“Well,” our fearless leader said, still on mic, “I guess I’ll be sitting down now. But don’t worry, folks—Joey’s a pro. He’s got this!”
At this point, I think I would have preferred to get out and walk. Anything had to be safer than slip-sliding up the side of a mountain in a giant tube of metal.
From the corner of my eye, I could literally feel Noah’s calm ebbing across the aisle.
“Just a little turbulence,” he said, his voice low and smooth.
I turned to him. The blue flecks in his eyes seemed to be dancing.
“Is that supposed to help?”
He shrugged, his posture infuriatingly relaxed. “Old Joe knows exactly what he’s doing. I trust him with my life.”
I glanced over in disbelief, but seeing that little smirk dancing on his mouth, it clicked.
Noah was doing it on purpose.
He was teasing me—goading me—not because he thought it was funny, but because he was trying to distract me.
Helping me, actually. Being…nice.
And while some weird part of me instinctively bristled—because I needed to prove to myself that I didn’t need his help—I let myself lean into it, just the tiniest bit.
“We don’t have much choice, do we? And you know what else?” I lowered my voice conspiratorially.
“What?” he asked, matching my tone.
“I don’t really believe ‘old Joe’ has been driving buses through the Rockies for three years.”
“I’d be surprised if he’s had a driver’s license for three years.”
“Is he even twenty?” I went on. “With that baby face, he looks like he’s about?—”
“Twelve?”
“Right?”
“Maybe thirteen.” He nodded seriously, his eyebrows knit like he was giving our conversation actual consideration.
I laughed—actually laughed—and felt my grip on the armrest loosen. Noah didn’t smile, but there was a flicker in his eyes.
I dropped my gaze to his hands, which rested calmly in his lap. Sinewy, capable, steady.
He wasn’t telling me to calm down. He wasn’t trying to fix me.
He was just quietly being…helpful.
And this time, I didn’t mind.
In fact, that only made me want to know more about him. So I asked him one of my favorite ice-breakers.
“If you were a kitchen appliance, which one would you be?
Cool eyes slid in my direction. He didn’t miss a beat. “The fire extinguisher.”
“Why?”
“I’m good in emergencies.”
