Two Weeks to Fall in Love

6. Two Weeks to Pay the Price

I'd spent most of the ride home rewinding the earlier events and trying to understand what had actually happened.

Lily's earlier comments of how being with him was like living in a different world were starting to make a little more sense. He clearly didn't see the world, or even love, in the same way, but unlike my dear friend, I wasn't going to be swept up by this tidal wave that was Noah Archer. 

Still in daze, I exited the car as he pulled up next to my house and stopped in front of the diver's window. Letting out a sigh, I glanced up at him, not really sure what to say.

See ya' later, buddy? Nice meeting ya', pal? Thanks for the extra clothes, friendo?

It's not like we were actually friends. Thanks to my brilliant plan we'd sailed straight past that and enter the dreaded relationship zone. Figuring I could just go with the regular "'kay, bye", I opened my mouth but before I could say anything, Noah interjected.

"See you tomorrow, babe." He learned through the window, that irritating smirk ever present on his smug face.

Ugh, these nicknames were starting to make me feel queasy.

"Whatever," I turned around planning to just escape into my house as soon as possible when I decided that no. No freaking way.

This whole unusual afternoon it was like I was playing to the rhythm of his drum. Like he was the Pied Piper and I was under his little spell. And there was no way I was going to just leave it like that.

That's why, instead of gracefully turning around and walking to my front door, I ended up doing a much less graceful pirouette that almost landed me face first into the uncut grass. His eyes widened as he looked at me, visibly confused by my erratic behavior. Not that I could really blame him for that.

Once I'd regained my balance, and my composure, I pointed one determined finger at him. 

"Also, you're wrong about love. There's no algorithm for love, okay? It's not something that can just be predicted by asking a few questions." At that moment, I felt like a warrior, fighting in the name of love. This beautiful thing that I refused to believe anyone could just dissect into a simple formula.

Only it seemed like Noah seemed to perceive me as more of a clown than a warrior maiden.

"Guess we'll have to see whose hypothesis is correct." Noah's eyebrow raised, the corners of his lips quirking up in amusement.

I rolled my eyes at him, spreading my arms apart in a gesture of what are you even talking about dude, "I just told you I don't subscribe to your little science thing."

"But, you said you'll go through the questions, right?" I nodded, narrowing my eyes, "Then, we'll see if you change your mind by the time we get to the last one." Noah wiggled his eyebrows at me, and I let out an exasperated sigh.

"Yeah, well, I won't." I muttered, shooting him a brief glare before I spun around and stomped to my house.

Before I reached the front door though, I heard him yell behind me, "By the way, you look hot in my clothes."

The breath I inhaled caught in my throat, and I turned back around in a panic. Even from a distance, the snicker on his face was more than visible. To my complete and utter horror, what was also visible, were a pair of my shocked neighbors walking down the sidewalk, staring at me in shock before whispering to each other. Oh. My. God.

"I hate you." I mouthed to him, realizing that yelling anything back at him would only cause more of a scene.

Noah just shrugged and wiggled his eyebrows at me before pulling up his window. I heard the sound of muffled music from his car as he sped away.