Page 77 of Echoes of Us

I opened my eyes when the door to my room closed. The space before me felt too vast. There was an emptiness in my chest. It felt like it was ripping me apart.

I closed my eyes and turned, giving my back to the void.

CHAPTER

FIFTEEN

BEFORE

My mom was pissed. After the party at Ezra’s house, I forgot to close the door to my room and woke up way too late. When I left Noah’s room, she was already in the kitchen, her face tight with irritation. She scolded me for breaking her rules and warned me that if it happened again, Noah would have to leave early. New Year’s Eve was tense after that. It didn’t help that Noah had a terrible hangover and could barely conjure up a smile. We still managed to have an okay time, and by the time the new year rolled around, my mom was on her third glass of champagne, and Noah and I got to kiss at midnight.

The rest of the break was slightly less eventful. Noah still sneaked into my bed at night. He saw Chase and Sarah again without any setbacks. Noah left the day before me, and I was terrified when I left him at the airport. He promised he would be okay and called me when he landed. When I got home, my mom decided to give me a safe sextalk. Then she told me she was worried about me. She thought Noah was great, but he seemed to be going through something, and she was worried we were moving too fast. She said something that stuck with me: she thought we were holding too tightly to each other, like we were both scared of letting go. I thought of the fear that gripped me as I left him at the airport and knew she was right.

When I landed, I didn’t even go to my dorm; I went straight to him. I arrived late, and we barely talked. I just stumbled into bed, relishing the freedom to be as close as we wanted again. Noah surprised me the next morning, having gotten groceries the day before. When I returned from my run, he was up and making breakfast. After I showered, I found him dancing slowly to the music playing in the background while he cooked in the kitchen. He was still in his boxers, moving with an effortless grace. He threw a smile my way and kept doing what he was doing. I sat on the counter and watched him, biting back my smile.

“Are you impressed with my househusband skills?” he asked.

I chuckled as he bit his lip. He turned his back to me, scrambling eggs in a pan and bouncing softly. I watched his back as he worked, then ventured over to him, wrapping my arms around him and listening to him singing under his breath.

“I’m very impressed.”

He kept dancing in my grasp, and I kissed his cheek. He stepped back, and I leaned on the counter as he served the plates. He turned to me with a smile, wagging his eyebrows. I laughed. He left the pan in the sink and jumped on the counter, pulling me closer and kissing me.

“You’re in a good mood.”

“It’s nice to be back here with you.” He guided me closer with his legs.

I melted into him, grabbing his thighs and wrapping them around me. I kissed his neck, and he kept singing.

“You know, this could be our song.”

I looked up at his smile. “It could?”

“You’re too sweet for me, Atty.” He ran his tongue over his lip and bit down on it.

I kissed him, and he tangled his fingers in my hair, keeping me close. He kissed me deeply, pressing himself against me. I had gotten used to him doing that before I spent an hour trying to pry him off me.

“I have classes.”

“Cut it.” He licked my lips.

“It’s the first class back, Noah,” I argued.

“Exactly, you’ll have many more. Stay with me, Atty. Let’s make the best of your easy mornings,” he said, causing me to chuckle.

“Noah.” I couldn’t muster the strength to say no and leave. “What about breakfast?”

He bit down on my lip. “Fuck breakfast, I want you.”

I agreed wholeheartedly.

He pulled on my shirt, getting me out of it. “You feel so good out of the shower, though I’d like doing this right after your run too.” He leaned down to kiss my neck, his short nails running over my shoulders.

“Seriously?”

“You look hot as fuck sweating like that,” he whispered in my ear, and his words went down to my groin. He kissed me harshly, and his hands went to the fastenings of my jeans.

“What are you doing?”

---