“I think I know what will help you chill.”The way his eyes devoured me hinted I shouldn’t take the bait, but I did anyhow. “And what would that be?”Noah pressed his body into mine, pushing me against the lockers. “Kissing.”I held my books close to my chest and fought the urge to drop them and pull him close. But that would only encourage his behavior, and good God, bring on his fantastic kissing. Fantastic or not, kissing in public would definitely mean detention and a tardy slip.I ducked underneath his arm and breathed in fresh air, welcoming any scent that didn’t remind me of him. Noah caught up to me, slowing his pace to mine.“You know, you may have never noticed, but we have calculus together,” he said. “You could have waited for me.”“And give you the chance to drag me into the janitor’s closet?”

“I think I know what will help you chill.”The way his eyes devoured me hinted I shouldn’t take the bait, but I did anyhow. “And what would that be?”Noah pressed his body into mine, pushing me against the lockers. “Kissing.”I held my books close to my chest and fought the urge to drop them and pull him close. But that would only encourage his behavior, and good God, bring on his fantastic kissing. Fantastic or not, kissing in public would definitely mean detention and a tardy slip.I ducked underneath his arm and breathed in fresh air, welcoming any scent that didn’t remind me of him. Noah caught up to me, slowing his pace to mine.“You know, you may have never noticed, but we have calculus together,” he said. “You could have waited for me.”“And give you the chance to drag me into the janitor’s closet?”

“Anyone who ever makes you the slightest bit uncomfortable, Breanna, you tell one of us. You're with Razor, which means you're family.”

“The worst kind of crying wasn't the kind everyone could see- the wailing on street corners, the tearing at clothes. No, the worst kind happened when your soul wept and no matter what you did, there was no way to comfort it.”

“I must have killed a lot of cows in a past life for Karma to hate me this much.”

“I love you enough to never make you choose.”

“I wrote about the person I love most, my older brother, Noah. We don't live together so I wrote what I imagine he does when we're not together.""And what is that?" prodded the stout man. "He's a superhero who saves people in danger, because he saved me and my brother from dying in a fire a couple of years ago. Noah is better than Batman." The crowd chuckled. "I love you, too, lil'bro.”

“Noah drew me closer to him. "It's okay. I've got you.”

“Noah?"A welcome voice - not my mother's, but welcome all the same: Echo. A smile spread across my face. This was too good. Me in a towel, alone in the house with my nymph. I left the bathroom.”

“Please, Noah, I don't want to do this wrong. Tell me how to make you feel good."He shifted so that his body rested beside mine, his leg and arm still draped over me. I felt small under his warmth and strength. His chocolate-brown eyes softened. "Being with you feels good. Touching you-" he tucked a curl behind my ear. "-feels good. I have never wanted anyone like I want you. There's nothing you can do wrong when just breathing makes everything right.”

“I'm right and wrong, moral and immoral, good and bad, a hero and a villain, and I've been just as capable of truth as I have been lies.”

“Normal. She wanted normal and so did I. "You know what's normal?""What?" She wiped away her remaining tears. "Calculus.”