Page 13 of Numbers Boy (Working Boys #2)
CHAPTER TEN
Noah
FINISHING ONE LAST sweep of the apartment after buzzing Steve into the building, I hope everything looks neat, but I also know that I’m overthinking it.
Steve isn’t going to mind that there’s dog hair on my boots.
Or that the pictures I have up on the fridge aren’t perfectly straight.
All that matters is we found a time to hang out.
My phone beeps from on the counter, and I whirl around to check it.
Blake: Take a breath, it’s going to be fine
Me: How did you know?
Blake: I know you and I know you’re excited to hang out with this guy without the excuse of a canine to get you there
Blake: Just relax and be yourself. He’s liked you so far
He’s right. I know he’s right. It’s just…
Me: He’s so great though
Blake: And because he’s so great, he’s not going to judge you whether our DVD shelf has dust or not
Oh, shit, does our DVD shelf have dust on it?
A knock at the door stops me from checking, and I hurry to answer it.
Standing in the hallway is Steve, bundled up against the cold with rosy cheeks highlighting his freckles and adorable green earmuffs that bring out his eyes, which are rimmed with long dark lashes.
His lips are plush and shiny, barely visible over a green-and-pink plaid scarf that’s wrapped around his neck.
I can’t wait until I finally get my lips on his.
“Hi,” he says, those enticing pink lips curling with a smirk. “Can I come in?”
And that’s when I realize I’ve just been standing here staring at him. I give myself a mental shake and take a step back.
“Yeah, of course. Hi. I can take your coat, and boots can just go with the rest of the shoes on the rug.”
“Thanks!” Steve hands me his coat, and I can’t help but take a few seconds to enjoy what he’s wearing today.
His baby blue thermal shirt clings to him like a second skin, highlighting his slender figure, and his dark-wash wide-legged jeans sit lower on his hips and emphasize how long his legs are.
He strikes a pose when he sees me watching him again and giggles. “See something you like?”
“Always,” I admit, smiling at his easy confidence. It’s much better than when he questioned his attractiveness the other morning. Speaking of which, it looks like he’s wearing less makeup today. Like I told him then, he’s gorgeous either way.
“Me too.” He winks and plants a kiss on my cheek before going further into the apartment, bypassing the couch and heading toward the half wall that separates the space from the kitchen.
My cheek heats where his lips were a second before, and I can feel a slow smile split my face.
I love this flirty side of him, and the fact that he initiated that contact feels like a huge win.
Up until now, I’ve always been the one to pull him in for a hug or stand close enough that we can touch.
Each time, Steve has eagerly returned the gestures, but I’ve been hoping it’s not just because he’s too sweet to refuse.
This reassures me that it’s more an issue of him feeling ready to ask for more.
“Now, you said something in our texts about snacks?”
“Yeah, what are you in the mood for?” I follow after him, tearing my thoughts away from touching Steve and thinking instead about what all is in the cupboards. “We’ve got popcorn and chips, otherwise I think there might be some pizza rolls left from when the girls were here for a sleepover last.”
Steve leans back against the counter, legs stretched out in front of him, and groans, face crinkling in a repulsed expression that has no right to be as cute as it is.
“No pizza rolls. Stu and I used to have them all the time, but once we made it to college, there was a night that included pizza rolls and way too much cheap tequila. Now I can’t even look at them when I go grocery shopping because, let me tell you, they taste so much better going down. ” He shudders, and I bark a laugh.
“I get it. I can’t do cereal because one time I saw a spider on the table when I was eating breakfast, and then I blinked, and all of a sudden, it was gone. I’m sure it wasn’t in my bowl, but what if it was? Ever since then, it’s been easier to just make toast.”
Steve laughs, the sound lighting up the whole kitchen. “Good to know. Popcorn, then?”
“Popcorn it is.” I get out a giant bowl and a bag of microwave popcorn, setting it to pop.
While we wait, we talk about what we want to watch.
Neither of us is too picky, and I get the feeling whatever we put on won’t be getting most of our attention.
As the microwave beeps, Steve grabs the bowl and dumps the popcorn in.
“Are you a candy-adding person or a plain popcorn person?” he asks, a gleam of hope in his eyes as he looks at me from under his long lashes.
I open the cupboard in front of him, stocked full of candy, and he gasps happily. “Pick your favorite.”
“Hell yeah!” He grabs two different kinds of chocolate and shakes some in. I reach out to take the bowl from him and let my fingers brush against his before pressing a kiss at the corner of his mouth.
“You’re adorable, Steve. Now, let’s go pretend to watch something.”
I lead us back into the living room and sit at one end of the sofa, curious to see if he’ll pick the spot right next to me or leave a bit of space.
I grin when he doesn’t hesitate to sit right down, pressing our thighs together and stealing the popcorn bowl back.
Taking the hint, I wrap one arm around his shoulders, and he immediately melts against my side.
Yep, he’s definitely okay with the touching.
As he digs into the snack, we have a quick discussion about what to watch.
“Fair warning, most of what I watch is pretty nerdy,” Steve says, like he’s afraid that’s going to put me off. “I watch Lord of the Rings at least twice a year, and don’t get me started on Doctor Who and Sherlock . Although, I haven’t watched much of those recently.”
Steve bites his lower lip, a tiny frown marring his expression, making me wonder what he’s thinking about. I decide to take his mind off whatever it is.
“I’ve never seen Doctor Who ,” I admit. “But I like Lord of the Rings , and anything with mysteries is an instant yes for me. Blake and I have a true crime murder show we watch together every week.”
“That’s awesome,” Steve says, face brightening once again.
After a little more discussion, I put on Parks and Rec since I know it’s something we’ve both seen before, and neither of us will have to use too much brainpower to keep up with the plot.
While Leslie Knope gets up to her hijinks, I take the chance to ask some of the questions I’ve been wondering about.
“You said you have a book club you’re part of?”
“Yep! Well, it’s less of an actual book club and more of an excuse for my group of college friends to get together more regularly than we had been.”
“That’s great,” I tell him, knowing how much I would miss Blake if we didn’t see each other every day. “I’m assuming your friend Stu is part of that?”
Steve gives a happy little hum, tucking his legs up underneath him as he speaks.
“Absolutely. Our group all met in college. Henry, he’s our unofficial ringleader since he’s the reason we all met, calls us the Working Boys.
But Stu and I have been friends much longer.
He and his dad moved to my hometown just before first grade, and they just so happened to move in next door to me and my dad.
Since they were both single parents, whenever one of our dads had to work, we’d go over to the other’s house. So, we basically grew up as brothers.”
Between us, Steve’s phone vibrates in his pocket, and he wiggles around to get it, then laughs when he reads something on the screen, mumbling something about “Speak of the devil.”
“What’s up?” I ask, and he turns the phone slightly so I can see a text thread between him and Stu.
Stu-boo: Hey, some chick just asked me to send nudes. What should I tell her?
I laugh and grab a handful of popcorn and chocolate, curious to see what he’ll message back. I watch as he types out a reply and hits Send.
Steve: I’m assuming from the fact that you’re asking me that actual nudes are out of the question
Steve: If you don’t want to send any, tell her that. Or take a pic of all my nude lipsticks and send that. *lipstick emoji*
I snort another laugh, and he grins cheekily up at me. “One of the many benefits of having an extensive makeup collection.”
The phone buzzes again, and we both lean in to see what Stu said.
Stu-boo: Well, that got rid of her nice and quick. Thanks, dude!
Steve: Any time, Stu-boo *kiss mark emoji*
Steve: Now leave me alone, I’m at Noah’s *winky face emoji*
Stu-boo: Be safe, make good choices! And tell Noah hi from me! *waving emoji*
I smile at being included, even while Steve rolls his eyes, a fond quirk to his lips.
Personally, I’m glad that he and Stu are so close.
Blake and I have each had more than one potential partner get scared off by our friendship, so hearing about them growing up together and seeing this exchange between Steve and Stu has me thinking we might be okay.
“Stu says hi.”
“Yeah, I got that, thanks.” I chuckle. “Does Stu often have trouble with girls asking for more than he wants to give them? Most guys have the opposite problem.”