Broken Promises

13 | blake

"Come to lecture me again, sweetheart?" Noah Reed taunts as I approach him, wearing a sly expression on his handsome face.

Honestly, I don't know what I'm doing as I stand before Noah. School starts in maybe ten minutes, and I'd spotted him standing in the corner of the schoolyard as I was heading for the front steps. He'd been alone, and I guess I just gravitated toward him without really thinking about it.

I can't help noticing how good he looks today, a few strands of unruly dark blond hair leaning over his forehead, clad in an all black ensemble. How I manage to breathe in his presence is a mystery—and not just because of the cigarettes he's always smoking.

"Not this time." I offer Noah a smile, shrugging as I add, "I mean, it's your lungs. If you don't care about your health, why should I?"

Noah exhales the smoke from his cigarette slowly, narrowing his eyes at me. "Why do I have the feeling that was a lecture?"

"If you think that was a lecture, you haven't heard anything yet."

Noah smirks at me like he finds me amusing. The next thing I know, he's lifting his cigarette to his lips before promptly dropping it to the ground to put it out.

"What are you doing here, sweetheart?" Noah deadpans. Though his tone is sharp and meant to wound, his tough-boy act doesn't fool me. The expression he wears doesn't quite match his words, his dark blue eyes dancing with confusion, amusement, and something deeper. He almost looks stunned, as if unable to process why I chose to be standing here with him.

"I don't know," I admit, shrugging. "I just thought you might not want to be alone."

Noah studies me in silence for a moment. His lip twitches, like he wants to say something snippy. He doesn't. He merely stares at me for so long, I begin to worry that I've said something wrong. Then I become flustered, rushing to try making things better.

"I mean, I can go if you want me—"

"Or you could stay," Noah interrupts, tone neutral. "It's a free country, right?"

I don't know why his words have me ecstatic. I bite down on my bottom lip to try containing my grin, though it's useless. My smile is undeniable. And, for a moment, as Noah's eyes lock with mine, he's smiling, too. A genuine smile that lights up his eyes and causes a dimple to appear in his cheek, making him all the more attractive.

Too quickly, his smile disappears and replaces itself with his usual brooding look. However, he appears a little less aggressive than before. Maybe I'm slowly managing to break through his infinite guards.

I purse my lips as I notice Noah's eyes trailing me slowly, his dark irises taking me in, scanning over my dirty blond hair and lingering on my legs.

"You know, sweetheart," Noah murmurs, "you really shouldn't stare."

"You mean like you're staring?" I blurt in a moment of boldness, which has me blushing immediately.

I expect Noah to respond with something brash or hurtful, but his lips merely curl into a rueful smirk. "Touché."

My blush deepens. Noah must sense that I'm flustered, as he soon strolls closer to me. Inches away, I can smell his cologne mixing with the smell of cigarettes, see those silver flecks in his dark blue eyes. I wonder what he sees in me when he stands this close to me. All I see in him is the beauty of a boy who is broken beyond repair. I could see his flaws, though I've never been one to see the worst in people. Instead, I see all of the things Noah Reed is that I am not: bold, daring, and oddly confident.

"It's hard not to stare when beauty is looking you in the face," he whispers gently, the words so unlike him I must have imagined them.

"I'm sorry," I mumble, shaking my head. "What did you say?"

Noah chuckles faintly, warmth flooding into his normally chilly gaze. "The bell rang. Don't want you to be late."

"What about you?" I ask, biting my lip as I look up at him.

"What about me?" Noah questions.

"Well, we can't have you late to class, either."

Noah snorts, as if I have just said the most ridiculous thing he's ever heard. "Then you should see my track record, sweetheart." Noah's expression is a mask of stone, refusing to let me see his emotions. "Something tells me it'd give you a heart attack."

"Well, we'll have to change that."

Noah tilts his head as he gazes down at me like I'm some sort of puzzle he can't quite piece together. I expect him to roll his eyes. Laugh. Walk away. Only, he doesn't do any of the above. Instead, he merely looks at me as if he's seeing me for the first time, expression softening.

"Come on," I say softly, gesturing for Noah to follow me. "You can walk me to class."

I'm shocked when Noah Reed takes a step toward me, keeping a steady pace by my side. And he doesn't walk away until after he sees that I'm safely inside my classroom.

Maybe more shocking than this is the way Noah glances over his shoulder as he's walking away, only to find me staring right back at him.

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a/n: i'm ready to have my license.