Confrontations Who: Darcy & Noah When: Wee hours of the morning Where: Darcy & Avery’s house
Noah had, against his better judgment, gone into the woods again. It hadn’t been purposeful, he’d been thinking and, lost in thought, he’d found himself on auto-pilot, checking every clearing and dark rock outcropping large enough for someone to hide inside. By the time he realized what he was doing, he’d also realized he was lost. He’d texted Darcy to let her know he’d not be home at a good hour, just because she’d worried about him the last time. That was another thing too. He was worried this time. Because he wasn’t sure what she was going to say when he talked to her about Liam.
He pinpointed the north star in the sky above the dome and followed it back into town. He bee-lined home but Darcy wasn’t there. He sat on the edge of his bed, wondering if she was avoiding him. Well to hell with that. He showered, put on fresh clothes, and made his way to Darcy and Avery’s place. He knew he looked like a stalker, avoiding the front door and moving around the side of the house, but he figured Darcy would vouch for him if a neighbor took issue. While he walked that way he picked up a few tiny pebbles and as soon as he was near her window he pinged them against the window pane, careful not to make enough noise to rouse neighbors or Avery. Then he waited to see if Darcy’s face would appear. Darcy was as annoyed as ever when she left work. Worried about Noah and what he wanted to talk about, not to mention what would happen if they did talk and she brought up the part where Patrick demanded Noah’s presence at a family dinner. It was a reason just to head back to her own room, but it didn’t stop her from slipping out of her work clothes and back into Noah’s shirt and sleeping in just that and her underwear.
She was sleeping soundly when something pulled her from that, something at the window. Rolling over she stared at it, then it happened again and she realized what was going on. Smiling a little she got up, checking the clock to see just how late it was, shaking her head and going to the window, looking for Noah on the other side. After a moment she opened it up, wrapping her arms around herself at the chilly night air. “Couldn’t sleep?”
Seeing Darcy at the window, Noah couldn't help but smile. In spite of what he'd been worried about, he still had the memories of the night before and all the rest of the time he'd spent with her. And, like always, he had a very physical desire to touch her. Especially with her hair a bit of a mess that said she'd been sleeping. If she was sleeping then maybe there was nothing to worry about after all. Her conscience must be clear if that was the case. He tried not to think about the negative connotations of a clear conscience and focused only on what he wanted. He shook his head in answer to her question. "No, the bed's too big without you," he said with a little smirk at himself for quoting a terrible song lyric he'd once heard ages ago. "Did I wake you up?"
Darcy shook her head and rolled her eyes. “And you didn’t want me to move in,” she said, moving out of the way of the window so he could come inside. “You did, but it’s okay. Not a bad thing to wake up to.” She wrapped her arms around herself again, smiling a tiny bit at him, just because he was there.
Noah climbed in through her window as quietly as he could then stood, brushing his hair out of his eyes. "Didn't I?" he asked. "I just wanted you to do what would make you happiest." His eyes slid over her, taking in how she had her arms wrapped around herself and he hated it. He knew it was probably because she was cold, but she looked so small when she did that. Though his eyes drifted past to the bottom of her - his - shirt to her legs and he couldn't help but smile a bit. "Not a bad thing to not wake up to," he remarked lightly though his face was serious when he added, "You okay?"
“I guess I thought you might have wanted me to move in as...more than a roommate.” Darcy sat back on her bed, tucking her legs up under her, but she did like the way he looked at her and that smile that came with it. There was definitely something to be said for being wanted. “I guess I am. Worried about some things.”
"That's kind of a little fast considering we're not even together, right?" he asked evenly, not wanting to put any emotional emphasis on the "not even together" part. It was a weird thing because he would never have asked her to move in if she hadn't expressed frustration over her family and living situation and he happened to have the room. Otherwise, no suggestion of moving in would ever have happened. Not for a long while, he was sure. That was a big step and, while playing house with Darcy would have been fun, it was more than they were really ready for, wasn't it? He shut her window and then leaned against the wall beside it. "Like what?" he asked, curious to see if they were on the same page or if she had other things on her mind.
Darcy winced a little and shrugged, pulling her knees up towards her chest. “I guess we’re not. I guess….yeah too soon.” Which sucked for some reason. What happened to the Noah that had said such nice things to Avery about her? Maybe he hadn’t meant it. The whole thought was solidified by his staying at the window and not coming closer. “Like what you wanted to talk about so bad you showed up in the middle of the night.”
Noah inwardly winced as she folded herself in smaller. He wanted to clear the air before he opened up again to her. He wanted to be sure he hadn't gotten attached to someone who didn't get attached back. He'd felt it so often before, this addiction to her, and he knew the withdrawal he was going to go into if he couldn't have her. It would be bad. He didn't want that but he needed to know first that he wasn't sleeping with someone else's girlfriend. "I needed to know about Liam," he said quietly.
Darcy had come up with a list of things that he wanted to talk about. Most of them involved what had happened the night before and how maybe he didn’t want to do it again, or what he’d expected from them or anything else, but Liam was not on the list. “What about Liam? How do you...what do you know already?” Darcy certainly hadn’t brought him up with Noah. Why would she? There was no point in that.
Noah tried to gauge her response to his blunt statement but he couldn't get a read on it so he answered her. "I know that you liked him and you bid on him at the bachelor auction. That's all I really know." He paused and decided he might as well ask all of it since he was already to this point. He folded his arms across his chest and his eyes traveled to a spot on her bed beside her. "Is he your boyfriend?"
She was wracking her brain, trying to determine how he’d gotten there, how he’d found out. Who could have...who knew? Then Darcy’s skin went cold. “Avery.” Her bitch of a cousin. Of course. “No, he’s not my boyfriend. Neither are you.” She sat back, further on the bed and away from him. “I did bid on him and we did hang out a few times, but it wasn’t serious and I just ended it today.” There was a touch of bite to her tone, annoyed that Noah said it the way he did. And he couldn’t even look at her when he did it.
Noah felt the sting behind her tone and his eyes went to her face, hardening a little. Why was her first instinct to lash out at him? He would never understand that. "No, I'm not. I wanted to be sure I wasn't interfering in someone else's relationship is all. It sounds like I was though." And he didn't like it. Even if she had ended it today. There'd been something to end. "Avery thought I knew or at least that it had been over already. She said you were loyal so I wanted to just hear it from you that I wasn't a third wheel or something." All the while he spoke, his tone was low and almost emotionless. He wasn't sure he could show her how that made him feel considering how she'd just spoken to him. Like he was just being a pain in her ass or something.
“No it sounds like Avery needs to keep her mouth shut and come to me first.” Darcy shook her head, more mad at Avery than anything else. “You didn’t interfere you just changed the direction of things. We went out a few times before I even started talking to you and it’s just...it’s not the same.” Didn’t he see that? Her voice had caught a little on that last part and she wound up looking at her hands instead of him. It was ironic, Avery saying that Darcy was loyal when Avery was nothing close to it. “You’re not a third wheel.” His tone was making her sick to her stomach, sure he was leaving.
Noah shrugged. Maybe Avery did need to keep her mouth shut but he was glad she hadn't in this instance. How long would Darcy have been seeing both of them? It couldn't be a coincidence that Avery had brought up Liam today and today was when Darcy chose to end things. That math seemed sound to him. His jaw worked as he clenched and unclenched his teeth, feeling the ever-present pain subside a bit in his head. "No, not anymore," he said to her statement that he wasn't a third wheel, not sure what else to say because she'd tossed it into his face that he also wasn't her boyfriend. Where did any of this leave them? He could feel the edges of withdrawal threatening and he swallowed against the possibility she was going to tell him to leave soon.
“Because you’re the only wheel or whatever.” She sighed and wrapped her arms around her knees again. It was her turn not to look at him, looking anywhere else, but him, because she was sure she’d do something stupid like burst into tears if she looked at him.
The bizarre thought that he was being called a unicycle shot through Noah's mind and he couldn't help but laugh. It was like a rubber band snapping, releasing the tension that had built up over the past few minutes and the time he'd spent worrying over it all day. He looked at her apologetically but he couldn't help it. He couldn't stop laughing. After a moment he was able to reel himself back in and give her a sheepish smile. "I'm sorry. I just … " He shook his head. "You made me sound like a unicycle and I don't know, it just hit the right button. I'm sorry."
Darcy managed a scowl when he started laughing, making sure he saw it when he looked at her. When he explained himself she gave him a dirty look and threw her pillow at him. “I’m trying to say the right thing!” And now she felt silly.
Noah forced his face into a less amused expression, biting the inside of his cheeks as he caught her pillow. Then he pushed off from the wall with his hip and went to sit on the edge of her bed, propping the pillow back where it had come from. Not too close because he'd seen her looks but he wanted to say the right thing too. "I know. And you did. Thank you," he said gently, one hand out, palm down on the bed between them. There was still the fact that there'd been something to end, even if she seemed to be downplaying it. But if she'd chosen him, could he be unhappy about that or with her? "You have no idea how good that sounds."
Darcy watched him skeptically at first, trying to determine if he was still messing with her. Tentatively she reached for his hand, turning her own to lace her fingers with his. "I hope so. It was what I wanted."
Noah gave her fingers a gentle squeeze but he looked seriously at her. "Why so much acid in your voice before though?" He didn't understand if it was just Darcy or the normal way girls responded to such questions and he was almost sure he would put up with a lot to keep her. He was that addicted. Yet it would be good to know how to avoid certain pitfalls in the future. Like hearing her speak as though he were only annoying the hell out of her.
Darcy sighed and let her knees fall, crossed Indian style as she took her hand back, resting both of them in her lap. "Because I'm mad at Avery for saying something to you about something that's not her business. And that you'd think I would...that I'd do that."
Noah sighed too when she took her hand back and he tucked his hands into the pockets of his jeans. He knew better than to defend Avery to her even though he thought she was being a little unfair considering the situation. "Why do you assume I think that? Because, Darcy, I didn't think you'd do that. I just wanted to be sure." Except she had done it, hadn't she?
"Because of how you said it. I'm not with Liam. I was barely with him. I haven't seen him except for lunch in days and we kissed just a few times. It wasn't...it's not this. I just didn't have a chance to talk to him and I wasn't sure what this was. I wasn't even sure if you liked me as more than just a game." Darcy sighed and blew her hair out of her face. "You never should have been worried. I can't believe Avery told you then yelled at me. I don't feel nearly as bad about telling Patrick she has a boyfriend."
"But I didn't say anything. I asked a question." She was a little bit exasperating with her continuing assumption that he always thought the worst of her. In this case it had been a struggle because he didn't want it to be true but he worried it might be. Still, he wanted her. Even if it meant being something on the side, he probably would have stuck around. That's how addiction worked. "One thing I will say is that sex isn't a game to me. It's not holy matrimony but I don't play at it." He still wasn't touching the Avery thing, not with a ten foot pole, even if he wanted to say Avery meant well. But he didn't know Avery any better than he knew Darcy. Maybe the girl was malicious and good at hiding it.
"But you asked like you were so disconnected..." Darcy looked at him, feeling awful that she'd got herself into this situation. "I don't want to play at it either. That's how...how I knew it was different. I knew before but you could have just quit after. You could quit now. You won." And Darcy was babbling worried he was leaving again. Maybe he was done. The game was over.
He didn't know how to answer her about sounding disconnected. Maybe protecting his own feelings had worked against him but Noah still couldn't have brought himself to lay them out in the open if she was going to walk all over them. "I wouldn't say I won. Not alone anyway. Unless you ... do you regret it now?" he asked, wondering if that was why she was tossing things at him like he wasn't her boyfriend and still talking about things as though they were a game.
She looked at him again, biting her lip, trying to come up with the right words. "Are...are you done with this? With us? Because the game ended?" If he was, yes. She regretted it massively. Maybe not the act but that she'd been so happy about it. So excited that thugs felt so good. If that was the case then yes. A thousand times yes. If not, then no, it was still probably one of the best nights of her life to date.
Noah thought a moment, reading her body language and wanting to pull her to him. His hands stayed in his pockets. "No, I'm not." Not by a long shot. For him the game had been over the first time she'd spent the night in his bed. He'd been hooked on her. "At least, I don't want to be. Are ... are you?"
Darcy stared at him, feeling relief flow into her, easing some of the panic. "Not at all," she told him. She was worse off than before when he was mystery. Now she knew some things, more things, but it wasn't enough. She craved more.
Noah felt the release of tension in his shoulders at her answer. A ghost of a smile flitted across his features. "Are you sure?" he couldn't help but ask. Something needed to be concrete between them even if it was simply that she wanted to keep spending time with him. He'd take it.
Darcy gave him a little look. "I wouldn't lie to you." She hadn't. Not that she could remember. And she wasn't about to start now. "I'm sure."
He shook his head because that hadn't been what he meant and a pinpoint of pain shot between his eyes. He closed them for a moment and rubbed the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger. "So you're playing for keeps now too?" he asked quietly, looking at her again.
Darcy watched him and wondered if his head was hurting again. It had her drifting forward, pressing her thrum against the space her just rubbed, nodding. "I thought I already said that."
It didn't seem like she was playing for keeps if she'd been hanging on to another relationship at the same time. "Guess I just want everything to be transparent right now, you know? Because of ... because it..." He shrugged and trailed off both because her rubbing felt good and because he wasn't exactly sure how to phrase what he meant without making her mad.
Darcy sat back on her heels, hands in her lap. "Because of what?" She figured if he wanted to be transparent, she might as well ask. Get to the bottom of things and get them sorted.
He closed his eyes, the pain distracting, but he had been the one to say "transparent." He sighed. "Because it changed the way I looked at everything we'd said knowing you had a Liam."
Darcy sighed and shook her head. "I don't have a Liam. Not really. It was...I think I scared him again and again. And you're..." She stared at Noah, not sure if he felt well. "It happened so fast. I hadn't caught up yet. But I wasn't thinking about him when I was with you."
He opened his eyes and looked over at her. "I'm what?" He gave her a little smile when she said she hadn't thought of Liam when she'd been with him. "That's good to know." That thought hadn't even entered his mind and it threatened now to open up a whole new avenue of jealousy.
"Different. And exciting and passionate. And special." She smiled a little. "Though Avery probably says all that about you too." Her own jealousy was creeping in, though she wasn't entirely sure what set it off, just that it was there.
He couldn't help but smile fully at her description of how she saw him. Then he breathed a bit of a laugh, a little confused why she'd think Avery would say anything similar. "Actually, judging from our conversations, she thinks I'm a huge dork."
"Does she? I half expected her to tell me I wasn't good enough for you." Darcy liked that he was smiling though. That was a good sign.
The pain between his eyes continued to spark but he managed to keep his eyes open. "She probably thinks I'm not good enough for you," he countered partly because of how much Avery had emphasized how much she thought Darcy liked Liam.
"Well she's wrong. You're probably too good for me but I'm willing to pretend I'm good enough if I get to stay with you." Darcy said drifting closer, watching him. He didn't look good. "Are you okay?"
"No pretending needed. You're better than good enough. You're a lot more lovable than you give yourself credit for too, by the way." He knew she could be prickly, he'd just experienced it, but she was way harder on herself than she needed to be. "Yeah... really bad headache coming on."
"So you're playing for keeps then?" Darcy asked, voice tentative. Then she reached out, brushing his hair back. "Can I help? Get you something to take maybe?
"I'm not playing anymore. I'm just keeping." He closed his eyes at her touch because it both relieved his head some and because he liked that she wanted to touch him. "Pull my hair?" he asked.
"Keeping?" Darcy's voice was a little weak at the surprise, like she hadn't been expecting that. He wanted to keep her. She shifted a little closer, hands in his hair, nails along his scalp until she pulled gently. It was an odd request but she knew it helped. "Why do you get them?"
He nodded, his expression almost wolfish but for the pain in his eyes. "As long as it's okay with you that I do." He groaned softly at the wonderful relief. "I'm not sure. I almost always have one but not usually this bad."
"It's okay. Though it also means you have to have dinner with Patrick and who knows who else." Darcy pulled at his hair again, liking that noise for all the wrong reasons. "Should you see the doctor? About them? Find out why you have them?"
"Dinner?" He wasn't sure what he thought about that. He was already pretty sure the O'Reillys would want to murder him if they knew what he got up to with Darcy. His brow furrowed slightly at her question. He was ashamed to say he was a little afraid to go to the doctor. "Maybe but why? I have you to pull my hair and make it feel better." He half smiled with a pleasant sigh.
"Patrick's orders. He wants to get to know the people in my life and about flipped when he thought you were my boyfriend. So dinner. Sorry," she told him. Watching his eyes she shook her head. "But I'm not always here. And what if something is really wrong?"
Noah stiffened at the sound of "orders" and even more so when she mentioned Patrick had flipped. This was probably so bad. "Dinner... okay... When?" Okay, he could do it for her. He'd said before she was worth a beating. Now was his chance to prove it. "It's probably just allergies or something. Stress. Nothing big, right?"
"It's not going to be that bad," Darcy said, close enough to notice the way he stiffened. 'Flipped' was probably a little too much, but Patrick had not been amused when he thought they were something more than friends. Which they were, but they didn't have a title or anything. "Soon. So we can get it over with. I'll ask him about a good time." She ran her fingernails along his scalp. "But it never goes away. That's bad. Usually. Maybe you should have it checked out. Maybe someone could help. Really help."
"Yeah, the sooner the better. Get it over with," he agreed though he wasn't sure how he was going to face her family. Maybe he would try the diplomacy angle and be the perfect politician. He could do it. He gave himself a mental pep talk and groaned almost too loudly as he felt her fingernails again. "Okay, maybe I will," he said to appease her. He didn't want her to worry about him but he also didn't want her to stop what she was doing.
"I'll talk to Patrick. Just think, you could be Finn. He's got that coming and he's definitely Avery's boyfriend." When he groaned she giggled, putting her hand over his mouth. "Shhh. Not so loud." When she pulled her hand away she pressed a tiny kiss to his lips and went back to playing with his hair. "I'll go with you if you want."
"If he's ordering me to dinner, he's definitely thinking I'm your boyfriend," Noah said, assuming that Patrick had done what all adults do and humored Darcy by letting her not put a label on something he was pretty sure had a label. He laughed quietly when she put her hand over his mouth and kissed her palm then her lips when she kissed his. "Sorry, I can't help it. You make me feel so good," he said, purposely using a phrase with a double meaning. "If you want... you don't have to."
"He's Patrick. He'd order anyone to dinner if it made him feel like he was involved." She sighed and leaned closer to Noah. She didn't want to do the dinner thing, but her cousin wasn't going to let it go so she supposed she didn't have a choice otherwise. Smiling a little she shook her head, leaning in for another kiss, but not getting completely there. "You weren't that loud when I made you feel good last night," she teased gently. "I want to. That's what...I'm here for right?"
Noah lifted a brow slightly upon hearing her estimation of her cousin's motivations. He wondered if that were really the case or if she was just trying to make him feel better. His eyes dropped to her mouth as she leaned closer and stayed there as he answered. "We're fully clothed," he started then glanced at her bare legs. "At least, I am. And anyone walking in would know we weren't up to anything. I guess that's why," he said. "Thank you, I'll let you know when I make the appointment."
Darcy wrapped her arms around his neck. "So you were worried about getting caught in your empty house? Or does a ghost live with you that I don't know about?" Though ghosts were real. She remembered that weird kid who was also dead but not a zombie. So a ghost being there would be extra weird. "Do that. I'll hold your hand."
Noah wrapped his arms around her waist. "No, it's just ingrained in me after years out there with zombies. I never had much safety - not for long at least. Being quiet was important all the time. Some habits die hard, I guess. You like it noisy, huh?" he asked, teasing a little. He smiled at her offer to hold his hand. "You're wonderful."
"I don't like it one way or another," Darcy said shaking her head, because what he'd said let her heart fall into her stomach in a way she couldn't explain. Swallowing hard she avoided his eyes even though she was close to him. "Were there a lot? Before. A lot of girls?"
Noah shook his head. "No, there weren't," he answered truthfully. "But being quiet was something I learned to be every hour of the day or night really. Maybe that's why I have headaches. Everything is too loud." He smirked and kissed her chin.
Darcy felt relieved. She might have preferred 'none' but who was she to judge. There were guys in her past too. "Maybe." She finally looked at him smiling a little. "Don't become a werewolf then. I swear Patrick hears shit that he couldn't hear before."
His fingers pressed gently into her back for a moment, a simple gesture of affection. "Definitely not part of my plan to become a werewolf. Or vampire. Or any other weird thing. Unless you do. And then I might give in to peer pressure," he teased a little.
The little pressure had her moving closer, taking it as that. "You'd do that for me?" she asked, obviously surprised. "You wouldn't have to do that. I wouldn't want you to change." Though she didn't want to change herself. No matter how much better Patrick could hear.
He liked she'd moved closer, he kissed her cheek. He nodded at her question, glad to be talking about something less threatening than her family or going to the doctor. Or sex. "But aren't those things usually immortal or something? I'd have to get old and ugly while you got to stay young and beautiful. Then you'd find someone else." He sighed, still teasing a bit.
She frowned. "I guess maybe. I can't imagine Patrick not longer being older looking than me." She shook her head. "I wouldn't care if you were old."
Noah had no idea if werewolves in the dome were immortal but it seemed possible. He wouldn't really want to be one though. He tilted his head slightly. "No? I'd kind of feel like a dirty old man after awhile I think. Not that I'd mind too much if you let me stare at you from time to time."
Darcy laughed a little. "We'd definitely draw some attention. And I’d have to leave Aidan alone..." She leaned in and kissed Noah. "You can always stare at me."
"Mmhm. People would start asking if you were my daughter. And then eventually if you were my granddaughter." He started to frown at the mention of Aidan but she kissed him and so he smiled instead, realizing that she'd managed to get rid of the worst part of his headache. He pulled back and looked at her, his eyes trailing her features. All of them beautiful to him. He was so addicted. "It's good you're okay with it because I can't always help it."
"They'd just be jealous. Plus you'd still be handsome." She needed him closer and did as much so she was pressed against him after he looked at her. "It's not like I can stop you, but it is nice to know someone thinks I'm pretty."
"You think I'm handsome?" he asked, not having been told that by anyone other than his mother as far as he could remember. He held her close, relishing the feel of her pressed up against his chest. "I'll bet plenty of people think you are." He couldn't be the only one.
"Very much so." She ran her hands through his hair, kissing him again. "If they do, I don't know about it. I like knowing you do."
Darcy laughed a little, letting him pull her into his lap and winding up on her knees, straddling him and pressed close. "I'm good in bed?"
Having her this close was so good. He didn't think he'd ever get tired of how it felt, how she felt beneath his fingers as he trailed her sides to her hips. "Mmhm," he said, his expression saying much more. That look made her swell with pride, glad he thought as much. "Good," she murmured, kissing him, deeper this time.
He smiled against her lips, catching her lower lip lightly between his teeth before he pulled back. "You're good at that too," he remarked.
"So are you." She kissed him lightly then smiled. "Are you planning on taking me to bed? Or were you headed home?"
When she kissed him lightly he pulled her back for more of a kiss. "Is Avery here?" he asked, purely because he could answer her question better with that information.
Darcy giggled into the bigger kiss. "Don't know. She put on a pretty dress and went to see Finn."
"And hasn't come back? Oh I bet her brother would love that," he deadpanned because he imagined Lochlan was probably as scary as Patrick. Or worse. "So we have the house to ourselves?"
Darcy shrugged. "I haven't heard from her. She could be. I bet Lochlan would flip. But good for her. She wasn't are about him and if he hadn't done well tonight I was going to tell her to dump him." She smiled and moved closer. "We can say we're alone."
"Good for her," he echoed with a little bit of a proud smile. "'Bout time something other than making out happened." He gently nibbled her jaw. "We could say that, yes. And I could plan to be out of here early again."
"Glad we agree on that. She didn't seem too excited with the making out anyway." She sighed happily, pushing at him to get him on the bed. "I like that plan."
"No," he said affirmatively. "No, she really didn't. Maybe he's not all that great a kisser. Poor Avery." He smiled as she pushed and he went easily back, folding his hands behind his head, not touching her.
"Not everyone can have you," Darcy said with a grin, hands flat on his chest. "Well if he didn't step his game up, she should dump him. But I'm worried she'd try to steal you."
"That's true. There's only so much of me to go around and most of it's right here on your bed. You're right. She should dump him if he doesn't appreciate her." Noah was pretty sure Avery wasn't interested in him in a way that might try to steal him away from Darcy. "She could try I suppose," he said off-handedly.
"I've only got part of you?" Darcy asked. "I don't know if she would. She's attached to the boyfriend thing." She gave him a little look. "She can try? Then what?"
He chuckled softly at her question and shook his head. She had every bit of him. "Yeah but she doesn't need to have a boyfriend that doesn't want her. She does know that, right?" He almost chuckled again at her look. "Then nothing. Unless you decide to duel her for me." He shrugged.
Darcy smiled when he shook his head. "I told her that much." Giving him a look, she poked his side. "I'm not dueling her for you. If you want her more then fine." Except Darcy was sure she'd cry and that glinted in her eyes.
His lips quirked up to the side at her poke and he squirmed a little. Unfolding his hands from behind his head now, he rested them on the tops of her knees at his sides. "I don't want her at all, let alone more."
"No?" Darcy asked. She ran her hands over is chest, watching it instead of him.
He sort of wished his shirt weren't there then, her hands on his skin rather than his clothes. "No, she's not my type."
"Blonde and curvy?" Darcy shifted so she was laying on his chest, chin propped on her arms which we crossed on him. "I get jealous when she says you two hang out."
"Is she? I prefer redheads with good legs." His arms slid gently around her, his fingers playing with the ends of her hair. "Jealous? Why?"
She chuckled a little, then smiled. "Fair enough." She kissed him, lingering this time.
He kissed her back, fingers tangling a little in her hair. She hadn't answered his question but he'd get back to it later when she wasn't on top of him, distracting him with her mouth.
See that was nice. This was how it should be. His hands in her hair made her stomach flip, hips pressing against his without any real thought to what she was doing.
A soft noise escaped his throat when she moved, his hips lifting slightly in response. He pulled back to look up at her, fingers twisting gently in her hair.
Darcy gave him a contented smile, not opening her eyes at first. Then she was looking down at him leaning into his touches. "So you're staying?"
"Well," he said quietly, taking her in with a little smile. "You did say you liked my plan and I'm already lying down. Nice and comfy too." One hand strayed to her face, fingertips touching its softness.
Darcy nodded, cuddling in closer. "Yes. I did like your plan. Stay with me." She pressed a kiss against his jaw and let out a peaceful sigh.
She seemed dreamy and he felt himself relax with her. It was different being close and quiet and he found he liked it just as much as when he was finding new ways to make her gasp. "I'm all yours," he replied, tracing circles on her back with his fingers now.
That made her cheeks heat up, but she just buried her face more in his neck. "Good. That's what I want." Him. As hers. It was different from a few nights ago but she didn't care. She wanted him. Like this and here. "I'm planning on keeping you too."
Noah was always surprised at the things that made her blush. He liked it though especially because it meant her face was against his neck which sent a small shiver through him especially because he could feel her lips move there as she spoke. "Good. That's what I want," he said to her plan. It was strange but putting a label on this seemed so prosaic that he might never want to be called her boyfriend. The only label he really wanted was "Hers."
That was more than good enough. Darcy sat up a little, slipping off him but pull at his shirt as she moved back into bed, trying to tug him with her. "Come to bed," she told him softly.
Noah might say the things she liked, but she did the things he liked. She included him, moved with him, wanted him. He slid out of his jeans because they were not comfortable to sleep in and slid in beside her. He said her name in almost a whisper.
Darcy made sure there was enough space for both of them, then curled up against him, fingers slipping under his shirt to rest against bare skin. Maybe there could have been more, but this was beyond nice, being close to him, hearing him say her name like that. Smiling a little she leaned up to kiss him, letting her feelings flow into the kiss instead of trying to say embarrassing things. She did want him, but she also wanted him here, close to her.
The best thing with Darcy, other than, well, Darcy, was that she made him feel wanted on all levels. It was foreign to him and it seemed like the most delicate part of whatever their relationship was. Like it could disappear at any time and so he basked in it albeit silently. He sighed his own contentment when her hand finally found his skin and again when she kissed him. He returned it with silent expression of his own feelings for her.
In all honesty, it was a far more intense kiss than she'd been expecting, and though she drew it out, there reached a point where she had to pull back, trying to catch her breath and resting her head against his shoulder. It was right there, what he was feeling and it ran so parallel with what she was feeling. Her arm tightened around his middle, holding him closer.
It had to have been the best kiss they'd had in his estimation. Something unspoken had passed and he wasn't even sorry when it ended because it felt like communication had been received. He smiled, breathing a bit fast. "Me too," he felt the need to whisper.
Darcy closed her eyes, fighting against tears, which had come out of nowhere and she was sure were happy tears, but they seemed pointless. Then she was nodding, agreeing with him, even if she was still figuring out just what it was she was agreeing too. Whatever it was, she meant it.
Noah wasn't aware of her tears this time. He just felt her nodding and he smiled because this - all of this - felt really good. Really right. There weren't words per se but he knew that if they still felt like this after finally having sex it meant good things. Or at least things he thought were good. He hoped she did too.
Darcy ran her fingers along the flat of his stomach, willing away the last of the tears and fearful feelings, letting herself just relax against him. It was a strange sense, that she'd been sleeping earlier, but now she wasn't sure how she slept without him there in the first place. Finally really relaxing, she snuggled in until she was in the right spot and calmed for sleep. "Glad you came," she murmured against his chest, voice barely there.
If he hadn't been relaxed and pointed in the direction of sleep, her fingers would have felt more distracting than the soothing way they felt now. He relaxed, feeling her move, moving too, finding their own best place. He couldn't help but smile. "Glad you let me stay," he whispered.
She was smiling too, even if she was already feeling the tugs of sleep. "You're always welcome. I'll just leave the window open." Then he could just climb in and into bed. Darcy wouldn't mind that. It was better than sleeping alone.
He might have answered but he was too happy. Too much in the midst of not realizing the depth of his feelings and yet enjoying them. "Good night," he said softly and then followed up with something unintentionally abstract. "I see you."
That was enough to give Darcy pause, head tilting. "You see me?" What on earth was he talking about? She was too tired to properly process it and figure out if it meant something she was supposed to know but didn't.
Noah heard her question and sleepily realized what he'd done. His stomach shook slightly with silent laughter at himself. "I will try explaining that when I'm more awake." He kissed her wherever his lips landed as she snuggled against him.
Darcy could take that even if she was still curious, she was more tired than anything else. Nodding a little she let herself relax. He could tell her in the morning. What matter was that he was here now.
* * *
Noah woke slowly, leaving his eyes closed a long time. He didn't want to move, his arm around Darcy, his chest to her back. Eventually he'd have to and she'd wake if she wasn't already awake so he pushed his face forward to kiss her shoulder. "Morning."
Darcy had woken up when Aidan texted her, but she hadn't wanted to move more than to grab the phone and answer, liking Noah close to her. The kiss made her smile, turning in his arms to face him. "Morning."
He smiled as she turned, shifting a little so he could see her better. "Sleep well?" he asked quietly, not wanting to break the spell of sleep and silence. He knew he had.
"Mmm," Darcy confirmed, kissing his jaw. "You?" She hoped as much. She wanted him close, right next to her, but she also wanted him to like her bing there.
He smiled at her kiss. "Mmm, yes, like a baby," he said and kissed her lightly on the mouth. "Hope I don't snore too much or anything."
"Would have complained already if you did," Darcy said, twisting her fingers in his shirt.
Noah breathed a laugh. "Oh good," he said. He scooted a bit closer, the urge to begin exploring her with his fingers beginning but he held off. They really didn't have time.
Darcy smiled but that was it. "Aidan said he found Sylvia." She knew that it would bring on him leaving her but she knew it was important that Noah know his friend was safe.
Noah frowned. Of course Aidan had found Sylvia. He was pretty sure now that he'd been right that Aidan had always known where she was. Either that or she'd gone to Aidan after thinking better of hiding out. "Good for him. Good for them."
"Good for you right?" Darcy assumed that if his friend was found it was a good thing.
He shrugged, feeling a little agitated. "It's good to know she's safe. Now I can move on."
Darcy pulled back and stared at him. "Do you really want to do that?" No, she didn't like Sylvia, but Sylvia and Noah had some pretty intense history.
When she pulled back, Noah sat up, throwing his legs over the side of the bed. "Obviously our past means nothing to her so yes, I want to move on."
Darcy watched him, then followed after him to wrap her arms around his middle from behind. "Did she say that?" Darcy had seen the cold side of Sylvia and she didn't think the girl had much to offer in the way of feelings, but Noah and Aidan had both insisted otherwise. And while she didn't approve, she wanted to believe her cousin knew something about Sylvia she didn't know.
"She decided to go into hiding indefinitely, made it impossible to find her except for Aidan apparently, and said that she'd come back to at least say goodbye if she figured out how to get out of the dome. Yeah, that pretty much says it to me." He wasn't sure why that made him feel angry right then but it did and he took comfort from Darcy's arms around him, resting his hands on them.
Darcy pressed her forehead against Noah's back. She hated when the right thing was so not what she wanted. She wanted Sylvia to stay gone. To leave the dome. But now that she was found she couldn't let Noah cut himself off from her. Someone needed to keep an eye on Aidan and Sylvia and Darcy wasn't sure she could do it. Not that she'd tell Noah that was what she needed, but there were other things at stake. "People do stupid things when they're scared," she said finally. Her fingers ran over the scars on his arm. "She's the only person who knew you before the zombies. Remind her of that. Don't let her walk away just because things are changing." And god did that suck to say, but Darcy knew it was right. It was what she was supposed to tell him to keep from ruining him.
Noah was surprised that Darcy would say anything remotely like what he was hearing. She was right that people did stupid things when they were scared but hypocrisy was hard to forgive for Noah. Sylvia had decided to cut him off mostly, in his mind, because she chose to believe that he'd picked Darcy over her. Which was ridiculous because she'd already chosen Aidan over him. And if Sylvia preferred to spend her time with someone who bad mouthed people he didn't know and made people he did know feel like shit, that was on her. He wanted no part of it. His scars filled with goosebumps under her fingers and he turned his face slightly toward hers. "You're right. She is. And I've been discarded. It took me a few days to get it but I'm over it now. Over defending her oddities. Over explaining that her coldness has something more behind it. Over chasing after her to make sure she's okay. Done."
Darcy rested her cheek against his back. "I don't think you've been discarded." God, she hoped Aidan wasn't stupid over someone that would do that. "It's just different now with Aidan and me."
"Telling someone you're not coming back and if you can find a way out, you're leaving for good, feels a bit like being discarded, Darcy. Especially when she obviously allowed someone else to find her." He sighed, glad her arms were around him because he was likely to start pacing irritably otherwise.
"I don't know if it was her letting him or Aidan just stupidly not sleeping until he did find her." Darcy didn't want to think of just how he managed it. "I'm not saying she's right, I'm just saying she sounds more like she overreacted and it might be worth telling her. Then...you could keep your friend." And maybe Sylvia would have someone who wasn't Aidan to focus all her time on.
Noah's shoulders sagged. "Oh, fantastic. She held it against me last time that I wasn't tireless in trying to find her. She'll be sure that I didn't find her because I was with you and, considering you told me that's what Aidan also thinks, she'll be convinced. What would I be fighting for anyway if I try to get her to think otherwise? And for that matter, why are you fighting for this? You don't even like Sylvia."
"Then tell her it was my fault." Darcy was fine with taking the blame. It probably was her fault. Letting go of Noah she sighed, dropping her hands into her lap. "Because I know what I would do for Aidan and he's my best friend. I know what I am doing. And that friendship's worth it. If he found her, I'm going to have to swallow a lot of pride to keep being his friend. Maybe we both have to."
"No, it's not your fault." Maybe all he needed to do was calm down, think about it when he wasn't feeling angry, but right now he was fuming inside. "It's not just swallowing pride and accepting Aidan as part of her life. I don't have to go on dates with them or spend time hanging out. No. She would have left for good if she could have. After I spent years defending her against bullies, let alone saving her from fucking zombies when she was human, I was no longer important enough for her to stick around. That isn't friendship, Darcy. That's... I don't even know what that is but it's not friendship or trust or anything remotely positive."
"Yeah well if we don't give them a reason to stay they might both leave." The words were blurted before she could stop them and she covered her mouth as soon as she said it.
Noah's head turned sharply, eyes shooting to her. "What are you talking about?"
Darcy didn't look at him. "I don't know anything. I just know Aidan is determined to be with her. And I know he's different too. I just think it could happen. Maybe. I like to think he has reasons to stay but he's been fighting with how we feel about her." She let out a breath and looked up at Noah. "I hope he makes her stay but I'm not sure I can say what he will and won't do anymore."
Well at least now it made sense why Darcy was so determined he not give up on Sylvia. It took a lot of the fuel away from his anger. He turned on the bed a little to take her hand. "I thought maybe he'd said something about them leaving but I get why you'd be worried," he said, trying to sound understanding and when he continued, his tone was softer, less of an angry edge to it. "I honestly don't think I have what it takes to convince her to stay. I couldn't the last time, Darcy."
"No he hasn't said anything. I just worry about him." And she couldn't lose Aidan. And maybe he knew better, but she found herself thinking it wouldn't be out of the question either. She let out a sigh and squeezed Noah's fingers. "No. I understand." Maybe she'd talk to the girl herself then. Only with less hitting this time.
He nodded, knowing she cared a great deal for Aidan even if he didn't like the guy himself. There was where he had to swallow his pride because part of him wanted to tell her that if Aidan and Sylvia left, they deserved each other and she shouldn't waste her time caring about it. But he didn't need to dump his anger out on her. What he needed to do was be supportive and he knew it. "I'd try though. If it meant you didn't have to lose anyone. I'd try."
Darcy shook her head. "You should talk to her because you want to. If you show up saying I said it and I'm wrong then it'll be worse. It's fine. If you don't want to bother with her then don't. You're allowed to be fed up."
Noah lifted a brow. "I wouldn't bring you up to Sylvia. That'd be the fastest way to end the conversation," he said wryly. The damnedest thing about this was he was fed up and Darcy knew it. And if Aidan and Sylvia left and he could have helped but didn't, she'd have every reason to resent him. "I can at least attempt to give her a reason to stay if it would mean Aidan stayed."
Darcy watched him, wanting to kiss him again, but also not wanting to distract him. "Do what you think's right. And what you want." She ran her fingers over his scars again. "Do it because you want her to stay. Let me deal with him."
Each time she ran her fingers over his scars it was a visceral reminder of all he'd been through with Sylvia. "I don't know what I want. That's not true. I don't want to feel rejected and unimportant." It was hard to want to pursue someone who'd made him feel that way when he had Darcy who always made him feel the complete opposite.
Darcy sat with her knees up more, elbows resting on them. "Then tell her that."
Noah wasn't sure that Sylvia would care at this point. But he supposed it was worth a try if it meant Darcy didn't resent him later on. "You are a very wise girl," he said quietly.
Darcy wouldn't resent Noah, no matter what Sylvia and Aidan did, but she was glad he seemed like he was going to talk to Sylvia. It would be good for him and for her. If they could keep the duo connected, maybe there'd be less secrets and maybe Darcy could deal with what was going on between her cousin and the vampire if she knew more about it. "Not really. Just don't want you to lose something that's important to you because everyone is acting silly."
It didn't feel silly to Noah and he didn't think Darcy really thought that either considering how dangerous she thought Sylvia was. He'd have to do a lot of soul searching if he was going to say his friendship with Sylvia was important again. At this point, his only motivator was Darcy. "Thank you," he said simply though earnestly. He scooted toward her so he could give her a hug.
Darcy wrapped her arms around Noah's neck, pulling him closer. "Let's skip first period, sleep longer and then you can get in touch with Aidan." She kissed his jaw then pulled back to kiss him.
The thought of skipping first period to doze with her sounded really good right then. "I can definitely say I like the way your mind works." He kissed her back, laying back against the bed as he did.
She was pretty sure that he just liked being with her, but that was fine with her. At least for now. "It's a plan then," Darcy told him, curling against him again.
He vaguely thought about asking what if Avery came looking for her, but he didn't. He was content to feel Darcy close. Yet part of him didn't really want to sleep even though he probably would. "Good plan," he said and kissed her again.