Page 104 of Wanted You More

Sighing with exhaustion, I rub my sore eyes and peek at my study buddy. “This paper is not going well. How’s it going over there for you?”

The face he makes says it all. “I’m starting to wonder why I put myself through this bullshit. Some of this I doubt I’ll ever use.”

I crack a grin. “That’s how I feel about algebra. And parallel parking.”

A soft snort comes from Noah. “You never know when you’ll need to parallel park. It could happen.”

Shaking my head, I partially close my laptop to give myself a break. “No way. I’d rather find a parking spot somewhere else. I don’t care if I have to walk, I’m not parallel parking.”

He lifts a shoulder. “For the record, you weren’tthatbad at parking. You only hit the curb three times with me.”

I glare at him for counting. “I gently grazed the curb, thank you very much. And I know I’m not bad at it, I’m lazy. I can own up to that.”

All Noah does is chuckle.

“Are you excited about graduation?” I ask, having no doubt he will pass his exams with flying colors.

Noah’s pen pauses. “I’m looking forward to what’s going to happen next for me,” he says after a moment of thinking. “One of Dad’s friends offered me a position at his law firm. I haven’t accepted yet, but I’m thinking about it.”

I perk up. “Noah, that’s amazing!”

He smiles. “Things are falling into place. I may stay on as a volunteer at work, maybe try picking up some shifts on the weekends. I haven’t quite made up my mind.”

I’m happy for him. I reach over and take his hand, brushing my thumb against the back of it with a big smile on my face. “You’ve worked so hard for this. Whatever you decide to do is going to make a difference to a lot of people.”

Noah takes a deep breath and goes to say something, but his phone flashes with a name that has my hand freezing.

“Why is she calling you?” I ask, staring at Bailey’s name on his screen. I move my hand away from his and sit back in my chair.

Noah grabs his phone and stares at it before rejecting the call and sliding the cell into his pocket. “Austen, don’t look at me like that.”

Like what? I laugh coolly. “We hadsexlike three weeks ago. You said you’d never give her a ring. Why is she calling you?”

He pinches the bridge of his nose and releases a heavy breath. “I’ve been with her for a while. It’s not something I can just shut off.”

What is he saying? “Do you love her?”

He’s quiet.

My nostrils flare, but my heart cracks a little when I realize that could be why she’s reaching out to him. “Are you still together?”

There’s a moment when my lungs hurt so badly from how tight they constrict that I can’t breathe. A pathetic hiccupping sound comes from me as I slam my laptop closed and grab my bag to put it in.

Noah grabs my arm. “Don’t storm out.”

I shove my computer into my bag. “What do you want me to do? You’re still with Bailey! I thought after what happened…” What? Did I expect him to be with me? Drop her and profess his undying love to me in front of the world.

He barely does that with his family outside of the loving posts dedicated to each of his parents on Mother’s Day and Father’s Day.

Shaking myself out of my head, I grip my bag and look up at him. “Answer me this. Are you still dating Bailey?”

I hate how he hesitates, rubbing his lips together as if he has to think about it. It’s a simple yes or no answer. And he’s already failed it.

“Never mind,” I murmur, standing up.

As I start walking away, he captures my wrist to stop me. “I told her it wasn’t working,” he tells me, voice full of defeat. “I told her it hadn’t been working for a while and we both knew it. She walked out and I haven’t heard from her until now.”

I stand straighter and look down at his hand, still holding me. “When?”

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