Page 88 of The Secret Of Us

29

IZZY

Maybe I shouldn’t have toldNoah I would say goodbye to him at the bus because it feels like I’ve been hit by one.

He ended up staying in my room until midnight. We lost track of time while watching movies and talking, and it was only when he got a message from his grandad that we realised how late it was. Thankfully, he managed to sneak out and get back to his own room without being caught.

I’ve snoozed my alarm as much as I can, but there’s no putting it off any longer, so I drag myself out of bed. I spend a couple minutes trying to make myself look as put together as possible. After pulling on Noah’s hoodie, I put the hood up to cover my unbrushed hair, tightening the strings so it fits around my face. I look ridiculous, but I don’t have the energy to care. Noah has seen me in all sorts of states and still thinks I’m pretty.

My feet drag as I leave my room and make my way to the car park. Most of the football team is already standing around, loading their bags into the luggage storage.

“Miss Evans, what are you doing here?” Luke says as he saunters over to me with a smirk on his face. It is far too early to be dealing with him.

“Don’t talk to me.” I hold my hand up to his face, and he pushes it away before leaning in closer to me.

“Things must be getting pretty serious with lover boy if you’re up at this time for him. Do I need to have a conversation with Isaac?”

“About what?” I tuck my hands into the pockets of Noah’s hoodie, tilting my head to the side and staring Luke down as best as I can.

“So he can do the whole protective older brother thing. Tell Noah he’ll kill him if he breaks your heart, all that fun stuff,” Luke says, with a grin on his face. He’s getting too much joy out of this.

“Isaac is scared of spiders. Who exactly is he killing?”

“I’m just saying.” Luke holds his hands up. “Maybe you two should have a conversation about this. He could give you some advice on what worked for him and Violet.”

“I don’t need any advice. We’re just…taking it one day at a time.” It feels like a huge understatement, but I don’t know how else to describe what we’re doing.

“If you don’t want to talk to him about it, I’m here, too. I like Noah, but I also remember being your age. It’s a weird time for both of you.”

“You and Jinhee managed to stay together.”

At the mention of his girlfriend, he smiles.

“That’s different. We knew each other for years before anything happened. You’ve only known Noah for a few months. I just don’t want you to get hurt.”

“I won’t,” I tell him, and try to convince myself, too.

I trust Noah, but Luke is right. We haven’t known each other long enough to make any big decisions about our relationship. But I like himso much. I want to at least try.

“Izzy.”

Noah’s voice draws both of our attention and Luke claps me on the shoulder before walking past me to check in on the other students.

“Thanks for coming,” he says as he looks me up and down. A small smile tugs at the corner of his lips as he plays with one of the hoodie strings. “You’re so pretty.”

I swat his hand away, feigning annoyance, but my smile betrays me.

“The sun isn’t even up yet. This is a silly time to start a trip.” I shiver as a breeze drifts through.

Noah steps closer, drawing me into his arms as he hugs me. He runs a hand up and down my back, warming me up as I bury my face in his chest.

“I’m going to miss you,” I tell him, my voice muffled.

It’s easier to say these things when I’m not looking at him. Easier to bare my heart when I don’t have to worry about seeing any sign of rejection on his face.

“Me too,” he sighs, loosening his hold on me.

He raises one hand to my face, cradling my cheek so I can look up at him. I catch the moment his eyes move to my lips, and I don’t give it a second thought before I lean up, pressing my mouth to his for just a second.

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