Noah sighed. “I’ll grab the lanterns. Eli, want to give me a hand?”
Eli nodded. “Happy to.”
“Good,” Noah said in obvious relief. He pitched his voice low. “Today was better with you here.”
Elsie made a long, dramaticawwwnoise from across the hall.
Noah rolled his eyes. “Nothing wrong with your hearing, is there?”
“It comes with the territory. One of the prerequisites of being a teacher.” She grinned. “Was I not supposed to hear you murmuring sweet nothings?” Noah threw a garland at her, andshe caught it without looking. “Your aim is garbage when you’re in love.”
“EL. SIE.”
Eli couldn’t contain his grin as he watched them bicker.
Today was a good day.Working alongside each other, their hands occasionally brushing, it had felt as though they’d been doing this together for years.
Today felt better with Noah.
Maybe everything did.
It took them five minutes to retrieve all the lanterns, and they stacked them in front of the stage.
Elsie went to the door. “Thanks for the cocoa. I’m gonna leave you two to get on with whatever you were doing.” She grinned again. “At least now you’ve decorated the windows, no one can see what’s going on in here.”
Noah pointed to the door. “Out. Now.”
Eli was trying hard not to laugh.
Once Elsie had driven away, they went outside and Noah locked the door. Their breath rose in soft clouds.
“You’re actually fun to work with.”
“Is that so shocking?” Eli asked.
“Your ideas were great.”
“I’m a professional overthinker.”
“Same here,” Noah replied.
They stood there a moment too long, and Eli felt the tug of awareness, warm and taut and unfamiliar in a way that wasn’t entirely new, but was new here, with this person.
Noah kicked at a bit of ice. “You’re coming back tomorrow, right?”
“Ooh, I don’t know about that,” Eli teased. “Your wreath committee terrifies me.”
“They terrify everyone. Come anyway.”
Eli’s throat tightened. “Yeah, I’ll come.”
Noah smiled. “Good.”
Eli studied him, the way his shoulders moved, how his breath fogged the air, the rays of the dying late-afternoon light catching in his hair.
The same way he used to watch him across a high school gym, pencil in hand, his heart a mess.
Except now, Noah was looking at him.
