“You’re not what I expected.”
Eli swallowed. “What does that mean?”
“You’re quiet. Sarcastic. Thoughtful. You’re anxious about ladders. Weirdly good with lights. And I…” He trailed off, his breathing uneven. “I like being around you.”
Eli’s heart clenched. “Yeah?”
“Yeah,” Noah whispered. “A lot.”
The silence expanded, thick and humming, and Eli’s pulse throbbed.
“I don’t usually—” Noah’s voice cracked. “I mean, there’s been one or two, but… I haven’t really—since my ex—” He stopped.
Eli finished for him. “It’s been a long time.”
“Yeah. And I don’t want to screw this up.”
Eli exhaled, his breath shuddering out of him. “You’re not screwing anything up.”
“I don’t know what this is,” Noah admitted, “but Iwantto know. And I want to go slow but also, I kind of want to?—”
He stopped again.
Eli leaned a little closer. “Want to what?”
Noah’s eyes locked on his. “Kiss you,” he whispered.
Chapter Twelve
Eli’s heart stumbled.
He could have said something clever. He could have teased.
In the end he did neither.
He simply whispered, “Okay.”
Noah’s breathing hitched, and his gaze dropped to Eli’s mouth. “Can I?”
Eli nodded.
And Noah kissed him.
It was soft at first, barely a touch, as though he was approaching a woodland creature and was trying not to startle it. His breath was warm, his lips pressed to Eli’s almost shyly.
Eli brushed his fingers over Noah’s jaw, a light, instinctive touch, and Noah inhaled sharply and leaned in.
The second kiss wasn’t tentative, but slow, deep, careful, and heady with want.
Eli let go and let himself feel. What filled his mind was a teenage crush rediscovered in brushstrokes and memory, a hand held in Home Depot, a quiet workshop full of sawdust and possibility…
Noah brought his hand to the back of Eli’s neck, his thumb grazing the skin behind his ear. Eli’s breath stuttered. He didn’trealize he was trembling until Noah steadied him, pulling him closer.
They kissed as if they were learning each other, as though they’d wanted this longer than either of them understood.
And something finally clicked into place.
They broke apart, but their foreheads remained pressed together.
