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NOAH

“What are we gonna do?” I ask, veins pumping with adrenaline as we secure our clothes back in place.

Charlotte’s eyes dart around the office, and she grabs my hand, dragging me toward a door. She opens it, presenting a small closet, then tugs me inside and closes it quietly.

Our hushed, rapid breaths fill the small space as our bodies press together.

“What is it with us and closets?” I tease.

“ Shhh! ” she says as the office door creaks open, and she grips my shirt. I snake my arms around, holding her to me.

Muffled voices fill the room.

“You shouldn’t have come here,” Georgia snaps.

An unfamiliar male voice speaks. “You didn’t take my call.”

“That was purposeful.”

“People are asking questions.”

“Well, tell them to fuck off,” Georgia spits out.

“I’d be more inclined to tell them that if I were compensated.”

The room is quiet. “You have been more than compensated.”

“Need I remind you what’s at stake here?” the voice says, and although we can’t see them, the thick tension in the air is obvious.

“Need I remind you of your involvement?” There are muffling sounds. The opening and closing of drawers. “This,” she says, slapping something on the desk. “This is all I have to show to hide my name while indicting yours.”

“How did you get this?”

“It’s not a matter of how, but why? Because I knew you were a snake. Now slither out before I do something with it.”

Whispered curses fade out and the door opens and shuts, but I don’t dare move a muscle until Charlotte tells me to. I have no clue what we heard. If it even means anything. And I’m sure her head is spinning even worse than mine.

“Shit!” Georgia shouts, and Charlotte flinches in my arms. More drawers open and close, then the office door slams shut again. After a few minutes of silence, she deems it safe and we leave the closet.

“What the hell was that about?” I ask.

“No clue,” Charlotte says. “But let’s get out of here.”

We sneak out of the office and rejoin the party, no one the wiser, and I release a breath of relief. Tabitha walks by us, and my eyes trail her till she’s out of sight, my stomach churning. Charlotte was a beautiful distraction, but I can’t deny the emotions swirling back up, seeing her again.

“How do you know Tabitha?” Charlotte asks, and I return my gaze to her, dropping my voice to a whisper.

“She was my father’s lawyer.” A shudder racks through me, remembering how she tried every trick in the book to get his sentence reduced.

Charlotte’s jaw hardens. “She helped an abuser?”

My teeth grind. “I mean, it is her job.”

“I’m surprised she didn’t recognize your name,” Charlotte says. “Although I guess lawyers deal with tons of cases.”

I gnaw on my lower lip, choosing to be vulnerable. “Mom and I reverted back to her maiden name when they got divorced.” I swallow hard. “My father’s last name, my old last name, is Lewis.”

“Oh.” She takes my hands in hers. “Thank you for sharing that with me.” I nod, unable to conjure up any other words. “Do you think my mom knows? About you, I mean?”

I shrug, stomach sinking. “I don’t know.”

Charlotte glances around. “Do you wanna leave?”

My eyes wander to the twins playing in the yard, and I know how much Charlotte’s missed them. I shake my head. “Nah. I’ll be fine.” I take her chin between my fingers. “As long as you’re by my side.”

“Consider me your personal bodyguard,” she says, shoulders pulled back, wide grin on her face.

Leaning down, I press a quick kiss to her lips. “I’ve never felt safer.”

The rest of the day goes by in a blur, no more awkward run-ins with ghosts from my past, and before we know it, we’re finally in my truck, heading to Crystal Bay. Camp’s over, and Charlotte’s stuff is secure in my back seat. Where will we go from here?

“Do you wanna talk about what happened in the study with your mom?” I ask hesitantly, remembering how she flinched in my arms.

“Nah.” She stares out the dark window, watching fireworks bursting in the distance. “She’s been deep in political shit my whole life. And to be honest, I’ve stopped trying to figure it out.”

It didn’t sound like normal political stuff, but the last thing I want to do is upset her. I’m hoping she’ll stay at my place tonight and we can talk about what we’re doing now that the dating doesn’t really feel fake anymore. I tried to keep my head down and focus on football the past two weeks, but that clearly made Charlotte feel overlooked, and I am not okay with that.

“Do you remember where I put my phone?” Charlotte asks as I pull onto the dark highway. “I told Andi I’d text her when we were heading to CBU.”

“I think it’s in your tote behind my seat.”

She digs it out and brings the phone to her ear. A muffled message comes through, and Charlotte gasps, my eyes pulling to her.

“No,” she says, her voice firm.

“What’s wrong?” I ask when she puts the phone back in her lap.

She doesn’t speak.

“Char, what’s wrong?” I ask again, and she clears her throat.

“Nothing.”

My brows furrow. “Are you sure?”

“Yeah.” She smiles, but it doesn’t quite reach her eyes. “Noah, could you focus on the road?” Her tone is teasing, but my Charlotte radar tells me she’s hiding something.

She turns up the radio, face buried in her phone, and when we finally get into Crystal Bay, I ask, “Wanna come to my place tonight?”

She stares out the window. “I can’t. Andi and I have plans.”

“It’s midnight,” I say, brows pulled tight.

“Yeah, she…” Her voice trails off. “She needs some girl time.”

“Okay,” I say, trying to mask my disappointment. “Can I see you tomorrow?” I readjust my grip on the steering wheel. “Was hoping we could hang out before my official training starts Monday.”

“Sorry, tomorrow I have plans with Sophia and Sage,” she says.

“Isn’t Sophia leaving for Georgia with Elijah?”

“Oh, right.” She waves me off. “Just Sage then.”

Why’s she being so squirrely?

I abide by her wishes, and a few minutes later, I’m pulling in front of her apartment building, putting the truck in park, and turning it off. I don’t like this.

“What are you doing?” she asks.

“Helping you bring your stuff up,” I say, gesturing to my packed back seat. What the hell is going on with her?

“Oh.” She smiles, but it feels forced. “Thanks.”

We grab her bags and take the elevator to her floor in silence.

Was it the phone call?

Was it the thing with her mom?

Was it something I did?

We arrive at her door, and she unlocks it, bringing us inside. Andi and Stella are sitting on the couch, and their eyes widen.

“Hey!” they exclaim, jumping up to greet us.

“Hi…” I say, following Charlotte to her room, and set down her things.

She rushes back out, and I trail her towards the front door.

“Thanks so much for helping me up here,” she says, opening it and gesturing outside for me to leave.

What the hell is going on?

The girls stare at me with creepy smiles on their faces, and I take the out, heading towards the door. When I pause in front of Charlotte, our eyes meet. I can’t for the life of me figure out what’s going on in that head of hers, but I can make sure she knows exactly where I stand. I slide my hand into her hair, and she releases a little sigh. Tugging her to me, I plant a firm kiss on her lips.

“Good night, soffione ,” I mumble against her lips.

“Night, quarterback,” she murmurs.

I walk out the door, and it slams shut behind me.

For the second time, I’ve been thrown out of Charlotte Benson’s apartment.