Not So Alone (West Coast Campus Book 1)

Chapter 18

Allie

When we get back to the apartment from skating, Noah has his hand around my eyes, creating a blindfold as we reach the door.

My heart is going a little faster than normal with him walking behind me and not being able to see so just as I hear his key unlock the door I ask,

"Noah? Your still there right? It's you?"

My voice wavers just a smidge, but I know he caught it.

"It's me. I'm here." He rasps, his voice clouded with emotion like hearing me have to double check it's still him makes him angry.

"Kyla helped me set this up so I'm not going to take all the credit but..."

He trails off as he gently removes his hands from my eyes, placing them on my shoulders, careful not to touch my neck.

The first thing I notice is how the apartment smells like buttery popcorn and sweets, like someone backed cupcakes or brownies.

Placing one foot in front of the other and walk into the small living room that was once just a colorful couch and a TV, is now transformed into the most epic TV setup ever.

The couch is gone, a blowup mattress decorated with piles of pillows replacing where it used to sit.

On each side of the bed, there are bowls of junk food, my favorite junk food and on the screen is the next episode of The Office ready to play.

"I've noticed that sometimes you can be uncomfortable eating in public places so instead of going out for dinner, why not bring it here so we can catch up on our favorite episodes?"

Noah gestures to the setup, the twinkle lights hanging from the ceiling brushes the top of his head.

His face is soft as he talks, not smiling but he doesn't look like his normal grumpy self.

He never does with me at least.

He's never grumpy with me, even before he knew I was raped, he's always had a softness in his face that he has with no one else.

Everything set up in the living room looks straight out of Pinterest, and the salad bar.

"I cut everything up before we left, Kyla set up for me."

Noah says gesturing to the small bowls of cucumbers and carrots, along with everything else he's cut up.

Tears come to my eyes as he watches me admire this beautiful fantasy, a slight blush painting his ears.

"Noah-I-I love this so much. Thank you."

My words are muffled against his chest as I hug him, his arms immediately wrapping around my waist.

"Go put your pj's on. Then we'll watch whatever show you want."

I grin, bolting down the hall to wash my face and throw on my best flannel bottoms and a white shirt, grabbing my penguin before snuggling under the covers of the air mattress, flipping on The Office.

"I should have known you would choose this show." Noah's deep voice disrupts my Netflix scrolling, his weight dipping the bed.

Kyla and Seth are in her room, I can tell because for some reason, the bed keeps hitting the wall.

They just be doing some furniture rearranging.

"What show did you have in mind?"

"Gilmore girls." Noah answers.

"It's January, which means we can't watch that show because it's a fall show. Pick something else." I explain.

He chuckles at me, turning on Seinfeld before climbing under the covers and indulging in his salad.

"How did you get to start playing hockey?"

He ponders it for a moment before closing and opening his mouth.

"I honestly think it was because my parents didn't want to send me to daycare after school so they put me in hockey. How'd you get into gym?"

"Because when I was three, my best friend and I told our parents that we wanted to do dance but our moms didn't want to deal with all the costumes so they put us into gymnastics. We were actually on the Olympic team together, and she's down in Pittsburgh competing for them."

He nods, a faint smiling playing on his lips.

"What was the Olympics like?"

"It was incredible. I was barely seventeen when I went to the 2016 Olympics but I was also just coming back from an elbow surgery so I didn't do as well as I would have wanted to but two years ago, when I won the all around, I felt complete because I had proved to myself that I could do it."

"Do you have videos?" He blurts.

"I-yeah. I do." I whip out my phone, finding all my events to show him each one.

He watches with a crucial eye, following every movement I did two years ago.

"That-wow. Do you know how fucking incredible you are?" He whispers after he's finished watching the videos.

I blush like a tomato and look back to the show that has continued to play the whole time.

A thumb hooks my chin, forcing me to look at his eyes that hold more emotion then he would probably like.

"You are incredible. You know that, right?" His breathe tickles my ear as he leans down so close our noses are brushing together.

I gulp.

So I kiss his nose.

And then kiss his lips.

And then he kisses me back.

Noah

Her lips are as soft as I remember, the same whimper floating out of her just like last time.

I trail kisses up her cheekbone, peppering them down her ear and neck, so gently pressing them on her collarbone.

"Noah." She gasps, breathless.

I pull back to look at her, pink smudging her cheeks.

"Hi, grumpy." She breathes, still seeming breathless.

"Hi, love. You need to eat more of your salad."

She frowns, her eyes giving her away, still full of playfulness and happiness.

"Fine but your the one who keeps kissing me." She grumbles, her salad now sitting on her lap.

"Your the one who couldn't stop kissing my nose."

She huffs, turning off Seinfeld and putting on The Office, a smile playing her lips as she knows that Seinfeld is my favorite show we watch.

"That's mean-"

I get cut off by a knocking on the door.