chapter 7

I hit the icy water hard, the weight of Noah's body pushing me further down. I kicked my legs to try to reach the surface but the stupid high heels that Kate had made me wear meant that I wasn't getting anywhere. Noah's body above me prevented me from floating to the top.

This is how I die I thought, staring at the legs of the couples around me that I could just about make out. Underwater, surrounded by drunk, horny teenagers.

Suddenly, I felt a pair of strong arms around me, dragging me upwards. As I broke the surface, I saw that Tyler had pulled me out of the water, and looking across I saw that Miles had also jumped in to rescue Noah. I coughed and spluttered as Tyler swam with me towards the side of the pool and then picked me up, bridal style, and carried me up the steps.

"You alright?" he asked as he carried me, dripping wet, through the crowd of people and towards the back door of the house.

"I'm fine," I said, voice raspy from the coughing. "You can put me down."

"It's easier like this," he said, opening the back door and stepping inside the house. "Miles' mum is a bit OCD about her house getting dirty, and this way we'll drip less."

The logic didn't entirely hold true to me, but I was hit by another wave of coughing before I could argue. As Tyler carried me through the house, I admired the decor on the inside. The floors were a white marble, which contrasted with the dark wooden furnishings around the house. I noticed the complete lack of clutter- no noticies on the fridge, no photos lining the large, open staircase. Tyler eventually placed me down gently in a room on the first floor.

"Stay here, I'll find you a change of clothes and a towel." He said, disappearing into the large en-suite.

I stood at the entrance to the room, shivering, extremely conscious that I was creating a large puddle on the laminated wooden floorboards. I bent down to unbuckle my heels, which were still surprisingly intact. Kate's dress was heavy with water and my hair was soaked and stringy. I didn't even want to know what my makeup looked like.

Sounds of heavy movement and swearing came from outside, and then suddenly the bedroom door swung open again.

"Noah, you need to get changed, you're soaked!" Miles said, wrestling Noah into the room. Noah initially tried to fight back but then stopped in surprise upon seeing me.

"Lois," he looked me up and down, brow furrowed. "Why are you wet?"

I scowled as Miles let out a laugh.

"Miles, is that you?" came Tyler's voice from the toilet. "Where do you keep your towels?"

Miles swore and ran to help out Tyler in the bathroom, leaving Noah and I alone in the room. I crossed my arms and looked at the ground. I was extremely angry and I knew that one look at Noah's naked, toned torso would have all the anger disappear in seconds.

A high pitched shriek came from the doorway, and before I knew it a blonde girl had launched herself at Noah.

"So this is where you've been hiding!" she said, snaking an arm around his neck. "Have you missed me?"

Obviously taking Noah's silence as a yes, the girl crashed her lips into his. She pushed her body against him, clearly unbothered by the fact he was soaking wet. Unwillingly, my eyes followed her hands as she caressed a set of lovebites on his neck that I hadn't yet noticed. Noah staggered slightly under her embrace before wrapping his arms around her waist, his hands landing on her ass. I tore my eyes away, unable to watch any more.

"Get a room," Miles said, appearing from the ensuite with a pile of towels in his hands. He rolled up a towel and launched it at the pair. Without breaking contact, they stumbled out of the door.

"Here you go," Miles said, handing me a fluffy towel along with a black t-shirt and a pair of basketball shorts. "The clothes might be a bit big, but they are dry so-"

"They are perfect," I said, giving him a big smile.

***

I awoke the next morning to a soft knock on my door.

"Lois.... Psst... Lois"

Looking over at my alarm clock, I saw the time was half four in the morning. I let out a loud groan and swung myself out of bed. Groggily opening the door, I was surprised to see Noah standing on the landing outside.

"You look like shit," I said bluntly. It was true- his normally piercing blue eyes were bloodshot and surrounded by dark circles, and his hair was disheveled. His hickeys were even larger than I remembered them from last night, and they extended all the way up his neck, clearly visible from the collar of his white t-shirt.

"You're no morning beauty yourself." He said, pushing past me into my room and shutting the door behind him. His eyes passed over my body. I was so tired last night that I had crawled into bed still wearing Miles' clothes, and the baggy outfit did little to flatter my figure. "Whose clothes are they?" he asked, judgement heavy in his voice.

"Miles'" I said, laughing as his mouth dropped open in shock.

"You slept with Miles?" he asked thunderously.

"Shh!" I said, giggling, "Julie is still asleep."

"Miles?" he repeated, shaking his head, "really?".

I raised an eyebrow. "Do you actually not remember any of the events from last night?"

He winced and sat himself down on my unmade bed. "Of course, I pushed you in the pool. Sorry about that, by the way."

"Apology accepted," I said. I then realised that Noah was, once again, in my room without my permission. "Why are you here?"

"Well, I have these marks," he gestured to his neck before looking down at the floor, "I was wondering if you could cover them up for me."

I looked at him incredulously. "You woke me up at half four in the morning to cover up some hickies on your neck?"

"I'm sorry! I didn't know what else to do!" he said guiltily. "I'll pay you anything! Name your price."

I rolled my eyes and pointed to my vanity chair. "Sit down." I commanded.

He sat at the chair. "Should I take my top off or-"

"Keep it on," I said, shooting him a glare.

He raised his eyebrows. "You're kind of bossy in the mornings. It's turning me on."

I rolled my eyes and reached for a tube of concealer from the top of my vanity. Kneeling down in front of him, I began to apply the concealer to his neck.

"Thought it would take a bit longer than this to get you on your knees for me," Noah said, smirking.

It was too early in the morning for me to formulate a witty response so I decided to ignore the comment, instead continuing to dab concealer onto his neck. "Wow these are bad, was she trying to draw blood?"

"I honestly felt like I had been mauled by a bear when I woke up." He admitted, laughing. "Not hot."

"You certainly seemed into it last night," I said, the image of his hands snaking to her ass popping into my head. "Will she get a round two?"

"No way." He shook his head. "She was way too clingy."

I had a strange feeling of satisfaction before the conversation fell silent.

Blending the concealer into his neck with my fingers, my mind wandered to the look of disbelief on his face when he first saw me with Miles' clothes on. I couldn't help but anaylse why he reacted so strangely. Did he think I was frigid? Did he think Miles was too good looking for me?

"Why didn't you believe that I slept with Miles?" I finally blurted. Embarrassed that I had to ask, I busied myself with the makeup job, furiously avoiding eye contact.

Why do you care what he thinks?

"He's way out of your league," Noah said. The insult hit like a ton of bricks before I looked up to see a friendly grin spreading across his face. He was clearly just messing with me.

I pushed my finger into the bruise I was currently blending, causing him to howl in pain.

"Okay, I'm joking!" he said, laughing. The sound of his laugh was infectious. Maybe it was the early hour, or maybe it was the hangovers but before long we were caught up in an intense fit of laughter.

My bedroom door swung open, and Julie walked in. She looked between me and Noah, her mouth agape.

Oh shit.