“Noah.”
We both turned, and Dante was standing in front of us. In simple black jeans, a long-sleeved black T-shirt, and black sneakers. He looked amazing.
“Hey, we’re heading out for coffee, you want to come?” Noah asked him as if there was absolutely no tension between us at all.
Dante’s gaze flicked to mine, one clean swoop over me, and I knew he’d taken in everything. “Sure.” He looked back at Noah. “I’ll get a jacket.”
“Meet you out front,” Noah told him. He looked down at me and saw my glare. “What?”
“He isn’t talking to me,” I hissed at him.
“I know,” he said, like I was dumb. “I’m handing you an assist.”
“I don’t know what that means,” I whisper-shouted at him as he led me through the party. Walking behind Noah through the crowd was a hell of a lot easier than when Bev and I tried.
Before I knew it, I was back outside, and Noah looked like he’d just won the championship again.
“What are you doing?” I asked him plainly.
“He’s miserable, you’re pining, you need to talk.” Noah rocked back on his feet when he saw Dante coming down the stairs. “Trust me, I got you.”
“Don’t leave me with him,” I warned him. “He’s mad at me.”
Noah waved off my concerns.
Dante walked out and looked between the two of us. He’d put on a simple black jacket. “I’m ready.”
We made it three steps before NoahFreakingMatthews slapped his forehead with the performance of a man who’d planned this from the beginning.
“Forgot my phone.” He hurried to the door. “Don’t wait for me,” he called over his shoulder.
He was gone before either of us pointed out it was in his hand.
“That was not subtle,” I said as the door closed behind Noah, and we watched as he jogged easily up the stairs.
“Didn’t even try,” Dante said with a frown as he watched his roommate disappear. “I’m not sure if I’m insulted or...pleasedhe didn’t put in any effort.”
I grinned. “So... do you still want that coffee?”
His gaze dropped down to mine. “Do you?”
“I do.”
We held each other’s stare. “Okay then.”
We started to walk across campus. I hadn’t noticed the hoodie under his jacket, and he pulled it up and over his head as we walked. I thought he was cold, and then realized he tilted his head to the side when we passed people. He wasn’t cold — he was avoiding being noticed.
“You’re used to looking away,” I murmured.
“Easiest way to get across, sometimes,” he admitted. “I’m not ungrateful for the attention, but...”
“Sometimes quiet is good too.”
“Yeah.”
We reached the fork where we should turn to go to the coffee shop. Neither of us hesitated, and we both kept walking, heading to my dorm.
We walked in silence, and it felt right. At the edge of my building, I turned to him. “If we go through the front, I need to sign you in.”
