Crossed Lines

Mina

He holds the door open for me, my heart racing due to his hand on my lower back. As he guides me inside, the warmth and noise of the party wash over me. But even as people greet us and pull us back into the chaos, my mind is still stuck whatever the fuck that moment was. His voice, his touch, the way he looked at me—it all felt different, charged in a way I hadn't noticed before. Or maybe I had, but I didn't want to admit it. Now I couldn't ignore it if I tried.

That was way too close. Did I make it too obvious?

Before I could process what was happening, Hannah dragged me down the hallway, her grip firm despite her unsteady steps. She shoved me into Connor's small guest bathroom and shut the door behind us with a dramatic click.

"Bathroom talk," she declared, leaning against the sink with all the composure of someone who had far too much tequila shots.

"Hannah, what—"

Her eyes narrowed, and she pointed a wobbly finger at me. "You. And Eli. Spill. Right. Now."

My heart stuttered in my chest. "What are you talking about?"

"Oh, come on, Mina," she said, groaning dramatically. "You've been glued to him all night. And you were outside forever. What were you doing? Did you—" Her eyes widened, and she gasped. "Did you kiss him?"

"Hannah!" My face flamed, and I tried to shush her, but she was too far gone to care.

"Oh my God, you fucking did!" she squealed, her voice echoing off the tiled walls.

"Dude, you're so loud when you're drunk! No we didn't do anything ok?" I hissed, trying to keep my voice down.

"Then what is it?" she shot back, wobbling as she shifted to look at me more closely. "Because it looks like there's some sexual tension ya know I'm saying?"

"Hannah, seriously."

"Seriously?" she shot back, suddenly turning the tables. "Okay, then, fine. Since we're sharing..." She swayed and lowered her voice to an exaggerated whisper. "Noah is so hot."

My mouth fell open. "Hannah!"

"What?" she asked defensively, crossing her arms and leaning heavily against the sink. "Have you seen his arms? Like, wow. And his jawline? Criminal. I don't even care that he's a little too cocky sometimes." She giggled, clearly too drunk to filter herself. "I think I like him."

I blinked at her, completely caught off guard. "You just met him."

"So?" she said, swaying again and giggling. "Don't act all surprised. You and Eli are like the couple everyone's been waiting for, so you can't judge me."

I buried my face in my hands, half-laughing, half-groaning. Hannah's drunken matchmaking was both endearing and mildly horrifying.

"Wait, where's Charlotte?" I asked, remembering her getting dragged away with Levi.

Hannah started giggling again, "Levi walked her home, she said she was getting tired." She pouts dramatically.

I sighed, at least that's one drunk person I don't have to worry about. "Alright, Ill text her later tonight.

"Now," she said, straightening as best as she could, "are we done talking about everyone else's love life so we can focus on mine? Because, Mina..." She grinned mischievously, "I think Noah likes me too."

Her words hung in the air, and despite the ridiculousness of the situation, I couldn't help but smile at her. "You're gonna regret this in the morning."

"Oh well!" she shouted, giving me a tipsy twirl.

Laughing, I followed her out of the bathroom, her confidence contagious even in her drunken state.

Hannah wobbled out of the bathroom like she was ready to take on the world, which, in her current state, was both terrifying and impressive. I followed her, trying not to laugh at her unsteady steps as she made her way through the hallway.

When we turned the corner into the kitchen, I instantly spotted Noah, standing near the counter, holding a red solo cup that was probably more vodka than soda by now. His posture was relaxed, his head tilted back with a chuckle that was too loud for the quiet of the house.

Beside him stood Eli, casually leaning against the refrigerator, his expression softer than usual but still with that competitive edge I'd grown used to. His hands were in his pockets, his broad shoulders making him look like he was taking up more space than he actually was.

They both looked up when we entered. Eli's eyes locked with mine, a small smile pulling at the corner of his lips, but Noah—Noah was grinning like a Cheshire cat. I couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at him.

"Ladies!" Noah said, giving us a half-drunken salute, his words slightly slurring. "We were just waiting for you guys to finally escape the bathroom. What'd you two talk about, huh?"

Hannah, being the absolute menace she was, turned to him with a sly smirk. "Oh, nothing. Just some girl talk. But you know what? Mina and Eli are practically a couple, and you—" she pointed at Noah dramatically "—you've got a thing for me, right?" 

"Maybe." Noah smiles back, downing the rest of his drink.

Oh dear God, what is going on.

She tries to walk towards him, skipping and stumbling throughout the three second walk. At this point, they were both clearly drunk, faces flushed and voices louder than usual. Noah leaned in, his grin wide, saying something I couldn't hear over the music. Hannah swatted at his arm playfully, her laugh turning into a full-on snort, which made him laugh harder. 

Even though this was a very unexpected situation, I couldn't help but smile just a little at the scene. It was rare to see Noah so carefree. He was usually calm and collected, the steady presence in any room. But now? He was just as tipsy as Hannah, if not more, and clearly enjoying her company. I wonder what's gonna happen tomorrow morning.

Eli came up beside me, holding two cups—one for himself and one, apparently, for me. "Just water. We should sober up for those two." He smiles, pointing at the two of them flailing around like those inflatable tube men at the car dealerships. He didn't say anything about what had happened outside, and neither did I. But I felt the weight of it, hanging in the air between us.