Page 2 of The Stalker Snafu

The second the words left my mouth, I wanted to stuff them back in. How childish can you be, Emma?

“Of course not,” Noah said slowly, with an understandable amount of confusion. After a long beat of silence, he set down his mug and pushed his fancy croissant breakfast sandwich aside before planting his forearms on the tabletop. “All right, something is clearly bothering you. Talk to me.”

I stared back at him. Where could I begin without risking everything blowing up in my face? Part of me—a lonely, desperate-for-love piece I was embarrassed to admit existed—wanted to shove all my questions deep down and pretend I’d never heard Noah’s phone call.

But the unease swirling in my gut proved that would be impossible.

I opened my mouth, and with impeccable timing worthy of an award, Noah’s phone vibrated to life next to his coffee mug. The screen was facing down—which I’d never questioned before, and now seemed mighty suspicious—but what surprised me the most was when Noah ignored it.

I forced a tight smile and nodded at his phone. “Going to answer that?”

He kept watching me, making no move to pick it up. “It can wait.”

My eyelids fluttered in shock. He always answered his phone.

I clung to my forced smile like a lifeline. “Can it? It might be work.”

Noah didn’t move for three long heartbeats—not even a flinch. Then he turned the phone over, glanced at the screen, and silenced it. He flipped it back over, sliding it next to his abandoned plate. “It’s just a friend.”

I hummed before taking a long pull of my iced coffee. I smacked my lips together, but the sugary cold foam wasn’t as enjoyable as I typically found it.

“A friend,” I echoed softly. My heartbeat thumped in my chest—could Noah hear it? “A friend like… Julian, perhaps?”

Their phone call repeated through my mind. “She’s harmless, Julian. Trust me.”

Noah held my gaze and took another drink of coffee before answering. “What are you really asking, Emma?”

His bluntness did nothing to help my razor-thin grip on staying levelheaded, and my blood pressure spiked. He’d been a lot more pleasant a couple hours ago when he was showering me with birthday kisses and thoughtful presents.

“Who were you talking to this morning in the bathroom?” I blurted out, scratching at my arm. I was already on edge, and now it felt like my blood was fighting to escape my skin.

Noah went so deadly still across the table that my heart skipped a beat.

“You were eavesdropping on me?” A hard edge entered his voice.

His quick change ticked me off, and I scowled. “I came to join you in the shower before I heard you talking!”

Surprise flashed across his eyes, and Noah’s brows rose with interest.

I huffed, trying to collect my wits and ignore the way his gaze made my whole body burn. Now wasn’t the time to think about showering together—that was reserved for when my boyfriend made me feel warm and fuzzy inside, not like some clueless idiot. “But that’s beside the point. Who were you talking to?”

Noah’s arms slid off the table as he leaned back in his seat, and his gaze leveled on me. “It was Julian.”

A heavy weight shifted from my shoulders. He wasn’t lying about who he was talking to, at least. The relief was almost overwhelming. My thoughts were scrambled with everything I wanted to ask, so I focused on the question at the forefront. “Why were you hiding in the bathroom?”

A crease formed between his brows. “I wasn’t hiding. He called while I was getting in the shower, so I answered.”

“And who were you two talking about? You said not to worry about someone because she doesn’t know anything.” I tucked my hands under my thighs to hide their shaking. “Does ‘she’s harmless’ ring any bells?”

Noah closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. “How much did you hear?”

“It doesn’t matter.” I frowned. “You were talking about me, and I want to know why.”

He let out a breath before opening his eyes. “I can’t say.”

I blinked, struggling to keep my exasperation from showing. “Are you being serious right now? Why not?”

Noah tapped his fingers on the table and did a quick survey of the restaurant before answering. “Because this conversation requires more privacy.”