Norah and The Nerd: Best Friends Romance (Love in Ocean Grove Book 4)

by Anna Catherine Field

  Gabe sits next to me, envelope in his lap.

  Students pour out of the school around us. Normally we move out fast so we can get to Pie Whole before we go to work, but today I sit there, hands wrapped around the steering wheel. I look over at Gabe and see his jaw set, his shoulders tight, blue ink smeared on his thumb.

  “Why are you doing this?” I ask, futilely trying to figure out why he sent that invitation.

  “We agreed to go together.”

  “That was before—” I swallow. “You had no obligation to ask me.”

  “You’re the one that didn’t want things to change, for everything to stay the same. Yet you’re the one backing out of our plans.”

  “I’m trying to keep it together, Gabe.”

  “Yeah, well, you’re not the only one.” His Adam’s apple bobs and his eyes flash dark and hurt. He opens his mouth to speak again but snaps it shut, then opens the passenger side door, grabs his backpack and gets out.

  “If you want to know why I did it, Norah, open the envelope.”

  He tosses it on the seat and slams the door shut.

  Gabe doesn’t come into the shop that day and I throw myself into showing Bea how to properly add new merchandise to the computer system.

  “Basically, you add the ISBN number here and then it will pull up automatically. It also gives us a notification if we need to reorder something new or if something is a trend we want to keep our eyes on.”

  “Got it,” she says, staring at the computer screen, “at least, I think.”

  “I’ll leave you a cheat sheet in the notebook and you can always ask. No worries.”

  “Awesome,” she says, leaning against the counter.

  A customer approaches the counter. I glance up and see it’s a kid, he shyly says, “Do you have the latest issue of Underwater Octopus?”

  Bea moves quickly. “Sure, let me help you find that.”

  She walks off with the kid and I focus on the notes I’m making for the binder, really ready for this day to be over.

  Bea walks around the corner, talking the whole time. “I really like this issue. The octopus is hilarious.”

  “I like how he farts underwater.”

  “Right?” she says, smiling at me. “Underwater Farts would be a better title, to be honest.”

  She rings up the kid and slips his comic into a bag. He smiles giddily and heads out the door. “That’s probably the best part,” she says, looking after him. “Corrupting the young.”

  I laugh. “It really is.”

  “Anything else you need me to do?”

  I shake my head. “Nah, I think we’re pretty up to date. I’m probably going to head home, though. I have a bunch of reading to do tonight for Lit.”

  I reach for my bag and the yellow envelope Gabe left in the car tumbles out. Bea picks it up off the floor before I can react.

  “Here you go.”

  “Ugh, thanks.”

  She laughs. “Why ugh? What is that?”

  I sigh, Bea doesn’t go to our school and doesn’t know our stupid traditions. “It’s an invite to the fall festival. It’s just a lame fundraiser the drama department does. People pay to purchase an invitation and then they can write whatever they want on it. The volunteers hand them out during class.”

  “Ohh, so you got an invitation. Is it from the guy at the ice cream shop?”

  I grimace. “No. Not exactly. I did get one from him though.”

  She tilts her head in curiosity. “So you got two invitations?”

  I drop my head into my hands. “Yes. Total nightmare. I don’t even want one invitation.”

  “Who’s this one from, then?”

  I make a face.

  Her jaw drops. “You’re kidding. Gabe asked you to the festival?”

  “Maybe?” I pick up the unopened envelope. “I mean we had agreed to go as friends, but that was before Trevor and I went out.”

  “Maybe Gabe’s trying to make a move. Officially.”

  I shake my head. There’s no way.

  “How do you know if you don’t open that invitation? Maybe some lines are getting crossed here? Or maybe you’re both just scared.”

  “How did you get so smart about relationships?”

  She whoops with laughter. “Oh boy. I learned the hard way. Me and Carter? That took an act of a higher power for the two of us to get on the same page.”

  “But you finally did?”

  “Yeah, but only when we started being honest with one another and communicating.” She looks down at the invitation. “Maybe you should start by opening that and seeing what he has to say.”

  “That’s pretty much what Gabe said before he stormed off.”

  “Then it’s in your hands, Norah. Literally.”

  I stare down at the thick paper and know she’s right. I’m at a juncture in my life and I’m the only one that can cross it.

  28

  Gabe

  The board bobs beneath me and this far out in the ocean I feel like I can finally breathe. Too bad it’s not helping me figure out what to do about Norah.

  I’d been so angry when I left her in the parking lot. So hurt. I just want her to understand how I feel, that I’m willing to do this the right way, but she’s so stubborn she won’t even give me a chance.

  “How’d you miss that?” my dad says, paddling up to me. He’d caught a perfect wave that I’d totally missed, wallowing in my thoughts.

  “I guess I spaced.”

  Using long strokes with his arms, Dad positions himself near me. He squints at me. “You seem quiet. Everything okay?”

  I’d jumped at the chance to come down here this afternoon. There was no way I’d get any work done while I was so riled up over Norah. The things I said in that invitation…I laid it bare.

  “Just dealing with some stuff,” I confess.

  “Anything I can help with?”

  My dad is pretty cool. He’s creative like I am and not quite as overprotective as my mother. I doubt he’d care about me and Norah dating. If anything, he’d probably approve. He loves her.

  “I think I’ve screwed up.”

  “With the graphic novel? The new deal?”

  “Nah,” I say, my board gliding over a wave. “Personal stuff.”

  His eyebrow raises. “A girl?”

  I clench my jaw and before I can stop myself, I say, “Norah.”

  “Nor—” his eyes narrow. “What did you do?”

  “Look, you can’t tell Mom.”

  “Gabe…”

  “Dad, I didn’t do anything wrong, but Mom? She’s one of the problems here.”

  He sighs. “How so?”

  “Norah and I started dating for a minute, but she was scared to tell you guys. We both were. And I think…I don’t know, the lies and hiding,” I swallow, skipping over how fast we’d moved, “it all freaked her out. She broke up with me.”

  “And you didn’t want to?”

  “No way.” My heart pounds just thinking about it—about her.

  “Maybe she just needs time,” he says. “Or maybe she’s right, starting a relationship out with lies and deceit isn’t ever a really good idea.”

  “I know.” Boy do I know. “That’s why I wanted a second chance. A do-over. I asked her to the festival hoping we could try.”

  “And she said no?”

  I laugh. “She didn’t even get there. We had a fight and I stormed off.”

  “My only suggestion is for you to give her a chance to think about it. Don’t pressure her. Like surfing, you have to wait around for the good ones, and Norah is a great one.”

  He glances over his shoulder and I look, seeing the start of a building wave. We both automatically get in position, boards angled toward the shore, stomachs flat. My toes drag against the cold water and I feel the board rise with the swell of the wave.

  Dad and I both move at the same time, scrambling to get to our feet, to hit the timing right, and as the wave propels me forward, the feeling of hitting
this one just right settles in my bones. You always know.

  Just like with Norah. I know she’s the one. I always have.

  We just have to get our timing in sync.

  29

  Norah

  I sit on the beach watching the two dots bob on the waves out in the ocean. Mrs. Bonnie told me that Gabe came down here with his dad. I’d gone over to his house after I’d read his invitation.

  I look at it now. It’s a drawing, of course, with a small message at the bottom.

  He took his time with it, coloring it in with his markers and paints. It’s an image of the two of us together, him kneeling, flowers in one hand, candy in the other. The expressions are spot on. Mine is annoyed, irritated. His contrite, eyes twinkling, pleading.

  “Do this with me the right way,” it says at the bottom. “No lies. No secrets. No hiding.”

  When I read it, I knew at the very least we needed to speak, to clear the air, and I knew that if I didn’t go right then, I’d chicken out, and salvaging this is more important than anything else.

  Out on the water I see the two figures move, the swell of a wave building behind them. I’ve watched Gabe surf dozens of times before, but not now, not with the eyes of a person that’s kissed him—held him—lost him. He seems so far away and that distance feels both safe and too much, and when the wave surges, sending him toward the shore, I wait, heart picking up speed as he gets closer and closer.

  I wait until he emerges from the water, black wetsuit clinging to his body. He and his dad detach their cords and walk up the beach. I can tell the moment he spots me because he slows his gait and glances at his dad. They talk for a moment and he walks up to the boardwalk, resting his board on the edge. His dad waves at me and I wave in return, feeling those nerves of discomfort of anyone knowing why I’m here. Then Gabe and his father part and he walks in my direction. By the time he reaches me, my heart is in my throat and Gabe has unzipped his suit down to his hips and has wrapped the towel over his shoulders.

  “Hey,” he says, looking way less angry than the last time I saw him. His eyes dart to the envelope in my hand. “What are you doing here?”

  “I read it.”

  He’s in the middle of wiping his face and pauses. “Okay…”

  I take a deep breath. “I won’t go to the festival with you—”

  “Fine,” he says, not seeming fine at all. “I understand.”

  “But,” I say, holding out my hands, “I will go on a date with you. If you want.”

  A small smile quirks his lips. “Yeah?”

  “Yes.” I take a step closer. “I think that before I was so worried about everything staying the same that I didn’t realize things have to be different for this to work. We have to declare this somehow. Set some—”

  “Boundaries. Right.” He nods. “I think so, too.”

  “So let’s start with a date, but not one in front of the whole town. I’m not ready for that yet. Something small—”

  “Let me take care of it,” he says. “Friday?”

  “Friday sounds perfect.”

  I’m the one that closes the distance between us, the one that has a hard time controlling myself. Gabe is shirtless and his chest is smooth and muscular. His cheeks are pink from exertion and his lips—

  He touches my shoulder, stopping me from coming closer. “As much as I want to pick up where we left off, I think we shouldn’t. If we’re going to start over, then let’s start over.”

  “Good idea.”

  He smiles and the wind blows his hair. “Friday?”

  I smile in return. “It’s a date.”

  30

  Gabe

  There’s something to be said for working hard for what you want.

  I want Norah Saddler.

  The rest of the week passes in a flurry of school work, afterschool meetings, deadlines for the next graphic novel, and the awareness that I have a date with the most awesome girl in school.

  By the time Friday rolls around I’m on cloud nine and everyone notices.

  “Is something going on?” Delaney asks me at our lockers that afternoon. I’ve been sneaking glances across the hall. Norah and Trevor are talking. I’m not jealous. I’m not, but I know she hasn’t given him a yes or no about the festival either.

  I shove a few books in my locker. In a low voice, I say, “Don’t say anything but we’re going out. Tonight.”

  Her eyes bulge. “Tonight!”

  “Shh!”

  “Just one date to see if we can get this right.”

  “I’d noticed she’d seemed a little extra perky the last few days.” She studies me. “I think you’re doing the right thing, Gabe, fighting for what you want.”

  I slip a notebook into my backpack and nod across the hall. “Yeah, we’ll see. I’m still up against that guy.”

  “I have faith in you,” she says, giving me a quick hug. Tyler waves to her from down the hall. “Ugh, I have to get to rehearsals. Let me know how it goes, okay?”

  “Sure.” I wait with my back against the lockers as Norah and Trevor say goodbye. When he walks off, I cross the space. My skin vibrates as I get closer to her. This girl has done a number on me.

  “What time do you want to meet tonight?”

  “Meet?”

  She gives me a look. “Yeah, meet. For, you know,” she lowers her voice, “our date.”

  “I’ll pick you up at seven.”

  She frowns. “Pick me up? But—”

  “No secrets. No hiding.”

  “Have you told your mom?” she asks.

  “Not yet, but I will. I did tell my dad.”

  That surprises her. “What did he say?”

  “That I better not hurt you.”

  She laughs. “I love your dad.”

  “He loves you.” I tuck my hand in my pocket. “So, seven?”

  “Okay, but I better go home and prep my mom. And Olivia.” She sighs. “They’re all going to lose their minds.”

  Olivia probably not, but I don’t tell her that. “Oh, and wear something nice.”

  She raises an eyebrow. “What do you have planned?”

  I shrug and sling my backpack over my shoulder. “Just be ready, okay?”

  “I will.”

  As I head back down to the art room, I can’t help but understand a little more about what Reese said that night, how this is the good part, the thrill of the lead up. Norah and I skipped that part the first time around, and I was determined to make it up to her.

  “Whoa,” Sidney says, slowing by our shared bathroom, “Where are you going?”

  I run my fingers through my hair, trying to turn it into something manageable. Or semi-manageable. Or the appearance of being managed.

  “None of your business.”

  “Are you going on a date?” He looks me up and down. “With a girl?”

  Satisfied I’ve tamed my hair into something presentable, I brush past him, refusing to answer. There’s no way I’m telling him before my mom.

  “Is it that Reese girl, because dude, she’s so out of your league.”

  “Sid, if you don’t get out of my face…”

  He holds his hands up. “Fine. I’m just curious. You never dress up. For anyone.”

  I grab my coat off the back of my desk chair and catch a glimpse of myself in the full-length mirror. I’m wearing one of the outfits Mom bought me to wear in L.A. to the business meetings. A nice pair of gray pants. A lighter gray button down. The jacket is darker with a small plaid running through the fabric. A moment of panic runs through me and I look at my brother, who hasn’t worn anything but sweats and Minecraft T-shirts in the last two years.

  “Is it too much?”

  He shrugs. “If you’re looking to impress someone, I guess it will work.”

  Heck yeah, I’m trying to impress someone.

  Sidney heads back to his room and my phone buzzes. It’s a text from Ben.

  B: Want to play KillerQuest?

  I suck in a breath and
reply:

  G: Heading out tonight. Maybe tomorrow?

  B: What’s going on?

  G: I’ve got a date.

  B: With a girl?

  G: Yep. You know, maybe you should call Delaney and see what she’s up to.

  B: I don’t think she’s into me.

  G: I think she’s probably just waiting for you to make an effort. Trust me on that.

  I slide my phone in my pocket and head down the stairs, bracing myself for my mom, who I hear in the kitchen. I step through the doorway and she takes a quick glance over her shoulder, doing a double take when she processes my outfit.

  “Well, don’t you look handsome. Do you have a meeting tonight? Did I forget something?” She walks over to her calendar and runs her fingers down the days.

  “No, Mom. I’m going on a date.”

  “A date? Someone from school?”

  I clear my throat. “With Norah.”

  “Norah?” She looks over at my dad who is neck deep in the pantry, probably looking for a snack. He emerges with a bag of popcorn. “Did you know about this?”

  He shoves a handful of popcorn in his mouth and shrugs.

  “You mean a date-date? Like a boyfriend-girlfriend kind of thing?”

  I nod.

  “Oh sweetie, I don’t know if this is a good idea. I mean, you’re both going away for school next year and you’re already so busy.” Her lips form a line. “I’ll have to talk to her mom about this. You guys already have a lot of freedom and we’ll have to change some of the rules.”

  “That’s fine. Do whatever you want. I’m still taking her out tonight.”

  She looks at my dad for help. “What do you have to say about this?”

  He sets the bag of popcorn down on the counter and brushes off his hands. “I think it’s none of our business. They’re seniors in high school. Like you just said, they’re about to go off on their own. There’s not much we can do here.”

  “But what about your friendship or the fact you guys are working together on this project?” She shakes her head, a million new ideas about why this is a terrible idea popping into her mind at once. She gives me a sad look. “I just don’t want either of you to get hurt.”