“It’s stupid, I told you that.” He turns away from me, I hate that he’s embarrassed by this.
“Noah, look at me...” I have to show him this, I have to show him that he’s not alone in this. He turns over so he’s facing me again. “Turn on the light.” He does, I swear he’s the most handsome guy I’ve ever met, being sleepy just makes him more attractive somehow.
I lay on my back and pull up Noah’s shirt so he can see my ribs. He looks at the design inked onto my skin; his brows furrow together in confusion.
“So what? It’s a butterfly. That’s not embarrassing at all.”
“No, look closer. Look at the design in the wings.”
He leans closer, his fingers tracing over the design but he doesn’t seem to see it. I grab his hand in mine, using his finger, I trace what I'm waiting for him to see.
“N-O-A-H... Frankie...”
“I wanted you with me all the time but I didn’t want other people to tell me it was stupid to have a guy’s name tattooed on me. No one knows your name’s in the design, they all think it’s a butterfly.”
“I can't believe you got my name tattooed on you.” He whispers, looking up at me in awe. He’s freaking adorable. His chocolate brown hair falls in his eyes, I reach up and push it out of the way. He climbs up my body, straddling my waist, and kisses me like he never wants to let me go.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Noah
We kissed for what felt like hours before I collapsed next to her in bed. I pulled her body against mine and we were asleep in seconds. When I wake up, I find Miranda in my room, sitting on my desk chair, watching us with a bored expression on her face. Her legs are crossed, her elbow on her knee, chin in hand. She lets out a loud sigh, rolling her eyes like she’s bored with the scene before her.
“Am I ever going to find you two not in bed with each other?”
“Oh my gosh, Miranda! That sounds so much worse than it is!” Frankie defends us.
“Your parents are very nice, Noah. We had a nice little chat this morning when I came over to get my best friend back.” Her eyes widen slightly, her gaze locked on my wrist. I look down and realize I don’t have my leather cuff bracelets on, my scars are just waiting to be seen. My gaze snaps to Frankie but she seems completely oblivious. I quickly put the bracelets on then turn my attention back to the conversation.
“When do you have to go back home?” Frankie asks. I'm not sure if she’s looking forward to Miranda leaving or if she’s upset about it. It’s clear how close they are, I'm sure it is hard for her to leave Miranda behind.
“I have to leave after lunch.”
“I wish you didn’t have to go.”
“Me too. I'm thinking about asking your mom if I can move in.” She flashes Frankie a huge smile. I don’t think she’s joking. I think she really wants to move here.
“Your parents would never allow that.”
“Pfft, they don’t even realize I exist most days. They’d probably love to be completely child free. My brother is gone, they're so focused on retiring and having no responsibilities, they’d probably love it.”
“I’d love you to be here, I miss you so much.”
“Noah?”
I glance up, completely lost on why she’s calling my name. Did she ask me something?
“Yeah?”
“Would you want me here?”
“My opinion doesn’t matter, Miranda. You’re not living with me.”
“That’s true, but your opinion does matter.”
“You’re growing on me; it wouldn’t be horrible to have you around. Plus, if it makes my girl happy, that’s all that matters to me.” I don’t think Miranda’s cheeky grin could get any bigger than it is right now. I can't help but smile, a real smile.
“Damn...” Miranda whispers.
“I know, right?” Frankie whispers back.
“What am I missing?”
“That smile... damn.”
“What’s wrong with my smile?”
“You look sexy as hell. Stop smiling! I can't be attracted to you! Where’s Liam? I need another pretty face to look at.”
Frankie snuggles up to my side, her fingers trace my jaw, her eyes searching mine.
“I’ve missed your smile, Noah. You definitely need to smile more.”
I lean in towards her. Frankie’s pomegranate scent fills my nose, I can't get enough of her. She leans in towards me, we want each other so badly.
“You two definitely need to get a room.”
“We’re in my room.” I deadpan.
A snort of laughter comes from Frankie, making Miranda and I crack up laughing.
“I think we need to keep these two.” My mom’s voice comes from the doorway startling all of us. Dad’s arm is around my mom’s shoulders, both of them staring at us with smiles adorning their faces.
“I was just telling them about my plans to convince Mrs. Valdo to let me move in with them.”
“I think you’re trouble.” My dad chuckles. I can tell that he likes Miranda but he’s right, she’s big trouble. I feel bad for any guy she dates, I'm sure she’s a handful.
“Oh, Mr. Vaccaro, I'm most definitely trouble. But who likes boring obedient people, where’s the fun in that?”
“Why don’t you guys come downstairs for breakfast? Frankie, I made your favorite.” Mom says, a little twinkle in her eyes. She’s so happy to have Frankie back.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Frankie
Noah’s parents head downstairs to let us all get dressed. They don’t make a comment about finding Noah half naked. They almost seemed... happy. I don’t really get it, why would they be happy to find me with a half-naked Noah? That’s not normal, they should be upset.
“Can you leave so I can get dressed?” Noah raises a brow at Miranda, she just smirks back at him.
“Why doesn’t Frankie have to leave?” She crosses her arms over her chest, her eyes locked on him, challenging him.
“Because she’s already seen me in boxers.”
“I’ve seen plenty of guys in boxers, you’re nothing special.”
“Why am I not surprised?” Noah grumbles. “I just want to get dressed, Miranda.”
“Nothing’s stopping you.”
“Stop messing with him, go stand in the hall while he gets dressed.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever had a guy not want me to see his body.”
“Guess I am special, get out.”
“I just wanted to see his abs.” She whispers loud enough for Noah to hear. “And maybe his ass.”
I giggle when Noah’s cheeks turn red. It’s going to take him some time to get used to Miranda. She lets out a huff as she shuts the door behind her, clearly not happy that she needs to wait in the hallway.
I grab my shorts, slipping them on under Noah’s long t-shirt. I look over my shoulder, finding him staring at me.
“You’re not supposed to watch me getting dressed.” I say softly enough that Miranda shouldn’t be able to hear me.
“You’re beautiful, I can't look away from you.”
“Well, handsome, you’re gonna have to so I can change my shirt.”
“Then you need to turn your back so I can get dressed too.”
“What if I want to look at your muscles?”
“You like my muscles?” His eyebrow raises, daring me to keep going with this. I'm not backing down. I don’t care if he knows how much I love his body.
“I love your muscles. You look nothing like the last time I saw you, I didn’t recognize you the first time I saw you. How much time do you spend working out?”
“More than I should.” Pain crosses his features but it’s gone just as quickly as it came. I wonder why working out would be a painful thought for him. I let it go for now, we’re in need of a serious talk later though.
I turn my back to him, pull his shirt over my head and toss it on the bed. I look over my shoulder to find him staring at me. His eyes darken, his tongue peeks out to wet h
is bottom lip. I’ve never wanted someone’s lips on mine as much as I do right now.
“Frankie...”
“Yeah?”
“You need to get dressed... now.”
“Why?”
“Because I want you so bad right now. I don’t want to ruin us.”
“You’ll never ruin us, Noah, never. I love you.” I close the distance between us. I grip the back of his neck, pulling his head down as I stand on my tippy toes, meeting him half way. I press my lips to his, a small moan slipping out. His hands find my bare waist, they're everywhere, touching every inch of exposed skin. He nips at my bottom lip, sucking it into his mouth. My hand roams his chest, his tight muscles moving beneath my fingertips. My head falls to the side as his fingers graze my neck. Noah’s lips follow his fingers, sucking and softly biting my skin behind my ear and down my neck. My skin feels like it’s on fire everywhere his hands have touched, everywhere he kisses tingles.
“Noah...” I breath out, his lips finding mine again.
“We need to get dressed. Miranda will be in here any second.”
Noah picks up the shirt I wore here last night, slips it over my head and pushes me away. He turns away from me, trying to hide the fact that he’s adjusting himself. A blush creeps across my cheeks knowing that I turned him on.
He pulls on a pair of loose grey sweatpants. They hang low on his hips, showing off his amazing body. He slips a tight-fitting black t-shirt over his torso, making me frown.
“Why are you frowning, Kiki?”
“You covered up... everything.”
“I don’t want Miranda to give you any competition.”
“Can you at least smile a lot during breakfast? I need something to stare at.”
“I’ll try my hardest, babe.”
He throws an arm around my waist, leading me to the door. When we open it, Miranda practically falls into us. She was trying to listen to what was going on but didn’t hear us coming to the door.
“We’re you trying to listen to us?”
“I heard someone moan.” She holds her chin high; her arms crossed over her chest like she didn’t just get caught.
“Seriously, how have you been friends with her for so long?” Noah shakes his head but I can see the smile he’s trying to hide. He likes Miranda more than he’s willing to admit.
“Best friends.” Miranda corrects with a finger held high. Noah rolls his eyes. He pushes Miranda towards the steps when she makes no effort to move out of our way.
“Let’s go, second best friend.”
“Second best friend? Who the hell do you think you are, Vaccaro?”
“I was her best friend first, that makes you second.”
“I'm not second! You’re second! I'm her best friend!”
“Why can't you both be my best friends?” I ask as we enter the kitchen. Noah and Miranda freeze, staring straight at me. They don’t say a word or move a muscle, they just stare with their mouths hanging open. “Or...” I try to come up with something to say but I can't think of anything. “Or... Noah’s promoted to boyfriend and Miranda’s my best friend.”
They look at each other, back at me then back at each other again.
“I'm happy to be promoted to boyfriend.” Noah flashes me one of his gorgeous smiles. He’s smiling more and more every day; I absolutely love it.
“I'm her best friend!” Miranda fist pumps the air, doing a little happy dance, before she sticks out her tongue at Noah. “I win!”
“Only because she’d rather kiss me than be friends with me.” Noah freezes when laughter breaks out behind him. His cheeks turn as red as tomatoes, his eyes widen and lock on mine. I'm so sorry! He mouths to me. I couldn’t care less; I love his parents. I kiss him on the cheek before walking past him to the table.
“Morning, old man. How’d ya sleep?”
“Great once you stopped tiptoeing around my house.” He winks at me, loading up a huge plate and handing it to me.
“Hey, you told me where the key was, said to use it anytime I needed him.” I throw a thumb over my shoulder, pointing at Noah. “I just do what I'm told.” I flash him a satisfied smile, then shove a fork full of food into my mouth. “Ohmygosh!” I moan around my food. “Mrs. Vaccaro, I forgot what an amazing cook you are!”
“I forgot how bad your table manners are.” Mr. Vaccaro smirks at me. I wave him off like it’s no big deal.
“Boyfriend, best friend, come sit and enjoy this delicious meal.” I pat the chairs on either side of me. Mr. Vaccaro laughs, shaking his head at me.
“I forgot what a suck up you are too.”
“Pops! You’re just jealous that she likes me better.” I wink at him, Mrs. Vaccaro burst out laughing.
“Frankie, I’ve missed you more than you’ll ever know.” She lays her hand on mine, squeezing it gently.
“I’ve missed you too, Mrs. V.”
Breakfast continues with us all laughing and talking about Noah and I as kids. We talk about all the trouble Miranda and I got into over the years. I love catching up with the Vaccaro family, they’ve always been like a second family to me. I'm so happy to be home again, to be next door to them.
“Do you think we can go bowling before I leave?” Miranda gives me a puppy dog look, batting her long lashes and everything.
“Yeah, I just want to get changed and check in with my mom first.”
“Noah? You want to come?”
“Oh, is the boyfriend allowed to be present during best friend time?” He’s mocking her but she’s eating up the attention. Miranda loves nothing more than having someone to argue with.
“Well, I mean as long as we all know it’s my time and I'm the important person there.”
“Of course, who’d think anything less?”
“This is why I like you.”
“I thought you were #TeamLiam.”
“I was, but then I realized that you’re better for my girl. Now I'm #ForeverTeamNoah. Forgive me?” She holds her arms open wide, he rolls his eyes but still steps into her embrace, wrapping his own arms around her. My eyes water as I watch the two of the most important people in my life actually getting along.
“Frankie?” Mrs. V asks from the doorway. “Can you come here for a moment?”
I nod my head and follow her into the living room. She sits down on the couch and pats the spot next to her.
“I wanted to thank you, sweetheart.”
“For what?”
“Just being you. Since you came back, I’ve seen Noah smile more than he has in the past few years. He’s happiest when you’re around.”
“I love him.” I say softly.
“I know you do; you always have. I saw it when you two were little. He loves you too.”
“He told me that last night.”
“Good. He needs you; he needs help healing even if he won’t ask for it.”
“Healing from what?” My brows furrow together. So many comments have been made about giving him time and helping him heal but I have no clue what any of them are talking about. Her eyes widen slightly, her mouth parts as she stares at me.
“Give him time to tell you. I shouldn’t have said anything, please don’t say anything to him.” She sounds a little panicked, I feel bad. I grasp her hand in my own, giving it a little squeeze to reassure her.
“I won’t say anything. Noah and I need to have a talk, he’s asked me to give him time and I will. I'm not going anywhere; I need him just as much as he needs me.”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Noah
“Why did I agree to come here?” Liam complains as Miranda puts everyone’s names into the computer.
She writes Hottie for Frankie, Boyfriend for me, Bestie for her and Other Guy for Liam. Apparently, when Miranda says she realizes she was wrong and she’s switching to #ForeverTeamNoah, she isn't joking.
“You agreed to come because you wanted to see my ass in these amazing jeans. I mean look at how nice it looks!” Miranda tries to look over her shoulder to
check out her own ass.
Frankie sits on my lap, snuggling up in my arms. I expected her to be more reserved around Liam, especially since he’s made it clear that he wants to date her. Hiding our relationship isn't going to change things though.
“I'm not here to check out your ass. How do guys put up with you?”
“They stare at my boobs.” She shrugs like it’s not a big deal but I catch something in her expression. She doesn’t like the fact that guys date her for her body and nothing else.
“She hides her emotions behind her smart-ass comments.” I whisper into Frankie’s ear. A shiver rolls through her when my hot breath fans across her neck.
“I know. She doesn’t think people notice though. She’s had tons of boyfriends who all date her because she’s hot, they drop her the second they realize she isn't going to sleep with them.”
“She deserves better.”
“She does. She isn't going to find better until she realizes she’s so much more than a pretty face with a nice body.”
“Is she really going to move in with you?”
“My mom said it’s fine with her. Miranda practically lived with us before I moved. If I was home, Miranda was most likely there too. Sometimes she’d be at my house even if I wasn’t. My parents loved her even though she’s crazy and got in a ton of trouble, they even gave her a key. They said she needed me to anchor her and I needed her to let loose and have some fun.” She shrugs her shoulder. I wonder why Frankie couldn’t let loose and have fun, she was always the life of the party when she lived here. Did moving affect her as much as it affected me?
“How do you feel about her moving in with you?”
Her fingers thread through my hair, her ice blue eyes staring deep into me like she can see my every thought and emotion.
“It’s going to make it harder for us to be with each other. She doesn’t know how to be ignored or be put second to anything.”
“It’s ok. She’s important to you, we’ll make it work, babe.”
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