I hang out near the refreshment table with Gemma, Tori, and Mrs. Sheppard while Kelly and Rose chat with Noah. The way he interacts with them makes me think maybe I overreacted to his ad-libbing on stage. He’s just one of those people who’s comfortable with a much higher degree of physical contact than I am. Or the alcohol has made him more loosey goosey than normal.
As fans move through the meet-and-greet line, a number of them ask for a photo with Noah. When two girls ask me for a photo, it takes me a second to register what they’re asking.
“Me?” I gesture to myself like they might’ve actually meant they wanted a picture with the wall behind me.
Gemma kindly takes the photo while I feel like I’ve just unlocked a new level in my career.
When two girls ask if they can get a picture with Austin and Noahtogether, my hand tightens on the paper cone my water is in, and some liquid spills onto my shoes.
Austin doesn’t answer, but he doesn’t need to. Noah ducks under the velvet rope barrier and slides right in. He’s not even supposed to be at the meet-and-greet, so I can only imagine how Austin feels.
One of the girls leans into Austin and splays her fingers over his pec. I toss the cup, water included, into the garbage can so I don’t go Hulk on it.
Austin smiles, grabs her hand, and pulls it down between them, then says something that changes her expression from embarrassed to laughing.
I breathe and fill myself another cup.
The Noah-Austin combo picture becomes the new norm, and while part of me wants to pull Noah away so Austin can enjoyhis own meet-and-greet for his own tour, by the way the fans are behaving, I get the sense it might cause World War III.
Tori and Austin’s mom keep Gemma and me entertained with conversation, including some funny stories about him I fully intend to use as future ammunitionandsome tender stories I kind of wish they’d kept to themselves. Just like these fans lined up all the way out of the room, I don’t need more reasons to fall in love with Austin Sheppard. I don’t need to know he paid down his parents’ house with the check from his last tour. It would’ve beenreallynice if they’d told me he blew it all in Vegas and woke up hungover and married to a stripper.
The line slowly tapers until the last group gets their five seconds of fame with Austin and Noah.
Paul goes over to Austin, and Noah slips under the rope and heads straight for me.
“Hey,” he says, “can I talk to you for a second?”
“Um, yeah, sure.” I glance at Gemma. “Be right back.”
Instead of pulling me to the side like I expected, Noah leads the way out of the room. I check over my shoulder and find Austin’s gaze on us, even though Paul’s still talking to him.
Noah and I turn a corner and walk a bit farther until he stops and faces me.
“What’s up?” I ask with as much nonchalance as I can muster.
“You.” The way he looks at me makes my heart speed up. I take it this isn’t a conversation about his upcoming tour.
“Me?”
“I’ve been thinking about you all night, Mia, waiting for the chance to talk to you.”
I raise my brows. It didn’t look like he was thinking about me when he was butting in on the meet-and-greet, letting Austin’s fans be all over him. In fact, he could use the pointers I gave Austin on personal boundaries.
“Talk to me about what?” I keep my tone light to counter thesmolder in his bloodshot eyes. I feel my back bump against the wall, even though I don’t remember turning this direction.
Noah rests his palm against the wall, boxing me in.
“About how beautiful you are,” he says, assaulting my nostrils with the smell of alcohol. “And that voice.” He shuts his eyes and groans softly.
Chills erupt on my skin, and they’re not the good kind.
I press my back and head as far into the wall as it will take me as Noah gets closer, but it’s frustratingly solid.
“Noah,” I say, willing myself not to shrink into the wall. “I’m flattered you think those things, but I think you’ve got the wrong idea about me. And you’re drunk.”
His mouth quirks at the side. “I have a lot of ideas about you, Mia.”
I put my hands to his chest to keep him from stepping any closer as panic builds in my chest. “Noah. I’m serious. Stop.”
