Filmed_ An Alpha Bad Boy Romance(33)

“I’m happy you worked it out,” she said cautiously.

“But?”

She sighed. “I don’t know, Lind, the whole thing is weird.”

“How’s it weird?”

“First he’s a total dickbag, then he’s charming and nice, then he’s a liar, and now he’s a total saint who doesn’t deserve his reputation?”

I nodded, understanding. She had a good point. I had been all over the map with my feelings for him. If I were in her position, I would be extremely wary of whoever was pulling her heart around too.

“All of that is my own fault, though.”

“Yeah, that’s true. But are you ready to get involved with someone like him?”

“I’m not really sure what’s even happening between us.”

She nodded. “Exactly my point.”

“I’m being careful.”

“I know you are, and I support you no matter what. I just don’t want you to get hurt.”

“Thanks, Chris.”

“So, give me the details. Was he a good kisser? Huge dick?”

“Oh my god. Enormous dick.”

We laughed, the tension breaking. I felt a little bad that she wasn’t more excited for me, and I totally understood where she was coming from. I had been firmly in the “I hate Noah Carterson” camp just a few hours prior, and suddenly I was back to obsessing about his taste and his perfect muscles. Chris was a no-bullshit kind of person, and only wanted the best for me. I knew she’d come around eventually. I had to at least appreciate that I had someone who would tell me the truth, no matter what, even if that truth would upset me.

As we finished talking, and Chris retreated back into her room to get back to studying, I thought more about what she had said. I realized how little I knew about Noah; he hadn’t exactly been super forthcoming about his life, aside from a few details about his dad. Plus, I felt guilty getting involved with Noah without telling my mother everything. If anyone knew more about Noah, and would be willing to tell me the truth, it was her. More than that, I needed to be up front with her about Noah. If I was going to have something with him, I needed her to be on board. It was possible she would be upset, but I wasn’t sure.

Looking around idly at my neat and nicely decorated apartment, mainly all thanks to Chris and her impeccable taste, I decided I’d call my mom the next day and tell her everything.

It was another warm afternoon as I made my way across campus, dodging groups of bored-looking kids talking about whatever. The night before was spent thinking about Noah’s fingers slicked up inside me, his warm breath against my neck, and how badly I wanted him to take me, right there, against the wall. I briefly wondered how many other girls he got off in public, but I immediately banished that idea from my mind. It was a waste of time and energy to get into that obsession spiral. My heart began to hammer as I thought about what I’d say to him when I saw him in class.

I walked into the building and crossed the lobby. Old green and brown chairs were lined up against the walls, obviously unchanged since the 70s. I found the stairwell and started to climb, my nervousness mounting with each step.

I had no clue what I was so nervous about. It was true that I hadn’t spoken to Noah since the night before, but he didn’t seem like the type to text every single girl he finger-banged the next morning. The problem was, I had no clue where I stood with him. He was a rich, arrogant asshole, and yet he seemed to have some weird interest in me. I couldn’t tell if it was because I was his next conquest, or if we really did have as much in common as I thought we did.

Pushing through the door to my classroom, I banished all thoughts of Noah. It was time to buckle down and pay attention to the lectures. I could worry about him some other time, maybe when I didn’t have to take copious notes just to keep up with Professor Johnson’s meandering lecture style.

As the period began, and Professor Johnson started to speak, I looked around the room. Noah was nowhere in sight, and for a brief second I was worried about him. That was irrational, but I couldn’t help it. He was usually late, but he almost always came to class eventually. Suddenly, I heard my phone vibrate in my bag. Trying to be as quiet and sneaky as possible, I reached down, unzipped the front compartment, and pulled it out.

Noah: Dots, gotta miss class. Bring your notes to work?

Me: Sure, is everything okay?

Noah: All good. See you tonight.

I put my phone away, not wanting to be completely rude, and tried to zone in on the lecture, but I couldn’t shake the nagging doubts. Was Noah skipping because he didn’t want to run into me? Frustrated, I began to double down on my efforts to take notes. I’d see him that night. Maybe then I could get a sense for what was going on.