their minds in a daze. Then he pulled me toward the back exit.

We burst up laughing as soon as the doors shut behind us.

"That was priceless!" I said when I finally stopped to catch my breath.

"The look on their faces!" Noah bent over and slapped his knee. "You're hilarious, Lexi. I wonder how many people they've told already."

That sobered me right up. "You think they're going to tell people?" If my dad caught wind of something like that, I would be so dead.

"I can take you to the overlook right now if you're worried about people following us." He raised an eyebrow. I was surprised he didn't seem to mind the repercussions that rumors about him dating a lowly sophomore would have on his reputation. Did he really not care what people thought about him?

"Yeah, no. You know I'm going to need all the collegefunds I can get from my dad if I want to go to Yale. So, like pretty much everything else I've said tonight, that was a lie."

"I'm crushed." He held his hand to his chest dramatically. "I was really hoping things were going somewhere between us."

"Somehow I think you'll get over it." I shook my head. "I don't know what's happening to me today. I've never lied so much in my life."

The lights on his car flashed when he pressed the button to unlock it. "Well, if you change your mind, you know where to find me."

I looked at him pointedly. "And mydadknows where to findyou,too."

His eyes got big at my mention of my dad.

"Okay, yeah. I'll take you home. We'll try parking at the overlook some other time."

4

NOAH

Easton:My date was awesome! Do anything fun last night?

So, Lexi hadn't told him about our fake date. That was probably good...since it was fake, after all. I could only imagine what he'd do if he found out and thought it was real. There was some sort of unwritten guy code that says you don't date your best friend's little sister.

But I texted him back just to be up front about everything. I didn't trust those two girls we'd run into to keep their mouths shut for a second.

Noah:I ran into Lexi at the theater last night. We both thought the movie sucked so I took her home.

Easton:I thought she was on a date?

Oh, oops.

Noah:You should probably ask her about that.

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