18. Noah

18

NOAH

Lexi fell asleep shortly after Mr. Darcy's failed proposal. She hadn't been lying when she told me about falling asleep during chick flicks. I didn't think I knew of a single girl like her—she was so different from what I was used to. But I kind of loved that about her.

The movie ended, and I successfully got up from the couch without waking Lexi and walked Jake out.

"Thanks for letting me chill with you and your girlfriend." Jake shrugged into his coat at the top of the stairs. "I think I might actually crack my book open now."

"You could probably ace the test without reading it. The movie was actually pretty true to the book." From what I'd understood of the book, that is.

Jake shrugged. "I know. I kind of liked how much Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth were always fighting. If I'd known about that when Mrs. Phillips assigned the book, I might have actually read more than the first two pages."

"Well, the test isn't until Monday, so there's still time."

He nodded. "See you at school tomorrow. Tell Lexi I said bye."

I smiled and opened the door for him to leave. "Yeah, I'll tell her when she wakes up."

Who would have thought that when two jocks sat down to watch a romance movie with a sixteen-year-old girl, it would be the girl who fell asleep?

I shut the door behind Jake and checked the time on my phone. It was close to six. Easton and Mr. Stevens should be home soon. But instead of heading out, I found myself wandering back downstairs to sit next to Lexi.

I browsed through the channels on their TV and ended up stopping when I saw the weather forecast on the news station. Apparently, a huge snowstorm was supposed to roll in tonight. They were telling everyone to bring their animals in if possible, so they could stay warm. I really hoped Lexi was still okay with me sleeping in her closet again. The floor wasn't the most comfortable thing in the world, and it was a really tight fit, but it was warm.

The commercial break came on next, and for some reason, the commercials were louder than the news report had been. Lexi startled in her seat, and for a second, I thought she might wake up. But instead of opening her eyes she just turned on her side, and somehow, her head ended up resting on my shoulder.

I went still at her unexpected closeness, my heart coming to a stop before taking off like it was in a race. She nuzzled against me as if to get more comfortable, and soon the side of her head was resting on my chest.

Was she really that deep of a sleeper that she wasn't aware of cuddling up to a human instead of the throw pillows that were usually in the corner?

I held completely still for about half a minute, worried she'd wake up and jump away from me. She hadn't seemed to want to get very close to me during the movie when I'd asked her to sit closer. But she didn’t stir, and after another ten seconds, I released the breath I'd been holding.

The news ended so I started flipping through the channels again until I found a hockey game to watch. I let my muscles relax. My gaze landed on Lexi's hair, which was long and would probably feel silky in my hand. I'd threaded my fingers in it as we'd kissed earlier, but I hadn't really been concentrating on the softness of her hair so much as I'd been lost in the way her lips felt pressed against mine. But now her strands looked soft and inviting. I felt the urge to reach out and touch them.

She did seem like the deepest sleeper in the world, so maybe I could just... I slipped the tips of my fingers into her hair, letting them slowly trail down her back. She twitched, and I went still. Did I wake her up?

But then she resumed her regular breathing again, so I traced a line along her side and then down her arm, watching the goosebumps rise on her skin where I touched her. I smiled, liking that I could have this effect on her as she slept.

What was happening to me? I shouldn't be growing more and more attracted to Easton's little sister. I was eighteen. She was only sixteen. But the more I got to know her and the more time I spent with her, I found her stealing small pieces of my heart. Pieces I didn't know were even there anymore. I had the feeling that if I wasn't careful, she might just go and steal the whole thing.

Footsteps sounded on the stairs, and before I could even register what those footsteps signaled, Mr. Stevens stared down at me. And he did not look happy.

Oh crap! This couldn’t be good.

I glanced down at Lexi, wondering what I should do with her. She was practically cuddling up to me. Should I just shove her off and jump to the other side of the couch, hoping that Mr. Stevens somehow wouldn't notice?

I pushed the thought away almost as soon as I had it, because I knew from the angry glint in his eyes that he had most definitely noticed how Lexi and I were sitting, and he'd probably also seen the way I'd been looking at his daughter while running my fingertips along her arm.

"H-hi, Mr. Stevens." I sat up straighter. Lexi startled a little but didn't wake up.

Mr. Stevens gritted his teeth. "Hi, Noah." Then his gaze went down to his sleeping daughter, his expression darkening further. "Sit up, Lexi." His voice was gruff, and he just glared at Lexi, not even looking at me.

Lexi, who had been dead to the world for the past hour, sat up faster than lightning.

"I'm awake. I'm awake." She pushed her hair out of her face and looked around, clearly disoriented.

"What's going on here?" Her dad crossed his thick muscled arms.

I swallowed the lump in my throat, knowing I was in huge trouble.

Lexi seemed to finally break out of the daze from her nap—her eyes went wide and she jumped off the couch. "We were just working on Noah's school project and I fell asleep."

Her dad narrowed his gaze, clearly not believing her. "I think it's time for you to go home, Noah."

I launched myself out of that couch, faster than I'd ever moved before. "Uh, yeah. Of course, Mr. Stevens. I was just leaving anyway."

I slipped past him, feeling his glare burn a hole in the back of my head as I walked up the stairs. I could just imagine him debating whether to grab his shotgun.

My hands were shaking as I pulled on my letterman jacket. I was about to walk outside when I heard Mr. Stevens' voice again, speaking to Lexi. "You can stay sitting, Lexi. We need to have a talk."