12. Nora/Wes

TWELVE

Maybe I should have explainedthe Wes-Situation to Kiara before we started rehearsals because now she won't stop asking me questions. Understandably, she's very confused that I'm suddenly dating my best friend after I swore off dating for the foreseeable future.

I would tell her the truth, but I made a promise to Wes, and he would lose his shit if he found out that she knew. I trust her with my life, but I know how much she talks, and if she was left alone with Ryan, I'm not confident that she wouldn't be persuaded into telling him the truth.

Instead, I'm letting her pester me with questions as we get ready for a run-through of the first act of Hamilton. Really, she should be trying to save her voice since she's playing Peggy and Maria Reynolds, but apparently, that is the last thing on her mind.

"Girl, I know I said to move on, but Wes Mackenzie?" I can tell she's trying her hardest to be quiet as we sit on the edge of the stage, our feet dangling as we share a packet of strawberries, but Kie is the opposite of quiet. She shakes her head at me. "I mean, good for you. I'm sure he's great, but isn't that going to mess up everything between you two? You're, like, best friends."

I shrug. "Nope. It's fine. Apparently, he's had a crush on me for years, and it's the most stress-free option. Besides, Ryan hates him, so that's a bonus."

She gives me a slow side-eye. "Right. So, this is a whole revenge thing?"

"Well, sorta, but also not really. I actually like Wes. I wouldn't be dating him if I didn't," I admit. At least part of it is true. He is one of my favorite people. I shove a strawberry into my mouth, hoping my acting skills are pulling through. Although it pains me, I put on my big girl boots and add, "He's hot too."

She laughs, "I know. I've seen the way girls swarm around him on campus. He's lucky that he's funny, so he isn't half bad."

"He's really the whole package," I say before I shove more strawberries into my mouth.

I push myself up, getting ready to stand before Kie pulls my arm back down, pointing towards the entrance. "Speaking of the devil," she mutters.

I follow her line of vision to see three football players strolling into the small auditorium. Wes, Sam, and Oliver walk through the doors like it's a fucking movie, and they're the jocks who are desperate to hook up with anyone with a pulse.

Sam and Oliver are a given whenever Wes is around. I don't know what kind of power they think he holds, but they treat him like he's a God when Connor isn't around. Wes is usually Connor's second in command, but since he's decided to ‘retire' from being the dad of the football team and have fun and spend time with his girlfriend, it seems like Wes is trying to fulfill that role.

Do you want to know the worst part?

He looks good doing it.

He somehow has this kind of quiet but harsh authority that can render people speechless. It should be comical that someone as chaotic as him can round people up to do his bidding, but he manages to pull it off. He ditched his football jersey and is instead sporting a Rockies shirt and black pants and has covered up his hair with a backward cap, his hair curling around his ears. I"d think he looks attractive if I didn't know any better.

But then he sees me, and his whole face splits into a grin, and I have to contain myself. Penny doesn't mind anyone coming to watch our rehearsals as long as they're quiet, but I have no clue what Wes is up to. It's only the main cast today, so we can start blocking the choreography we learned last week, and I can't wait to see the look on Ryan's face when he sees him in the crowd.

The three boys take a seat a few rows behind where Penny is sitting. Wes crosses his arms against his chest, and I know he can feel my eyes on him because when he's done looking around the space like he actually cares about all of it, he winks at me.

He fucking winks at me.

And a piece of me dies inside.

I can also feel Kie's eyes on me, so I shake my head, needing to say something before she does. "I told him I had rehearsals today, and it's like he just wants to be around me all the time. He's like an untrained puppy. "

"You're telling me that like I don't already know. I've seen the way he's looked at you since I met you. Honestly, Ryan had a right to be jealous when you were together," she says, pulling me up finally to stand.

I clear my throat, a weird feeling settling in my stomach. When you're so caught up in a friendship with someone, you don't know how it looks to everyone else. Whenever I thought Wes and I were just messing around, there was a side to it that I didn't realize, and everyone tried to make it into more than it was. I didn't mind the jokes, and now it makes our arrangement much more believable.

"You know nothing has ever happened between me and Wes, right?" I say to her, quiet enough so only she can hear. "Well, not until now, at least. I would never cheat."

"I know you wouldn't," Kiara replies immediately. She looks over her shoulder, where Wes is still looking at the two of us, and his eyes narrowed slightly as if he knows what we're talking about. "That doesn't mean Wes wouldn't have tried to convince you."

I shake my head. "You're insane."

"Whatever," she grumbles, bumping her arm into me. "So, are double dates back on the table?"

"That depends. Do you think you can find someone to put up with you?" I tease, pinching her arm.

"Very funny," she mocks. She takes another look over her shoulder, very obviously checking Sam out. "Is that Wes's friend?" I nod. "He's hot. Is he single?"

"From what I've gathered, yes, but he's also a player."

Kiara winks at me. "Don't worry. I can reform him."

"You can try your best."

We both burst into giggles before we turn our back to them and get on with our rehearsing.

I spent the whole time hyper-aware that Wes was watching me and listening to me sing. The script has been altered, and there's less singing and more dialogue, but it still makes me uneasy. I'm not supposed to get nervous around him, or anyone for that matter, especially when I'm on a stage. People say home is where the heart is, and this stage is my home. Having Wes here shouldn't change that fact.

We've spent the last half an hour tripping over each other"s feet and getting our lines messed up. Every now and then, Wes lets out a loud cheer when we run through a song with the backing track, and the encouragement is weirdly endearing. It's nice having someone in my corner here, and I'm glad that it's him.

He's been to a lot of my shows, but him being here and I'm out of costume just doing my thing feels strangely intimate. I don't fucking know. What I do know is that Ryan is absolutely furious that he's here. He keeps biting out his lines as if I've done something personal to offend him. Hell, maybe I have.

I try my hardest to keep my cool throughout most of the rehearsals, but by the time I've sung ‘Helpless' three times and have to pretend I'm completely infatuated with Ryan, I can't wait to get out of there.

I have wisely spent the last three hours watching Ryan squirm under Oli, Sam, and I's gaze, and I couldn't be happier. Deciding to ambush Nora's rehearsal was the best decision I've made because not only have I been able to listen to her sing like a fucking angel, I get to be the one to PDA all over her when rehearsals are over.

Best three hours of my life.

After their job was done, Oli and Sam got out of there and went to the field to start warming up for our game later as I waited outside the door for Nora to finish up. Honestly, I'm putting off spending time with my dad, and the more I can drag this out, the better.

She walks out with a dopey smile on her face, like she couldn't decide if she was happy to see me here or not. Even during the breaks their teacher gave them, she went off with Kiara in a corner and didn't even look my way.

"Hey," she says, walking up to me in baggy jeans and cami top. Her brown hair is down, slightly curly from the humidity as it flows past her shoulders. She has no right to look that good after practicing for three hours. And I have no right to be this attracted to her, and no part of that feels fake at all. "What a nice surprise this is."

"Yeah, how sweet of you to watch your girl practice," Kiara adds, rolling her eyes at me. Sometimes, it feels like we have unknown tension between us like I've stolen her best friend from her. I'm already sharing Nora with Cat, Elle, and her brother. I don't need another person in the mix. I'd have her all to myself if I could.

I give her a tight smile. "Be nice," Nora mumbles, bumping her in the shoulder. She bumps her back. "Didn't you want to ask for someone's number?"

Kiara's eyes widen as if she's been caught out on something. "Nope," she says, basically screaming. She gives Nora a kiss on the cheek before brushing past the two of us. "Bye! See you, uh, soon!"

Nora shakes her head, laughing. "Ignore her," she mutters, stepping closer to me. She hooks her thumbs into the pockets of her jeans as she rocks back on her heels. Why is she making this so fucking awkward? It's adorable as fuck, but unnecessary. She knows that she can be herself around me, and watching her perform is no different. "So…." She whistles, looking at everything but me. "What did you think of the performance? I mean, we're still a bit rusty, obviously. And Ryan is still acting like a–"

"Didn't pay much attention to him when you were on stage," I say simply, shrugging.

She bites her bottom lip. "Oh."

I narrow my eyes. "What? Why do you always have to do this?"

"Do what?"

"Act all shy like I've never seen you perform before. I've watched you on a stage since we were kids, and you're only getting better, so quit acting like you don't love it up there," I say, and I hook my finger in the belt loop of her jeans, tugging her closer to me as people start to walk out of the auditorium slowly.

"Ah, right." She's still not looking at me, and I don't understand why. Seeing her in her natural habitat is my favorite thing. It always has been.

"Nora," I press. "Look at me."

She closes her eyes before they land on me. "Better?"

"Much,. Now stop acting all nervous around me because you're making me antsy, and someone's going to notice. You're meant to be insanely in love with me, remember?"

She rolls her eyes. "Right. How could I forget?"

I'm about to tease her before the douchebag of the century walks through the doors, his head held high as if he wasn't shitting himself a few minutes ago. Every time that fool was talking on stage, I tried my best to burn holes through him with my eyes, and he tried his best not to notice.

Before he looks at me, he gives a very obvious perusal of the back of Nora's outfit. Even I don't have to stare at her from behind to know how good she looks, but the dick cheated on her, and he has a girlfriend, so he shouldn't be looking. He's lucky his eyes are still in his sockets.

He's still walking, his eyes on her when I pull her closer until our fronts touch. She blinks up at me, her eyes widening. "Wes," she breathes my name like it's a warning not to do something stupid.

That sound on her lips is my undoing. Ryan finally notices me, and his eyes connect with mine, a smug smirk on his lips. I lean down, my breathing suddenly erratic against Nora's ear. My words make the next move before my brain does. "Are you ready to kiss me, Stargirl?"

"Why?" Her voice doesn't sound like her own. It"s distant and breathy, infused with the sound of my heartbeat. I just want to bottle the sound. Her small hands find their way onto my waist, gripping me over my jersey like she can't stand upright.

I enjoy torturing the both of us, so I press a kiss to her neck in the same spot I did at the museum. "Because he's looking at you like he wants you," I say into her skin. Her whole body is so hot beneath me. So sensitive, as if she's never been touched like this before. "I can do him one better. Tell you why?" All I get is a low hum of approval. "Because he looks at you like you're in a line-up and doesn't know who to pick. But when I walk into a room, and you're there, you"re the only thing I can see. It's only you."

Nora swallows, and I lean off her. I catch Ryan's eye above us, and I pull Nora's face closer to mine, tilting her head up as my hands rest possessively on her delicate face. Golden brown eyes stare into mine, and she wets her bottom lip. "He– He can't hear us, can he?"

I shrug. "Dunno."

"Then why are you–"

I cut her off by pressing my lips firmly against hers.

I must be dead. This is heaven. This is what I was made for. This is everything and more.

Although it's freezing, kissing her feels like being in the heart of summer.

Her lips are soft and smooth against my rough ones. She tastes like the strawberries I saw her eating, and it takes over me. I'm surprised I didn"t collapse onto the floor. The only thing keeping me upright is the hand curled into her hair as I swipe my thumb against her cheek.

Her entire body melts into mine, and I just want to hold her here forever. Everything about her just feels so fucking soft, and I can't get enough of it. When I kiss Nora, I don't remember what it feels like to be with anybody else. I can't even remember the last time I kissed someone, and Nora makes me feel like that doesn't even matter. It's like she's hit the reset button in my brain, and she's the only one I'll feel forever.

Her.

Her.

Her.

The kiss isn't as powerful as it could be, but the small tremor on her bottom lip when we pull apart tells me more than I need to know. Whoa. My heart stutters a little when I take her in. Her cheeks are bright pink, and her eyes are glossed over.

Ryan passes us slowly, and his eyes narrow at the both of us. There's a flash of anger in his eyes, and I fucking love it. "Hi," he grumbles to the both of us.

I force myself to look at Ryan when all I want to do is stare at her. To memorize this look on her face. "Hey, fella."

The two words are enough for him to roll his eyes and shoulder-barge me as he walks past. Good enough for me.

"Hey, are you good?" I ask Nora, shaking her shoulder slightly. She's not said a word since the kiss, and I'm afraid I might have broken her.

She finally meets my eyes again. She blinks. Then blinks again.

Then she runs past me.

Jesus Christ, this girl. If she doesn't stop freaking out and getting nervous around me, this whole fake-dating shit isn't going to work.

I hold my hands up in defeat as her fast little legs carry her away from me. "You do know I'm going to see you at the game later, right?" I shout, cupping my hands around my mouth.

She throws her hand in the air, giving me a thumbs up, still scurrying away. "I know. I-I'll see you there."

I've known her for twenty years, but I"ll never understand some things about her. Like how she runs away after each time we kiss. I'm completely convinced Nora Bailey is the strangest person I've ever met.

But she's my strange person.