Chapter 1
Leah
I knew I was going to hate these stairs. I take a minute to adjust the box I am holding again, using my knee to momentarily support it so my arms can recover. Moving out of the apartment I have spent the last two years of my life living in with my best friends is not turning out to be a joyous occasion. I blow out a big breath and remind myself that we had to move on and the three of us getting into our various graduate programs was in fact a wonderful thing.
My arms are beginning to feel like wet noodles from all of the lifting. I hike the box up into them again and start my journey up the last few stairs. I'm counting the stairs in my head since I can't see them over the box. When I finally reach the last step, a loud slamming door startles me. Before I can figure out what is happening a half naked woman rounds the corner at the top of the steps walking backward and giving someone on my floor the finger.
"Watch out," I say on a breathy exhale but it is too late. Her body collides with the box I'm holding and we both stumble trying to regain our footing before we tumble down the stairs. I have no choice but to drop the box and try to grab hold of the railing barely catching myself before my butt slams down onto the hard wood. I feel my ankle twist and the pain shoots up my leg.
"I'm sorry," she says as she rights herself and runs down the stairs, quickly but carefully avoiding the items from my box that are now scattered all around us.
"No problem," I say sarcastically more to myself than to her. I close my eyes and lean back on my elbows. Thank goodness this was my last trip for the day. I lift my leg up and cringe at the horrible throbbing of my ankle. Damn it. A few of the scattered items are within reach so I begin to collect them.
"I'll get those," a strongly masculine voice says from somewhere above me. I hear his feet fall upon the hard wood above me. He passes me and grabs the pens and pencils that have rolled down the stairs before stacking up a few of the text books that managed to slide out of the overturned box. The stranger flips the box upright and puts the items back in.
I know I am staring but I can't help it. The man before me is tall, with light blonde hair that looks tussled and he is only wearing a pair of jeans. His bare feet stick out from below the dark pants and I watch him tuck the shirt he was holding into the rear waistband of his jeans. When his face finally rises to meet mine I am entranced by the blue eyes that are now staring back at me. A smile curves his lips and I love the way it is slightly crooked.
"Sorry about that. I didn't mean for my drama to become yours." He reaches out a strong hand to me. "I'm Noah. I live in 23." His eyes dart up to the landing above us and I nod my head and accept his hand.
"Leah. I guess I'm your new neighbor." I pull my hand back so I can keep myself propped up on my elbows. "I guess you can send her over when she gets back so I can properly introduce myself." The sarcasm is thick and he chuckles before slightly shaking his head.
"Won't be necessary. She's not coming back." Noah stands up and puts his hands on his hips. I notice his broad chest and let my eyes dip down to explore his abs and the intriguing V that dips into his low-slung jeans. "I'll carry you up. That ankle looks pretty swollen. Let's get some ice on it." I nod my head and he picks up the box. "Let me put this up first. Everyone in the building is pretty cool but I still wouldn't trust a few of them not to help themselves to you office supplies."
I watch him easily take the stairs two at a time and slip into my apartment. He is back down to me in just a few minutes and I hate that he is going to have to carry me, but right now I know there is no way I can make it on my own. He flashes me his crooked smile again before bending down to slip his arms under my legs and behind my back. I hold on loosely to his neck and he carries us to the top.
Being this close to him causes my heart to flutter for a minute. He smells like soap and shaving cream. My mind wanders for a second and I imagine he has just stepped out of a hot shower. My heart speeds up again and I turn my head and try to focus again on anything other than the way his skin is so warm against mine.
We pass my apartment and he turns so that he can push his slightly ajar front door open with his back. "You can leave me in my place. I'll be fine." I am not sure that I really will be, but I don't want to be a burden on my new neighbor.
"I'd feel like an asshole leaving you alone in that place. You have boxes everywhere and if your ankle isn't too hurt now, it will be when you trip over or kick one. It's the least I can do since I sort of had something to do with how you got hurt." He looks down at my face so I can see that it is not negotiable.
"Alright. But just for a few minutes." His apartment is bigger than mine even though it is right next door. He takes me over to the couch and sets me down gently before grabbing a few pillows to stuff under my foot. I suck in a sharp breath through my teeth as my ankle makes contact with the pillows.
"Sorry, it's best to raise it for a little while. I'll grab the ice and a little something to help dull the pain." I nod my head in agreement. Taking deep breaths and closing my eyes to will away the waves of pain that continue to radiate up my leg. I can hear Noah opening the freezer and the clinking of ice as he puts it into something. Soon he is back at my side, a bag of ice and a towel in one hand and a bottle of wine in the other. I crinkle my brow at him and he shrugs.
"It's all I've got to help with the pain." His smile is cute as he puts the bottle down on the small table in front of the couch and makes his way back to the kitchen to fetch some glasses. When he returns, he sets the wine glasses down and helps to softly put the towel and ice over my ankle. The coolness begins to take the edge off of the throbbing. When he is satisfied that the ice is going to stay and is in the right place, he begins working on the cork of the wine bottle.
"So, are you going to be all alone over there or do you have a roommate?" he asks as he frees the cork from the bottle and begins to pour me a glass.
"It's just me. It's a lot smaller than your place. What about you? Any roommates?" I need to know if I can expect to be run over again any time soon.
"No. Just me. I do have visitors from time to time but mostly I'm here alone." He hands me my wine and I take a sip. "Are you from around here?"
I tip my glass back again and take a bigger drink this time hoping a buzz might help with the pain. "No. My hometown is about 9 hours from here. I just got accepted to school here."
Noah takes a seat at the end of the couch and drinks a few sips of his own wine. "I'm a student too. What program?"
"Education. I hope to get my Masters. Just finished my Bachelor's this spring. What about you?"
"Psychology." I wait for him to say more but instead he takes another long sip of his wine. I look around the apartment and realize that he is probably working on some sort of graduate degree also. He does not have the typical undergrad boy apartment. Instead, the furniture matches and everything is pretty tidy. I notice the large bookshelf in the corner and immediately see a few of my favorite titles. I hardly notice when Noah refills my glass and the small buzz I am beginning to feel is allowing me to relax.
I look back at Noah and catch him staring at me. I don't look away and neither does he. We are sitting in a quiet room with an oddly familiar comfort that makes not talking seem perfectly normal. I smile at him and take a sip of my wine before relaxing back into the couch. I feel his fingers along the inside of my ankle as he traces lightly over the skin. The tingle from his touch crawls up my leg and I feel my face grow warm.
"It isn't bruising. Probably just sprained it. I'm really sorry about you getting hurt. Jen can get like that. She is so impulsive and has the worst temper I've ever seen." He smiles at me and lifts his glass to his mouth again. I watch his lips as the wine flows into his mouth. I notice I am doing it but don't do anything to stop.
"Why do you still have her around then? Seems like some sort of liability." I know it isn't my business but I am so curious. He seems so mellow and she seemed so high strung.
He chuckles again, "Sometimes crazy can be a little hot." He leans his head back on the couch and slumps down a little bit. I don't know what to say so I just continue to drink the wine and enjoy the numbing ice. We say nothing until I finish my second large glass. Noah fills mine up with the small amount of wine left in the bottle and I quickly swallow it down, worried I am going to overstay my welcome.
"Well, thanks for the help. I should probably get going. I'm sure you have more important things to do than babysit me on a Friday night." I see his smile even though he isn't facing me anymore. I move to get up but his hand slides up my leg until his arm is fully extended.
"As a matter of fact I don't have anything better to do. I am enjoying the conversation and wine. Don't try to run off so soon. If we're going to be neighbors then I think we should get to know each other a bit more." I look down to the place where his large hand is splayed out over my shin and watch him as he slowly turns his head to meet my gaze. I know I should go, but I don't want to leave.
I haven't been this close to a guy since the night Lyle broke my heart. I always thought we were going to take this big moving step together. He had reassured me we would have time for more serious dating when we were in grad school, so the night he told me he was going out of state and needed to go experience life without me came as quite a surprise. My heart constricts with the pain of that conversation and I swallow down more wine and fight hard to keep the tears from welling in my eyes.
"What do you say, Leah? One more bottle?" I thought he was sexy before, but now that his cheeks have slightly flushed from the alcohol and his bright blue eyes are half lidded, he might be the most attractive man I have ever seen. The deep tone of his voice floats across my skin and I try hard to think of a reason I should leave. My heart reminds me that I still love Lyle and I just need to give him time to realize he has made a mistake.
The tight grip grief has on my heart clenches, but my brain weighs in with the thought that Lyle isn't waiting for me. My fantasy of getting back together is far off right now. I wonder where he is right at this moment and feel the big flip of my stomach when I think about the possibility of him being with another woman. I close my eyes for a brief minute and tell myself that it is just a few glasses of wine and one night off from thinking nonstop about what went wrong between us.
I muster up all the strength I have and hope that I am not going to regret this. Then, I lift my glass in Noah's direction and answer, "Absolutely."
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