by Bee Daniels
"Fuck, man. The fucking party is over," someone grumbled as everyone trailed out of the party. According to the police, they were disturbing the peace with how loud they were, and the neighbors weren't happy about their sleep being disrupted.
Noah lingered outside near his truck with his friends, wondering what he would do next. Right now, with the way he felt, no amount of water would stop him from swerving off the road, and possibly killing himself or someone else. He couldn't drive tonight. Noah sighed, rubbing his eyes. He didn't feel good anymore. He just felt tired and weak.
"Let me get a ride with you, man," Noah asked Dale, who was talking to some random girl he had just met at the party.
"Give me one minute," Dale told the girl before he walked over to Noah, giving him a menacing look before he lowered his voice. "Are you trying to ruin this for me? Don't you see her? I'm hooking up with her tonight."
"I'm pretty sure she's just trying to get a ride," Noah said chuckling. Even drunk, Noah could tell from the way the girl huddled with her friends that she would extend that offer of a ride to them, and when Dale would try to go up to their dorm, more than likely, they would make up some excuse for him to leave.
Dale wasn't getting any tonight, but trying to explain that to him wouldn't work. Fuck it. He would call an Uber.
"I can take you home."
Noah looked to his left and was surprised to see Julie there. He had forgotten all about her. She had been hanging out with him tonight.
"Uh, no, I don't want to bother you," Noah said, blinking as he glanced bewilderedly until he saw the grocery store in the distance. Suddenly, he remembered that he was only a few blocks away from Melanie's place. He could go over there and spend the night. More than likely, she would be home at two o'clock in the morning.
"It's fine. Besides, you can't drive right now. You're too drunk."
"Right," Noah agreed, and Julie giggled, probably from how slurred his speech was right now. This was the last time he was ever drinking any of Dallas's shit again. He had never gotten this drunk before in his life.
"You're right, Julie. No drinking…I mean driving." He stumbled off, walking past his truck as he headed for the crosswalk.
"Wait. Where are you going?" Julie called after him.
Noah waved her off. "To a friend's house."
"Noah!" she called again, but he ignored her as he headed across the street. He walked and walked until he found himself in front of Melanie's door. For a second, Noah hesitated, wondering if this was a mistake. It's not like he randomly dropped by Melanie's place all the time. He had only been here twice before, once to help her with her groceries, and the second time when he placed a bet with her on their car ride back, and she had no choice but to fix him dinner. Would she even open the door for him? Or what if someone else was here?
Fuck it. He knocked. When he didn't get a response, he knocked louder before leaning his head against the door. He was so tired. Melanie needed to be here because he wasn't sure if he could walk somewhere else with how sluggish he felt.
"Who is knocking on my door at this— Noah."
The door opened, and Melanie looked at him, surprised. Blearily, Noah took in Melanie's appearance, and she had definitely been asleep. Her face was bare without even the slightest smudge of make-up. There was a scarf wrapped around her hair, and she wore a silk robe that stopped just above her knees. Even without any make-up, she still looked beautiful.
"Mel," he said, smiling, but she didn't feel the need to reciprocate that smile, instead opting to frown.
"What are you doing here, Noah?" She peered at him and took a step forward, sniffing him before she quickly pulled back with a scrunched nose. "Are you drunk?"
"I plead the fifth," he said before bursting out into laughter.
"Why did you come here?" she asked, a pinched look on her face.
"Couldn't drive. Too drunk." He arched a brow. "You aren't going to let me in?"
"I should leave you out here," she said as she seemed to contemplate it. "I don't know why you came here of all places."
Noah didn't feel like explaining his thought process on getting here. He just wanted to sleep. "Come on, Mel. You can't leave me out here like this. What if I get in a car accident?"
"That's what they have Ubers for," she retorted, and Noah wondered if she wouldn't budge.
"It could be someone trying to murder me," he argued.
Melanie snorted.
"What? I'm serious."
"Ugh," she stamped her foot against the ground. "I'm too tired for this. Come in."
As soon as she made way for him, Noah stepped inside her apartment and sluggishly headed towards her bedroom until Melanie grabbed his arm, halting him in his steps.
"I don't know where you think you're going. But there is no way you're sleeping in my bed drunk."
"So, if I wasn't drunk, I could sleep there?" Noah asked cheekily as he turned around and pulled Melanie into his arms, hugging her. He smelt her hair and sighed deeply. He missed her.
"Let me go," she said, slapping his arm. Reluctantly, he loosened his grip but still held on. He smiled at her.
"I missed you," he told her honestly. "Did you miss me?"
"I saw you yesterday," she uttered softly, no longer struggling as she let him hold her. And this was another side of her that he hadn't met before. A softer version of her, one that he liked a lot. God. He wanted to kiss her again.
Noah leaned his head against her shoulder, wanting to rest there. "I'm so tired, Mel. You going to let me sleep with you?"
"Uh, no," she said as if he had asked the dumbest question ever. He chuckled and then noticed how close he was to her neck. He wanted to see if she would taste as good as she did the last time, so he pressed his lips against her neck, and he could hear her heart beat rapidly. Immediately, she shoved him away, and it was only then that he realized what he had done. He clearly needed to sleep now before he did something stupid.
"I'll sleep on the couch," he told her before adding, "I can, right?"
He had a feeling right now that he was pushing his luck with her. If he weren't drunk, none of this would fly with her. He was surprised she hadn't kicked him out yet.
She nodded, giving him permission, and he plopped down onto her comfy couch.
"Take your shoes off," she told him, and he grunted, sitting up to toss them off before he laid back down.
"Matter of fact," she said before heading to the back. He heard her rummage around, and while she did that, he nearly dozed off until she shook him back awake. When Noah looked, she had clothes for him. Men’s clothes, to be exact.
Noah frowned. "Whose clothes are these?"
Melanie rolled her eyes. "My brother's. Now put them on so you can stop messing up my couch."
Relieved and satisfied, Noah stood up and stripped his shirt off. When he started to pull his pants down, Melanie looked away. Noah grinned lazily, wishing she would look at him so she could see what she could have right now if she just gave him permission. Even this drunk, he could fuck Melanie just right.
After putting on the clothes she had given him, Noah plopped back down on the couch, ready to sleep, but then he thought of something. "Sleeping on this couch could really mess up my back for the game."
"You can sleep on the couch, or you can sleep on the floor," Melanie offered. "Your choice."
"You don't care about me at all," Noah whined just as she dropped a blanket on him.
"Good night, Noah," Melanie said as she walked off, shutting off the light behind her before she went into her room.
It wasn't long before he let much-needed sleep take over him, and the only thing that interrupted his rest was his need to piss. In the middle of the night, Noah trekked over to her bathroom and pissed before he stumbled out, still dazed from the alcohol. But instead of going back to the couch, he walked into the room next door. When he stepped inside, he saw Melanie sleeping peacefully on one side of the bed
, while the other side called for him. Who was he to deny that call? Noah laid down beside Melanie, looking at her peaceful sleeping form until he fell asleep himself.
CHAPTER
24
MELANIE
W
HEN MELANIE WOKE UP THE NEXT MORNING AND SAW NOAH IN HER BED, she nearly whacked him upside the head. She remembered specifically telling him to sleep on the couch, but here he was in her room peacefully sleeping, drooling on her pillow, and softly snoring. Melanie looked at his lashes, tracing his sharp jawline with her eyes before her gaze dropped to his lips.
Melanie sighed as she sat up, annoyed with herself and the situation. When she heard someone knocking on her door last night, she thought it had been the police because only they would knock on her door that loudly at 2 o'clock in the morning. Imagine her surprise when she saw Noah standing outside her door, drunk. He had reeked of alcohol. And though, she had been upset with Noah for coming to her place that late at night, she was also happy that he had come over, instead of driving. Many people got into car accidents, either harming themselves or other people around them. She would have rather dealt with a drunk Noah than a dead one.
Melanie got out of bed and headed to the bathroom. She quickly washed her face and brushed her teeth. And when she saw her scarf in the mirror, she quickly snatched it off, realizing that Noah had seen her with it. For some reason, she felt slightly embarrassed about that. But then again, why should it matter that Noah had seen her without make-up and her scarf on? He was her student, not someone she was dating. Melanie shook her head and wandered off to the kitchen. She would make the same soup for Noah that Abigail had cooked for her the last time. It was perfect for hangovers, and from what she could smell, that was exactly what Noah needed after drinking so much. At that party, he hadn't been as nearly as drunk and seemed like someone who was able to handle his liquor. Melanie wondered what was so different now.
An hour passed before Melanie finished cooking everything, and just when she finished, Noah stepped out of her bedroom groaning. The shirt she had given him was gone, and Melanie suspected it had nothing to do with him being hot and all to do with vomit ending up in the wrong place, judging from the state of her bathroom. This was the last time she would ever shelter a student, whether they were drunk or not. He stretched, and Melanie noticed how loosely his pants hung on his waist, revealing his outline to her.
"Good morning," he groaned out with not as nearly as much charm as he usually had, showing Melanie that he was indeed nursing a hangover.
"Is it really a good morning?" Melanie asked as she set the table.
Noah groaned before taking a seat in his regular spot across from her. "I don't know what I drunk last night, but I'll never drink it again."
Melanie rolled her eyes. It reminded her of her young years when she would go out and get drunk, having no idea what was in the cup one of her friends passed her. But those days were behind her now. She had too much going on with her life to go to parties and get drunk. That's what she told herself until she got drunk a few days ago and made out with the boy sitting across from her.
"Here. This is hangover soup. It should help you out a bit, but you still need to get whatever is in your system out."
He groaned even more, and Melanie laughed.
Noah squinted. "You're laughing at my pain?"
"Yes, I am," Melanie said as she sat down and dug into her own plate of eggs and spinach. "Why were you in my bed?"
"I got lost," Noah said.
Melanie stared at him in disbelief. "It's an apartment, not a three-story house."
"Honestly, I think I was seeing double last night. I don't even know how I made it here. I was so freaking tired."
"Hmm," Melanie hummed, still annoyed with the fact that he had been in her bed. They had already crossed way too many boundaries, and just when she had planned on setting them, he was already crossing new ones.
"My bad," he said apologetically. "But your bed did feel good, and it'll help me for practice."
"Practice my ass," Melanie mumbled, and Noah cracked a smile before he grimaced.
They ate in silence, and not in the comfortable silence they usually sat in. It wasn't because it was morning. It wasn't even because Noah was still trying to get over his hangover. It had all to do with what happened a night ago. Melanie could feel it. A part of her hoped that they could get past this without talking about it. But she knew that she was the adult here and that this was something she couldn't ignore. What happened that night was wrong, and she shouldn't have engaged in it.
Melanie sighed deeply, trying to find the right words to say without making everything more awkward than it was. She laid her fork against the table, and Noah glanced at her curiously before he paused in his eating, sitting his fork down.
"Noah," she started uncomfortably. Now, it was even hard to look at him because all she could think about was that kiss. She couldn't believe she had kissed him. And it wasn't just some small peck on the lips, but a full-blown hormonal teenage make-out. For Christ sake's, she had been grinding against him.
"You know we don't have to do this," Noah said.
Melanie frowned. "Do what?"
"We don't have to talk about this," he said, shrugging. "We don't have to talk about what happened that night."
Melanie wished it was just that simple, but it wasn't. If she could sweep this under the rug without ever thinking about it again, then she would, but it wasn't possible. First, she needed to own up to what she did, and then she needed to draw some lines in the sand because, clearly, there weren't any. Because if there were, Noah wouldn't be in her house right now after coming here at two o'clock in the morning drunk and then sleeping in her bed.
"We do have to talk about it, Noah. I'm sorry for what happened that night. As you know, I was drunk, but even then, that isn't an excuse for my actions and sexually ass—"
"Hold up, hold up," Noah said, chuckling. "Please don't say what I think you're going to say."
"Noah," Melanie said, sighing. "I'm being serious here."
"I'm being serious too. Don't make a big deal about this. So, we made out?" He shrugged as if it wasn't a big deal that he had gotten drunk with his professor and kissed her. "It definitely wasn't what you were implying."
"Would you say the same thing if the roles were reversed?" Melanie asked. She had spoken to many of her male patients before who seemed to think they were exempt from sexual assault because they were males. And maybe they couldn't necessarily classify this situation as such, but nothing could change the truth that what happened was inappropriate.
"If she's the same age as me, then I don't see the problem. I'm not a little boy. I don't get carted at the door. I was drunk, you were drunk, and something happened. Nothing to make a big deal about."
"I'm your professor," Melanie said, emphasizing the professor part because sometimes she thought they both forgot this fact. They were too comfortable. "As your professor, I shouldn't have done anything like that. Can't we both agree on that?"
Noah sighed and picked up his fork again. "It's fine, Mel. I wasn't bothered by it, and I know you were drunk. You're not like that. But if you're adamant about it, I accept your apology. And we don't have to speak about it again."
Melanie stared at him for a moment before she nodded, knowing this was all she was going to be able to get from him. She at least felt relieved that she apologized for what she had done. Now, the weight on her shoulders felt like it had been lifted. She picked up her fork and started to shovel into her spinach when Noah spoke again.
"Besides, it's not like the kiss was that great anyway."
Her fork clattered against her plate.
"Excuse you?" she uttered in shock as she stared at Noah wide-eyed. What the hell? Was he calling her a bad kisser? Now, Melanie wouldn't go around bragging about her kissing skills, but she never had complaints before. And from what she remembered about that kiss, if she were being ho
nest, it had been more than great; it had been spectacular. Not that she would ever admit that to Noah.
Noah shrugged as he picked up his empty plate and carried it over to the sink. "I'm just saying we shouldn't make a big deal about something like that. It wasn't anything to write home about."
Okay. He had to be fucking with her. She knew he was. She was a freaking psychologist, so she knew the whole reverse psychology thing. But that didn't change the fact that right now her pride was bruised, and she didn't like the idea of Noah implying that she was a bad kisser when she wasn't.
Melanie stiffly stood from the table and brought over her plate as well, placing it in the sink, before she turned to look at him, placing her hands on her hips.
"You know people can't really display their best abilities while drunk," she said. "But I will say I agree with you. If it wasn't for Abi, I probably wouldn't have known I kissed you at all."
Melanie dried her hands and shot him a grin before she turned to walk away. Take that! If he wanted to be an asshole about it, he wouldn't be the only one. She was almost out of the kitchen until Noah grabbed her waist and pushed her against the wall. Her heart rammed against her chest at an abnormal rate. They were way too close, so close that her chest was pressed against his as he crowded her space.
"Well, let's have a bet then," Noah said, his breath hitting her cheek. A mischievous grin plastered on his face, along with the tick in his jaw. Melanie felt triumph to know her words had bothered him just as much as his words had bothered her. "Since you supposedly didn't remember. I agree. I couldn't show my best work under those conditions."
"I'm not doing this with you," Melanie said as she tried to slow down her heart rate and ignore the way Noah felt against her. He shouldn't be this close to her, and she should be the adult in this situation and rein it under control, but right now, she really couldn't think with him this close to her.
"See, I think you're lying to me, Mel. There's no way you didn't remember it," he said. "It's not possible."
Melanie feigned nonchalance. "I mean it was a pretty forgettable kiss—"