Chapter 29 - Too Close
977 Words
Jason did, in fact, need a minute.
Unfortunately for everyone else, his minute involved pacing dramatically in front of the lockers while muttering things like “this is cinema” under his breath.
Ryan looked one inconvenience away from dropping out of school entirely.
Emily seemed delighted beyond reason.
And Noah?
Noah was still looking at Lily.
Which was the real problem.
Because now that she knew—
Really knew—
Every glance from him felt different.
Heavier.
Softer.
Dangerous in ways she was absolutely not emotionally prepared for.
Jason suddenly pointed at them both accusingly.
“You two are making eye contact like divorced parents rediscovering love.”
Lily made a horrified sound.
Ryan physically winced.
“That is the worst sentence you’ve ever spoken.”
Emily nodded thoughtfully. “And that’s saying a lot.”
Noah rubbed tiredly at the back of his neck.
“I’m begging all of you to stop talking.”
Jason ignored him completely.
“No seriously, this is getting insane. You’re standing there looking at each other like—”
“Jason,” Noah interrupted flatly.
“What?”
“Quiet.”
Shockingly—
Jason actually stopped talking.
Mostly because Noah had said it without looking away from Lily once.
And somehow that tiny detail affected her way too much.
The hallway suddenly felt warmer.
Or maybe that was just her rapidly failing ability to function normally around him now.
Noah noticed immediately.
Again.
“You okay?” he asked softly.
Lily stared at him.
How was he still doing that?
How was he still asking if she was okay when he was the reason she currently felt like her heartbeat had permanently lost stability?
“I’m starting to think you enjoy making me nervous,” she muttered.
A small smile appeared on his face instantly.
“There’s that look again.”
Lily narrowed her eyes.
“You’re impossible.”
“That’s not a denial.”
Jason gasped violently from the background.
“Oh my God, he’s flirting now.”
Ryan looked exhausted beyond human comprehension.
“He’s been flirting. You’re just slow.”
Emily pointed dramatically at Ryan. “THANK YOU.”
Noah closed his eyes briefly.
“I hate every single one of you.”
“No you don’t,” Jason replied automatically.
Unfortunately—
Still true.
The warning bell rang through the hallway seconds later.
Students immediately started moving again around them, conversations growing louder as everyone rushed toward class.
But Lily barely noticed any of it.
Because Noah still hadn’t looked away.
And honestly?
That felt more intimate than anything else so far.
Jason backed away slowly like he was leaving the scene of a crime.
“Well,” he announced emotionally, “I expect updates.”
“You’re not getting updates,” Lily said immediately.
Jason pointed at Noah. “He’ll crack first.”
Noah looked deeply offended.
“Why would I—”
“You’re down catastrophic,” Ryan interrupted calmly.
Emily nodded. “Tragically.”
Lily bit back a smile.
Noah noticed that too.
Of course he did.
Something softened in his expression instantly, and suddenly Lily remembered every word he’d said yesterday beside his car.
I’ve wanted to kiss you since the dock.
Her stomach flipped violently.
Dangerous.
Very dangerous.
The second bell rang.
Ryan immediately grabbed Jason’s backpack strap.
“We’re leaving before this gets worse.”
“It can get worse?” Jason asked fearfully.
“Yes,” Emily answered. “And it will.”
Then finally—
Their friends disappeared into the crowd, still arguing loudly with each other while Jason dramatically demanded “emotional compensation” for surviving the slow burn.
And just like that—
It was only Lily and Noah again.
The hallway suddenly felt quieter despite all the noise around them.
Noah shifted slightly closer.
Not enough to touch.
Just enough to matter.
“You really were going to transfer schools?” he asked quietly.
Lily laughed softly under her breath.
“No.”
“Good.”
There was that word again.
Good.
She looked up at him carefully.
“You say that a lot.”
Noah’s mouth twitched slightly.
“Only when it matters.”
And there it was.
That terrifying honesty again.
Like every sentence from him lately carried too much meaning beneath it.
Lily’s heartbeat stumbled hard.
“Noah—”
“I know,” he interrupted gently.
“You don’t even know what I was going to say.”
A tiny smile appeared on his face.
“I had a guess.”
That somehow made her even more nervous.
Before she could recover, Noah glanced down the hallway toward her classroom.
“You’re going to be late.”
Lily frowned immediately.
“So are you.”
“Probably.”
Neither of them moved.
Again.
This was genuinely becoming ridiculous now.
Lily adjusted her books awkwardly.
“You first.”
Noah’s eyes softened slightly.
“Why?”
“Because apparently we’re incapable of ending conversations normally anymore.”
A quiet laugh escaped him.
Warm.
Real.
And Lily felt it straight through her chest.
God.
She was in trouble.
Noah looked at her for one long second before finally stepping backward slowly.
“Fine,” he said softly. “I’ll see you later?”
The question sounded casual.
But not really.
Like the answer mattered.
Like she mattered.
Lily smiled before she could stop herself.
“Yeah.”
Something in Noah’s expression relaxed instantly.
Small.
Subtle.
But real.
“Good,” he said again.
Then finally—
He walked away down the hallway.
And Lily stood there completely still for several seconds afterward, staring after him while her heart continued behaving like a complete disaster.
Because somehow—
Things between them weren’t getting less intense.
They were getting worse.
And the terrifying part?
Neither of them seemed to want to stop it anymore.
- Writer
