ONE HUNDRED AND eleven. That was how many texts had gone back and forth between me and Noah in the six days we’d known each other. It was a ridiculous amount of texts to send a virtual stranger. But he didn’t feel like a stranger. We’d talked about almost everything, our likes and dislikes, family, friends, funniest moments, darkest moments. Although there was a lot more to learn about each other, I felt that I knew him pretty well already. He seemed determined to know everything there was to know about plain old me.
After a full school week of flirting our arses off, I had fully entered the obsessive realm and now my every thought pretty much involved Noah. I annoyed myself and was sure my family now hated me.
“I’m leaving in a minute,” I said to my parents.
“Who’s meeting you?”
“No one. I’m walking to Noah’s, then were heading to town together.”
Dad’s dark eyebrow lifted. “We’ll take you to this Noah kid’s house. It’s about time we meet him.”
“What?” No, that was not happening.
“Honey, you don’t expect us to let you go to the house of someone you barely know, and we’ve never met, do you?” Mum said.
“Yes! That is exactly what I expect. Noah’s fine.”
“I’m sure he is but if you’re going to be hanging out with him outside of school, then we need to know him,” Dad added. “I’ll just get the keys.”
“You can’t be serious? Why’re you doing this to me? Do you have any idea how embarrassing it’s going to be when I turn up with my parents?” Did they skip being teenagers altogether?
Jeremy laughed. “I’m really enjoying this.”
Glaring at him, I said, “I hate you.”
“Alright, drama queen,” Mum said. “Get your jacket and we’ll go now.”
“Can you at least wait in the car?”
“That defeats the objective of meeting Noah.”
Following her, I grumbled, “I know.”
Mum was really excited on the way. I was not. They followed closely behind as we got out of the car and walked up his drive. I knocked on Noah’s door and took a deep breath. He hadn’t told me if his parents were home or not. Mine were standing behind me. A guy that looked like Noah opened the door. His brother.
“Are you Scarlett?” he asked.
“Yep. You’re Finn, right?” He nodded and stepped aside for us. “This is my mum and dad, Marissa and Jonathan.”
“It is nice to meet you all. Come in. Noah is around somewhere. Can I get you anything? Are you thirsty?”
I shook my head. “I’m good, thanks.”
“No thank you, Finn,” Dad said. “Are your parents home?”
“Yes, in the kitchen, come through.”
I followed Finn into a glossy, white kitchen. He sat on a stool at the counter so I followed, wishing Noah would hurry up. Why hadn’t Finn shouted him yet?
Noah’s parents turned around. They were both effortlessly beautiful, just like their sons.
“Marissa and Jonathan, these are my parents, Bethan and Shaun.”
Bethan’s eyes lit up. “Scarlett! It is so lovely to finally meet you. And I am so glad your parents came, too. Jonathan, Marissa, how do you do?”
I slinked off to the side, sitting on a stool the other side of Finn.
“So, what are you going to see?” Noah’s carbon copy, big brother asked.
“No idea. We just go and see whatever’s on. It’s kind of a thing my friends and I do.”
“Really? Have you seen many awful movies?”
“Tons,” I replied.
Finn smiled, and it made him look even more handsome, though not as much as Noah, but then I was pretty much obsessed with his younger brother.
“Do I need to ask what your intensions with Noah are?” he asked, fighting another smile.
Laughing, I swivelled on my stool and rested my arms on the counter. “I promise my intentions are good.”
“He will be so disappointed,” he replied, winking. “Tell me about yourself, Scarlett.”
“Not much to tell really.”
“So you are the average teenager? No skeletons in your closet?”
I held my finger up. “I stole a Freddo from a sweet shop when I was ten. But I felt so bad that I couldn’t eat it.”
He laughed. “A regular little rebel, aren’t you.”
“Totally badass,” I replied, killing the American accent with one syllable.
“I thought I heard the door,” Noah said, eyes widening when he saw my parents chatting to his. My breath caught. Every single time I saw him I felt like I was floating. Or falling. “Why didn’t you call me, Finn?”
“If you weren’t too busy doing you hair you would have been down here to let her in, girlie.”
Ah, brotherly love.
“Sorry about my brother,” Noah said. “And these are your parents?”
Mum and Dad turned around, and another round of introductions started.