NOAH

Ch. 12

Chapter 12

My eyes burn into the tray a few tables from ours, green peas mushing as they're shoveled into someone's mouth. How long does it take to get napkins? As the person shovels more mush into their mouth, Noah slides into the seat with a stack of them, answering my question.

"Sorry, the line was long," He says, his other hand out of view.

"It's OK." I say, grabbing some napkins. "What's in your hand?"

"Nothing."

I lean over, my eyes landing on a chocolate pudding cup firm in his grasp. "Nothing?"

He sighs, placing the treat onto the table. "OK, so the line for pudding cups was long, not napkins."

"I had to sit here for ten minutes watching them eat baby food so you could get a pudding cup?"

His forehead wrinkles as he follows my gaze. "That's disgusting."

I shake my head, my face mirroring his. "And it's the mushy ones that aren't even in pea form anymore."

He rips the top from his treat, plopping his spoon into the creamy chocolate. "Ew, peas are gross."

"Finally, someone understands my hatred."

"They don't have any... what's that word? It's when something tastes good and it's like... it's like when it has a good taste or seasoning."

"Flavor?" I ask, dunking my carrots into a pile of ranch.

He slides the spoon from his lips, licking the remaining chocolate from them. "Flavor! Thank you! That was so annoying."

I shake my head, smile still remaining put. "You're welcome."

His hand reaches out before stopping and falling back to his lap with a thud. "Ugh, fuck."

"What?"

"I forgot my drink. You OK sitting here again? I swear I won't be long this time."

I look to the unopened juice in front of me, then back to the peas. The tray is messy, ketchup pooling in the pea section. Every tray I look at is cluttered with food, sauce, or God-knows-what spread everywhere. My eyes shoot over to Noah, grabbing my juice as I do so.

"You can have mine."

His brows scrunch together as he takes the drink from my hand. "You sure? I won't be long."

"It's fine. I have an extra water."

"Well, you just come with all the liquids, don't you?" He chuckles, nearly emptying the juice container.

My mind wonders to a place as filthy as those trays, flaming my cheeks in the process. A smirk creeps onto his face as he looks down at mine. I groan, eyes falling to my tray as his pleasant laughter fills the space around us.

"I didn't mean it like that, Raine." He laughs, setting the empty bottle onto the table. "What a filthy mind you have."

"Shut the hell up," I say, my hands flying to cover my cheeks.

"Oh, and she's got a dirty mouth to go with it."

My cheeks burn hotter and I'm glad that my hands are blocking them. But, I know he knows that they're still just as rosy as they were in the beginning, if not more. I bet he knows that the little comments he's making take my mind into a place of filth. His laughter confirms it and I can't help the smile that graces my face as he continues.

"Dirty mouth? Clean it with-"

His comments are cut short when Camry's tray clanks against the table. "Hey, guys!"