Page 113 of Mr. Picture Perfect
Noah’s eyes warm as he gazes at me. “You’re so thoughtful. I don’t know what I did to deserve you.”
“I could say the same damned thing.” I put my arm around him on the bed and pull him close to me. We’re both wearing just gym shorts, otherwise shirtless and barefooted on the bed, which has a fluffy comforter and sheets that feel like liquid silk against our skin. “You’re my favorite thing in the world, Noah.”
He cuddles against me, his head on my chest, remaining quiet.
Even after our fun night with the guys, he still seems like part of his mind is somewhere else. I stroke his hair and decide to tread lightly. “What’re you thinking about?”
He doesn’t answer.
I keep stroking his hair. “Noah …?”
“I’m counting your heartbeats.”
“Oh.” I can’t help this uneasy feeling. Something is wrong. Yet still, I treat him with sensitivity and patience. “How many are you up to?”
“It’s beating fast.”
Must be my anxiety, wondering what’s wrong with you, I’d say, but instead I just chuckle. “Guess my heart rate always picks up when you’re near me.”
“Hmm. That doesn’t sound healthy.”
“Oh, it’s very healthy,” I insist. “Cardio does a body great. If I keep you in my life, I won’t ever have to touch a treadmill again.”
He lets out a halfhearted titter, then draws quiet.
I lean my head against his and close my eyes. In a quiet, gentle voice, I tell him, “You know I care about you, right? More than this pageant? Oh, sorry, I meancircuswe’re part of.” He remains silent. Even the joke doesn’t land. “Remember, I even wanted to drop out of it several weeks ago. The only thing that matters to me is you.”
“You know what’s strange about the paladin?”
I open my eyes, confused by the random question. “What?”
“The paladin was so focused on his mission, the movie never showed the bigger picture … that there were other demons all over the realm, and sorcerers who practiced illegal magic … all of them needing just as much of the paladin’s attention …”
I’m so lost. I don’t know where Noah’s going with this. “Okay.”
“But he kept his eye on thatonedemon sorcerer, just that one, the whole time. Why did he do that? Didn’t he realize there were other sorcerers? Other demons?”
“I don’t know. I think because he had feelings for him.”
“But what if he put all his attention on the wrong sorcerer? I think if he’d taken the time to see how many demons really were out there in the world, he might’ve chosen a different sorcerer … and maybe things wouldn’t have turned out that bad.”
I peer down at his head still on my chest. “Things turned out bad for them, you think …?”
He draws quiet. “Well, maybe. I … I don’t know.”
After a moment of silence, I’m back to stroking his soft hair—and feeling more confused than ever. “Maybe you’re overthinking it. They were falling in love, weren’t they? You could totally tell. The hunky paladin and that cute-as-fuck sorcerer … it was destiny they’d end up together in the end. We don’t even need to see the rest of the movie to know that.”
Noah remains quiet.
I move my hand to his back, rubbing his bare skin. “Noah?”
“I care about you, Cole. I care about you a lot.”
“I care about you, too.”
“And I want you to be happy.”
“I want you to be happy, too.” My hand stops. “Are you happy right now, Noah? You can be honest with me. If something’s—”
