ELLE'S POV
What could I possibly say? That it was true? That Noah had kissed me and I had kissed him back? That despite everything, I couldn't seem to stop myself from responding to him?
"It's not..." I started, but the lie wouldn't form.
"Not what?" Steven pressed, dropping my hand like it burned. "Not true?"
I looked between the two of them. Steven, who had been nothing but kind to me since his return, and Noah, who's hot-and-cold behavior had been driving me crazy for weeks. The tension in the hallway was suffocating.
"I can explain," I said weakly, though I wasn't sure I could.
"No need," Noah said, his voice hollow. "She owes you nothing."
“Shut up, Noah!” I barked at him but he only snickered.
Noah pushed off from the doorway, stepping closer. "She deserves better than you, Smith. We both know what you're really like."
Steven's eyes darkened. "And you think that's you? The guy who's been making her life hell?"
"Stop it!" I hissed, aware that we were starting to draw attention from nearby partygoers. "Both of you just stop!"
But neither seemed to hear me, too caught up in their standoff, years of some unspoken history crackling between them.
"At least I'm honest about who I am," Noah shot back. "She knows exactly what she's getting with me."
Steven laughed bitterly. "Does she?”
“Yes, but I'm sure she doesn't know a shit about you.”
“Says you, right?”
“Does she know about Amanda? About what happened on Westlake?"
The name hit Steven like a physical blow. I watched his face drain of color, his confident stance faltering for just a moment before rage took over.
"You want to talk about Amanda?" Noah's voice was dangerously low, his eyes not leaving Steven's face. "Let's talk about Amanda then."
Steven's smug expression slipped. "Noah, don't—"
"No, you brought her up. You wanted Elle to know, right?" Noah turned to me, his eyes intense. "Amanda was…
"You're lying," Steven spat, but there was something in his eyes—a flicker of panic that made my skin crawl.
Noah pushed Steven's hands off him with surprising control. He looked at me, his expression softening slightly. "I'm not the good guy in this story, Elle. But I've never pretended to be."
Without another word, Noah turned and walked away, leaving a stunned silence in his wake.
I stared at Steven, suddenly seeing him through new eyes. The perfect, charming guy who'd swept back into my life seemed to shift and warp before me.
"He's lying," Steven said, his voice steadier now that Noah was gone. His smile returned, but it didn't reach his eyes. "Noah's always been jealous of me. He'd say anything to turn you against me."
The party continued around us, but it felt like we were in a bubble, isolated from the music and laughter.
Steven and I stood awkwardly, staring at each other
"Would you like to get some air upstairs?" Steven pointed to the staircase. "We should talk somewhere private."
I hesitated, then nodded. "Sure."
We walked upstairs together, but my mind kept racing through everything Noah had just said.
Especially the name Amanda. I was damn curious to know who she was to either Noah or Steven.
"I'm sorry about the kiss," I said as we reached the landing. "It was a mistake."
Steven didn't respond, just led me down the hallway and stopped at a door I hadn't noticed before. He turned the handle and gestured for me to enter.
"How did you know there's another room here?" I asked, suspicious now. He shut the door behind us and stretched out a bottle of water to me.
"You look like you could use this."
I raised a brow. I didn't see him with water downstairs. Where did he get it from?
“Who is Amanda?”
He turned back. “Just a girl I used to know.”
I took the water, suddenly aware of how thirsty I was after all the drama. I unscrewed the cap and took a long drink.
“Did you two date or did Noah date her or what?!” I asked and almost immediately, a wave of dizziness swept through me. The room began to tilt and spin.
"Steven?" I tried to say, but my tongue felt thick and uncooperative.
I stumbled back against the wall, watching in horror as Steven calmly locked the door and began to unbutton his pants. The empty water bottle slipped from my fingers as black spots danced at the edges of my vision.
"You shouldn't have kissed,” he said, his voice sounding far away. "And Noah should have kept his mouth shut."
The last thing I saw before darkness closed in was Steven's smile, the same charming smile that had fooled everyone all along.