James Knight: Teenage Superhuman - Book Two

Twenty

NOAH

Sarah was officially moving in across the street, and part of me was excited to see her again while the other part of me wanted to flee the country. My nerves got the best of me as the boys and I stood in their driveway, waiting to lend a hand with the boxes.

"We heard you might need some extra help, so we thought we'd offer," Bryce remarked.

"Yep," I chimed in, nodding towards Bryce. As the girl emerged from the house, my eyes couldn't help but wander to her sporty hooded crop top and black jean shorts, a sly smirk forming on my lips. I shot a glance at my brother, giving him the universal guy look that signaled, "She's a looker," and he visibly relaxed his tense muscles.

"Hey, Noah," she greeted me as my gaze locked onto hers.

She sized me up for a moment, seemingly unsure of how to respond to my intense scrutiny. Pushing her long, red hair behind her tanned shoulder, she rolled her blue eyes and cleared her throat, snapping me out of my trance.

"I'm Sarah, by the way. Noah already knows me," she added.

"I missed you, Sarah," I confessed, my words nearly catching in my throat as our eyes briefly locked once more. She seemed unsure of how to react to my intense gaze, pushing her red hair behind her shoulder again before clearing her throat, snapping me out of my trance.

Once again, her father intervened to break the awkward silence, mentioning that there were more boxes in the moving vans and that he would inspect them inside.

"There's more stuff in the moving vans. These boxes are getting heavy, so I'm going to head inside and inspect. Do you guys think you can handle it?" he repeated, his heavy breathing growing even more pronounced.

As my anxiety grew, I replied casually, "Yeah. I think we've got it," winking at Sarah. I noticed her brother watching me from the window, arms folded against his chest.

A weak and nervous grunt escaped my lips. "That's James, Derek, my twin brother Bryce, and his not-so-good-looking boyfriend, Mark. I think that about covers it." I pointed out the guys, blowing hot, nervous air from my lips as my face flushed bright red. Mark pushed me forward while Bryce shot me a glare in response. Bloody bite me, Mark.

"That's my brother Garrett, and my dad, Peter." Sarah said. "You ready?"

"Yeah, sure. Whatever works for you. Just tell us what you need, and we're here to do the heavy lifting," Derek offered, breaking the silence. Sarah gave us instructions, pointing at the boxes in the car and the moving trucks behind us.

"Alrighty then," Mark clapped his hands, and we began our work.

James, Derek, and I started grabbing boxes from the SUV while Mark and Bryce joined the truck drivers in carrying the heavier loads into the house. We moved back and forth, pretending to be fatigued as we handled the boxes.

Meanwhile, Mark brought in the last box and headed for some frozen lemonade. Sarah's father kindly prepared refreshments for us using a blender, premade lemonade, and ice.

We gathered in the kitchen, which resembled ours, with only slight differences in the cabinets above the stove and the wall color.

We continued shuttling boxes for about half an hour as the sun began to set in the distance. I watched Sarah sipping frozen lemonade through a straw, her eyes occasionally meeting mine. My heart raced in my chest as I observed her. Bryce stood beside me, exchanging silent looks as if communicating telepathically.

"You like her," Bryce silently pointed out, gesturing towards Sarah with his eyes. I glared at my brother, thinking, "No shit, Sherlock."

"All right, boys. I think we're just about done," Peter announced, entering the room with a beaming grin. Standing close to Sarah, I could feel my heart skipping a beat as I nearly bumped into her when she shifted her feet.

"Hey, Noah," she smiled, watching me intently. I opened my mouth to speak but was at a loss for words. My gaze fixed on her from head to toe.

"Hey," I finally managed, smiling back at her, feeling exhilarated and nervous. My breathing became heavier as I watched her sip her frozen lemonade, captivated by her presence.

"It was nice meeting you boys," Peter said, interrupting the moment. "But it's getting late, so perhaps it's time to head back across the street." He raised an eyebrow, looking at me with a hint of curiosity as the room hushed.

Caught off guard, I cleared my throat anxiously. "Same time tomorrow?" I joked, attempting to lighten the mood, which prompted Sarah to chuckle.

"I will see you at school, right?" she asked, seeking confirmation.

"Yeah," Bryce answered, and then he winked at me.

"All right," Derek said, taking the initiative. "We'll be leaving early. I have a meeting in the morning."

Derek ushered all of us out of the neighbor's kitchen, sensing Garrett's gaze fixed on him. "We'll be across the street if you need us again," he called out before we returned.

As we departed, Sarah yelled inside the kitchen, "I'll see you at school, Noah!" My heart pounded, but I couldn't find the courage to respond. I didn't even know how to react. She was stunning and interested, but starting a relationship was the last thing we needed.