I WAS STILL debating over what to wear at seven o'clock. Lee would be arriving in forty-five minutes. I'd been getting ready for two hours, and I'd changed my outfit, like, fifty times already.
The past week had gone by way too fast; it was already Warren's party.
I stood with my hands on my hips in front of my closet, critically looking over all my clothes again. 'You know what,' I said to myself. 'I'll be going in my underwear at this rate.'
I didn't really want to wear a dress or skirt – mostly because I'd forgotten to shave my legs – and that limited my 'party wardrobe' considerably.
What I really wanted to wear was a sheer black top that was basically backless, with thin crisscrossing straps. The neckline was cut straight across my collarbone, so it was far from low cut; I just didn't know if it was party wear.
I sighed, rubbing a hand across my collarbone (I didn't want to mess up my makeup). Did I really care if I wasn't dressed up too much?
I knew why I really wanted to look good.
I wanted to look good for Noah.
But that was silly. To hell with it. I was going to wear the black top, and if I looked out of place, then so what?
I snatched up my jeans. They were pale blue denim, artfully torn in the legs. I pulled on the top too and sat down at my dresser to finish my hair. I still wasn't really in the party mood, and pulled it up into a ponytail on the top of my head.
I topped up my mascara; I had a few minutes to kill before Lee got here.
Then I got a phone call.
'Lee, what's up?' I asked, immediately sensing something was wrong. Why else would he call?
'Listen, um . . . I'm really sorry, but do you mind if . . . well . . .'
'Spit it out already,' I laughed.
'Well, Rachel just asked if I could give her a ride because her friend bailed and . . .'
'You want to know if you can bail on me to take your girlfriend, like the amazing best friend you are?' I said dryly, but I was smiling and he probably knew it.
'Actually, I was just going to ask if you'd mind if we took Rachel too. I wouldn't ditch you! Give me some credit.'
'Well, I'll ask my dad to give me a lift,' I said. 'I'll let you and Rachel be alone.'
'You don't have to do that, Shelly! Don't be silly.'
'No, it's okay, Lee, I really don't mind,' I told him honestly. 'It's okay.'
Before, his relationships had ended because he and I were too close, and his girlfriends didn't like not being the number-one woman in his life. I didn't want to spoil things with him and Rachel.
He thought for a moment. 'Well, I can ask Noah to take you. He hasn't left yet.'
I heard him shout to his brother as I was saying, 'No, Lee, don't – it's fine, really—' I broke off with a sigh.
'Elle? Shelly, you still there? Hello?'
'Huh?' I'd totally spaced out, not even hearing Lee talking to me.
'Noah said he'd give you a ride there, no problem. He'll be at yours in about twenty minutes.'
'B-but . . .' I protested quietly, weakly.
'Thanks, Elle. I owe you big time. See you later!'
'Bye . . .'
I sighed, letting my cell phone slide out of my hands and onto my bed and burying my face in my hands.
Standing up, I looked myself over critically in my mirror.
I'd kept my make-up simple, except for the dark burgundy lipstick. My jeans hugged my figure; my top emphasized my curves and bared almost my whole back. I felt good. Noah would most likely try to find something inappropriate with my look though.
But that wasn't why I was worried; I was more worried about the gossip and rumors that would start when people saw us turn up together.
Just then, the doorbell went. I put my cell in my back pocket and went downstairs as I heard Dad call my name.
He opened the door and I saw him do a double take. 'Noah.'
'Hey, is Elle ready yet?' Noah asked, shockingly polite for him.
'Uh . . .' My dad turned to call me again, and saw me. He looked confused. 'One second, Noah.'
He pulled me into the kitchen. 'What's he doing here?' he asked me quietly.
'Lee took his girlfriend and got Noah to drop me there instead.'
'Oh, good. For a minute there I thought you two were dating.'
I forced a laugh. 'Yeah, right.'
'Be careful, though. I'm still not sure whether I trust that boy – what with the fights he gets into . . . and that motorbike . . .'
'Yeah, I know, Dad. But Noah's fine. Don't worry about it.' I gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. 'Bye!'
'No alcohol!' he yelled after me.
I went back to the front door, closing it behind me. I smiled casually at Noah. 'Ready to go?'
He looked me up and down, very slowly. Instead of blushing, I sighed internally. Here we go. I wondered how angry he'd be. Though the look in his eyes made my heart race.
'You really don't listen to a word I say, do you?'
'Nope.' I smiled easily again and started off toward the car.
'Honestly, Elle – do you have to dress so . . . so . . .'
'So what, Noah?' I asked tightly, but a part of me was eager to hear what he really thought of me.
'Well, look at you!' he sputtered angrily, his jaw clenching. 'Can't you wear something a little less . . . sexy?'
I couldn't help but grin. Who'd have thought there would be a day when Flynn said I looked sexy? I felt giddy – though it wasn't as good as the feeling when he'd told me I was gorgeous.
'It's not funny,' he snapped at me.
'Oh, calm down. I could've worn something much more revealing. It's a party. I'm not changing, Noah. I'll walk there if I have to, but there's nothing you can do about it. If you want me to change, then I'll go back in and come out wearing the shortest skirt and the tightest top in my closet.'
We had a brief glaring match.
Then, with a sigh, he got in the car and slammed the door behind him.
I did the same, and crossed my arms over my chest. But I felt a little smug inside that I won that argument.
Then he said, 'You look really hot when you're angry.'
I raised an eyebrow at him. Was he mocking me?
He just winked, catching my eye.
Yeah, I was pretty sure he was mocking me.
'Oh come on,' he said. Placing a hand on my thigh, he leaned in closer to whisper, 'You know you can't stay mad at me forever, Shelly.'
'Watch me.'
He chuckled and moved away, pulling off my drive and down the street toward Warren's.
'I still don't see why you have such a problem all of a sudden with what I'm wearing to parties,' I said. 'What about all the other parties I've been to in clothes that were far more revealing than this.'
He shrugged. 'That was different. Guys weren't so brave then, and they wouldn't dare go near you. But since that Cody kid asked you on a date, they all think I've backed off a little and they have a shot with you. Plus our little display at the carnival definitely didn't help.'
I bit the inside of my cheek, feeling a blush rise. 'Whatever.'
He just reached over to squeeze my thigh lightly, and chuckled.
We pulled up at the end of Warren's street, around the corner.
Nobody seemed to notice we'd come together.
I was immediately grabbed aside by some of the girls, who were chatting about all kinds of things, from how hot Jon Fletcher looked, to how tacky Hannah Davies' shoes were, to how much they loved this song!
After a while I found Lee out the back, but he was pretty busy making out with Rachel. I took another swig from my can of Coke, feeling buzzed off the atmosphere alone, and headed back inside.
I found myself in the lounge, which was cleared of all furniture and had been turned into a dance floor. The lights were down, except for some cool green and blue lights someone had set up, flickering like strobes. It was so cool: the colors made everything look almost underwater. It was so weird. I joined in the dancing, swishing my hips back and forth in time with the beat, and throwing my hands in the air.
Someone put their hands on my waist to dance with me, and I turned around. I blinked a few times and saw it was Patrick, a senior on the soccer team.
'Patrick!' I said, smiling. 'I haven't seen you all night.'
He laughed, staggering sideways into a chair. 'Oops! How're things, Elle?'
'Good, yeah . . .'
'Awesome. Hey, come on,' he said, and grabbed my hand.
'Where are we going?'
'For some fresh air. It's really crowded in here.'
'Okay.'
The night air was cool compared to the heat indoors.
'Oh my gosh, it's freezing,' I said, rubbing my arms.
'Here.' Patrick hugged me from behind, his body heat thawing out my back a little.
I laughed and shook my head at him, but before I could step away and tell him not to be silly, I felt a kiss on my shoulder. I stood there in shock for a moment, my brain sluggish to process what had just happened. Then he kissed my neck a little further up, his hands on my waist.
I turned to push him away, but Patrick clearly thought I was turning toward him, and his hands locked around my back. Before he could try and kiss me, I pushed his face sideways with the palm of my hand and wriggled away. It would've been more effective to just knee him in the crotch, but that didn't occur to me.
He stumbled when I pushed him (he was drunk, and not all that steady on his feet), but it was somebody else that sent him sprawling on the grass and put a firm hand on my arm.
'Dude, you always spoil the fun like that!' Patrick slurred, struggling to his feet. 'You're such a killjoy, Flynn – why you gotta be so tough all the time?' He must've been pretty damn drunk, because he was just asking for a fight – and Patrick was a pretty smart guy; he'd never have done something as stupid as that sober.
He was thrown backward with a punch to the gut, and landed on the ground again, groaning a little.
'Anybody else?' Noah asked loudly and clearly, calmly looking around the crowd I hadn't seen forming in the garden. Most people quickly went back in, especially once they saw the fight was over.
'Come on.' He jerked my arm, leading me around the side of Warren's house.
'Ouch! Noah!' I protested. His legs were longer than mine and his strides were quicker; I stumbled to keep up. 'Noah!' I tried again. 'You're hurting me.'
That seemed to get his attention. He loosened his grip considerably, and grabbed my hand instead to march me down the street.
I started to get angry at him. Who did he think he was? It was barely half ten – the party still had a few hours of life in it yet. I didn't want to go home. Up until the little episode with Patrick I'd been having a good time.
Most of all, though, I didn't want to explain to my dad why I'd left so early.
When we finally reached Noah's car, he unlocked it and I stood by the passenger door, my arms crossed firmly over my chest and my eyes narrowed at him.
Noah rubbed his fingertips over his eyes. 'Would you please just get in the car.'
'I'm not going anywhere with you. Are you some kind of violence junkie? I'm not getting in that car with you behind the wheel after you've had a drink, no matter how much alcohol you say you can take.'
'I haven't had anything to drink, Rochelle! Do you think I'm an idiot? And – what? Violence junkie?'
I shrugged. 'Still. You can't make me leave. I don't have to go anywhere with you. I'm going to stay here.'
I saw his jaw clench in the dim light. Shadows were cast over his face, which made his controlled anger look a little scary. 'You're leaving before some other drunk jackass tries anything on with you.' His voice was clipped, tense.
I carried on glaring at him. 'I had it under control. It wasn't that bad.'
He let out something between a snort and a bark of derisive laughter, which only made me feel angrier. 'It wasn't that bad?' he repeated, eyebrow up. 'You—'
'You're overreacting,' I snapped back at him, 'You're being a controlling, obnoxious jerk, like always, and if you think I'm going anywhere with you, then—'
'Just get in the damn car,' he snapped suddenly, slamming his hand palm down on the roof. The sudden bang made me jump. But I gritted my teeth and stood my ground.
'Please,' he finally added after a while.
I got in the car.
As Noah slid into the driver's seat, he sighed, 'Thank you.'
I nodded. 'You didn't need to yell so much.'
After a second he said, 'I know. I'm sorry.'
I sat there, fiddling with the frayed rips in my jeans. 'Patrick didn't do anything, you know.'
'He would've.'
'We just went out for some fresh air. Is that a crime?'
'Is that what he said?'
'W-well, yeah . . .' I faltered.
Noah sighed heavily, leaning his head against the steering wheel in exasperation before he sat up and looked me in the eye. He looked a lot calmer now, if a bit hopeless.
'And you really thought he meant you were going out for fresh air?'
'At first I did.'
'Elle, this is exactly what I've been trying to say to you. You're so naïve when it comes to guys.'
'And whose fault is that?' I retorted, twisting in my seat to frown at him. 'If you hadn't been so freaking protective and let guys ask me out, I wouldn't be so naïve and so innocent and so damn freaking nice! You're the biggest hypocrite in the book, Noah Flynn.'
Noah stared at me for the briefest second before his lips came down on mine. It was only a short kiss, though, and he pulled away first.
'Well, that's one way to win an argument,' he said with a smirk.
'No fair. You cheated. And you didn't win.'
'Oh, really?' He checked the mirrors before pulling out. I hated the way Noah drove at the very edge of the speed limit. He didn't just cruise along – he pushed the car as fast as he could get away with.
'Yes, really. That wasn't fair.'
'Then go ahead and finish your argument, Elle. Be my guest.'
I opened my mouth, ready to snap at him again, but . . . I fell short. What had I been saying? His kisses were too intoxicating. I couldn't remember my train of thought now.
He smirked again, triumphant. 'I win.'
'You just wait, Noah,' I muttered. 'I'll get you back for that.'
'I'm looking forward to it.' He caught my eye and winked. I felt a blush creeping over my cheeks and hoped it was too dark for him to see.
We drove around for about twenty minutes. I had the window down, the cool night breeze on my face. Neither of us spoke, but it wasn't a bad kind of silence.
When he finally pulled up, I unbuckled my seatbelt and got out of the car. I did a double take when I realized that he hadn't come to my house.
'Why are we here?' I asked, looking around to see him get out of the car too.
He shrugged. 'Party's not over yet, Elle.'
The way he said it made me blush again, and I tried to shake my head clear. 'But – but where are your parents?'
'They have a seminar downstate tomorrow so they went up earlier to save travelling in the morning.'
I thought for a moment that maybe I should just head on home, but it was pretty cold out. And dark. There could be all sorts of shady people lurking around at this time of night.
At least, that's what I told myself as I followed him inside.
But really?
I just wanted to stay with Noah a while longer.
First, though, I went into the kitchen for a drink, feeling parched.
'Are you okay?' he asked from the doorway as I set down the empty glass. I nodded at him, rubbing my face. 'Not going to throw up or anything?'
'I didn't drink, actually. After the last party I figured it would be best to lay off for a while.'
'Oh.' Suddenly, his arms were around me, and he kissed the top of my head. 'Okay, so maybe you don't need me there to look out for you all the time.'
I laughed. 'I kind of like you looking out for me. What I don't like is when you act like a jerk about it.'
He chuckled quietly, kissing my head again, his fingers toying with my ponytail. 'Do you want to go home?' he asked.
I shook my head against his shoulder, then looked up at him. 'I'd rather stay for a while.'
'You can crash in the spare room if you want. If you don't want to go home.'
I shrugged, unsure. It depended on how fast time flew when I was with Noah.
Then we were kissing again, and stumbling up the stairs. After a while I was pulling at his top and, before I could second-guess myself, tugging mine off too.
His hands caught mine and, holding me still, he broke the kiss but didn't move back. His forehead rested against mine, our noses pressed together. I could feel the bumps where his nose had been broken. I looked into his electric-blue eyes, so bright in the darkness.
'Rochelle,' he said quietly, 'we don't have to. We can wait. I'll wait.'
Any doubts I had about this washed away completely at those words. It wasn't like I'd planned on this happening, especially so soon: I'd always thought that this would only happen once I was in a committed relationship with a guy I loved. But everything felt so good – so right – with Noah, that I didn't care.
And maybe I wouldn't have gone all the way if he hadn't told me, in that soft voice, that he'd wait. But that was it. I knew he cared.
So I replied, my voice as quiet as his, 'I know. But I want to.'