Chapter Eleven - Wooing Noah Jackson
I walk out of the lift nervous as hell and make my way down to my dorm. Stopping in front of the door I take a few deep breaths before knocking. Noah opens it and shoots me a confused look before smiling widely when I pull out a bouquet of flowers for him. He looks so good wearing a plaid flannel shirt with a white tee under it followed by black jeans and sneakers.
"For you."
"You're cute Faye, thank you." He chuckles as we walk in so he can put them in the vase that I had conveniently emptied for him this morning.
"Nice place." I joke as I look around with a nod.
"Thanks! I share it with a girl called Faye." He plays along with an amused look.
"Oh really? What do you think of her?"
"She's alright but super clumsy and messy sometimes. Total nerd and – ow!" He laughs when I swat his chest. He pulls me into his arms and kisses my cheek. "But she's the sweetest and prettiest girl I know."
"Thanks." I mumble as a blush coats my cheeks. "Should we get going?"
"Lead the way." He grins boyishly before following me out the door. "How's that cut doing?"
"Oh, it's alright yeah. Still sore but that's expected." I shrug as we enter the lift.
"Good." He murmurs as he takes my hand and brushes his thumb over the bandage before intertwining our fingers. "This okay?"
"Yeah...you just wanted to hold my hand didn't you?"
"Yes." He chuckles with a sheepish look. "It worked though."
"You don't have to ask or have a reason." I smile as we make our way to his car. "You look handsome by the way."
He twirls jokingly before opening the door for me. "Thank you. You look beautiful as always."
I've tucked my sweater into my black jeans a little bit with boots and because it's a little chilly I also have a jacket on. I wanted to wear a skirt but decided against it since I know I won't be able to handle it well during our first activity.
"Thanks!" I smile at him before we drive off.
Since the first location of our date is around forty minutes away I had asked Noah if he'd be okay to drive us there and he agreed. I'm giving him directions and it's funny to watch him try to guess where we're going. I'm eager to see his reaction because I know he'll love it.
We play some music and chat as we drive but stop halfway for some coffee. I head inside and there's a long queue but I notice the large shelves full of board games and people enjoying their coffee while they play. I text Noah to come inside and get a table for us while waiting for the line to finish.
"Pick a game." I nod to the shelves and watch as he grabs a selection of cards and board games for us.
"Do we have time?"
"Plenty of it." I reassure him before placing our order.
"This is a cool place. No wonder it's packed." Noah remarks after I return.
We start playing and our coffee arrives soon too. It's a cute café with a lovely concept and I take a few pictures as we relax here for a bit. We play some old classics and try out new games too that we fail miserably at even though there's very simple instructions. Eventually, we get back in the car and within twenty minutes we've reached our destination.
Noah reads the sign as he parks before turning to me in excitement. "We're going go karting?!"
"Yes, there's a wipe out course and arcade games too." I explain as we get out. "Apparently these guys have the largest indoor track and with how much you've been loving F1 lately it's only fitting."
"This is going to be amazing! Let's go!" He grabs my hand and pulls me inside.
After filling out a form we head upstairs to the track and even though I saw pictures online I'm surprised over how extensive it is. Noah looks like his dream has come true as we put on our gear before selecting a kart. Soon enough we're let on to the track to race and I laugh when he passes me with a holler, disappearing onto the second level above.
Thankfully the karts aren't slow and I find myself enjoying it too. We do a couple of races and I manage to pass out Noah for two of them but ultimately he ends up scoring the top of the leader board for the day.
"You blocked me so many times!" I pout playfully as we take off our helmets and walk out.
"That's how you win." He winks jokingly before tucking me into his side as we head downstairs. "But seriously though I loved it! That was so much fun, we should come here again."
"We can bring the rest of the group next time. I bet they'd love it." I suggest and he nods enthusiastically.
"Shane's literally unbeatable so it'll be a good challenge for us all."
There's a restaurant inside the building so we place our order before going onto the wipe out course. It's more of an obstacle course but thankfully they have pits of soft cubes surrounding them in case you fall. Both me and Noah have terrible balance so we end up in there more times than we can count.
"Shit! No!" He shouts as he topples over with a laugh. "I was almost done!"
"Tough luck!" I grin only to yelp in shock when he grabs my ankle and pulls me off the red ball. "Noah!"
"I'm sorry." He grins unapologetically.
"You're not though." I roll my eyes as we get back to the starting line. "Can you let me win at something at least once?"
"Okay I won't do anything this time." He gestures for me to go first.
I stare at him suspiciously before deciding to take his word for it. Note to self, never trust Noah when it comes to winning anything because as soon as I hop onto the second red ball and try to balance myself he grabs my waist and hurls us into the cushioned pit. I try to be mad at him but I end up laughing as he pulls me out.
He goes first this time and when he's almost finished I shove him into the pit before jumping towards the end with a giggle. "I can't believe you didn't see that coming!"
He hops out and races after me to the next course with a grin. After we're done we head to the restaurant for food and I couldn't be happier. It's an unhealthy amount of food but we end up finishing it with ease since all we've been running on today are snacks and coffee. Before we leave we try out the arcade games and by the time we venture outside the sun has started its descent.
"One last stop." I say to Noah as he drives off.
"There's more?!" He laughs in surprise as he follows my directions.
"I'll give you a clue." I turn to him with an excited smile. "You mentioned that you want to try this out last week."
He thinks about it for a short moment before smirking. "Pottery?"
"Yes!"
"No way?!" He laughs before shaking his head. "I can't believe you remembered."
"Of course!" I smile as I check our reservation on my phone. "I've signed us up to a private lesson where we'll make something and a painting class."
"I can't wait." He grins before glancing at me briefly. "Do you think they'll let me make a car? Or even a go kart? That'll be awesome."
"Maybe." I chuckle not at all surprised. "You can try and convince them."
It takes longer for us to get back into the city because of the traffic during the evening hours but we pass the time listening to music and talking about the ball coming up towards the end of this week. Apparently Noah has attended every year since he started playing football and his brother, Theo, is one of the sponsors this year. His sister-in-law, Zoe, is going to be there to take photographs too.
"I'm glad I'll have you with me this time. Usually, it gets quite boring by the end of the night."
"Aren't the boys usually around you?"
"Yeah but they've always had their girlfriends and sure I had Evie before but she'd spend all her time chatting away with her friends. Before her I'd be stuck with Nora for example. Well..." He trails off with a scrunch of his nose. "Stuck is the wrong word since I'd disappear and mingle with the guys from other teams."
"Well, I promise it won't be the same this year." I wink playfully eliciting a laugh.
"I know." He glances at me with a cute smile. "Is this the place?"
"Yeah and there's a free space right there."
We head inside and dive straight into our lesson where an instructor teaches us the basics of pottery. I've tried it a few times so I get the gist of it quick enough but Noah struggles which is funny to watch. The instructor is patient with us but even she cracks a smile here and there when he ends up ruining his bowl countless times.
"Here, let me help you." I chuckle as I stand next to him. "Slow the wheel a little bit and you want to shape it like this."
I show him but when he tries it himself it's not quite right so I place my hands on top of his and help him out further. He gets the hang of it and looks up at me with a boyish smile as he murmurs a soft thanks. I kiss his cheek before moving back to my own creation and the instructor comes over to help me put ridges onto the honey pot I'm making.
Once I'm done she carries it off to the kiln while I wash up. I turn around to see Noah finished with his bowl and working on a car. With an amused smile I make my way over and watch him concentrate on shaping it. His brows are furrowed with his lips set in a firm line as he works and I swipe his hair away from his eyes which makes him glance up at me briefly.
"The go kart would've been too difficult." He chuckles as he finishes it.
"That's a really good effort though, well done!"
We move onto painting next and I select a mug and a trinket box to paint before finding us a table. Noah takes a little longer though and I realize why when he comes back with a large cupcake and an elephant to paint. I'm realizing now that he's truly just a kid at heart.
"This is the best day ever." He beams as he sits down.
I'm glad he's enjoying himself as much as I am. We spend the rest of our night painting and chatting to other people around us too. Noah finds himself another soccer fanatic whereas I connect with a girl who loves books as much as I do. She tells me about their book club and I promise to join once she texts me the details.
I finish painting when Noah turns back to me and I nod to the guy he was talking to. "Did you score a date with him?"
"I invited him to my return game next week." He leans in with a whisper as he plays along. "Should I give him my jersey to wear? Or is it too soon?"
"For sure! If that doesn't seal the deal then I don't know what will." I pat his shoulder as I stand to wash up.
We give our things to dry and I jot down my contact details so that we can collect them next week. Noah waits for me by the door and drapes his arm across my shoulders when I reach him making butterflies flutter chaotically in my tummy. We step outside and I'm about to start walking in the direction of the car when he pulls me back.
"Ice cream?"
"I think there's stores down that way." I point towards the street on our left.
"I found one that closes...now." He frowns at his phone when it reads eleven. "Do you want to chance it? It's right around that corner."
"We can try." I shrug before we rush towards it.
We reach it just in time to see a worker turn the open sign to closed. Thankfully she lets us in and we choose from the limited flavors left. I hand her a few bills before we step back out and Noah intertwines our hands as he guides me to a nearby park with a, "I don't want to go home yet."
I nod in agreement as we walk around enjoying our ice-creams, relieved that there's some streetlamps around because the sky has completely darkened by now. Realizing that Noah has stopped though I look back to see him texting quickly before he pockets his phone and catches up to me.
"Sorry, Dakota was looking for me." He explains as he tucks me into his side.
"Everything okay?"
"Yeah, he just wanted some help with his assignment but that can wait." He smiles down at me and I chuckle in response.
We finish up our ice-creams before making our way back to the car. I'm all tired out from today as Noah drives us back but also content that our first date worked out perfectly. My gaze wanders over to him admiring his profile as he switches gears. I can't believe I'm here with him and that he feels the same way about me.
"You okay?" He captures my attention with a concerned look as he reaches out to caress my cheek.
"Yeah." I clear my throat and nod. "All good. Today was fun."
"It really was. You planned it all out perfectly Faye, I loved it." He smiles as he parks outside our building and we get out.
"Well, I'm glad you enjoyed it."
"How about I take you out this weekend? Saturday okay?" He asks a little nervously as he grabs my hand and guides me inside.
"I'd love that." I nod and rest my head against his arm happily as we make our way up.
It's quiet on our floor save from the one party going on somewhere within the building. I unlock our door before stepping inside and turning on the lights only for my eyes widen at the sight of a birthday cake with a lone lit candle in the center of our kitchen counter, a few presents next to it too. I barely register the door shutting behind me before arms encircle my waist and Noah rests his chin atop my head.
"Happy Birthday Faye."
"But t-that's tomorrow..." I trail off as I turn to face him.
"It's past midnight. April fifth now which is your day darlin'." He chuckles when I glance at the clock to confirm. "I had the best time on our date and I'm glad I get to spend your birthday with you first before our friends come and steal your attention for the day."
That makes me laugh and I shake my head at him. "So greedy."
"Always for you fairy Faye." He winks before cupping my face in both hands. My heart races but I find myself excited over what's about to happen. "Can I kiss you?"
All I can do is nod before I get myself together. "Y-Yes."
He smiles so beautifully and I end up falling for him more. "Happy Birthday sweetheart."
I push up on the tips of my toes just as he presses his lips against mine. My eyelids flutter shut in sweet ecstasy and I smile knowing that I'm already getting used to his kisses. Noah Jackson is addictive and just like I told him he's already consuming my thoughts which is a dangerous path to go down. Soon I'll know of no one and nothing but him.
He breaks away a lot quicker this time which makes me pout. A deep chuckle escapes him before he peppers kisses everywhere except my lips. I can't help trembling when he touches me, my nerves going haywire as my body fails to keep up with all the sensations.
"Noah," I whine softly and tighten my hold on him. "Kiss please?"
He dips his head down and I close my eyes, my body thrumming with anticipation only for him to kill it by pecking the corner of my lips. I feel his smirk against my cheek and I glower at him before lightly shoving him away but he tugs me back into his arms.
The fact that he's refusing to kiss me is making me frustrated as he focuses on making me flustered instead by just touching me. Unable to take his teasing anymore I fist his shirt, tug him down and pin my mouth on his. He smiles against my lips before nipping my bottom one, hoisting me onto his waist and walking without a clear destination in mind until my back hits the front door. My hands disappear into his hair as he makes me gasp and moan heatedly, lighting my body up in delicious heat.
We eventually get to the cake and gifts but this birthday has certainly topped all my previous ones already.
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