“I know we give you hell,” he says after a beat. “But… not all of us are trying to break you.”
I look at him. “No?”
“No.” He tilts the screen back toward himself. “Some of us just want to see what you’ll do back.”
Class ends fasterthan I expect, mostly because working with Noah is surprisingly easy. He didn’t talk too much, didn’t make things weird. He was just… steady. And he noticed things—small details I wouldn’t have caught on my own.
When we submit the assignment, he leans back in his chair and stretches, his shirt pulling slightly to reveal a sliver of lean stomach. I look away quickly.
“So,” he says, standing and casually slinging his bag over his shoulder. “You grabbing lunch?”
“Eventually.”
The corners of his mouth curl into a lazy half-smile. “Need company?”
My brows furrow. “You want to eat with me?”
“Why not?” he says. “We worked well together. And if I’m seen with you, maybe someone’ll finally try to hack me out of spite. It’s been boring lately.”
I snort, but I wasn’t used to this—attention. Especially not the kind that made my skin warm in confusing ways.
As we walk out of the classroom side by side, I catch movement at the end of the hall. My eyes flick up—and there he is.
Tex.
Leaning against the wall, arms crossed, jaw tight. His eyes are locked on me.
Well—us.
He pushes off the wall slowly, not saying anything as we pass, but the heat in his stare scorches me from the inside out.
Noah notices. Of course he does.
As we step outside, he leans in just a little closer, his voice a low murmurby my ear. “You know, if I didn’t know better, I’d say Ward’s about two seconds from punching me in the face.”
I roll my eyes. “Don’t flatter yourself.”
“Oh, I’m not. But I think you should know,” he says, his voice dropping just slightly, “I don’t really care who’s watching.”
I turn to look at him, unsure whether to be amused or unsettled. He wasn’t flirting like Luca—smooth and disarming. Or like Tex—hot and electric. Noah’s interest is quiet. He makes me feel like he’s already thought about every outcome and is still choosing to move toward me anyway.
“Why are you doing this?” I ask.
He shrugs. “Because I like puzzles. And you, Isobel Ashthorne… you’re a beautiful one.”
I stare at him, throat dry, unsure how to respond. And behind us, is the weight of a stare still burning into my back.
24 BOYS, BOYS, BOYS
The dining hall is filled with its usual chaos, trays clattering, voices rising in swells of gossip and laughter. Noah guides us toward a quieter corner, away from the spotlight. I’m not sure if it’s intentional, or just another one of his oddly considerate tendencies.
He slides into the seat across from me like we do this all the time. I’m halfway through biting into a sandwich when I hear someone behind me.
“There you are,” River says, voice light, like we are in the middle of some casual rom com. “I’ve been looking for you.”
Noah doesn’t even glance up from his tray. “Found her,” he says flatly.
River’s smile freezes, the edges dropping a bit. “Mind if I sit?”
