Chapter 26

26

U nlike the last time I attended a football game, I openly cheered. Though I knew little about football, I knew that when the rest of the Forrestbriar student body cheered, that was my cue to cheer as well. And when Noah executed a seriously impressive maneuver just before kicking the ball into the goal, I didn't need anyone else's direction to stand up and scream in excitement.

He was just as strong a competitor on the field as he was in academics, and I tried not to think about that too much—or about how that made him even more attractive to me.

"I'm going to get more snacks," Ivy said, pulling Remy with her out of the stands. I just nodded, not willing to take my eyes off Noah, who looked wonderful in the white and green jersey he was wearing as he ran up and down the pitch.

Seriously, why hadn't I become a sports person much earlier in life? Being in this crowd of people, cheering on our school's team (and my fake boyfriend, more importantly), was incredibly fun, and I was sad I'd missed this all my academic career.

Forrestbriar led the entire game, never allowing their opponent, Foxwood Academy, to score a single shot. Forrestbriar's goalie and defense were both too strong.

Once the game was over, most of the students rushed to the field. Last time, I stayed far away from that celebration. This time, however, I ran down to the pitch as quickly as possible.

Noah and I found each other instantly. He rushed through the oncoming crowd to reach me, pulling me into his arms the second I was within reach.

"You did great!" I yelled over the still-cheering crowd as he lifted me off my feet.

"Thanks, baby," he whispered in my ear, and every hair on my neck stood. There was no one to hear him say that, yet he'd said it anyway.

Truthfully, all of what we were doing was probably unnecessary.

When Noah set me back on my feet, he immediately leaned in for a kiss, his hands firmly on my waist.

This time, I felt the exact moment that everything changed, the way the buzzing energy from the school victory changed into a frenetic energy of lust.

Mentally, I knew I should pull away from Noah and bolt in the complete opposite direction to save my pride and my secret. Within seconds, the love potion would doom me, and I would make a fool out of myself.

But the pull of the potion was too strong, and I wondered how the hell Noah had controlled himself each of the other times the attacks happened.

There was also a moment of clarity where I hoped against all odds that the girl Noah truly had a fancy for was nowhere near here so I wouldn't be crushed to see him react to her.

"Henri," Noah said, pulling away from me sharply. "Where is your dose?" His eyes looked crazed as he stared at me.

I shook my head, trying to think through the fog of thoughts that all centered on him. "I didn't bring it."

I was damned, and I'd done it to myself, all because I hadn't wanted to carry a bag with me. I'd hoped there wouldn't be another attack so soon.

"Fuck." Noah stepped back but kept one hand on me even as he looked away, surely looking for the girl he was stuck on. Meanwhile, I could only look at him. "I don't think I can handle this anymore, Henri."

He looked at me, muscles in his jaw feathering as he clenched and unclenched it.

"Handle what?" I tried so hard to look away from him, but I couldn't. However, since I was more aware of what was happening this time, I could quell the intense desire to jump on him right now and claim his lips with my own.

"Handle this!" he yelled, making me flinch from the sudden volume change as he motioned a hand to me.

It burned in my chest, and I imagined the potion made it even worse. I would have to research if rejection pain intensified under the potion. Rejection wrenched and pulled, and I wasn't sure I could hold back tears.

"Go find her then, Noah!"

"Find who?"

"The girl you've been trying so hard to stay away from in these attacks!" I tried to push him but couldn't seem to take my hands off him. His hand stayed planted firmly on my waist.

Still gritting his teeth, Noah ran a shaky hand through his hair. When our gazes locked again, I lost my ability to breathe. Those green eyes were so intensely trained on me, and I almost understood.

Then, he was yanking me to him, our bodies and mouths colliding all at once as both of his hands threaded into my hair, keeping my face positioned perfectly for our kiss. Everything in me sang in joy as I returned the kiss, though the voice in the back of my mind pestered me until I finally shoved away.

"What are you doing?"

"You told me to find her." He was breathing hard, and his eyes even seemed a little bloodshot. "But she's already right in front of me."

I only stared at him, not able to fully grasp the meaning behind his words for a few minutes. The second I understood his words, I closed the distance between us yet again.

Finally, Noah picked me up and wrapped my legs around his waist. Though we were on a football field surrounded by hundreds of others enthralled by the love potion, it truly appeared it was only the two of us. I cared nothing for those around me and lost all thought of anything but Noah. The more I gave in to those thoughts, the more it seemed they dominated me.

"Need to get out of here," Noah murmured between kisses. To my dismay, he sat me down and took a step back. We were in the team area, and he grabbed his bag quickly before coming back to me. His lips were on mine once again.

"I only have one dose here."

"We don't need it right now," I breathed, reaching for him so he would just kiss me again. Why would we need an antidote when the solution to the fire inside us was each other?

"Oh yes, we do. Both of us need it. Badly."

I shook my head but watched as he pulled a vial from his bag.

"Open," he commanded, and I obediently swallowed the sour liquid that he poured into my mouth. Truthfully, I enjoyed the way he was grasping my jaw, so I probably would have drank cough medicine without caring.

He gulped the rest of the potion, discarding the vial on the ground and closing in on me.

"Should at least make it a little easier to think until we get back to my flat." His lips were then on mine again, and I couldn't help the way everything in me heated. Our tongues danced and our hands roamed until Noah picked me up again and started walking with me. Eventually, he put me down and tugged on my hand to lead me through the parking lot to his car. We couldn't keep our hands or mouths to ourselves, kissing each other the entire way to the car.

When he opened the door for me to get in, he caught my lips one more time in a heated kiss before pushing me into the seat. He even buckled my seatbelt for me.

His engine roared with how hard he pushed the car down the roads to his flat. With every kilometer we raced, I felt the waning effects of the potion. White knuckles gripped the steering wheel, and I sat on my hands to stop myself from grabbing one of his. When we parked and got out, his hands were on me again, lifting me in his arms, hands under my bum as he walked us into the flat.

"Fuck, Henri. This was not how I planned this to go."

I giggled, not understanding what he was talking about. Plans didn't matter to me at all. This was the best, unexpected thing that could happen.

There was no self-control left in me—I could blame the love potion that was only working at half effect, but I knew I made decisions consciously now. I wanted this, and it appeared Noah did too.

Noah growled into the kiss, and suddenly, I felt the countertop behind me as he sat me down on it. Our lips stayed connected, and his hands trailed down from my hips to my calves. Then, he gripped my face again, keeping me in the perfect position. I never wanted this to end.

Suddenly, cold air was the only thing caressing my skin, and my eyes shot open from the change.

Noah stood a few feet away from me, a hand running through his hair.

"Henri," he breathed out my name, and I could have gotten on my knees to beg him to say it one hundred more times. "I have to go get the other dose."

"Wait," I pleaded, reaching for him but making no contact. I didn't know how to say what I wanted to say, but hoped that somehow, he just knew.

And apparently, he did, because he was already shaking his head, deflating my hopes. His footsteps against the polished floor were the only sound in the room, both of us holding our breath as he neared me. Both of his arms moved to the counter on either side of me, though he didn't dare to touch me.

I had to grit my teeth and fist my hands to prevent myself from touching him. Perhaps this wasn't what he wanted, and that made me sick, especially since we'd already had our hands all over each other. So, I refused to touch him.

"Henri, listen to me." Noah's normally vibrant eyes were dark with lust, yet with so much more seriousness. "I've wanted… Fuck, I've wanted you since the first day you shot your hand up in Potionry 101 in bloody undergrad. That want has never left me. But I cannot let this potion be the reason we…"

My brain had accomplished many things. Perfect exam scores, excellent project execution, undergraduate research, mastery research, awards, and more. What my brain apparently couldn't do was compute what Noah Lawrence was telling me.

How could this man who'd been my sworn rival be even slightly interested in me?

With no ability to think straight—damn that potion, right?—I leaned forward and captured his lips with mine again.

"Noah," I whispered against his lips, not able to put into words how I felt.

"I know," he whispered back between kisses and then pulled away. A tormented expression on his face mirrored the feeling in my chest. After a long look, he bolted from the room, angry footsteps pounding against the floor.

"Noah!" I jumped from the counter, feeling a little wobbly as I chased after him. He didn't look back at me as he walked into his brewery, but I was hot on his heels.

"Henri, take half of this." He finally turned to me after picking something up, the green liquid of the anti-love potion glittering in the dimly lit room.

"Noah, we both want this. We could just let the potion run its course," I whimpered, and it certainly sounded like begging. I didn't care.

He was shaking his head before I even finished the sentence. "No. We didn't consent to the love potion, so we can't trust our actions with it."

He was right, and I knew that in my core, but I was terrified.

A tear slipped down my cheek, one I would absolutely blame as an effect of the potion. It was so wonderful to realize that Noah wanted me, and I didn't want to let that slip away. Noah's thumb quickly swiped away the tear, and he stepped closer to me.

"And tomorrow? Will things just go back to how they were before?" I voiced my concern directly, knowing this potion would be the only time I had an excuse were I to be rejected. Tilting my chin up with a finger, Noah forced me to lock gazes with him. His eyes didn't look as cloudy as they had before.

"They will only go back to normal tomorrow if that's what you want. If all of this is just the potion talking for you, heightening some small crush you've had for me, I will leave you alone and we'll never mention it again." He was so serious, and somewhere, in the back of my mind, I understood he was giving me an out.

"And if it's not just the potion? If I really want you too?" I held my breath, waiting for his answer like my life depended on it.

"Then you're mine, Henri Baker." He leaned down, and I thought he would let me taste his lips once more, but he stopped just short. "And I'm yours."

Heat swelled in my body, and hope bloomed in my chest as our lips collided yet again. He pulled me closer, and I gripped his arms, trying to savor this moment.

"We really need to take this, Henri." Noah's hand moved up to my jaw again, just like every time he'd had me take the anti-love potion. Begrudgingly, I tilted my head back and allowed him to pour the potion into my mouth. He drank the rest of it and led me out of the brewery.

My mind started to clear before we even made it to the couch, where Noah pulled me down next to him. He flicked on a movie, a girly rom-com I'd mentioned I loved the other night.

"It won't be long before we're both falling asleep," he whispered, still holding my hand. "Might as well do it right this time."

He stretched his legs down on the long couch, grabbing my hips and positioning me in front of him, pulling me to lie down with him. My back pressed against his chest, and his arms locked around me.

I sighed, content with this. The love potion hadn't yet fully waned, so I turned in his arms to face him, resting my cheek against his shoulder as he moved his arms to accommodate. I didn't care to see the movie that played in the background as I focused on the feeling of our entangled bodies and the sound of our breaths evening out.