Page 13 of Two Weeks to Fall in Love

“Well, that’s a first. I mean, technically, if I was a sphinx, what would I be guarding?”

A ridiculous question, very much on brand for him. I rolled my eyes and shrugged.

“I don’t know, your secrets?” I playfully guessed.

At that, from the corner of my eye, I saw him flinch.

My gaze lingered on him as I crossed my arms over my chest. “Or, like, the reason why you’re doing this love experiment?”

He was silent for a bit and then he sighed. “I mean, I feel like I answered that already. I’m just looking for love, to fall in love, ya know.”

“So you keep saying, but I think there’s more to it than that, otherwise why look for love so desperately?” I tilted my head, trying to gauge his reaction and hoping to get something more out of it. A frown, amused chuckle, or any kind of flicker of truth, but his expression didn’t change.

He was quiet for a few moments, and it seemed like the conversation was over just when it was getting interesting, as usual. I let out a huff and focused my attention back on the window, then Noah spoke up again.

“You seem awfully curious about someone you don’t seem to like much, Fox.”

Crap. He knew I didn’t like him .

Well, duh. Of course he knew. I wasn’t exactly an expert at hiding how I really felt.

From the very start it felt like he knew, and based on the way he was acting, it was as if he enjoyed messing with me.

Making me mad. Maybe that was his revenge on me for asking him out when I had zero romantic interest in him.

“If you thought that, why did you agree to date me? You could have just refused,” I challenged him, but my voice was thick with confusion and skepticism.

“I could have, yeah.” Noah hummed, unbothered as he turned onto my street with ease.

And that was that; he went back to his bubble of silence.

“So, why didn’t you?” I tried again, raising a dubious eyebrow at his mysterious intentions.

I saw the corner of his lips twitch, his face a mask of amusement—an expression that, I was starting to realize, meant that he was at least two steps ahead of me in this dangerous game we were playing. He glanced at me, fingers tapping against the wheel again.

“How about I tell you on our date tonight?” Noah said, a confident smirk pulling up his lips.

A date . I couldn’t remember the last time I went on a date.

Dreadfully, I did remember the first time I went to the movies with a crush when I was twelve, and my grandmother had insisted we couldn’t go alone.

So, of course , she’d bought a ticket for a seat right behind us and kept making unnecessary awkward comments during the movie just to ensure that we both knew she was there.

He never asked me out again, naturally. After that I wasn’t exactly in any hurry to date.

Which, now that I thought about it, might have been her plan all along.

“Fine. Where are we going tonight, anyway?” My voice was dry when I spoke. The unease I was feeling about everything was making the desire to jump out of the moving car blossom within my chest.

“Hm, let’s keep it a surprise. But you can dress casual, if that’s why you’re asking. Just wear whatever is comfortable,” he said, his expression dripping with playful arrogance.

Dating Noah felt like I was a lone soldier on the battlefield of love, and every soldier needed a uniform, preferably consisting of armor.

Considering he seemed to know that I did not, in fact, like him very much— or at all, really —I had to adjust my battle strategy.

He wouldn’t just open up and reveal his secrets to someone he knew disliked him.

He was smarter than that; that much I could acknowledge.

In order to make him open up to me, I had to achieve two things. First, I had to convince Noah I did in fact like him. The second thing, though, would mean having to succeed where every other girl at high school had failed for the past year.

I needed to make Noah Archer fall in love with me.

Was it an impossible task? Probably .

Did I have confidence I could achieve it? Not even remotely .

Would I try my best to science the love out of him? Absolutely .

Unconsciously nodding and scrunching my face to my own internal resolutions, I barely noticed we had parked in front of my house.

“You looked like a cartoon villain just now.” The comment caught me off guard and my head immediately snapped in Noah’s direction.

I instantly took in that signature sparkle in his eye and the annoying grin that seemed to be his default setting.

It took my brain a second to recover, but when it did, I put the biggest grimacing smile on my face that I could muster.

“Sorry, I wasn’t aware I needed to have a perpetual smile in your presence,” I said, widening my eyes.

Noah’s eyes widened as well, his face changing from shock to laughter within seconds.

“That’s terrifying. Never do that again, please.” He chuckled, clasping his hands into a pleading gesture to amplify his desperate request.

Relaxing my deadly grin, I shot him a pointed look before opening the car door. Before I could leave, I felt his hand grasp mine, and I turned to face him.

“I’m glad you asked me out, Skyler,” he said, and the sincerity in his voice made a steady stream of guilt trickle into my stomach. You won’t be by the end of these two weeks .

I struggled for words, something an ex–debate team member was not used to experiencing.

“I don’t . . . What do you . . .” Incoherent thoughts tumbled out of my lips.

He let go of my hand then and waved his through the air as if what he’d said was no big deal.

“Tonight. We can talk about that tonight.” It was a statement, no room to argue. All I could do was open the car door and exit.

Once I saw his car turn the corner, I walked up my driveway, taking a few deep breaths as I went.

This was it. The official date was happening in a few short hours.

It was time to get battle ready—one swipe of mascara at a time.