Chapter 23 - Almost
797 Words
Wednesday arrived entirely too fast.
Which was unfortunate for Lily.
Because apparently Ryan’s prediction about “accidental emotional disaster by Thursday” was beginning to feel dangerously realistic.
Especially after Noah had started looking at her like that constantly now.
Softly.
Carefully.
Like she mattered in ways he was trying very hard not to say out loud yet.
Honestly?
Terrifying.
Lily was trying very hard not to think about it while gathering books from her locker before class.
Unfortunately—
Thinking became impossible the second Noah appeared beside her again.
Because apparently he simply lived there now.
“You’re late,” he observed casually.
Lily frowned. “Class starts in seven minutes.”
“Exactly.”
“That’s not late.”
“It is for you.”
Annoying.
He noticed everything.
Noah leaned lightly against the locker beside hers while students moved loudly around them through the hallway.
“You look tired.”
Lily narrowed her eyes suspiciously.
“You texted me until one in the morning.”
“You answered until one in the morning.”
Fair.
Unfortunately.
Before Lily could recover from that humiliation, Noah reached over suddenly—
And brushed something lightly from her hair.
Her entire brain stopped functioning immediately.
Dangerous.
Extremely dangerous.
Noah froze too.
Just slightly.
Like maybe he hadn’t fully thought the movement through before doing it.
His fingers lingered for half a second too long near her face.
The hallway noise faded instantly.
Lily’s heartbeat became deeply concerning.
And Noah—
Noah was looking at her again.
That same quiet expression.
Like he kept forgetting how to hide things around her now.
“Oh my God,” Jason whispered somewhere nearby.
Both of them jumped apart immediately.
Naturally.
Jason stood several feet away holding a breakfast sandwich and looking spiritually overwhelmed.
Ryan stood beside him already exhausted.
“I leave for thirty seconds,” Ryan said calmly, “and somehow we’re back in a romance movie.”
Emily appeared behind them carrying coffee.
Then stopped dramatically.
“Oh no.”
Lily closed her eyes briefly.
Noah rubbed tiredly at the back of his neck.
“You people appear out of thin air.”
Jason pointed between them emotionally.
“He touched her hair.”
“It was lint,” Noah replied immediately.
“That is not helping your case.”
Emily looked genuinely invested again.
“You guys are getting worse.”
“We’re not doing anything,” Lily argued weakly.
Ryan nodded thoughtfully.
“That’s actually the problem.”
Jason gasped loudly.
“THE SLOW BURN IS BECOMING UNBEARABLE.”
Several nearby students turned to stare.
Lily considered walking directly into traffic.
Noah looked entirely unbothered now though.
If anything—
He looked amused.
Which somehow felt even more dangerous.
Jason noticed instantly.
“Oh my God,” he whispered. “He’s gone.”
Noah blinked once. “What does that mean?”
“You smile differently around her.”
Silence.
Tiny.
Brief.
But real.
Lily’s stomach flipped violently.
Because Noah didn’t deny it.
Not immediately.
His eyes flickered toward Lily for one dangerous second before he finally spoke.
“You analyze too much.”
Jason clutched his chest dramatically.
“That wasn’t a denial.”
Ryan looked genuinely tired now.
“We’re all witnessing this relationship happen in real time.”
“It’s not a relationship,” Lily said automatically.
Again.
Unfortunately—
This time Noah looked at her immediately after she said it.
And something in his expression shifted slightly.
Still soft.
Still calm.
But quieter now.
Like the words had landed somewhere deeper than she intended.
Lily noticed instantly.
And suddenly—
The teasing atmosphere around them didn’t feel quite as light anymore.
Emily noticed too.
Her expression changed slightly as she glanced between them.
Jason, thankfully, remained emotionally oblivious.
“Anyway,” he continued cheerfully, “my official prediction is first kiss before midterms.”
Ryan considered this seriously.
“That’s fair.”
Lily wanted new friends immediately.
But beside her—
Noah stayed unusually quiet.
Then finally, after a long second, he looked at Lily and said softly—
“Walk with me after school?”
The question caught her completely off guard.
Not because of the words.
Because of the tone.
Careful.
Almost nervous.
Like the answer actually mattered to him.
Lily’s heartbeat stumbled instantly.
Jason made a sound like he was being physically attacked.
Emily grabbed his arm before he could scream.
And somehow—
Without fully understanding why—
Lily already knew something important was going to happen after school.
Something dangerously close to the thing they kept almost saying.
Something neither of them could avoid much longer.
Because Noah Carter was looking at her like he’d finally decided something.
And that terrified her more than anything else so far.
- Writer
