The You And I Wars

Chapter 7 - Allen

Sam almost tripped running down her staircase. She wanted to get to the door before anyone else did, but Lavita was already standing in her entryway, dark eyes sparkling up at her best friend.

“I didn’t know you invited Noah over,” she said after she’d tiptoed and peeked through the peephole.

“You and Ash are the ones I didn’t invite,” Sam said. Lavi had driven herself and Ashton to her house after her manicure. Sam shooed her. “Go away.”

Lavi, still grinning, bounced back into the living room as Sam prepared to open the door, making sure she braced herself first. It didn’t matter how much preparation she had, though. Noah still caught her off guard, still made her heart hop up into her throat.

He gave a lopsided smile, as though his split lip wouldn’t let him commit to a full one. He had changed his clothes, taken a shower. Sam could tell because his hair was still damp beneath the hood of his sweatshirt, and she wanted to touch the straight dark clumps of it, just once, to see what they would feel like.

Noah looked like he was about to say hi and come in, but he stopped and glanced past Sam’s shoulder. “Company?”

Sam winced. “Yeah, they just showed up. I tried texting you.”

“I must have forgotten my phone at home.” Disappointment drew the corners of his mouth down. He reached out and touched Sam’s hand. “Some other time, then.”

But Sam stepped outside, moving Noah backwards until she could close the front door behind them. She leaned against the house, and was glad that his sweatshirt was unzipped, because his shirt was softer than she expected as she held on to it.

“Don’t go,” she said. “You just got here.” Did I just say that?

Noah looked surprised as well, but he shook his head. “They’ll ask questions.”

He was right. It would have been easy enough for Sam to sneak him past Leanne if she was home, but Lavita and Ashton would be harder to avoid, and there was no chance they wouldn’t notice the bruise that still covered a fourth of Noah’s face. Even though it was already changing from a dark purple to greenish-gray, it was too obvious.

“I’ll come up with something,” Sam said. She chewed on the inside of her mouth as she thought. “You’re taking mixed martial arts classes. There. Perfectly normal.”

A flicker of a smile, and Noah ran his hands along Sam’s arms, moving in a little closer. “You really want me to stay?”

She wondered what her eyes said to him, because she hadn’t uttered a word, and he touched his lips to hers in that maddening way of his, just a brush, just a taste. Sam could feel the rough slit in his lower lip, and somewhere between wondering if it still hurt and feeling his hands move to cup her face, she kissed him back. It was too easy, kissing Noah. Too easy to give in, too easy to sigh against his mouth.

“There you are,” Lavi had opened the door, then froze in place, a popcorn kernel in her gaping mouth.

Noah pulled away, and Sam cleared her throat, wiping at her lips with a quick gesture. She didn’t know whether Noah was as embarrassed as she was or not, because she made a point not to look at him.

“Popcorn’s ready,” Lavi said, revealing the large red bowl filled to the brim with the buttery goodness. She was trying her best not to grin, but Sam knew her well enough to know she wanted to so badly it hurt her.

“Thank you,” Noah said. Sam was glad he spoke up, because she wasn’t sure her brain could remember how talking worked. “We’re coming.”

“No, no, take your time,” Lavi answered, wagging her eyebrows at Sam as she closed the door.