Page 77 of Arctic Titans of Northwood U: Volume 1

The Thirsty Thinker was as busy as ever. Two girls and a guy worked the bar that was almost completely dotted with guests. The taps were running endlessly as folks crowded around for their turn.

“Oh god,” Noah whimpered.

“They’re all a little drunk already,” I reassured him. It didn’t seem to mean the same thing to him as it did to me. He seemed horrified and I laughed. “That’s a good thing. Clouded judgment is your friend.”

“Gee, thanks.” The level of sarcasm in his tone made me proud. The boy was learning.

I found us two spots at the bar where a brunette girl sat on the right side and a couple of empty stools extended to the left. My plan was to give Noah a boost of courage, then leave him on his own while I struck up a conversation with a girl. That way, any onlookers who might scan Noah would know for certain that I wasn’t someone to be worried about.

As we neared the spots, the brunette looked up and caught my gaze, gave a jerky nod of greeting and didn’t wait for me to return it. Mentally, I rubbed my greedy hands and checked her out a little more thoroughly. She was sculpted to perfection, each curve exactly to my liking, and the highlights in her hair gave her a polished look that begged for a bad boy to taint with his proximity and influence. But I turned away from her, both to seem uninterested and to focus on the test at hand. “Could I have a red ale?” I asked the bartender when he reached us.

“I’ll have what he’s having,” Noah said, his voice insecure.

“You will not,” I said, incredulous. “He’ll have an American pale ale, a lighter one.” The waiter glanced at Noah, then nodded to confirm my order.

“What was that?” Noah asked.

“I’ll let you have a sip when they arrive. You’ll thank me later.” We perched ourselves on the worn, high bar stools and brought our heads together as if we were conspiring. “Do you see anyone you like?”

“Erm…I wasn’t looking.” He frowned.

A scoff escaped me before I could stop it. “Looking’s kinda important.”

“Right, but I still think this is a bad idea,” he said, then bit his lip. “I thought I was ready, but I’m really not.”

“It’s not a big deal, Noah. Just talk to any guy. Even if you don’t like him. Try out the eye contact I taught you. You were doing so well in your room.” I wanted to grab him and shake some courage into him.

“Yeah, but that was in my room.” He seemed even more nervous now. “Was your first time like this? I bet you were all cool about it.”

I inhaled a shallow breath of air, but it cut off when the meaning of his question failed to fit inside my head. “First time?”

Noah blinked, as if he was surprised by my question. “What?”

“What ‘what?’” I leaned in closer. “What do you mean, ‘first time?’”

The bartender set our beers in front of us. I barely heard him over the rising concern.

Noah was reddening at an alarming pace. “I mean, you know? A date. Picking up a date. I…”

I leaned in even closer, practically brushing our noses against one another. “Noah, is this your first time?” I emphasized the term so there was no mistaking my meaning.

Noah bit his lip and looked at me guiltily.

“Fuck,” I hissed. “I thought you had Grindr hookups. Noah, you should have told me.”

His eyebrows contorted in even more guilt. “I lied. Fuck, I’m sorry, Sawyer. I panicked and said it because it’s frankly embarrassing. See? You’re already looking at me differently. And it sucks. Yes, I’m a virgin. And you know what? It’s time to grow a pair and be done with it. I’m sick of people treating me like a child. I’m not a child.”

I watched him, baffled, as his thoughts raced and he rambled. “Are you sure? Maybe this isn’t the best idea.”

Noah closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “I’m sure,” he said, opening his eyes and straightening. “I just want to be rid of it. It’s not that big of a deal, right?”

I had a hard time making myself lecture him on how the first time should be special. My first time was anything but that. And the following two were awkward affairs with other girls. I’d never had a sweetheart who I wanted to share that special moment with. And I’d never found one, either. Still, I said, “It’s not my business to tell you, but if you pull the plug now, I won’t consider the test failed.”

Noah snorted, then took my beer. “A sip?” And, at my gesture, he tried the red ale, then screwed his face into a sour expression. “Fuck. That bites.” He tried his own, then, and his expression relaxed a little. When he was less thirsty, he nodded to me. “Stay there if I make a fool out of myself, but let me do this. If there’s any luck in this simulation, we’re in the last hours of my virginity.”

I shook my head. Part of me thought he was rushing into it. Then again, he was twenty-one. I’d lost my virginity at sixteen, then hooked up with my first guy when I was eighteen. I had plenty of experience and a lot to regret despite all my parents’ efforts to teach me to make smart choices and give me the safety to make mistakes.

I wanted Noah to do this the right way, but I was the least qualified person on the planet to teach him that. If there was a right way to do it, I didn’t know what it was. “But give it another thought, will you?” I urged him.