Oh, this is going to be so cold.
Suddenly, Noelle throws herself in front of me. “I got you!”
She, in fact, does not have me.
Slamming into her, I knock her right down with me, landing directly on top of her. I catch myself a second before my head is going to collide with hers.
Adrenaline is coursing strong in my body as I realize that not only am I lying on top of her, but our faces are also a mere inch apart. Our breaths are huffing out and freezing between us, the only barrier between our lips.
My heart races, thumping faster and faster in my chest. I want nothing more in this moment than for her to pull me to her and kiss me. To see how our lips align, how her tongue feels as it moves with mine. I want to see if she tastes like her sweet cherry sugar cookie scent.
Our lips graze, and every single nerve in my body feels it. I want more, so much more.
But Ben again finds the perfect time to interrupt us as I hear him walking toward us. “Noelle? You still out here?”
Noelle closes her eyes and groans, looking at me with such want in her eyes. “We’d better go.”
Planting my hands in the snow beside her, I push myself up and brush myself off, both physically and mentally. I offer her my hand, which she takes without hesitation.
As I pull her up, she projects her annoyed voice, saying, “Yes, we’re coming.”
Sleeping next to her is going to be so much harder than I initially thought. The thought of how soft her lips might be has lingered in my mind the entire evening.
If we had had one more second earlier, I know I would have found out. But I’m also torn. She hasn’t tried to make a move when it’s been just us. The moments we’ve had that could have turned romantic were all when her family was around or right as they were leaving. How do I know if she is doing it just to satisfy her family or if she is doing it because she wants to?
Before I crawled into bed tonight, I told her my stomach hurt. Which it does. I have a feeling though that the cause isn’t physical but rather mental.
I hate how I’m feeling, that I’m feeling for her at all. This whole trip was supposed to be harmless and fun. An adventure before I move and leave Nic.
Noelle begins to snore lightly next to me, and I’m thankful that she has fallen asleep before me tonight so that I have a moment to clear my mind.
That moment does not last long at all. She gravitates to me, and in the midst of her sweet snores, she curls an arm over my waist and nuzzles her face in my neck.
This trip is going to be anything but harmless.
6
Noelle
December 16
JOLTING, I FIND THEsource of whimpers and cries that woke me.
Kat.
She must be having a nightmare.
“Kat?” my voice whispers, raspy with sleep. “Hey.”
Sliding my hand over her face, I cup her cheek and try once again to wake her, gently shaking her shoulder with my other hand. “Kat, wake up.” I shake her a little harder. “Hey, love, please wake up.”
She isn’t fazed by my attempts. Her face is twisted with fear and anguish, and I want to hop into that dream of hers and kill whatever is making her feel this way.
Scooting closer to her, I slide my arm under her waist and pull her to me. Her cries get worse by the second, pulling at every single one of my heartstrings, tugging them straight into my stomach.
With my arm under her and my hand caressing her cheek, I raise my voice slightly. “Kat, baby, please wake up.”
She gasps, and her eyes fly open, wide and full of fright.
