Always a Friend

Chapter 19

Saturday morning came, and I laid there in bed, listening to Sarah snore like a grown-ass man. All I could think about was Noah sitting with Olivia at Sweet Escape yesterday. Of all people, it had to be Olivia. I didn't want him to sit with any girl, especially not her. Ashton still wasn't talking to me, and now I had no date for tonight. And to top things off, I was tired and couldn't go back to sleep because I had Sarah snoring. I thought about trying to roll her ass on her side to see if that would stop her snoring, but knowing my luck, she'd wake up and ask me what the fuck I was doing. 

I rolled over, grabbed my phone, swiped it on, and rolled my eyes when I saw the time. Here it was the weekend, and I was wide awake at fuckin seven in the morning. I set my phone back down, slid out from under my comforter, grabbed my pillow, and went to the guest bedroom, hoping to get a few more hours of sleep. The guest bedroom was across the hall from my room. I left the door cracked open so Mom or Sarah would know I was there when they woke up later. I tossed the decorative pillows into the cream-colored highback chair beside the bed. I was about to crawl into the bed when I realized I'd forgotten my phone. I tiptoed back to my room, easing the door open, and grabbed my phone. I crept back to the guest bedroom, curled up under the comforter, and stared out the window at the sun rising on the blue horizon. 

"Gem...Gem...What are you doing in here?" Sarah yawned, sitting on the other side of the bed. 

"Hmm..." I blinked, trying to get my eyes to focus. "What time is it?" I yawned. 

"It's almost ten." She propped the pillows against the headboard and scooted back. 

"I woke up earlier and couldn't get back to sleep. I didn't want to wake you up, so I came in here. Is Mom still here?" I yawned again, stretching. 

"Yeah, she's downstairs cleaning. She asked me if you still had your date tonight." Sarah peeked down at me out of the corner of her eye. 

"What did you tell her?" I sat up, propping the pillows behind me. 

I was about to drift off again when Mom knocked on the door and announced through the closed door that she had blueberry muffins in the kitchen. She knew I couldn't resist her blueberry muffins because she didn't often make them. I stretched, slid out of bed, and told Mom we'd be down in a few minutes. Sarah raised an eyebrow as she slid onto my side of the bed and started covering herself up. I flung the comforter off Sarah, grabbed her hand, and pulled her ass out of the bed. I told her I wasn't going to face Mom's questions alone. She told me that I owed her coffee later. 

"Morning, Gemma, Sarah," Mom said, putting a plate full of muffins on the counter. The aroma of sweet blueberries filled the kitchen. Mom set a bowl of fruit on the counter next to the muffins. "Are you excited for your big date tonight?" She smiled, grabbing her coffee mug off the counter behind her. 

Sarah popped a bite of muffin in her mouth, glancing over at me, waiting for me to answer. I thought I'd be able to at least eat my muffin before being bombarded by questions. Then again, Mom was never known for dancing around topics. She always got right to the point. Which meant I had to come up with a lie before I was confronted. Sarah and I glanced at one another, then took another muffin bite. I wasn't ready to answer questions about tonight, and Sarah felt it wasn't her place to answer for me. 

Mom knew something was up by the way she stood there gripping her cup, swapping glances between us. "He backed out? Didn't he? I can tell by the way you two are dodging my question." Mom moved closer to the island and set her mug down close to our plates. She grabbed a red grape from the bowl. "Guys are jerks." She tossed the grape in her mouth. I wasn't really going to disagree with her on the guys are jerks statement. I was about to say something when the doorbell rang. "I'll get it." Mom walked out of the kitchen. 

I knew it wasn't Noah or Ashton because neither one of them was talking to me, and I didn't want to talk to them either. Ashton was still mad at me about Noah, which was weird because the whole helping me was so I could get a date. I guess anyone but Noah Everet. I sat there, staring at Mom's white coffee mug with a simple, elegant quote that read "You're beautiful" on the front. It was one of the last gifts that Dad had got her right before he passed away. She drinks her coffee out of it every morning. He had got it for her on one of his business trips. He would always bring us back a little something from his trips. I didn't like washing her mug because I feared I'd drop it and break it. That was one of the last things Dad had bought for her, and I wasn't going to be responsible for something happening to it. 

"Gemma, it's for you." Mom walked back into the kitchen with a big smile, motioning her eyes to the left. 

"Sorry to stop by without warning," Noah said, walking into the kitchen behind Mom. 

I hurried up, grabbed the scrunchie off my wrist, and threw my hair into a ponytail. I hopped off the stool and walked over to him. He wore khaki shorts, a white T-shirt, and a dark blue short-sleeved button-down shirt. I motioned him to follow me out of the kitchen; I didn't want to confront him in front of Mom. "What are you doing here? I thought I told you not to show up for our date. Yet, here you are, almost seven hours early." I raised an eyebrow, crossing my arms. 

"Gemma, I wasn't there on a date with Olivia. She tried to get me to take her out, but I told her that I was kinda seeing you." 

I lowered my head, staring at him in disbelief. "You, honestly, don't expect me to believe that? You two were looking pretty cozy there, sitting across from one another. Then, you expect me to believe she just happened to walk up and sit at your booth." 

"It's the truth. I was sitting there waiting for you." He moved closer. 

"Ohh...You're good." I laughed, rolling my eyes. "You had no idea I would be there because I hadn't talked to you." 

"True. But I ran into Chloe, and she told me you three were heading there after school. You can text her and ask her if you don't believe me." He smirked. 

"Fine. I will." I dropped my arms and stomped to the kitchen to grab my phone. I swiped it on, not saying a word to Mom or Sarah about what I was doing because I didn't want to hear them tell me I needed to give him a chance to explain. A few seconds after I hit send, Chloe's smiling face appeared on my phone for video chat. I swiped to accept the call. 

"Hey, Gem. Sorry, I'm trying to get ready and thought it would be easier to do this than try and text you. Yeah, I ran into Noah yesterday between my classes, and he asked what you were doing after school. I told him we were going to Sweet Escape for coffee. I didn't think he'd be there with Olivia." Her eyes narrowed at the memory. "Why, you ask?" She glanced at the phone as she blended her contour. 

"He's here and tried to tell me that he was there waiting for me and that Olivia just happened to walk up and sit down right before we got there." I rolled my eyes. 

"Why won't you believe me?" Noah asked, walking into the kitchen. 

Chloe's eyes got big, and she tucked her lips to keep from smiling. "I'm going to let you go; text me later." She ended the call. 

I set my phone back down on the counter as Mom and Sarah looked at me, then quickly looked off in opposite directions. I turned and grabbed Noah's arm, pulling him out of the kitchen and down the hall again toward the living room. I knew nowhere in the house would be private, away from Mom and Sarah; they would lurk close by, trying to listen to our conversation. "Noah, why are you here?" I asked. 

"I still want to take you out today. If not tonight, let's go to the beach this afternoon. Sarah and Ty can come with us. I just want to be with you, Gemma." He moved closer. 

I stood there looking at the pictures of  Mom, Dad, and me on the mantle. Are you sure?" I turned to face him. 

"Yes. I'm going to go and get things ready for the beach. Have Sarah call Ty. I'll be back around one." He kissed my cheek, then turned and walked to the front door. 

Author's Notes:

What do you think about Noah showing up at her house? 

If you like this chapter, show it some love by giving it a vote. Thanks! Amber