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Chapter Thirteen

As Noah shut off the purr of the engine, the ensuing quiet that enveloped the car was unwelcome. Shuffling awkwardly to face him from the passenger seat I said the first thing that came into my head.

"Tea?"

Relaxing his shoulders, Noah laughed quietly.

"Abigail, you temptress," he smirked, raising a perfectly arched eyebrow. "Throwing the tea line at me again?"

Playfully swatting at his arm, I offered once more.

"I mean it, just tea," I giggled. "You found out something personal about me tonight and I want to know more about you, so why don't you just come in for a bit? I'm inviting you. We are 'friends' now, right?"

Rolling his eyes in surrender, he popped open the driver's door and pulled his long, muscular frame out of the car before heading round to open my side.

"Well, well, well, quite the gentleman aren't we, Mister... oh, my god!"

"What?" He responded quickly, looking concerned.

"I just realised I don't even know your last name," I gasped, clutching a palm to my chest in mock horror.

Smiling his trademark lazy grin, Noah extended his right hand towards me.

"Noah James Hartnett," he said formally, his regular London accent becoming a parody of an old English aristocrat. "Pleased to meet you, M'Lady."

Taking his hand in mine, I shook it gently as I stifled a laugh and did my best impression of The Queen.

"Abigail Rose Wilson," I replied, bending my knees in a small curtsey at the same time. "The pleasure's all mine."

Placing his hand on the small of my back as he escorted me from the car, the memories of my earlier confession felt far from my mind. Glancing up at our second floor flat I could see the living room lamp glowing and began to rack my brain for how to get around Charlotte without receiving the Spanish Inquisition.

Luckily, when I opened the flat door and glanced into her bedroom, I could see her already fast asleep on her bed. Loose sheets of manuscript paper were strewn across the bed, including a piece still in her hand, while her glasses - which she stubbornly refused to wear anywhere other than in the privacy of our shared home – dangled low on her nose. When she let out a loud snore, I couldn't help but find it funny to think how she'd be mortified to know that a hot guy was in our flat right then, watching her sleep.

Closing her door quietly, I tried my hardest not to laugh along with Noah, who was silently scrunching his face to try and stop the sound from escaping.

"Stop it!" I hissed quietly, sharply slapping his chest with my palm.

As his hand quickly jumped to hold mine flat against his firm muscles, Noah's smile dropped and I could feel his pulse quicken under his shirt. His face just centimetres from mine as our bodies radiated against each other, I could almost hear my blood racing furiously through every vein in my body.

Once again, with his emerald eyes burning deep into every part of me, I parted my lips slightly in anticipation of finally knowing how his would feel against them. As though time itself had stopped around us, my heart also seemed to stop beating as our mouths moved closer towards each other.

Suddenly, he dropped his grip and stepped back, pushing his fingers through his hair as he let out a barely audible groan.

"I'm sorry," he breathed heavily. "I know, we said friends."

Shrugging off his jacket, he turned to place it over one of the hooks by the door. "I'm not going to let this go any further, Abi. Not tonight."

Without thinking, I stepped silently over to him and wrapped my hands around his waist from behind. If I'd been a fly on the wall, looking in on the situation, I would probably have screamed at the sight of myself acting so out of character. But Noah made me feel different. Like I didn't need to hide.