ELLE'S POV
Noah's lips moved against mine with an intensity that made my knees weak. I wanted to push him away—should have remembered all the reasons this was a terrible idea. Instead, I found myself kissing him back, my hands clutching the front of his shirt like it was the only thing keeping me anchored to reality.
He groaned, low and deep, as my back pressed against the cold bathroom wall.
His hands cradled my face, thumbs brushing my cheeks with surprising gentleness that contrasted with the urgency of his kiss.
When his tongue swept across my bottom lip, seeking entrance, I parted my lips without hesitation. The taste of him was intoxicating—mint and something uniquely Noah that made my head spin faster than any alcohol ever could.
My body melted against his, the curves I usually tried to hide fitting perfectly against his solid frame. Heat radiated between us, warming every place our bodies connected.
My heart hammered so loudly in my chest I was sure he could feel it. The world beyond this bathroom ceased to exist; there was only Noah, his hands now sliding down to my waist, pulling me impossibly closer.
A sharp knock on the door shattered the moment like glass.
We jerked apart, both breathing hard, lips swollen, hair disheveled. Noah's eyes were dark, pupils dilated, as he stared at me with an expression I couldn't decipher.
"Elle? Are you okay?" Steven's concerned voice filtered through the door.
I swallowed hard, trying to find my voice. "Yeah, yes, I'll be there in a bit," I called back, wincing at how breathless I sounded.
Footsteps retreated, and I sagged against the wall, suddenly aware of what had just happened. What I had just let happen. Again.
I shoved Noah's chest, frustration bubbling up inside me. "Why the hell do you keep doing that?"
"Doing what?" he asked, one eyebrow raised in that infuriating way of his.
I touched my lips, still tingling from his kiss, heat rushing to my cheeks. "This! Kissing me when you have no right to!"
"And why do you think I like doing that?" Noah challenged, stepping closer again.
I froze, his question hitting me like a slap. How could he ask me that? As if the answer wasn't painfully obvious.
"Because I'm fat," I spat out, the words tasting bitter on my tongue. "Because you want something new to tease me with. Because you're one of those who love to pick on the fact that I'm..."
His finger pressed against my lips, stopping the self-deprecating words from spilling out. He was so close I could count his eyelashes, could see the flecks of amber in his hazel eyes.
"Don't ever say you're fat," he said, his voice low and intense.
I blinked up at him, confusion replacing anger. Why did he keep shocking me? Was it the dress? Because I wasn't hiding in my usual baggy clothes?
"You're beautiful," he continued, his gaze unwavering. "You just don't know it."
I snorted, disbelief overriding the flutter his words caused in my chest. "I've seen many people like you. And the last thing I expect is for someone like you to deceive me into believing that you like me, a fatty whale or whatever name you all have given me." I straightened my shoulders, trying to reclaim some dignity. "Can I go now?"
He studied me, his head tilted slightly as if I were a puzzle he was trying to solve. "What makes you think I can't like you?"
The question hung between us, loaded with possibilities I was afraid to consider. I met his gaze directly, defiant despite the vulnerability coursing through me.
"Do you?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.
Something shifted in his expression—something that made my heart skip a beat. His lips parted, about to speak, when another knock rattled the door, more insistent this time.
"Hey, you two having sex in there? I need to piss, out!" shouted a voice I recognized as Tyler's.
The spell broken, I ducked under Noah's arm and rushed to the door, yanking it open and hurrying out with my head down, avoiding eye contact with Tyler who whistled suggestively as he passed.
I nearly collided with someone in the hallway and looked up to find Steven, concern etched across his features.
"I was just about to come look for you," he said, his eyes searching my face. "Are you feeling better?"
Before I could respond, a voice called from behind me. "She was with me."
I didn't need to look to know who it was. Noah. My heart sank to my stomach. Please don't say anything, I silently begged, eyes squeezed shut as if that could somehow make him disappear.
Steven's expression hardened as he looked over my shoulder at Noah. His hand reached for mine, gentle despite the tension radiating from him. "Let's go," he said quietly, already starting to guide me away.
"And we kissed."
Noah's words sliced through the hallway, causing me to gasp. I whirled around, glaring at him with all the fury I could muster. "Noah!"
But he just stood there, leaning against the bathroom doorframe, a satisfied smirk playing on his lips. The same lips that had been on mine moments ago.
Steven's hand tightened around mine, his body going rigid. "What did you say?" he asked, his voice dangerously calm.
"You heard me," Noah replied, crossing his arms over his chest. "Elle and I kissed. Just now. And it wasn't the first time."
The world seemed to shrink around me, the party noises fading into a distant hum. I stared at Noah in disbelief, unable to process why he would do this. Was this all some game to him? Some way to assert dominance over Steven?
Steven's eyes swung to me, hurt and confusion battling for dominance on his face. "Elle?"
Words failed me.