The Truth About Us [ON HOLD]

Chapter Twenty

CHAPTER TWENTY

Within a week Cameron had everything set up. Today was the day we were going to meet our birth father. The Willesden Beverage Room was one of Cameron's favorite hangout spots and the place he chose for the big meeting to go down. I think he wanted to share it with Dixon, show him who he was. It reminded me how different we were. Hiding was my specialty.

Cameron pounded on my door. "Come on! We're going to be late!"

I turned to the mirror fiddling with the collar on my dress. I drew in a shaky breath and clutched my purse tight against my side. "Coming!" I called back.

Noah stood at the bottom of the stairs, looking down at his phone. He was dressed nicer than usual, his black jeans and dress shirt freshly pressed. I leaned over the railing, admiring the way his hair was combed back putting his brown eyes on show. When he told me he wasn't able to come today because of his sister's dance recital, I was nervous but I also knew that Cameron and I could handle it.

"What are you doing here?" I asked. He jumped, but relaxed when his eyes met mine.

A smile pulled at his lips as he reached for me. I stepped down the stairs, stumbling over my feet. Noah was quick, catching me before my ass met the hard tile floor. He steadied me before sighing. "I just wanted to make sure you were okay. Guess I got here at the right time." His voice was light, but lines of worry laced his forehead.

"I'm fine," I muttered, nudging his shoulder. "A little nervous but fine."

"Good." He nodded. "I also wanted to do this." Noah caught me off guard as he smashed his lips against mine. I melted into him as his lips gently massaged mine, wrapping my arms around his waist. The scent of laundry detergent and a hint of Axe deodorant filled my nose. As we parted I placed my head on his chest.

"I'm glad you came by," I said, my voice muffled. I took a step back, peering into his eyes. A question on the tip of my tongue. "How are things at home?"

He sighed, his smile wavering. "Honestly, not great. My dad just acts like the fight never happened but at least we're not still fighting."

Our attention was pulled from each other, to Cameron who shuffled into the entryway and slid on his shoes. He huffed and looked to me. "You ready to go?"

"Uh, yeah." I nodded, watching Cameron carefully. He seemed off, unusually clumsy. "I'll drive."

He tossed me the keys but his throw fell short and they fell to the floor. He chuckled lightly and opened the door. Noah bent down, picking the keys up by the ring and cleared his throat. "Are you high?"

"It's legal."

Noah rolled his eyes. "That's not what I meant."

We followed Cameron out to the car, Noah's shoulder brushing up against mine.

"Call me if you need anything, okay?" He pressed his lips to my forehead.

I nodded. "Okay, love you."

"Love you too."

Cameron tapped his hands loudly against the hood of the car, groaning. "Come on love birds, speed up this heartfelt goodbye."

"Sorry man." Noah opened the door for me and I positioned myself in the driver's seat. "Call me later?"

"Yeah."

—

As we walked up to the restaurant my heart pounded in my chest and my breath hitched. I found myself peering in the windows, searching for Dixon and thinking of all the ways it could go wrong. Cameron didn't seem to have a worry in the world as he sauntered towards the door, whereas I was stuck thinking about the possibility of our birth father being a non committal grease monkey.