Maybe the front desk lady told him my name. Although I didn’t remember exchanging names with her.
He smiled, teeth white and straight between his pink lips. “You don’t remember me, do you?”
I stared at him. Panic rising. I hated this particular guessing game.
No chance we’d hooked up. No matter how many randoms I’d had, no way I’d forget that face.
Never gave him a massage either.
Maybe from the uber-rich crowd I rubbed shoulders with due to my parents? Nah. Not with him dressed like that.
His confident smile widened. “It’s Noah.”
My jaw went slack. I needed no other explanation. I’d thought of him a billion times over the years. Back then he didn’t have a beard and hadn’t yet become a man. But he’d still been beautiful. And his eyes were the same.
I stood, although a bit shakily. “Noah? Noah Carroll?”
Like there was any other.
His smile grew broader still. “You do remember.”
He leaned forward, arms outstretched at the same moment I extended my hand.
We both faltered, then switched positions, him shifting to offer a shake and me a hug.
With a laugh, we embraced, me swiveling to keep my hips from making contact. Though I was now certain he was gay, I didn’t need to make it any more awkward.
With my mind bellowing his name over and over again, I wasn’t aware of the feel of his body in my arms, which was regrettable. I did notice the warmth of him and his clean scent.
He was a couple of inches taller than me; I had to tilt my head up slightly to see his face as we parted. His eyes were kind, like I remembered, if maybe a touch harder.
Our gazes stayed locked, not for too long, but long enough the girl in the room surely noticed. Long enough I wanted to lean back in and kiss him like we had so many years ago. I often wondered if Noah was as good a kisser as I remembered, or if it was simply the delusions of first kisses. Either way, no one else had ever measured up.
I became acutely aware neither of us had spoken, at least not with words. Maybe wishful thinking, but I was certain I saw desire in his brown eyes. It might have just been the reflection of my own, but it made speaking a challenge. “So… um… it’s been a while.”
“Yeah. Some might call twenty-two years a while.” Noah’s smile widened, and his tone took on a teasing edge. “So what’s been going on? Last time I saw you, we were getting ready for high school to start. That go okay? Still trying to graduate?”
“Oh yeah. Graduating happened. Not much since then. You know… wife, kids, a few cats.”
He flinched, his smile faltering. “Oh. Well, sure. Sorry.” He took a step back, giving a more appropriate distance. “I wasn’t thinking.”
God, I was an idiot. Fucking nerves. Trying to be funny and causing him to move away. And nerves! I was never nervous. Not with guys. Of course, most of the time, the blood flowing to my dick didn’t impair my thinking ability. It seemed this rare fluttering of my heart, however, did. I reached out to him, then let my hand drop. What was I going to do, pull him back to me?
“Sorry. I was being stupid. No wife or kids. And for sure no cats.”
He cocked a brow. “Oh. Well, that’s good.” His cheeks flushed. “I mean, not good that you’re single, unless you want to be. And I guess you didn’t say you were single. I just….” He paused and looked at me, his eyes pleading for some assistance.
Leave it to me to make seeing the man I measured all others against instantly awkward. “It’s good to see you, Noah. I’ve thought about you often over the years.”
“Me too.” He relaxed his shoulders, but he didn’t step in closer again. “I’d love to catch up sometime. I’ve got an appointment in a little over an hour, but maybe some other time?”
“Yeah. I’d like that.” A trail of sweat made its way down my spine. When was the last time a man made me feel like this? I’d forgotten. How it was nerve-racking and exciting all at the same time. And it was fairly obvious Noah was feeling the same thing. Which made me even more terrified. “I, ah, didn’t even know you were back in town. Of course, I don’t go to my folks’ church anymore, so I guess I wouldn’t have heard the news.”
A shadow passed over his face, but his smile didn’t falter. “Yeah, I’ve been back a couple of years, but your church wouldn’t have made an announcement. It’s a long story.”
The awkward silence returned. I nearly asked about his parents, but remembered the details on that subject in time to avoid making things even worse. From over Noah’s shoulder, I noticed the girl behind the counter watching us. I refocused on Noah. “Well, I’d love to catch up. For sure. It’s good to see you again.”
“You too, Randall.” Maybe feeling her stare, Noah glanced back, took another step away, and cleared his throat. “So, um, you’re here for a dog?”
