Chapter 7 : Victory

*Jane*

I’ll be the first one to admit, yet again, that I’ve never been much of a sports fan.

I didn’t really play anything in school or grow up with siblings or friends who were super into it, and outside of Rachel’s track and field days, I’ve never really had a reason to sit in the stands and scream my lungs out in support of a team.

So, I’m completely unprepared for the atmosphere that permeates the watching crowd as the baseball game goes underway. There’s a buzz that runs like a thread through every person sitting in the bleachers, connecting us with the bated breath of expectation. Some people have their faces painted, and others are clad in the Billmore Bulldogs’ colors and memorabilia.

But there’s an undeniable electricity as the game goes underway and we all wait with growing impatience to see what the outcome will be. I’m fascinated by the athleticism involved as every inning stretches on.

And the focus, the dedication, the strength, the competitiveness … I see all of that come alive in Noah. There’s no doubt that he’s the best player on that field, a fact that stands aside my feelings for him. I can’t take my eyes off him every time he steps up to the plate.

Again, I’m confused about why he was so hard on himself after practice when he plays flawlessly. It’s not a close match at all and Noah is the star of it, hitting two home runs and ensuring victory for our school.

The people around me erupt in cheers and screams and I find myself joining them. Rachel grabs my shoulders and shakes them, equally caught up in the adrenaline of the ass-kicking victory we just witnessed. I feel alive among the crowd and as I look for Noah, I watch as the team also begins their own celebration across the field.

My eyes are pulled immediately to his number, and I watch as he also looks around before spotting me in the crowd and moving through all the chaos to the stands. I push my way out of the row and excitedly go to meet him, and before I can even shout my congratulations over the roar of the crowd, he’s lifted me over the safety railing and into his arms.

He swings me around, his mouth finding mine.

I think I imagine the noise of the crowd growing even louder as the team swarms around us, and I feel some of them clapping him and even me on the shoulder but we don’t pull apart, and he doesn’t let me go. My chest swells with pride and happiness, to the point I think I’ll explode. The moment is absolute magic.

***

“You were phenomenal!” I gush, my hand in Noah’s as we make our way through the still-buzzing stadium. Noah gets stopped every minute by someone wanting to congratulate him or rave about his playing, and like last time, he politely entertains them without letting the conversation drag on for too long.

But I find myself wanting him to soak it all up, especially after the last practice session. I want him to see how brilliant he is and to hold onto that whenever the temptation to feel bad about himself arises again.

“The team was phenomenal,” he says, ever so humble. “We did it. I still can’t believe it!”

“I can,” I tell him, and he gazes down at me with a look of pure adoration on his face. “Noah, I get it now. There was such a rush in the crowd the entire game. The adrenaline, the anticipation … It was amazing. I don’t know why I never did this before.”

“So, I assume this means you’ll have a reserved seat at all the upcoming games?” he asks, and I pretend to have to think about that.

“I mean, I guess,” I reply airily. He clicks his tongue, but his thumb rubs a small circle over my knuckles affectionately.

“You don’t have much of a choice, Thomas. I’m pretty sure you’re my good luck charm.” I glow under the compliment. When we reach his car, he opens the door for me and I slide inside. “Does your friend have a ride home?”

I realize he’s referring to Rachel and I nod. “She’s good.”

She’s more than good, actually. In the bedlam of the stadium, I caught her talking to one of Noah’s teammates, and from the look on her face alone, I knew that she had plans of her own. She sent me a text saying she’d catch up with me later, so I knew I could expect her back at the dorm on her own time.

As Noah begins to take me home, we still talk about the game and I listen in awe as he answers my questions about what he was feeling at that moment. But soon enough, his expression turns a little bit more serious.

“Jane, I meant to tell you earlier but we got so caught up talking about everything else. There’s going to be a party tonight, to celebrate the win. The team’s all gonna be there on top of anyone they care to bring with and, well, you’re the only plus one I have in mind.”

I can tell from the tone of his voice that he’s considered how I might feel, given my last experience partying with members of his team. He cheats glimpses at me through the corner of his eye while keeping his eyes on the road.

I take a deep breath. “Noah, I really don’t know about this.”

We pull up outside of my dorm and after he puts the car into park, he takes my hand in his and presses it to his mouth. “I thought you might be nervous. But baby, I want you to know that if you do decide to go, and there’s a big emphasis on ‘if,’ you won’t have to worry about anything. I’ll be there with you the entire night and I won’t let anything happen to you.”

I carefully consider things.

The truth is that I really do want to go. I am still simmering with the aftermath of the game and wanting to prolong that feeling. And I also want to be able to go to parties again without that awful anxious knot in the pit of my stomach.

Looking into Noah’s concerned blue eyes, I have no doubt in the world that not only does he want to protect me, but that he’s more than capable of actually doing that.

“Okay,” I finally say, and his eyes light up. “Okay, I’ll go. But I’m not touching any alcohol.”

“I think that’s a great idea,” he agrees, leaning over to kiss me on the forehead. “I’ll pick you up in an hour, alright? I have to hit the showers first and get ready.”

“An hour,” I repeat, kissing him before leaving the car and rushing inside to plan what I’m going to wear.

By the time Rachel finally gets back, I’ve already showered, done my hair, and am busy slipping into the little black mini dress and heels I’ve pulled from my closet. Her eyes go wide when she sees me.

“You look fantastic! Wait, does this mean you’re going tonight?” she asks, and when I say yes, she jumps up and down.

“Hell yes! Do you mind if I catch a ride with you guys? I can get ready in like ten minutes, I swear.” She runs past me giddily, pulling out something short and tight from her closet before diving into the bathroom.

“What happened to the cute baseball player you were chatting up?” I call and she pokes her head around the door.

“Urgh, it was a total waste of time. He was cute but had zero personality and interest in only one thing. Hopefully, my prospects will look a little better tonight,” she answers. “Speaking of which, I have to thank you. You being with the star baseball player opens up an entirely new world for me purely by association. I owe you one.”

I laugh, happy to be helping my friend out through the process of osmosis, I guess. “You’re really something else.”

“Says you! That celebratory kiss on the field? That is not the Jane I know, but I’m totally here for watching Noah pull you out of that shell of yours.”

I feel my stomach twist as her words bring back the memory.

“That was … I mean…” I stumble over my words and Rachel points a finger at me.

“Nope. No excuses, no apologies. We’ve discussed this before, remember? Cease the moment, Jane. Own it,” she says.

“Got it.” I stand up and go to touch up my makeup in the mirror as Rachel finishes up and true to her word, she makes it in under ten minutes. When we’re done, we give each other one final stamp of approval before Noah texts me that he’s outside.

He comes to collect me at the door, and when I open up for him, I giggle at the way his eyes almost pop out of his skull. He takes in everything about my appearance from my hair to my dress to my heels, and I see the glint in his eye when he smiles.

I put my arms around him and he pulls me in, smelling my perfume. His nose grazes my neck and I sigh.

“Stunning,” he whispers into my hair.

“You look pretty good yourself,” I reply, pulling back slightly. “Oh, and I meant to ask … is it okay if Rachel goes with us?”

“Sure,” Noah says, finally looking over my shoulder to a grinning Rachel and nodding in acknowledgment as though it’s the first time he’s noticed there’s anyone else in the room.

“Don’t mind me,” Rachel sings, and Noah just smiles in amusement.

The ride there is fun, with Noah letting Rachel play whatever she wants to on the aux and he even surprises us by knowing the words of several of her songs.

When we get to the host’s house, it’s clear to see that things have already been in swing for a while now. But unlike the last frat party, things are slightly more controlled. I don’t see any naked bucket-wearing drunks trying to fly which, so far so good.

Noah keeps his arm around me as he escorts Rachel and me inside.

The three of us hang out for a bit until a good-looking guy comes up and greets Noah with the kind of familiarity that lets me know they’re friends. He’s very nice to me too, introducing himself as Oliver, or Oli for short, but when he turns to greet Rachel, I can practically hear the hallelujah chorus in his brain.

When he pulls her away to dance, her face glowing, I turn to Noah. “Is she going to be okay?”

“Don’t worry, she’ll be fine. Oli’s a good guy,” he promises. I slump in relief and from what I can tell, it seems like they’re getting on really well. Rachel flashes me a discrete look, one I’ve learned to decipher over our years of friendship to mean that she’s happy and there’s no need for a rescue on my part.

With that confirmation, I let Noah lead me to a room upstairs.

He locks the door behind us and a split second later, his mouth and hands are on me. I’m swept up by his passion, caught up in the obvious restrained desire I can feel in his touch. It’s not until his fingers move to the zipper of my dress that I come to my senses and pull back.

“What’s wrong? Are you okay?” he asks, immediately stopping.

I love that he’s always so considerate and that he always puts my needs above his own. I wrap a hand in his hair. “Yeah, I’m okay. It’s just that … I don’t really want to do this here.”

It’s too familiar, too close to what happened with Preston. Understanding dawns on his features.

“Shit. I should’ve thought about that, baby,” he says softly. “Let’s get out of here.”

He leads me outside again, and as we head back downstairs, I feel an incoming text send my phone vibrating against my hip. I pull it out of my bag and Noah waits while I read it. It’s from Daniel, asking about joining him for a study session to prep for the upcoming assignment.

“Who’s that?” Noah asks, nodding at my phone, and when I tell him, his eyes darken. “I don’t know how I feel about you hanging out alone with other guys.”

There’s that streak of jealousy again. Unlike with my ex though, it’s not scary. Noah can be intimidating as I’ve seen with the way he dealt with Preston, but I’ve never felt threatened by him. Instead, I actually find his hint of possessiveness kind of cute.

“I promise you, he’s just a friend.” Noah still looks uncertain but I put my arms around his neck. “There’s only one guy on my mind.”

That gets a little smile out of him. He looks up, distracted by something over my shoulder and his smile widens. “There goes your friend.”

I turn my head to see Rachel and Oli walk hand-in-hand through the crowd, clearly leaving together. She works fast … Impressive. Rachel gives me a shit-eating grin as Oli leads her out the door, giving me a little wave with her free hand.

“You know, I can think of somewhere else we can go to finish what we started,” Noah offers, so close to my ear that I can feel the shape of his words on my skin. A shiver goes down my spine.

“Lead the way.”