AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Even though I sent it before I could wimp out, my response took longer than the others. I wondered if she fell asleep, or if she was taking the time to think about what she wanted to say. Hopeful, sure, but when I read her next words on the bright screen, my heart fluttered a little.
It was a weird sensation. Like heart palpitations.
Noa:I’d rather you show me. Night, Dexter.
I mustered up the self-control to simply text hergoodnightin response and then turned off my phone. I had to take it slow. I turned onto my back, tucking my hand under my head. But damn it, Noa made me want to prove her wrong.
* * *
You’ve found her.But the journey is not yet complete.
I woke up early, despite my late night, used to the words that echoed in my head. I sat up and scrubbed my hands over my face. I wanted to be thinking clearly. I was preparing an ambush. A polite, slow ambush, but still an ambush.
I went down to the kitchen and grabbed a bowl of cereal then ate it while leaning against the counter.
What would someone like her want from me?
I was still lost in thought when Tracey walked in.
“You’re up early. What gives?” She reached for her usual mug, starting the coffee machine without paying much attention to most of the tasks she was doing to prepare it. Like a true coffee drinker.
I shrugged, chewing. When I swallowed, I faced her head on. “Just realizing how little I know about what women want.”
She chuckled. “Nothing will change that. I have a theory, though.” She continued through her morning routine, pulling out a carton of eggs. “You aren’t meant to know whatwomenwant. You’re only meant to know whatyourwoman would want.”
“Yeah, well, still lost on that,” I confessed.
“She’s probably too young to even really have an idea of what she wants. If she’s your age, absolutely. Trust me, it evolves. Almost daily. Sometimes hourly.”
“Right person, wrong time,” I muttered, placing my empty cereal bowl in the sink.
“You’ll never know until you try,” she called out as I headed to my room.
She was wrong. I already knew.
* * *
I walkedinto school with Ralph by my side, while scanning the halls for a head of hair the color of a clear summer sky.
“You’re looking for her, aren’t you?” he asked.
I groaned. “This topic, this whole thing, is not up for discussion. Unless…” I looked him in the eye, “we can be adults about it. I don’t want you mocking me, however funny the insults may be.”
Ralph stopped walking and looked at me with a serious face—and I felt hopeful. “Fuck, dude. You need to get laid.”
And then no hope at all. I laughed it off and tucked away thoughts of Noa as we entered the classroom and headed to our usual two seats.
Midway through the lesson, Ralph slipped a folded piece of paper onto my desk. I looked at him, wondering what he was doing. He urged me to open it.
When I saw the comical genitalia he’d so kindly drawn for me, I choked out a laugh before rolling the paper into a ball and stuffing it in my pocket. I coughed to hide my humor.
“Why are you so annoying?” I asked as soon as the bell rang.
“Because you looked like a guy who needed a laugh, sitting there thinking about a girl who probably doesn’t even remember you. Harsh but, more than likely, reality,” he told me with a shrug.
“Right,” I said, letting out a small chuckle.
“Actually, what the hell am I talking about? She’s probably picked out baby names already.” He laughed, and we separated for our next classes.
