Chapter Twenty-Six
Iris
The door slamming shut stirred me out of a heated dream starring Noah. Sweat pooled at the back of my neck. I rubbed at it with a grimace before sliding out of bed, checking my phone in the process to see I had a text message from Jen.
Do you want to grab something to eat the mall today? I need a distraction from homework.
I smiled. I needed a distraction from the hot and flushed feeling that now occupied my body from dreaming about Noah.
Yes. Let’s meet in the school parking lot to get something to eat?
I waited until Jen confirmed the plans to meet before slipping into a cool shower. The apartment was empty, as I expected it to be on a Saturday. Bailey rarely hung out around the apartment on the weekends.
My phone vibrated repeatedly, signaling a phone call, and I grabbed it with a grin when I recognized Noah’s number.
“You’re going to get us both in trouble if you start calling me,” I said, teasingly.
“Some things are worth the trouble,” he replied, and I couldn’t help but notice the tension in his voice. “What’s going on with you this weekend?”
I let it go. If he didn’t want to talk about whatever was bothering him, I wasn’t going to push it.
“I’m going to the mall with Jen to get a bite to eat.”
“No frisky business today?” His voice was husky.
Heat flickered in my lower belly at the tempting thought of driving to his house for another round.
“No,” I said. “I don’t want to lose the only good female friend by ditching her after I promised her a day together.”
“Oh, fine. I see how it is.” Noah sighed dramatically. “I guess I’ll just please myself in the meantime then.”
I grinned. “A few days of celibacy won’t kill you.”
“Says who? You’re the drop-dead sexy one. I’m going to burst because it’s been a few days.”
“Go out and do something fun then. What are your plans?”
“No idea yet what I’m going to do. It’s still early.”
“Go back to sleep, then,” I said. “Have sweet dreams.”
“I’ll dream of you, so they’ll be sweet and hot.”
He hung up after that. My stomach fluttered as it always did whenever we talked. Was it possible to ever grow out of feeling this wanted by someone? It didn’t seem possible from the way Noah acted every time we talked or looked at one another. It was nice to have someone wanting me for a change.
Jen was waiting for me in the parking lot when I pulled up ten minutes later. We drove to the mall while chatting absently about the various homework assignments we had to finish over the weekend.
“I wish I was graduating this May,” she said wistfully. “I’d love to be getting on with my life.” She turned in the passenger seat to look at me. “Is it bad that I’m already over the whole college experience?”
I laughed. “Not really,” I said, pulling into a spot halfway away from the main entrance doors. “I was over the college experience after the first semester of my freshman year.”
“Glad to hear that. I don’t feel so lame then wishing it was over.”
The mall was as crowded and busy as expected for a Saturday morning. The smell of fresh donuts and salted pretzels filled my lungs when we stepped inside. Jen looped an arm through mine casually as we headed toward the elevators.
“I think we should shop for some spring outfits,” she announced. “I’m dying to get out of my winter clothes now that it is starting to warm up again.”
“Agreed. I’ll window shop,” I said.
Jen shot me an exasperated glance. “I meant, you need some spring clothes, too. Don’t protest it,” she said when I opened my mouth to tell her no. “You’re literally my only friend on campus right now; consider it a gift.”
“I can’t do that,” I protested, shaking my head as we climbed into the elevator with a group of young teenagers. “Really, Jen. That’s too much.”
“Not really,” she said, smiling. “Look, my parents have a lot of money. My dad’s the VP of a bank. My mom owns a couple of fashion lines. I rarely see them anymore, but they give me exclusive access to credit cards to make up for their busy schedules.”
My eyes widened. We reached the second floor, and Jen immediately started to lead me in the direction of Hollister.
“And they don’t ever say a word when they look at the statements?” I asked as she tugged me by the hand into the darkened store that smelled heavily of cologne.
“They have an accountant who pays bills for them,” she said. She grabbed a white blouse and held it up against me. “This is cute on you. You should get it. Oh! We should get some new skirts and shorts.”
We spent the next three hours combing through the stores. No matter how much I tried to protest, Jen waved them away at the register. We collapsed at the food court with bags scattered around us.
“Thank you,” I repeated again with sincerity. “I really appreciate it, Jen. I really do.”
“You’re welcome.” She beamed at me. “Maybe you can catch a PHU boy’s attention before you go with some of those outfits.”
Or Noah’s.
I swallowed thickly as I thought of couple sets of bras and panties Jen had insisted on buying me when she caught sight of my gray underwear in the changing room. I couldn’t even remember the last time I had even bought new ones. I spent entire summer breaks working over 40 hours a week to survive for nine months without having to work while studying for school.
“Yeah, maybe,” I replied, and out of curiosity asked, “Why don’t you have a boyfriend yet?”
“Not interested in having one right now,” she said, shrugging her petite shoulders. She took a large bite of her salted pretzel. “It’s kinda hard to date me because my parents like to meddle in certain areas of my life. They never care about anything else besides that. I gave up a year ago trying to have a boyfriend that they liked.”
I took my own bite of pretzel, allowing the saltiness to linger on the tip of my tongue. “It sounds like your parents really care about your life.”
“They do. They’re almost too involved,” Jen said, rolling her eyes. “What about your parents? Overly involved in your life, too?”
My stomach churned as I picked at a few pieces of salt on the pretzel.
“Complete opposite,” I said, quietly. “Years ago, my mother and I used to be close, but life happened and now I only see her a few times a year.”
“I can’t even imagine that,” she said sadly. “I’m sorry that’s how it is for you. Maybe you could come visit my home with me for a weekend. Get away from school before you graduate.”
The idea was appealing. A trip away for a weekend would be nice, even if it meant leaving Noah behind for a few days. Then again, we both had agreed it was best to keep things under wraps until I graduated.
I had no idea how long that would last. I already wanted to drive over to his house to wrap my arms around him.
“I’d like that,” I said. “Let’s do it soon once the weather starts to stay warm.”
Jen grinned widely. “Great! So, let’s finish up shopping and go back to my room to try everything on one last time.”
Two hours later, my jaw hurt from smiling so much. We managed to squeeze through the glass doors to walk out into the parking lot with bags in hand. I couldn’t remember the last time outside of time spent with Noah that I had felt this relaxed and happy.
“We should watch a movie tonight,” Jen suggested. “I have popcorn. We can wash the clothes at the laundry mat while we find something to watch.”
“Sounds wonderful to me,” I said. “No homework, either! Let’s make it a no homework night.”
“Agreed.”
“Iris?”
I stopped short at the sound of Bailey’s voice. I looked over my shoulder to see her approaching us from behind with a frown. Her eyes landed on where Jen stood at my side, and they narrowed at her.
“Great,” I grumbled, reading the bitchy look on my roommate’s face. “What are you doing here?”
“I was getting some shopping done,” she said shortly. She looked over at Jen with narrowed eyes. “Who’s this? Your new freshman bestie?”
“Her name is Jen,” I said, defensively.
“Whatever. I guess you’ve got yourself a new best friend to hang around with today. I’ll see you back at the apartment.”
She whirled on the heel of her boot and walked away from the both of us with her head held high. I let out a tiny groan knowing that I was in for a long couple of days. Whenever Bailey got into those moods, or felt threatened by people, she made everyone’s life a living hell by acting like a complete bitch. I dreaded going back to that apartment to deal with the pointed silence.
“Wow,” Jen said, shaking her head. “I don’t mean to sound mean myself, but your roommate is sort of a bitch. No offense.”
I burst out laughing despite the growing dread in my stomach. “You have no idea how big of a bitch she really can be,” I said.
“It doesn’t seem like she’s even your friend, honestly,” she continued, watching Bailey walk through the glass doors into the mall. “I’ve seen you two around campus. You don’t look like get along with one another.”
“It’s-” I stopped, trying to think of the right word. I gave up with a shrug. “I have no idea what type of friends we are. We’ve known each other for four years. That’s pretty much all we have in common.”
“Well, I don’t think she likes me hanging out with you.”
“I don’t care if she doesn’t,” I said, flatly. “You’re also my friend. She can deal with it.”
“If you’re sure…” Jen trailed off uncertainly, shooting one last glance at the mall doors that Bailey had disappeared through.
“I’m sure,” I said. “Don’t worry about it. Let’s go get a movie and do some laundry.”
Jen smiled at me as we loaded up the rest of the car. I shoved away my thoughts of what sort of scheme Bailey planned on pulling against me for revenge. I just wanted to enjoy one night without any drama.