Page 22 of Five Things I See in You

The kiss barely lasts a second. I get really nervous, my nose bumps into hers, I apologize and Noa laughs against my lips.

“I usually kiss better,” I tell her, feeling myself turn red all the way to the tips of my ears.

“That’s okay. We can try again. You know, for scientific purposes, to test that claim,” she says before kissing me.

This time it feels more natural. Noa holds me by the waist with one hand and pulls me until there’s no gap left between our coats. Her lips are cold from the wind, but they don’t take long to stop being cold.

When we pull apart, my hand is still on the back of her neck. Her eyes are closed, and she’s smiling.

“That one was much better,” she murmurs. “I give you a seven.”

“Only a seven?”

“You know, you always have to leave room for improvement.”

***

From the dock to her front door we take much longer than necessary. At the last crosswalk, Noa grabs me by the lapel and kisses me before the light changes.

When we arrive, it’s almost stopped raining. She puts the key in the lock, turns around and rests her forehead against mine.

“Are you coming up?”

I want to say yes before she even finishes the question. I think about her cold hands slipping under my clothes. My eyes drift to the elevator, behind the glass, and come back to her mouth.

“Another day. I think it’s better this way,” I say very quietly.

“That sounds familiar.”

“Yeah, it’s about doing things right.”

“That line sounds familiar too.”

“I want to take it slow. And I don’t want something that cost me my job to start with us rushing into things, no matter how much we want to. And believe me, I want to.”

Noa looks down at my jacket and smooths the fabric she wrinkled.

“Okay, but don’t take it too slow, all right?” she says with a wink.

“One more thing. I think your psychologist should know.”

“Are you giving me homework on our first date?” she asks before stepping into the building.

I walk back to my car, but not even five minutes go by before I get a text message.

Noa: you still owe me a date at the Space Needle.

Chapter 14

Noa

On Monday, I feel free on the field. I couldn’t explain it any better: every time the ball comes to me, I know right away what to do with it.

“Man, Brit, you’ve got the weirdest look on your face,” Iris jokes as she comes over and lowers her voice so only I can hear. “How was yesterday? Is that smile because you two…? You know…”

“It went well, but we didn’t do anything, and even if we had, I wouldn’t tell you,” I tell her.

“I won’t say a word, I swear on my life, since that’s what I’ve got handy.”