he's on my mind

Noah

I was surrounded by the noise of throbbing bass and screaming, drunk teenagers, feeling overwhelmed and lost and awkward and unable to process anything that was happening. Huddled into the corner of a large couch, my eyes were glued to my phone, waiting for Noah to signal to me how far away he was. He felt terrible, I knew, leaving me alone in the middle of a huge party, which he knew I hated, but he was running late because he had to help his mom out with some family thing. I understood, but I still didn't like parties.

Suddenly, something cold and wet came pouring down the front of my shirt; I felt a gasp escape my lips. My eyes were immediately drawn to the source above me, staring down at what he'd just done. Finally I managed to make eye contact- naturally, the guy looking back at me was none other than Ryan Addison, literally the biggest douchebag in the entire school. "Holy shit dude, sorry!" He screamed over the music. I didn't even have time to respond before he disappeared back into the crowd. Asshole, I thought to myself before feeling my phone vibrate. Noah had just entered the front door, so I let him know where I was. He quickly came to my rescue, thank god.

"Anna, what happened?" He looked at me up and down, observing the wet stain that covered the front of my shirt. If I told him who was to blame, Ryan would leave will a black eye and split lip- I decided that wasn't the best idea for Ryan or for Noah. However, my glance still drifted in Ryan's direction; Noah could read me too well that he knew what happened right away. Thankfully, he chose to leave it alone and instead take my hand in his, lacing our fingers together. He was so warm. "Let's find someplace a little quieter, okay? It'll make you feel better, I promise," he shouted in my ear as he began to lead me towards a nearby staircase.

The party took place at Tony's house - Noah's best friend - so he knew where everything was. Pushing open the first door we came to, my eyes fell on a guest bedroom. Noah closed the door behind us. "That shirt must be so uncomfortable... here, you can take my sweatshirt." He pulled his grey champion hoodie over his head and handed it to me. I retreated to the corner of the room.

"Noah... close your eyes," I said to him.

"What? But I'm your boyfriend!" He giggled as he replied, running his fingers through his hair, "I've seen you topless before."

"But this is... weird. I'm just changing clothes," I felt red spread across my cheeks.

He sighed, nodded, and closed his eyes, laying on the bed with his back propped up against the headboard. Slowly, I removed my cold t-shirt and replaced it with his large hoodie. It smelled just like him, and a smile immediately crept up along my face. I ran over to the bed and jumped on top of him, causing his eyes to spring open. Our laughter filled the air as I rolled over and laid my head on his shoulder, curling up next to him. His arm snaked around my back and made me feel more secure; I felt so safe around him.

"Thank you," I whispered into his chest, "I didn't want to have to deal with Ryan."

"He's such an asshole anyway. Not worth it." I nodded against him, pulling out my phone. Opening snapchat, I tapped on a photo of Liliana, still downstairs. My best friend enjoyed parties much more than me. As I went to reply, I stuck out my tongue to the side, mimicking the face she had made in her original photo. Suddenly, I felt Noah reach his head down and touch his tongue to mine.

I pulled away and squealed as he laughed uncontrollably. "Noah!" I screeched as he took my face in his hands. He kissed me firmly, a smile still spread across his face.

"Yeah?" He said, still smiling and staring directly into my eyes.

"I love you..." I whispered. His eyes lit up as his smile grew even wider, causing a smile to appear on my face.

"I loved you first!" He whispered back, going in for another kiss.