The Thing About Three

chapter thirty-three | red-handed

MY SMILE DROPPED off of my face, leaving no evidence that it had ever existed in the first place.

Noah was sitting back in the chair closest to me, glowering.

I didn't know what to do, or how to get myself out of this mess.

Noah had always been worried about mine and Dallas's relationship, even though I constantly told him there was nothing to worry about. But there I was, giving him what looked to be evidence that all his worries were justified, because I was wearing Dallas's clothes after having revealed that I had slept in Dallas's bed.

I'll admit, the situation looked bad. Really, really bad.

I tried thinking of something to say, the thick tension in the air nearly choking me.

"Hey, Noah," I managed to squeak out, "how are you doing?" I grimaced shortly after the words had left my mouth, realizing that the air really must be suffocating me, because there was clearly something blocking the oxygen from getting to my brain.

"'How am I doing?'" Noah echoed, clearly agitated. "Gee, I don't know, Claire, how would you be doing if your girlfriend slept with another guy!" His voice rose with each syllable, his last word coming out as a deep shout.

"That's not what—"

Noah cut me off, his nostrils flared. "Oh cut the crap, Claire!" He was standing then. "You've told me for weeks—WEEKS—that there wasn't anything going on between you two and then I find you FLIRTING WITH HIM WHILE WEARING HIS CLOTHES?!"

"Hey, why don't you let her explain," Dallas said gruffly, setting the coffee pot down harshly. Desperate to look away from Noah's angry eyes, I watched as the coffee sloshed over the side of the pot, spilling onto the counter.

Noah shot Dallas a glare, his jaw so tense that I was worried his teeth would shatter under the pressure.

"Why don't you explain, loverboy," Noah growled, "I want to know how you got her into your bed. I bet it didn't take much," his eyes found mine, "did it?"

Dallas took a step towards him, his back as straight as a metal rod. "I get that you're mad, but you better watch what you say about her in front of me." His voice was so deep and so low that my ears had a hard time registering it.

Noah laughed bitterly as he looked back at Dallas. "I'm not calling her a whore," he clarified, although the word still made me flinch, "I'm just saying that she's been carrying a torch for you even before I left for college." He pointed a finger into Dallas's chest, meeting Dallas's dark glare. "I know you saw it, and I'm pretty sure you got mad that I came back and swooped her off her feet. You were jealous that she wasn't fawning over you anymore, right? So, tell me, what exactly did you do to—"

"STOP IT!" I yelled, trying to still my shaky hands by balling them into fists.

The two men snapped their heads towards me.

"We didn't sleep together!" I said with a strained voice. "I came here because I needed to talk to my friend about everything. All Dallas did was doctor me up," I motioned to the bandage still stuck to my face, "and I ended up staying because I was too tired to go home. And that is all that happened."

If my words changed Noah's mind, his expression surely didn't show it.

"She's right," Dallas affirmed, "and I took the couch, if you were wondering. You can go up there right now and see the pillow and blanket I slept with still there. "

Noah looked from Dallas, to me, and back again several times. He obviously didn't know what to believe.

"Tell me she would go behind your back and sleep with me," Dallas eventually said, challenging him. "Name one thing she has ever done that would make you believe that."