An Uber was already pulling up. After opening the door, Noah rattled off the name of the hotel like it was his home address.
Of course, he’d handled it. Of course.
And I…I hadn’t even thought about any of this.
The realization crept in quietly. If I’d been alone, I would’ve been stranded at the base of a mountain.
I’d let Noah take care of everything.
The same way I’d let Leo take care of everything.
The thought flickered in, and suddenly, instead of feeling limitless, I felt…small.
By the time we stepped through the hotel’s glass doors—ironically just down the street from the spa—my nose was stinging from the sun, my cheeks ached from smiling, and a confused sort of tired had settled into my bones.
Whether I was ready or not, I realized I was going to have to make some changes.
And yet... I was also still coasting on the strange, fizzy high of the afternoon. Something had shifted between Noah and me. I felt it. In the glances. The easy touches.
Part of me wanted to keep the day going. But another part, the more rational one, was like, slow down, Luna.
But the moment we spotted Tay waiting in the lounge, any residual fizzle…fizzled.
She clocked us instantly, setting her nearly empty wine glass down with the kind of precision that said a lecture was incoming. Her narrowed eyes and pressed lips made me feel twelve years old and ten minutes past curfew.
“You two have a good time?” she asked, voice too breezy to be casual.
I should’ve texted. I should’ve asked where we were supposed to meet. I should’ve?—
“We did,” Noah said smoothly, stepping up beside me, his hand landing on my shoulder. “Luna gave up her appointment at the spa, so we hit the adventure park instead. Apologies if we caused any worry. We lost track of time. That’s on me.”
Tay blinked.
“I’m aware, that’s why we waited,” she said coolly. “A heads up would have been nice. When neither of you answered your phones, the bus moms nearly had a collective stroke.”
“Bus moms?”
“Noah’s mother and Babs.”
Oh. Oh, no.
I cringed. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t?—”
“We caught the last gondola down and came straight here,” Noah added, calm and steady. “Didn’t think it’d be a problem. But again, apologies.”
His voice wasn’t defensive. Just firm. Friendly. Adult.
Tay’s jaw eased. Her brow lowered. And after a beat, she gave a faint nod. “Fair enough.”
I exhaled. Okaaaay then.
Noah hadn’t let the blame fall on me. He’d shouldered it all.
I wasn’t used to that.
Just then, his phone lit up. An incoming call. He didn’t answer immediately, but I could tell he was distracted. That maybe, he’d already left the mountain behind.
“Won’t happen again,” he told Tay.
