Home > London Prep: Book Two (London Prep, #2)(9)

London Prep: Book Two (London Prep, #2)(9)
Author: Jillian Dodd

Because my head is so foggy.

And I’m really annoyed.

I slip off of his lap and onto the bed next to him, crossing my arms over my chest.

“You’re upset,” Noah says, his eyes still bright. He tilts his head at me, sitting up.

“Obviously,” I say, glancing over at him.

Because who does he think he is? He can’t just play around with me like that.

My whole body is still in shock because he never gives me a warning.

He just acts, and I somehow fall into it. I get sucked in, and it makes me mad at myself.

Noah scoots over, so he’s sitting crisscross in front of me. “Don’t be upset.”

“I’m not upset,” I say, looking at him. “I’m … confused.”

I watch him, hoping to find clarity in his reaction. But Noah doesn’t have one. His face just softens, his eyes connecting with mine.

“What are you confused about?” he asks.

I’m confused about how I’m feeling.

I’m confused about the way my body reacts to you.

I’m confused as to why you keep taunting me.

I’m confused as to why I haven’t told you about Harry yet.

“Nothing,” I reply, shaking my head. “It doesn’t matter.”

I crawl around Noah and get off the bed, needing to stand. Noah turns, uncrossing his legs, looking at me.

“We never ended up getting sushi the other night. You know, because of everything with Harry,” Noah comments.

“What?” I ask, trying to follow his train of thought.

“You in the mood for it tonight?” He looks up at me, his brown eyes boring into mine.

“Are you asking me out on a date?” I blurt out. And I immediately regret it. Because of all the things I could have said or asked, that was the worst. My hand itches to come up and cover my mouth, to hide my face, but I don’t let it. I just stare at Noah, not sure what he’s going to say.

“A date?” Noah repeats. He looks at me like I just told him the most hilarious joke. “Don’t be ridiculous.” He laughs, standing up from my bed. “I’ll go get dressed.”

I nod, staring at him, not sure what to say. I break eye contact, sitting down at my desk as he walks out of my room.

He was laughing at me. Like, genuinely laughing. I cannot believe he had the nerve to think that I was joking! And he didn’t even blink! He didn’t flinch.

I get up, throwing my notes onto my bed, knowing that I should feel relieved.

And I am.

Because any awkwardness that could have occurred was forcefully denied by his reaction. And I want to scream.

Because this just confirms it.

He’s messing with me.

And I’m done letting him.

“Ready?” Noah asks, leaning into my room.

I look back at him, finally seeing clearly for the first time today.

“Ready,” I agree.

 

 

“I think my brain is stuffed full,” Noah says, slamming his textbook shut.

We decided, instead of getting sushi out, we’d pick it up and bring it back to snack and study. I had suggested it because I didn’t really want to sit across from Noah, feeling mad and frustrated while trying to eat.

Noah leans back against his headboard, running his hand through his hair. He has one leg crossed over the other, his body outstretched.

“I’m with you.” I close my Latin book. “I’m pretty sure I took every Latin word I knew and somehow managed to learn it wrong. I swear, I’m not sure I can even distinguish one letter from another,” I say, rubbing my eyes.

I’m tired from reading for so long, and I blink a few times, trying to pull myself out of study mode.

“You’re going to do great on your test,” Noah comments.

“I just hope I pass,” I reply, looking up at him.

His expression is soft, and this is the Noah that I want. The Noah who is sweet and kind. The Noah who helps me with Statistics and quizzes me on Latin terms.

I don’t want the Noah from before. The one who makes me feel unsure.

The one who makes me feel out of control.

Noah cracks a smile, his lips pulling at the corner. “Worst case, you can just sneak a peek at Mohammad’s test. I’m sure he won’t do terribly.”

Noah laughs, and my eyes instantly go wide.

“Are you suggesting I cheat?” I ask with a laugh.

Because Noah is not the cheating type. He’s the work hard and see results or look at it this way or see, it’s so simple; you were only off one number from having the right answer type. He’s not the sneak a peek at the next sheet over type.

“I’m suggesting that you relax. Besides, it’s always an option.” He grins, wrinkling up his nose.

“It’s not,” I say, scolding him. But I smile too. Because I know he’s kidding. “Thanks for the help today,” I add.

“Don’t worry about it,” Noah says, stretching out his arms in front of him. “You got pretty far in that question, and the part you missed wasn’t obvious. You should feel good about it.”

“You’re too nice to me when it comes to Statistics. I’m really just terrible, but I appreciate the—” I’m interrupted when my phone goes off, and I look down at the screen, seeing Harry’s name pop up.

I quickly push the phone against my chest, trying to shield it from Noah’s view.

“All right?” Noah asks, his eyes scanning my face, probably sensing my distress.

“Fine,” I reply, trying to figure out what to do. “I’ve got to take this.”

I get up off his bed and quickly walk into my room, closing the door shut behind me.

“Hey,” I say, answering the phone.

“Hey.” Harry’s voice sounds rougher than this morning.

“How are you?” I ask, immediately concerned.

He lets out a heavy breath. “I’m doing all right.”

“Yeah?” I say, not wanting to push him.

“It was hard to see my mum,” he admits. “She freaked out.”

“I bet she did,” I reply.

I can’t imagine being a mom and seeing my child hurt. Especially by someone who is supposed to love them.

“She knew Dad had a temper but apparently didn’t realize to what extent. She spent exactly five minutes feeling sorry for me and the rest of the time cursing him,” he goes on.

“Oh,” I say, surprised.

“Yeah.”

“So, not really supporting you?” I say, confused.

“Not really. But at least, now, she knows,” he says, almost casually.

“Did she say what she’s going to do?”

“She wants to leave my dad,” he states.

And instantly, I feel sick to my stomach for him. Because regardless of the circumstances, it’s never easy to see your family break apart.

“It’s for the best. It’s not like they’ve been a loving couple in the past anyway. And I think, more than anything, this is her chance to take him to court.”

“It’s going to get messy,” I state.

“All my mum cares about is herself and getting away from my dad. She’s using me as a way to get more money,” he says flatly.

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