Chapter 19

19

Noah

Change of plans. Meet me near the Potions building. We'll go from there.

Why?

I'll explain later. Just do it.

I 'd just finished dinner and already had my backpack ready to go. I'd decided what I wanted to take to his house and could not fit sleeping clothes into the bag. School books were more pertinent for tonight, and I enjoyed the pajamas I'd already borrowed.

The entire walk to the Potions building, I was looking over my shoulder and eyeing everyone I could see, wondering just who was trying to stop us from ending our research. No one looked particularly suspicious, but that meant nothing.

"Miss Baker." I screamed, nearly dropping the drink in my hand. When I looked up, I saw Professor Fortenberry standing a bit too close for my comfort.

"Professor, sorry. I didn't see you there."

"That's alright. Where are you headed? Curfew begins very soon." He raised a brow at me, and I took a step back.

Everyone could be a potential suspect, so I had no intention of telling him I was meeting Noah at the Potions building, and the way he was looking at me made him rocket to the top of my suspect list.

"Meeting my-" cough- "boyfriend. We're about to leave campus as soon as he finishes talking with one of his professors."

"Oh, wonderful. You can spare yourselves the strain of the love potion should it occur again. Smart girl."

I just nodded uncomfortably, looking around for any excuse to leave. Was Fortenberry the one I needed to worry about? Did I need to walk toward the gate instead of the Potions building? Actually, I felt the need to run.

"Just hoping to be undisturbed so I can get some assignments finished." I gave him a small, forced smile and took a step away from him, hoping he would say goodbye and walk away.

When he grabbed my bicep, it took every ounce of control I had not to jerk away. Adrenaline now buzzed through my veins, and I fought to keep fear out of my facial expression. "Be very careful, Mis Baker. You wouldn't want to get tied up in anything you can't get yourself out of."

My eyes locked with his brown ones, and I tried my best not to cower, but that was hard when I heard the edge of threat in his tone. "Yes, Professor."

He nodded, holding onto my arm for a few more seconds-way too long-before dropping it and walking away.

Dumbfounded, I just stood there in shock as I watched his retreating form. If that wasn't a threat, then why would he have said it? What else could he have meant?

Once the fog in my mind cleared, I took off sprinting, dropping my drink in a nearby rubbish bin. I needed to get to Noah. Whipping my phone out of my pocket, I tapped his contact to call him.

"Baker?"

"Noah!" I hissed, looking around myself again. "Professor Fortenberry just warned me to be careful of not getting into something I couldn't get out of. He wouldn't let me go, and I swear, he has to be the one who-"

"Wouldn't let you go?" Noah interrupted. "Where are you?"

"Almost to the Potions building, but that's not-"

"Go to the front gate. I'll meet you there."

"But I thought-"

"Go, Henri. I'll be there in a minute." Noah hung up without another word. Changing course, I did as he said and went to the gate.

I couldn't stop looking over my shoulder, waiting to see Fortenberry pop out from behind any of the bushes. Would he open my backpack this time and find the forbidden book? Was he the one who had already seen me with it? Surely, he was.

"There you are," Noah said as he jogged up to me, catching my attention. He was in his football uniform, bag slung over his shoulder as he closed the remaining distance. None of the former tension was in his voice. Instead, he seemed calm and collected, as was his normal. Yet there was something in his eyes that told a different story. "I've been waiting all day for this."

"For wh-" Before I could finish the question, he was grabbing the back of my head and pulling me in close. His lips were on mine, and any rational thought left my body as I melted into the feeling. This was Noah Lawrence-who I was supposed to hate-and there I was, melding my body to his as he snogged me. My body relaxed under his touch, and the remaining fear that had gripped me fled with it.

"Ready to go?" he asked, pushing a strand of my hair away from my face. I couldn't find any words in response, because this was just so different. I just nodded.

Lacing our fingers together, Noah pulled me the rest of the way to the gate and nodded at the guard before we walked through to his car.

"Good day of classes, love?" Noah asked, looking over at me with what could only be described as adoration. Definitely not the look two people who could barely tolerate each other would give. When I didn't respond fast enough, he leaned down. "Remember, we have a fa?ade to keep up-the infatuated couple brought together by the love potion."

"It was a great day," I immediately responded, much too loud. To cover that mistake, I kept talking. "In Mystic Policy, we've been working on a class project for weeks, and no one would listen to me when I told them that Witches and Wizards are not allowed to use the blood of a Mystic for anything other than research. The entire class was convinced their blood could be used for medicinal purposes, and the professor didn't step in at any point to refute their claims until I finally proved to them that I was right the entire time."

"Is that not the type of information that would be in your class text?"

"No, it was something a bit more advanced than the four-hundred-level course, and no one was willing to do outside research except for me."

"In true Henri Baker fashion, of course. How did you convince them?" Noah seemed truly interested as he opened the boot of his car for our bags. Then, he walked to my side of the car and opened the door.

I averted my eyes for a bit, embarrassed by my answer. "I might have snuck out a book I wasn't permitted to from the library."

Noah gasped in an entirely over-exaggerated way, a hand over his heart. "Henrietta Baker? Doing something against policy? As a Policy Master Student?"

"Oh, shut up. It's not the first time I've done something against the rules, and I'm sure it won't be the last. It was for a good reason."

"What else, then?" he taunted. I rolled my eyes as I sank into the car, the door closing after me.

When Noah was in his seat, I tried to answer. "Like last night! I went to a black market shop with you! Very illegal."

"Doesn't count. I made you go.."

"Yes, it does!" I countered, closing my arms.

"Nope. Try again. It needs to be something you didn't do with me."

"Fine! There was this one time when I…" I trailed off, knowing there was something I'd surely done in the past that wasn't on the straight and narrow. I had to come up with something quick.

"Exactly."

"Oh, whatever." I looked out the window, but not out of embarrassment for not having an answer. It was to hide the smile I couldn't keep off my face.

"Why did the woman at the shop know you last night? Are you a regular patron of black market stores?" I changed the subject, hoping to get the tingles out of my spine.

"Oh, yes. I love illegal activity, especially when my parents do nothing but put wizards behind bars for the very same thing." His tone dripped with sarcasm, and I couldn't help but laugh. "Something about the irony of it all, the-"

"Shut up, Noah. Really, why did she know you?" I needed the answer like oxygen, desperate to know he really wasn't regularly into illegal business.

"I went there right after the first potion attack. I had hoped she would have something to counteract the love potion, and instead, she overcharged me for a highly illegal relaxation potion variant that did nothing but force me to stay in bed for a whole day." My jaw hung open at his words, and I couldn't help my giggle.

"Don't laugh. It was terrible. I hallucinated half the day." Noah rubbed his temple while one of his hands stayed at the top of the steering wheel.

"Don't go to illegal shops for solutions. There's a reason everything she sells is illegal," I responded through my laughter.

He turned his head to look at me, his eyes flickering between me and the road. "When you're desperate for a solution, you'd be surprised what you're willing to do."

I raised my eyebrows at him. He'd mentioned it was bad, but his expression showed torment. I sobered immediately.

"Such as you going to the shop with me last night. You're desperate to find the anti-potion." Noah returned his attention fully to the road.

"You're right," I admitted softly. Surprisingly, apologizing to him wasn't as agonizing as I'd always assumed it would be.