Page 118 of Echoes of Us

“That was some kiss,” he said.

I smiled. “I have a present for you, but it’s back home.”

He ran his fingers on my face, following them with his eyes. “A fuck?” he joked.

“We’ll do that, but I have a wrapped present.”

His smile grew. He leaned up and kissed me again. “I love you, too, Atty,” he said against my cheek. “Are you going to kiss me like that again?”

“Next year.”

He smiled brightly. “Next year,” he repeated.

I smiled before kissing him again.

“Can we toast now? Or are you going to keep making out for the foreseeable future?” Holly asked loudly.

We laughed, accepting the glasses she handed us. We stood up with the rest of the group, raising our glasses to toast Noah. He had his hand in mine, looking up at me and smiling as if he couldn’t help himself. He tugged me down.

“You make me so fucking happy,” Noah whispered in my ear.

I smiled back at him. “That’s all I want,” I replied.

Our eyes met, and for that second, everything felt perfect. Noah was all I would ever need. Nothing else mattered, as long as he looked at me like that. I wasn’t sure if it was the drugs or just him, but I knew I could never feel this way about anyone else.

We were back on the couch after dancing for what felt like hours. The need for movement had finally subsided enough to let us sit down and relax. I couldn’t stop touching Noah—kissing the soft skin of his neck, running my hand up and down his thigh. Noah had broken a dam in me. I couldn’t hold back anymore. I didn’t care that people surrounded us or that my friends might silently judge our behavior. I couldn’t bring myself to care that we were both men, and I had only recently shown that part of myself to the world. Noah consumed me.

I let my hand slip under his shirt and up his back, feeling him arch into my touch. He loved it, and that was all the approval I needed.

“Atty, if you keep that up, you’re going to leave a mark.” Noah lifted his shoulder.

“Do you want me to stop?” I kissed him just below his ear. His fingers stroked my hair and held me close.

“No, I don’t. I’m just pointing out what’s going to happen if you keep mauling my neck like that.” Noah rubbed his leg over mine.

I tightened my grasp on his back, moving my lips down and sucking on the skin.

“Can we leave?” Tiny bumps formed on his skin as I ran my fingers over his ribs. “I want to get you out of your clothes,” I whispered in his ear and felt the rumble of his laugh against my chest.

“I love you like this.”

I groaned into his neck. “Come on, Noah. Let’s leave.”

He tugged on my hair, getting me to lean back and look at him. He was smiling. “It’s still early.”

I pulled my hand from his shirt and checked my watch. It was almost three in the morning. I showed it to him, and a soft amused sound escaped him.

“See? Early.” He tilted his head.

I sighed and took in our surroundings. Colin was half-talking, half-dancing with a girl standing a little further away. Ezra was sitting on the next couch with Holly and another friend of Noah’s, laughing. They didn’t look like they were ready to leave either.

I turned back to Noah, burying my face in his neck again. “It’s late. I don’t want to leave to go to sleep. I want to get you to bed.”

“Yeah? And do what?” His tone was teasing.

“You know.”

“Yes, but I want to hear you say it.”

---