Finally, she says, her voice soft and small, “Do you ever feel like you’re the butt of a joke?”
Shit. Here it comes. I put the controller down, my full attention on her now. “You want the honest answer?”
As she nods, she fights her emotions with everything she’s got. Tears well under her lids as her eyes flutter open.
I sigh. “More than I care to admit. But Noelle, I’m sure no one’s laughing at you. How could they?” I almost sayyou’re perfect, but I catch myself.
She blinks. One tear escapes, creating a black mascara path down her cheek. “Oh… everyone’s laughing behind my back. My teammates all know, and I didn’t. Why is the girlfriend always the last to know? I always thought I was above all the girl drama because I could hang with the guys, you know? But I was just stupid.”
It’s instinct, the way I move closer, positioning an arm behind her on the couch. “You’re not stupid. And what did they know thatyoudidn’t?”
She shakes her head, bringing her feet onto the couch and hugging her knees to her chest. “I just... I didn’t know. I mean, sometimes I thought he... maybe, but I didn’t know for sure.” Noelle’s voice falters, and she puts her head on her knees, sobbing.
I rub her back like my grandmother used to do to make me feel better, waiting for her to continue. I think I know what has happened. Her boyfriend is the stereotypical jock who thinks the world revolves around him. I’ll never forget how he danced with nearly every woman at Greyson’s wedding, except for Noelle. She grabbed me and pulled me to the dance floor. I looked over my shoulder, and it didn’t seem to be a blip on his radar.
Minutes go by with her wiping her eyes, and her nose is running. I don’t want to get up to get a tissue, so I raise my shirt, tilt her head, and wipe her nose. She sniffs and cry-laughs before more tears fall.
Finally, she croaks out, “Brooks... he was cheating on me. Since... God, since forever, apparently. Even after.” Her voice hitches, as she combs her fingers anxiously through her hair. “Even after last week. I thought I was making the right choice. I waited. And then I finally thought, okay, maybe this means something real. It was my first time. And then today…” Her voice breaks apart.
Her first time?
Noelle’s shoulders tremble as she covers her face with her sleeve. I edge closer, not caring anymore about the list of a million reasons it’s wrong to get this close to my best friend’s sister. I just know she needs someone. Someone who won’t judge her. But I promise you, I am judging her narcissistic boyfriend.
I wrap my arms around her, and she buries her face in the pocket of my shoulder, crying so hard her body vibrates. She feels so delicate and vulnerable that she might shatter if I hold her too tight, and I want to kill every asshole who’s ever made her cry.
“I thought it meant forever, Matt,” she says, her voice muffled and heartbreakingly young. “How stupid is that?”
I shake my head, rubbing her back. “It’s not stupid. It’s natural to assume that when it’s your first time. Everybody wants to believe in forever at least once. You trusted him.”
She lets out a shaky breath and lifts her head, her eyes huge, wet, shimmering—like something out of a kid’s movie. For a moment, neither of us moves. She’s looking at me like I’m a ray of sunshine after a thunderstorm, like I could clear all her heartache if I’d just try. And I know this is the exact moment I’m supposed to let go.
Don’t, Matt. She’s too young. She’s Greyson’s sister, not to mention the head coach’s sister.
But then she presses her lips to mine—soft, uncertain, desperate. My resolve shatters. I should pull away; any smart man would. But my hand finds her jaw, my thumb grazing her cheek, drying her tears. For a moment, I just breathe her in—citrus shampoo, salty skin, hurt, and something like hope.
She kisses me, slow at first. She tastes like heartbreak and something dangerously close to new beginnings.
I kiss her back.
At this moment, nothing else matters. Not the age, not the O’Ryan name, not the rules I’ve drawn around myself for years to keep from having a real relationship.
All that matters is her.
THREE
NOELLE
When our lips meet, everything inside me goes still and electric at the same time.
My mind spins faster than the blades of a helicopter, but for the first time, I’m winging it with a man. Kissing a man without analyzing every detail. I refuse to let myself think—about anything except the scratch of his stubble and the faint taste of pineapple on his lips. For a second, it almost feels like all the hurt burns away, replaced by this wild, dizzying rush I’ve only heard about in movies but never truly believed could be real.
Oh God. This is Matt. Greyson’s best friend. And I’m the one kissinghim.
The moment my flesh presses into his, he doesn’t respond with movement but with a sigh that almost sounds like relief.
But then. Then. He kisses me back, gentle at first—like he’s giving me a chance to change my mind—but when I don’t, his hand slides into my hair and pulls me closer. My whole body is buzzing. All the awful things Brooks ever said,all the whispers in the locker room, the stupid questions about whether I’m enough or that I’m a prude for wanting to save myself for marriage. Well, those voices go quiet.
Under the steady weight of Matt’s hands, my problems and hurt vanish, and the world shrinks down until it’s only us. Lips overlapping in sweet harmony. Again and again.
