Amanda

Noah practically dragged me to his motorcycle before I could even process what was going on. Someone had shoved another red cup into my hand and I was thirsty, so I drank. When Noah saw the empty cup, he threw it to the floor and looked at me, holding six fingers in front of my face.

"How many fingers do you see?" he asked me with a funny voice.

"Six," I replied and he sighed.

"Three," he corrected me, "Will you be able to ride in my bike?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," I slurred without even realizing it, "Wait, why are there two of you?"

"You're drunk," he stated.

"Really?" I asked, "Tyler is going to kill me!" I brought my hands up to my hair and looked around for my big brother.

"Come on." Noah stretched his long arm towards me and offered his hand.

"What?"

"I'm just gonna help you get onto the bike," he explained.

"Oh."

"Oh what?" he asked.

"Nothing." I stood in my place, unmoving.

"Are you going to move?" he asked for the second time, I think.

"Why?" I asked back.

"To get onto the bike?"

"Oh, right." I still didn't move.

"Come on, Mandy, my arm is cramping," Noah whined. I walked towards him as he looked at me carefully as if studying me. I looked down at his right arm, which was stretched just a few moments ago. I poked it with my finger and giggled.

"Is it asleep?" I asked and giggled again as I poked his arm in the same spot.

"Yes, now, can you get onto the bike or do you need help?" he asked as he moved his arm around.

"I think so," I replied. He nodded as I gave him my back and sat on the motorcycle, or that's what I thought I was doing. I fell butt first onto the concrete floor.

"Mandy!" Noah shouted as he appeared in front of me and examined me as he helped me stand, "Are you okay?" I was a heap of giggles as he made sure I was safely tied to him with his sweater. He slipped the helmet over my head and drove away from the frat house.

"Should I take you home?" he asked when we stopped at a traffic light.

"No," I replied, "Tyler's going to kill me and my-" I stopped myself before the words came out. "-my mom is surely sleeping."

"Fine," he agreed, "You'll be staying the night with me." I just nodded since I was subconsciously present. I felt light as a feather as we made our way through the mass of cars and trucks on the roads.

He parked in the parking lot of a small apartment and took me inside with him. We went inside the elevator and arrived to a door. He opened it and revealed a kitchen and a living room with a small TV. He led me towards a corridor in which there were three doors: the first one to the right was a bedroom with purple walls and matching curtains and bedding, I assumed it was Zoey's room. The second one was to the left and it was a bathroom, and the third door was at the end of the corridor. Noah opened the door to what I thought was his room. It was a suite with a queen sized bed and dark walls. The room was a mess, clothes thrown everywhere, papers all over the desk, piles of books placed randomly on the floor and just one framed picture.

A little boy with dark hair and blue eyes was there, next to a baby with the exact same features as him. A beautiful woman with black hair and green eyes was holding the small baby girl while a handsome man with dark blue eyes and blond hair had his hands on the little boy's shoulders. They were all smiling, even the baby girl. I couldn't help but smile as well.

When Noah realized what I was looking at, he removed the picture from the wall, placed it on the desk face down and coughed.

"So," he started, "You can sleep here and I'll sleep on the couch." I nodded and we stood there awkwardly, his blue eyes piercing me as he searched me with them. He ran a hand through his hair and then tucked his hands into his pockets. I didn't understand why we were being so awkward, but I shrugged it off and continued.

"Yeah, whatever it's good, thanks," I replied, not feeling as tipsy as I did before, "Do you mind if I have a glass of water?"

"Of course not, come." We went to the kitchen and he served me water. We stood in silence as I drank. It was an awkward silence, something I never really had with Noah. It would always be a comfortable silence, never something like this. He sat down on the chair next to the small kitchen table and observed me as I quietly finished the water. I placed the glass in the sink and turned to him.

"I'll give you something to sleep in." He broke the ice and walked out of the kitchen, followed by me. He handed me a pile of clothes and I went straight into the bathroom connected with his room. I changed into a pair of thin, red plaid pants and a black shirt that I assumed was his. I folded my clothes in the worst way possible because of my small tipsiness and walked out of the bathroom. Noah was sitting on the bed with his elbows on his knees and his face in his hands. As soon as I shut the door to the bathroom, he lifted his face and widened his eyes. He made a sort of cough come out of his mouth and looked away from me.

I left my clothes on top of the wooden desk and sat down awkwardly on the bed. Noah lifted himself up and headed for the door. He murmured a 'good night' and walked out, closing the door behind him. I sighed heavily and closed my eyes.

*          &          *

I groaned and turned to my left side again. I couldn't sleep and it was getting on my nerves. It must be the alcohol left coursing through my veins. I stared at the door and gave a frustrated sigh.

"Nope, not going to do it," I told myself and turned around once more. I've been tossing and turning for the past hour. I groaned again and turned back around, hating myself as I lifted myself off the bed and walked to the door. It opened with a creak, I was out the moment I was able to go through the opened space. I went into the living room to find Noah fast asleep on the couch. He looked so peaceful. His lips, for once, were not in the form of a smirk as he breathed heavily. His eyes were closed and his dark hair a mess. I didn't want to wake him up, but it was the only thing I could do. I walked silently to his side and kneeled next to his head.

"Noah," I whispered, "Noah!" He groaned and slowly opened his blue eyes, staring at my own.

"What's wrong?" he asked as he ran a hand through his hair and sat. I stood up from the floor and looked at him. He had a pair of pants similar to mine on. I tried not to stare at his marked and naked torso as I looked into his eyes.

"I can't sleep," I whispered.

"Why are you whispering?" he whispered back.

"I don't know," I switched my voice to a normal volume and he smirked. Here we go.

"Why can't you sleep?"

"I don't know, I just can't."

"And what do you want me to do about it?" He raised an eyebrow at me and I was thankful for the darkness of the room since I probably looked like a tomato. I knew this was going to happen, he would ask me and I wouldn't know what to answer.

"Um.. you could.. uh... you know," I stuttered.

"Wow, you're speechless," he stated and chuckled. I swatted his arm playfully and laughed with him.

"So.." I started a soon as we stopped laughing.

"You know, you could have just asked if you wanted to sleep with me," he stated, and winked mischievously at me.

"In your dreams," I scoffed.

"Or in yours," he replied and I choked.

"Whatever," I said, "I still need sleep."

"Fine, I'll sleep with you," he gave in.

We walked together back to his room and climbed onto the bed. I covered my body with the dark mattress and he did the same. We looked at each other as we laid on our sides. He smirked and I smiled back at him.

"Night," he whispered.

"Look who is whispering now," I whispered back and he laughed, "Night." I turned around and gave him my back as I looked at the desk. The bed shuffled and I assumed it was Noah turning around, but that assumption evaporated as soon as I felt his arm wrapping around me. I froze. He placed his head next to my neck and tightened his grip on me. A few moments passed before I relaxed into his body. Our breaths synced and turned into a sort of lullaby to which I fell asleep.