Page 51 of Sweet Temptation

When I finally reached him, he stood to let me pass. My body buzzed as I lightly brushed past him. He was too big for such a small space, and it was impossible to get by him without touching. I looked at the number on the empty seat next to him, and my heart sank as it was confirmed. I was sitting next to Noah.

I dropped into my seat and pulled out my program, hoping it might distract me from the boy I could feel at my side. There was only so much time you could spend reading about the actors in the play before it became painfully monotonous.

Noah let out a soft laugh, and I couldn’t stop myself from glancing up at him. He was watching me, and though he’d laughed, there wasn’t a trace of humor on his face.

“What?” I hissed at him.

“It’s nothing.”

“You laughed. Do you find something funny about this situation?”

He let out a sigh. “Only that no matter how hard I try, I can’t seem to get away from you. It seems somewhat ironic given we’re seeing a play about fate.”

I folded my arms over my chest. “Yes, well, I’m sure the universe will find some other people to mess with once it realizes no matter how many times it tries to throw us together it’ll make no difference.”

“Perhaps,” he agreed.

His response sliced through me. A part of me still wanted him to fight for us. To fight against his grandfather and choose me even though it was the wrong decision. The way he just seemed to surrender to it all only twisted the broken shards of my heart.

I just wished I didn’t feel such a strong connection to him. That I could ignore how my body urged me toward him even now.

“How was your afternoon?” he asked, somewhat taking me by surprise.

Apparently, we were making small talk now. It was unusual seeing as he hadn’t spoken two words to me all week. “I thought you weren’t talking to me.”

“I never said I wasn’t talking to you.”

I kept my arms crossed and stayed as small as I could in my seat. There was barely any space between the seats, and I felt too close to Noah. “Well, youhaven’tbeen talking to me, and you’ve been acting as though I don’t exist.”

He let out a hard breath. “How could I be acting as though you don’t exist when you’re the only person I can see?”

This boy was more confusing than most of my chemistry lessons—and those were damn near impossible these days. Thankfully, the lights in the theater started to dim, stopping our sad attempts at conversation. I blew out a breath of relief. At least now I wouldn’t have to talk with Noah. I could sit here and simply pretend hewasn’t there.

It was far easier said than done, and as soon as it grew dark, my body only seemed to become more aware of Noah’s presence beside me. His arm was on the armrest between us, only inches away from my own. His legs were close enough that I only had to shuffle slightly to brush against him. The worst part was how clearly I could smell him. His scent wrapped around me, beckoning me to him and tormenting my every breath.

I wondered if he was as plagued by me as I was by him. It practically made me feel sick, and each passing moment only turned my stomach more. I’d always found his presence impossible to ignore, but it had never made me feel quite so nauseated before. Perhaps this was progress. Perhaps I’d gotten to the point in our breakup where he made me feel physically ill.

My stomach clenched, and I lifted a hand to my mouth. Nope. This couldn’t be because of Noah. I wasn’t just slightly queasy; I was ten days spent on the high seas kind of queasy.

“I’m going to be sick.” I jumped from my seat and darted back down the row toward the aisle as quickly as I could. People grumbled as I passed, but I ignored them as I climbed over their outstretched legs and rushed back down the steps and out into the foyer.

Thankfully, there was a women’s bathroom just outside the door, and I ran straight for it. I only just made it to the toilet before I vomited. My eyes watered, and my stomach turned. I hadn’t been sick this way in a long time.

I vaguely heard the bathroom door opening and the scuff of feet as someone entered. Whoever it was had a real treat in store because I wasn’t sure I could keep quiet. I was too sick to care though.

“Isobel, are you okay?”

Oh, God.Anyone but him. Noah had followed me in here, and I officially wanted to die.

I answered him by hurling my guts up again. I heard him swear, and moments later, his hands were brushing against the sides of my face as he pulled my hair back for me. If I wanted to get him to leave me alone by completely repulsing him, I was doing a great job.

When I’d gotten most of the contents of my stomach up, I grabbed some toilet paper from the dispenser and wiped my mouth. I wanted nothing more than to disappear, but that was impossible when I was stuck in a small cubicle with Noah. I slowly turned to him. I felt like hell and probably looked even worse. There wasn’t nearly enough space in the small stall for the two of us, and we were both far too close.

“You shouldn’t be in here,” I said.

Noah ignored my comment. “How are you feeling?”

“I feel like the food at that restaurant isn’t nearly as nice the second time tasting it.” Especially not the calamari. I was never going to eat seafood again.

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