“Alright,” he says. “I’ll be back.”
I turn around and smile at Oliver. “Yay!”
20
Noah: Best Friend
“Hey,” Henry says when sees me, his smile soft. “I was looking for you.”
His light brown hair is dishevelled, and he smells faintly of beer. He hasn’t had much; we’re both slow drinkers. Enough to take the edge off, but aware enough to make smart decisions. Aware enough to find a bedroom.
My voice is low. “Want to find a bedroom?”
“Here?” he asks, tone cautious, but that doesn’t hide the excitement in his eyes. We’ve hooked up at parties before and were never caught. The closest we got was when Eve found out, but Henry wasn’t there. And Henry still doesn’t know about that.
I glance back to where Eve’s talking to Oliver, their knees touching, their smiles easy.
“Come on,” I say, leading Henry through the hallway and upstairs. Craig’s house is enormous, shared with many roommates. Which means many bedrooms.
Unfortunately, most are being used. We find a room that’s unlocked, but as soon as Henry pushes the door open, a couple shrieks and he slams it close.
We find a small study. While there isn’t a bed, the carpet is thick, and there’s enough space. I close the door. There’s no lock — of course, there isn’t, it’s a study.
Henry looks at the handle.
“What do you think?” I ask.
“Should we ditch and go to mine?”
“Kaito and Tiana are staying with me, remember?”
He groans.
“We can keep it closed,” I say, pushing the door close and leaning against it. I reach out to pull him close, and he doesn’t resist.
He pushes me against the door, and I grunt before kissing him. He kisses me harder. I slide my hands up his shirt, feeling the definition of his abdomen. It’s been so long. The last time was when we argued in the pool house.
Henry pushes his hands up my shirt, rubbing his palms over my back.
In the distance, the music thuds. In the hallway are suggestive giggles and careful footsteps.
The two of us can never stand still, and I whirl him around so he’s against the door. I hold my hands on the door beside his head as I kiss him and nip his jaw.
Two female voices carry from the other side of the door, talking about finding their friend. Henry stills.
I bring my mouth to his neck. He’s always so careful —
The door handle of the study twists and his eyes widen. He presses his body flush against the door and I grab the handle, stopping it from moving.
“Occupied!” I croak.
“Oh, sorry!” A girl says. She talks to her friend before walking away, murmurs fading.
After a second, Henry turns around.
“Henry, don’t—”
Too late. He opens the door and peeks his head into the hallway, then closes the door again. “Do you know who that was? Jasmine and Ruby — Ruby Hutchison. Did you hear what they were saying?”
