Filmed_ An Alpha Bad Boy Romance(40)

“We leave by one at the latest,” Chris said. Kelly Drive turned into Lincoln Drive as we passed into the outer fringes of Philadelphia County. The houses out there were larger and older, Victorian style multi-million dollar things. Chestnut Hill was a small town centered around Germantown Avenue. It used to be home to German immigrants back in the 20s and 30s, during the very beginning of the suburban sprawl, but it quickly shifted to upper class mansions and rich folk.

“Yes, Mom,” Selena said.

“Unless you stay over, Lind,” Chris said, grinning at me in the rear view mirror. I was relegated to the back seat because it was Selena’s car. She was a diva sometimes.

“I doubt that’s going to happen,” I said, lying. Part of me was hoping for exactly that.

We turned off of Lincoln Drive, and wound our way through Chestnut Hill. Chris’s phone acted as the GPS, and I was positive we would have gotten lost without it. I was a little familiar with the area, but Chris had no idea where she was going, and she wasn’t exactly the best driver in the world. It was about ten at night, and there weren’t too many cars out on the roads.

Finally, we pulled up outside of an enormous house. It was probably the largest home I’d ever seen in the Philly area, white with dark blue shutters and beautiful Roman columns out front. It looked like an old southern plantation home, and I guessed it was older than all of our ages combined.

“Holy shit,” Selena said.

“Now that’s a mansion,” Chris laughed.

We began to drive slowly up the driveway. There were a few other cars parked, and some which obviously didn’t belong: old beat up clunkers, like Selena’s. My stomach began to do flip-flops as Chris pulled into an open space and turned the engine off.

She turned around and looked at me. “Not too late to back out.”

“Fuck that,” Selena said, climbing out.

I smiled at Chris. “I’ll be fine. I’m excited for this.”

She nodded, not convinced. “Okay then. Let’s see Mr. Rich Boy’s country home.”

I laughed and climbed out of the car, looking around. The three of us walked up to the front door. We could hear the thumping bass of club music pumping from inside, and I wondered if anyone would hear us knocking. Chris rang the bell a few times, and after a minute or two, the door pulled open.

Noah looked out at the three of us. My breath caught in my chest: he was handsome in a button down plaid work shirt and tight faded blue jeans and leather boots. His smile was genuine and he immediately locked eyes with me.

“Hey guys, welcome to my ancestral home.”

Selena laughed. “Nice place, Noah.”

“Thanks. Come on in,” he said, stepping aside.

We followed him inside, and I was immediate assaulted by loud music and the smell of beer. There were way more people than I had expected. It wasn’t a “low-key gathering,” like he had said over text, at all. In fact, it was a legit college bash with multiple kegs and at least a hundred people.

The downstairs was massive, mostly open spaces, with separate rooms for a formal dining room and a parlor. Those rooms were closed off with French doors, and he made it clear that they were off limits. Most people congregated in the living room and kitchen, with open sliding doors leading out to the back patio.

The whole place was richly decorated, and I suddenly had a stab of anxiety wondering what expensive piece of art was going to get ruined. It was inevitable at a party like this. There were three kegs and plenty of bottles of liquor with mixers, and people were doing shots and taking beer bongs by the sink.

Chris gave me a look that screamed “this is not what I expected,” and I shrugged in return. I could tell Selena loved every minute of it. Of the three of us, she was still in her party phase.

Noah led us out back. There was a large pool that curved gracefully around a hot tub. People were swimming, and some were sitting in the tub. There was another keg, and more liquor at a small bar positioned by the fake waterfall that fed the pool. People milled about everywhere, and I wondered how they all got out there. Noah stopped and faced us, gesturing out around him.

“Well, this is it. Get a drink, have a good time.”

“Thanks, I think I will,” Selena said loudly, eyeing up the bar.

“Feel free to swim or whatever.” He gave us another smile then walked off back into the house. I stared after him, wondering what was going on. He hadn’t so much as acknowledged me since I walked in, barely looking at me. I didn’t expect him to throw his arms around me make out with me right there in the middle of everyone, but anything would have been better than what I got.