Loving Noel (Wildcat Graduates Book 1) Page 8

  ME: STOP RIGHT THERE! I’ve been tied up and didn’t have my phone! Noel came over when I wouldn’t answer his texts or talk to him on the phone, and I just got finished with dinner.

  S: HE DID WHAT?! What the heck happened? Did you two make up?? TELL ME!

  ME: Ugh, long story short, we talked about our relationship and the ride home. He wants to date me and now we’re together. I have tons of homework to do, so I’ll call you when I get done with it. Okay?

  S: HOLY CRAP XAN! I’ll let you off the hook for now, but if you don’t call me back I’ll call your mother!

  ME: Okay, okay! I’ll call. I’ve got to go so I can get it all done. Ttyl

  Thank goodness Stace lets me off the hook so I can get everything done. Homework time goes by quickly, and I call and talk to her before I take a shower and get ready for bed. She keeps me on the phone as long as her grandma will allow, and tells me what Cade had to say about Lay-Me-Lexus riding home with us. Apparently, Cade saw her running over to us in the parking lot as he was leaving. He had tried to call Noel to ask about it, but Noel wasn’t answering right away. He only called Cade back after he had dropped both of us off and told him the whole story. Neither he, nor Cade, was happy about what she did. Well, that’s good to know, but I have a feeling that’s not going to be the last I see of little Lay-Me-Lexus. I can’t even pretend to say her real name. I just want to gag on it.

  It’s ten forty-five when Stacy’s grandma’s phone limit is finally hit, and I am able to get showered and ready for bed. I begin to plug my phone into the charger when it buzzes with an incoming text.

  N: Are you still awake?

  ME: Yeah, I was just getting ready for bed. What’s up?

  N: Just wanted to tell my girlfriend goodnight.

  ME: Really?

  N: Yeah, really. I’ll see you tomorrow. Goodnight, Sweetness. ;)

  ME: Goodnight, boyfriend.

  I can’t stop looking at my phone as I lie in bed, trying to go to sleep. This has to have been the longest day ever. I can’t believe everything that has happened. Even though Mercedes tried to get her hooks into Noel, he didn’t let her. He got to me even when I didn’t want to let him. He said he sees me. Thoughts of Noel fill my head as I drift off to sleep with a smile on my face. My dreams are of him; his smile, his smell, his kisses, everything.

  I get to the high school on the bus at about seven thirty that morning, and Noel is waiting for me at my locker when I get there. He carries my books and we walk to the band hall together to wait for the first bell to ring. Everyone is joking around and some are finishing up sectional practice for the concert on Thursday night. Our section doesn’t have early practice until tomorrow morning. Woodwinds had it Monday, percussion had it today, and brass has it tomorrow. Seven o’clock practice sucks, but at least we aren’t outside marching.

  The first hour bell rings and Noel walks me to class again, holding my hand. He kisses me on the forehead while Mr. Jones isn’t looking, but as I walk inside the classroom, he gives me a knowing smile and nods in my direction. How does he always know? I get settled in class and become absorbed in my drawings as I usually do. The guys in class are more rowdy than usual today. They’re loud and telling slightly lewd jokes like they were all hanging out at some ball game. They’re favorite conversations should offend me, but they don’t. Even Mr. Jones has to tell them a few times to calm down and get to work. He’s the most laid back teacher I’ve ever had. We all love him. Even Matt, the senior who sits in front of me, isn’t bothering me today. He’s usually bumping my drawing table, trying to startle me and make me mess up. It’s kind of weird to be able to work in peace.

  Third hour band practice runs a little late, so I’m rushing off to fourth hour Chemistry and don’t get to walk with Noel like I did yesterday. It’s probably a good thing, because the teacher gives us a new lesson and more homework that really required me to pay attention in class to understand. I swear, if she tells me to read the section one more time I’m going to lose it on her. She needs to realize that there is more than one way to teach a topic. She should use them once in awhile.

  Noel gets out of his German class a little early, so I find him waiting for me outside Mrs. Baker’s class. He walks me to my locker and we change out our books for our afternoon classes and hit the vending machines on our way to the band hall breezeway for lunch.

  Lunch was relaxing and it was apparent to everyone that Noel and I are now dating. Even though it was all new, things were just as easy as they were before. Things weren’t as awkward as I thought they’d be. Noel is still Noel, and I am still me. We’re just holding hands or sitting by each other. I’m so relieved that our relationship status didn’t change everything else. He walks me to fifth hour and the rest of my classes just like always, and Cade still almost makes us late.

  After last hour, Noel is waiting for me outside Hill’s class and we walk to our lockers. “Can I give you a ride home, Xan? There won’t be anyone else going with us. That won’t happen again.” Noel reaches for my backpack as I work the combination to my locker.

  “It’s fine if someone needs a ride. I know how it is,” I tell him as I start to change out the books I need.

  “I know what you’re thinking, Xana, and you know what I’m talking about,” he tells me as he pulls me closer to him. “Look at me.”

  I raise my head to look up at his eyes. “I know you, Xan. You’re worried she’ll try it again, but I’m not going to let her do that to you anymore.”

  “What are you saying,” I breathe out slowly as I continue to stare into his eyes.

  “I’m saying I’m not blind. I saw how much she upset you, and I realize what she said to you, and I’m telling you that I’m not going to allow her to do it to you again. You’re mine, and now everyone knows it,” he whispers to me as he leans further down and kisses me softly. I pull away from his kiss and look at him once more.

  “Okay,” I whisper, making him smile that beautiful smile at me. Noel closes my locker door and takes my backpack from me so he can swing it over his shoulder. With his free hand, he pulls me into his side and walks us over to where Cade and Stacy are talking at her locker. Erika waves to us as she heads for her bus and Jason simply stares after her. Those two will never get their act together.

  Noel and I have a great ride home. We talk about the concert on Thursday and how classes are going. He even tells me about the joke Cade pulled on his mom. Mrs. Daniels was not pleased with her pseudo son. That boy has no shame. It’s a good thing Stacy has just as big of a personality as he does or they’d never work together.

  Before we know it, we’re pulling into my driveway and Noel is parking the car. He reaches over and laces his fingers with mine so he can kiss my fingertips. That always takes my breath away when he does that. “I’ll pick you up in the morning for sectionals? That way your parents don’t have to worry about getting you there so early before they go off to work.”

  “You don’t have to drive all the way over here to pick me up.” I tell him. He leans over the console to look at me more closely.

  “I said I’ll pick you up, Xan. If it were a problem for me, I wouldn’t do it. I’ll be here at twenty ‘til so we have time to warm up before Mr. Scott gets started. No more worrying about it. I’m picking you up. End of.”

  Noel leans the rest of the way over and kisses me, his hands cupping my face. Lost in the smell of his cologne, I return his kiss eagerly. His hands move to the back of my head, his fingers tangling in my hair. I rest one of my palms on his jaw and use the other one to run up the back of his neck and into his hair. Noel’s hands urge me closer to him, and I find myself leaning more toward him over the console. The kiss starts out slowly, but quickly morphs into something much more intense. I can feel his breathing growing shorter, blowing across my cheek as his left hand moves from my hair to my back, pulling me closer. My heartbeat is pounding in my ears and I can’t hear anything over it.

  My mind tells me to slow down, but this thing
I have with Noel feels so right, so natural. It’s as if everything finally makes sense. His hand slowly moves up my back to find its place in my hair once again. His firm grip holds me there in place, while his kisses move across my jaw and down my neck. I can’t move, so I wrap both of my hands around his neck and into his soft blond hair, slightly pulling it. Noel kisses his way back to my lips and I tug at his hair a little more.

  Lightly tugging my bottom lip between his teeth, Noel pulls away from our kiss and rests his forehead on mine, and tries to slow his breathing. Slowly releasing my pull on his hair, I look into his eyes to try and figure out what he is thinking. Is he regretting the kiss? He places a quick kiss on my lips before sliding his hands back down to my back and leaning back a few inches.

  “I don’t know what it is, Xan, but I can’t get enough of kissing you. I almost like it too much.” Noel stares into my eyes and I feel like the most beautiful girl in the world. He does that to me with just one look. I release a shaky breath and smile softly back at him.

  “I don’t know what it is either, Noe. But...I can’t get enough of kissing you, either. I’ve always felt pulled to you,” I tell him as I cast my eyes down toward the console. “I can’t explain it.” Noel places his fingers under my chin and demands that I look at him.

  “You don’t have to explain or feel embarrassed about it. I feel it, too, Xan. I feel it, too. I like it when you call me Noe. No one’s ever called me that before,” he tells me as he brushes his lips against mine, urging me to open up to him. I do, and our tongues dance tenderly with one another in a gentle kiss.

  We break away, and Noel gets out of the car and rushes over to my side to open the door. He helps me out of the car and holds my hand as he carries my backpack to the door for me. We see that Mike’s car is in the driveway, so I don’t need to bother with finding my keys. He never locks the door when he’s home. Noel pulls me closer to him, hugging me with one hand around my back. I wrap my arms around his waist and simply breathe him in. He’s almost six feet tall already and I just fit perfectly, tucked under his chin. This feels so good. Normal.

  “Thanks for bringing me home,” I say into his chest. He squeezes me tighter and kisses the top of my head.

  “Always,” he whispers and then steps away from my embrace and looks down at me, smiling. “I’ll pick you in the morning for practice, and after school I’ll bring you home, because I want to, and at the end of the week, I’m going out on a date with my girlfriend.” Noel smiles and raises his eyebrow as he cocks his head, waiting for my response.

  “Your girlfriend, huh? And what if she already has plans,” I ask him as I raise my hands to rest on his chest. Noel only grins wider at me as he bows his head toward mine.

  “Yes, my girlfriend, and she’ll just change them because she’s going out with me.”

  “And what would be her motivation for changing her plans,” I ask. Noel leans down until his lips touch mine and kisses me intensely.

  “Is that enough motivation for you, Sweetness?” Noel pulls away from me and smiles at my expression. “I’ll take that as a yes,” he laughs as he hugs me tightly.

  “You’d better go before your brother comes out and finds us kissing, because there’s nothing I’d rather do than keep kissing you.” Noel steps backwards and hands my backpack to me as I open the door. Sure enough, Mike is standing there with a smile on his face and his arms crossed against his chest.

  “Hey, Xan,” Mike greets me as he gives Noel the once-over. “Who are you?”

  “Stop it, Mike. Don’t be rude. This is…” I begin when Noel cuts me off.

  “Noel Daniels, I’m Xana’s boyfriend,” he says as he reaches out to shake Mike’s hand. Mike looks at his hand and then at me. I stare back at him, silently warning him to be nice.

  Mike shakes Noel’s hand and, from what I can tell, squeezes it hard. Noel doesn’t even flinch and stares right back at him when he says, “I’m Mike, Xana’s brother. So you’re the boyfriend, huh? If you hurt her, I will hurt you. You got that, Noel?”

  “Yeah, I’ve got it, but you don’t have to worry about that. She’s safe with me,” Noel says as he smiles at me and winks. I can’t help but smile back at him.

  Mike looks at me smiling at Noel and then looks straight at Noel. “We’ll see about that,” he warns Noel and then leaves the doorway and heads for the kitchen.

  “I’m sorry about Mike. He’s gone for weeks and comes back acting like he’s my bodyguard,” I apologize as I look up at him. Noel reaches for my hand and squeezes it.

  “It’s really not a big deal. If I had a little sister I’d probably do the same thing to her boyfriend.” Noel releases my hand and kisses my forehead. “I’ll see you in the morning, Sweetness.” He walks back to his car and winks at me before getting into the driver’s seat and driving away. He really likes doing that to me.

  I walk inside and go through the kitchen to grab a drink before heading to my room to start my homework. I want to get it done as soon as possible. I’d like to be able to just sit around and relax for once. Mike stops me before I can get into my room and begins to question me.

  “How long have you been dating this Noel guy? And I saw you two kissing on the porch, by the way. Do Mom and Dad know about all that?” Mike crosses his arms and stares at me. He’s just barely less than six feet tall and works out regularly, so to any other person he would look fairly intimidating. However, I’ve seen him in his underwear, so there is no intimidation factor for me.

  “What business is it of yours who I’m dating? You just left Sunday, and it’s only Tuesday. Why are you even home today,” I ask him bluntly as I stand in front of my door.

  “I got out of exams early so I came a bit sooner to help Dad with a few things at his office, but that’s beside the point. I’m your older brother. If anyone’s gonna be kissing you on the front porch when Mom and Dad aren’t here, I’m gonna have a say in it. I’ve never seen this guy before, and I want to know who he is and what his intentions are. You’ve never had a real boyfriend before, nor have you really dated anyone. I’m not going to let you get hurt again, so pardon me if I want to look out for my kid sister. Now answer my questions, Xana.” Mike waits for me to answer while I walk into my room and place my backpack on my bed.

  I turn around and face Mike who is now standing in my doorway, leaning on the doorframe. “Fine. You’re a pain in the ass, you know that, right? Yes, Noel is my boyfriend. No, Mom and Dad don’t know about us dating officially because we just made it official yesterday. We’re in band together and he’s a grade younger than me. We hang out at lunch every day and we get along really well. Anything else you want to know, big brother?” I cross my arms and glare right back at him. Mike drops his arms and walks a few steps toward me.

  “Is he respectful of you? Does he treat you well?” Mike asks me, very serious about his question.

  “Always,” I reply without hesitation. He stares me right in the eyes, searching for any hint of deception on my part. Finding none, Mike hugs me and kisses my cheek before leaving me standing in my room. Well, that was new. Shaking off the confusion Mike left me in I dig out my books and start on my homework. Halfway through Chemistry homework I get a text from Stacy.

  S: What’s up, hooker? Have you finished your homework yet?

  ME: UGH Of course I’m not done with homework yet! That woman gave us more homework. Looks like I’m not studying for the exam until this weekend. I hope I’m exempt from this class!

  S: I hear ya! We just got a history project due Monday! Exams are supposed to be Tuesday and Wednesday. I could have flipped my desk when he gave us that project!

  ME: I know!! I’m halfway finished with my Chemistry. Mike ran into Noel when he was dropping me off today. Gave him and me the third degree. UGH I was mortified!

  S: Oh good lord, what got into him? He’s never been like that. I hope Noel didn’t get too intimidated.

  ME: No! He was amazing! I think Mike might actually like him! Not that it matte
rs to me. He’s not dating Noel, I am. Lol

  S: Right?! So, did you have a better ride home today?

  ME: OH SO MUCH BETTER! He kisses so good, Stace! It’s so intense I can’t explain it.

  S: I’m so glad to see things are finally worked out with you two! It’s about damn time! Lol

  ME: Yeah, I know. It’s soooo good Stace! I can’t help but wonder just how long it’s gonna last. I know I shouldn’t but I can’t help it. You know how I am.

  S: I do know you, and you have to stop it. Just enjoy it and kiss him as much as you can! Lol

  ME: I will. Ttyl

  S: K later

  I work on my homework until Mom has dinner ready. Mike doesn’t hold off on telling our parents about me and Noel. Mom doesn’t seem too surprised. I think she knew how much I liked him. She always seems to know things I’d never think she had a clue about. Dad, on the other hand, wasn’t as easygoing as Mom. He played twenty questions more than Mike did. Fortunately, I think Mom eased his mind a bit. She knows his parents a little bit and vouched for him not being a ‘bad kid’ as Dad put it. I told them I have a date this weekend, but didn’t know any of the details, since Noel hadn’t told me yet. I swear, sometimes having an older brother is more trouble than it’s worth.

  Mom makes Mike help her with the dinner dishes this time so that I can get my homework finished and study for exams. She said that since he’s already done with his semester, he needs to let me finish up with mine. I think it’s her way of getting him back for ratting me out to Dad at dinner. She always has my side in things like this. Her having two older brothers probably helps my case. She’s had it worse than me, for sure. I’m just glad for the break from Mike. I have to get a lot of studying done if I’m going to keep up my grades enough so that I don’t have to take that Chemistry exam. I love science, but Chemistry and I seem to have a love - hate relationship. It loves to confuse me and I hate it. The homework is enough in itself, but a whole exam with a semester’s worth of knowledge might very well break me.