Page 59 of The Stalker Snafu

I jerked my head back, stung. “My parents have nothing to do with you not trusting me. And, Noah, I know this wasn’t the first time you’ve lied. You played off that call with Julian like a pro, but you never really explained anything to me. Now I’m the moron for letting it go. Do you even get how stupid I feel?”

His eyes flashed. “You’re not a moron, and the last thing I want to do is make you feel that way.”

I sighed, gripping the doorknob tightly. Just looking at him was draining. “Please just leave.”

“Emma—”

“You heard her.” Teresa’s voice cracked like a whip behind Noah, and a rush of relief filled my veins as she popped up over his shoulder. But he didn’t move from the doorway, and he wouldn’t drop his gaze. Teresa cleared her throat pointedly. “And I’ve got campus security on speed dial if leaving is a problem.”

Noah’s jaw clenched, and he mumbled something under his breath before leaning closer. I stepped back in reflex, but then the intensity in his eyes pinned me in place. “All right. I’ll go. But I’ll be back tomorrow with my own sandwich board and serenade.”

“No, you won’t. Because this is different than what I did.” My heart squeezed, and I tried to ignore it. “I lied to my mother, Noah. You lied to me.”

I barely caught his flinch, but it flickered behind his eyes as he held my gaze. A hard line formed along his jaw.

“Emma.” He paused just long enough to make my pulse skip. “I love you. That wasn’t a lie.”

He sounded sincere, and that hurt more than anything else.

When I pursed my lips, Noah’s voice dropped to just above a whisper. “Call me when you’re ready to talk.”

He stepped back, and my heart slammed against my ribs as he turned away. My mouth opened before I could overthink it. “Noah, wait!”

Teresa grabbed my arm. “Emma, don’t you dare cave.”

“It’s okay.” I shrugged out of her hold. It made me want to throw up, but there was one more thing I needed to do.

Noah had stopped midstep, already walking back to me before my mouth closed. I drew a deep breath, trying to calm my frazzled nerves as I retreated to my dresser. Digging around in my underwear drawer, it didn’t take me long to find what I wanted. My fingers clutched the sock like a lifeline, and I shuffled back to where Noah and Teresa waited in the hallway.

“Here,” I told him, holding out The Noah Fund.

He stared at the sock stuffed with cash, not making any move to grab it.

“It’s repayment for the pen I ruined,” I explained through a constricted throat, offering him a tight smile. “A little over a hundred dollars, to cover tax. Consider my debt paid in full.”

It freaking hurt to say. I’d had all those daydreams about different ways to tell him. Replacing his pen was supposed to be a celebration—preferably ending with both of us naked—but instead it felt more like some sick form of closure.

Noah’s gaze was glued to the sock as if he’d never seen one before. A muscle ticked in his jaw, but he still didn’t take it. I shifted my weight, just wanting this night to be over.

“It’s a clean sock,” I added, eyeing the green polka-dot pattern and realizing it was the same sock I’d put on the doorknob the first time Noah and I had slept together… Okay, time to end that train of thought. I grabbed his hand, put the sock in it, then crossed my arms before he could hand it back. “Just take it.”

Noah shook his head, holding out the sock. “Keep it. You don’t owe me anything⁠—”

“Goodbye, Noah.” I stepped back far enough that I wasn’t in his personal space anymore.

His earthy scent still lingered.

He got the message, turning the sock over in his hand and studying it with more intensity than was usually deemed appropriate for an article of clothing.

And with one last glance at me, he was gone. He disappeared down the hall, and I was left looking at an empty wall as Teresa slipped past me into the room.

“Emma?” she whispered, breaking my staring contest with the wall. She held up a cookie dough tub the size of my head, brandishing two spoons. “Ready to stuff your face?”

I weighed my options, glancing back at the hallway before stepping inside and grabbing a spoon. “Yes, please.”

We were halfway through the tub before I realized tonight was the first time I hadn’t felt butterflies in Noah’s presence.

CHAPTER 23