7 - C H A N C E

When Noah wakes up about an hour later, it takes him a while to notice that he's moved across the bed to be closer to my right side. His back is pressed against my straightened legs and he's hugging my right arm, leaving me with only my left arm to turn the pages of the book that rests on my lap. But when he does notice, he moves away abruptly, sitting up and clutching his head. The sudden lack of warmth makes me shiver.

"Sorry," he says, not meeting my gaze. He scratches at the back of his neck uncomfortably. "You should have moved me."

I shake my head, not understanding why he's suddenly so shy since he'd been the one to ask me to come up with him. Well, I'd asked him, but he'd accepted with what seemed like a minimal amount of hesitation. Almost the same thing. "It's okay," I reply, smiling lightly to reassure him. "You looked comfortable. I didn't want to wake you up. Don't apologize. Besides, you were warm. It was nice."

He pouts, a small blush still visible on his cheeks and ears despite the way he's brought his hands up to cover his face. "Okay. Sorry." Then, after rubbing his eyes and stretching, he turns back to me. "Want to go now? It's early enough that we should still have time."

"Sure," I agree, putting down the book on the nightstand and standing up. To be honest, I hadn't really been reading it. I'd actually been staring guiltily at Noah's face out of the corner of my eye, trying not to seem like too much of a creep. But he doesn't need to know that.

When I pull the curtains back open, Noah lets out a pathetic whine. He covers his eyes, rolls back over, and pulls the covers over his head. "Chance," he groans. "Don't do that! It's too bright."

I laugh. "What are you, a vampire?"

He shrugs good-naturedly, barely peeking out from the covers. His gaze meets mine, but his mouth is still covered by the comforter, so his words are slightly muffled. "I might as well be. I hate social interaction and sun is gross. Though I guess I hate the taste and smell of blood, so I can't possibly be a full vampire. Maybe I'm half vampire!"

I gape at him. "What do you mean 'sun is gross'? You're joking, right? Please tell me you're joking."

"No? I don't know, I like the rain better. Is that weird?" He holds his hands up in the air, making a gesture that's somewhere in between helpless and defensive. "I wish I liked the sun, because everyone always hates on me for it."

"No, no, I'm not hating on you," I assure him frantically. "It's just that I've never met anyone who likes the rain more than the sun. But I guess I haven't really talked to a lot of people, so I'm not really sure. But why would you like the rain? It's so dreary."

"It's not dreary at all!" Noah protests indignantly. "The sound of rain on the roof when you're inside is really nice! It's so rhythmic and soothing and constant. And if it's raining outside, it makes it feel really nice and cozy inside. I love sitting on my bed by the window under a bunch of blankets and just staring out the window, listening to the rain."

"I guess. I'd never thought about it that way before. I haven't really every found a place that feels like home to me, so I never get that coziness."

It's true; we rent a house whenever we move, but we never end up unpacking our things, so the homes always feel bare and unwelcoming. There's an element of safety and comfort necessary for a place to be considered home, I've learned, and I've rarely ever had that.

"Maybe I can help you! If it rains tomorrow, let's hang out with Emma. I'll bring a bunch of blankets here and it'll be cozy!"

"Yeah, sure! That sounds really fun." I can almost imagine it, and it fills me with excitement. It's been so long since I've had the opportunity to just hang out with a friend. Since I've interacted with someone for fun rather than just professionally. It's one of those things that I didn't realize I was missing until I had it, and now I don't think I'll be able to go back to how I was before.

He stands up. "And speaking of rain, are you ready to go outside in it?"

"I guess so," I mumble, making a face. Going out in the rain right now doesn't seem appealing. Not that it seemed appealing earlier, but after sitting in bed for an hour and warming up, I'm even more reluctant to get up and go outside.

"Come on, it'll be fun!" He makes his way out of the room, pushing the door open wider and making his way down the stairs. I follow behind him, taking care not to slip because the stairs are wooden instead of carpeted. Wooden stairs always make me nervous, especially when I'm wearing socks. I've come far too close to slipping and falling down wooden stairs more times than I can count, so now, I always walk torturously slowly and clutch at the railing.

As soon as we emerge downstairs back into the main shop area, Emma waves from behind the counter and finishes serving a customer waiting in line before she walks over. She takes out her phone and giggles. "I got some really cute pictures, Noah. Want to see?"

"Pictures of what?" he asks cautiously. "Do I even want to know?"

The tone of her voice is making me suspicious, too, but I don't say anything. I still don't feel confident enough to just inject myself into their conversations. It's hard enough talking to them one on one, but having to talk in a group scares me. Especially since they know each other so well. Because while they might not be trying to exclude me on purpose, they still have so many shared experiences that I can't relate to.

Emma shrugs. "I'm not sure, but you're going to know anyway. Look!" She holds her phone out towards Noah, a smug grin on her face. He takes one look and covers his face with a groan.

"Why did you do that?" he asks, his ears turning pink again. They do that a lot, I've noticed. He blushes more easily than anyone I've ever met, except maybe myself. "Emma..."

"Do what?" I ask curiously, leaning over Noah's shoulder to get a look at the screen. And when I see the screen, I understand why Noah is blushing. "Oh. When did you take that? I didn't notice, and I was awake the whole time."

Proudly displayed on her phone screen is a photo of me sitting on the bed upstairs reading a book, Noah laying by my side and hugging my arm. He's sleeping peacefully, the serene expression on his face only partly visible as his wavy blond bangs fall over his face. Sitting up next to him, I'm wrapped up in my book. It makes me a little angry that Noah's actually photogenic, even when he's asleep. I always look horrible in pictures.

"I still can't believe you didn't notice! I even knocked. It was just a few minutes before you guys came down. I have more, do you want to see?"

"Emma!" Noah interrupts. "That's enough!" He grabs my arm and drags me towards the door. "We're going out."

Emma gasps dramatically. "Oh my gosh, you are? Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"Emma! You know what I mean." He scowls grumpily, tugging harder on my arm.

She pouts. "I'll send the pictures to you later, Chance!" she whispers loudly enough for Noah to hear as we walk out the door.

Noah glowers at me. "Don't you dare," he warns.

"She has my phone number now. I can't really stop her from sending them," I say, shrugging, not even pretending to sound apologetic. Because in all honestly, I want to have the picture. It's a nice reminder that I've finally found a friend, even if he's so much more photogenic than me that it hurts. His pout at my admission makes me grin. "Where are we going first?"

"I'll take you to the bookstore! I hang out there when I don't go to Mugs and Kisses."

"Always Books, or something like that?" I ask, trying to remember from last night. It's hard, though—last night is mostly just a blur in my head at this point. I was far too tired to remember much of anything.

"Always Booked," he corrects. "But basically, yeah. It's awesome! There are so many books!"

"Shocking, I wouldn't think a bookstore would have books."

He punches my shoulder lightly. "Shut up, you know what I mean. Do you want to walk there?"

My face twists into a grimace. "How far is it?"

"Close enough that it'd feel weird to drive. Maybe a five-minute walk? Three minutes if we run."

"Fine, we can walk. No running, though. I refuse. Do you have an umbrella?"

"That's no fun!" He takes my arm again and drags me outside, trying to run but stopping when I don't run with him. "Come on, Chance!"

"We can't run," I protest again. "I'm going to die!"

"Don't worry! If you die, I'll carry you."

I frown, even more determined not to die. I don't want to make more work for him than I already am, even if I know he's mostly joking. Probably. "Fine, fine, we can run. Let's get this over with."

He pumps his fist in the air. "Yes! Are you ready?"

"If you ask me again, I'm going to change my mind."

"Fine. Ready, set, go!" With an excited laugh, he darts out from under the protection of the awning and into the rain, and I reluctantly follow. But by the time I've caught up to where he was standing a few seconds ago, he's already at the other side of the parking lot.

"Noah!" I call out desperately, already out of breath. "Wait up!"

"Sorry," he calls back, stopping and bouncing eagerly on his toes as he waits for me to catch up. "I'll run more slowly."

"You could probably walk and be faster than me," I half-grumble and half-pant, shooting him a glare.

"No way," he counters. "Come on! If you run the rest of the way, I'll get you a book!"

"Really?" When he nods, I sprint forward. Not that that's saying much, really. But it's the thought that counts.

"Deal!" I yell over my shoulder. "But you'd better go in front because I have no idea where I'm going!"

"Okay!" he replies, but he adjusts his pace to run beside me instead. "We're almost there, you'll be fine!"

"We've only been running for ten seconds," I complain. "There's no way we're almost there."

"Details, details. Don't sweat the small stuff."

"It's too late for that," I gasp out. "I'm already covered in sweat."

"Oh my god, Chance, it's just an expression."

I just shake my head, too out of breath to continue the conversation. Instead, look down, watching as my feet fight desperately against the ground to keep me moving. If I ignore how tired I am and let myself zone out, watching my feet becomes pretty hypnotizing.

After what is only another minute or two but feels like an eternity, Noah finally slows down and then stops in front of another building. He doesn't say anything, but just stares at me with a satisfied smirk.

"Thank god," I say, bending over and panting. "We're there, right? Please tell me we're there."

He nods, not even out of breath. "Yep! After this, we'll have to see if you remember how to get back!"

I groan. "You can't be serious. I don't even remember how we got here. I was just following you. I wasn't casually looking for landmarks or anything. I was too busy dying."

Noah shakes his head. "Fine. I'm still going to make you lead me back, though. It'll be good practice." Seeing the glare on my face, he quickly changes the topic. "So...welcome to Always Booked! Let's head inside and get some towels."

I shake my head in disbelief. "Why does it seem like everyone in this town always has spare towels waiting for you?"

He grins. "Because I asked them to! I always run everywhere, and since it's always raining here, I always walk in soaked. They'd rather keep towels for me than have their shops get all wet. Come on, let's go inside."

As soon as we walk inside, the man behind the counter waves. "Hi, Noah!" he yells loudly, waving. "Haven't seen you in a few days!"

"Hey, Justin!" Noah waves back and makes his way over to the counter. I don't feel like talking very much, so while they talk, I take a look around the store instead.

Noah was right—they do have a lot of books. The shelves are so tall that they almost reach the ceiling, making it nearly impossible to see the rest of the store or reach the books at the top. In fact, I can barely read the titles, which is shocking because I'm tall. Very tall. I'm not sure what the point of having books up that high is if even taller-than-average people can't see them other than that it makes the bookstore seem fuller.

The texture of the shelves is rough as I run my hands along the edges of one of the bookcases, slowly wandering into row after row of books. They're sagging underneath the weight of the books and it looks slightly precarious, but somehow it adds to the old and cozy feel of the shop. Noah was right, in a way, when he said that the rain makes things cozier. It makes me appreciate the fact that I'm inside.

"Chance!" I hear Noah call, probably from up by the counter. "Where'd you go?"

I sigh, not really wanting to talk but knowing that it'll seem rude if I ignore him. "I'm over here!" I call back. "Wherever that is! I'm not really sure."

"Want to come out to the counter and meet Justin?"

Not really. "I guess, but I'm not sure where that is. I can't see out from this row."

"Okay wait, I'll come get you. Keep talking." I do, and a few seconds later, I see his head pop out from around the corner of the shelf. He grins. "Found you! Come on, Justin wants to meet you."

I nod and follow him through the maze of shelves and out to the front desk. The man from before sticks his hand out. "Hi, I'm Justin."

"Hi," I say, shaking his hand. "I'm Chance. I just moved here."

He nods amicably. "Yep, I know. Noah told me. All the way from Japan, right?"

"Yep. We weren't there very long though, so I don't know the language or anything."

He hums. "Hm, that's a pity." Then he grins. "If you ever feel like learning, feel free to come visit my foreign language section!"

Noah laughs. "Stop advertising and be friendly."

"Sorry, sorry. I like it when people come visit, though. I never have enough customers. Besides, it's a beautiful foreign language collection! I read the books while I work because nobody ever seems to be interested in them. I can read some Japanese! And Korean! And Russian, and Arabic! Not that I know what it means. I could be reading classified documents or a romance novel for all I know. But at least I can make the sounds!"

"I'll try to come visit sometimes," I respond with a laugh, surprising not only myself but apparently Noah and Justin as well. "What?" I ask as they turn to stare at me. "I like books. They smell good."

"Good for you!" Justin practically beams. "We need more bookworms in this town. They've been slowly dying out. Soon they'll be extinct."

"Stop with the weird jokes," Noah chides, making a face. "You'll scare him away and kill off another one."

"You're making bad jokes too," Justin responds. "Don't be a hypocrite."

Noah pouts. "Whatever. Well, it was nice seeing you, but we should get going before it gets too late and his mom kills him."

"Oh, that's a pity. See you later! Hope you come back, Chance!"

"Hang on," I say. "You told me you'd get me a book if I ran."

"Oh, right." He laughs. "I'd forgotten about that. Did you find anything you want?"

"Nope. Surprise me."

"Bold choice," Justin comments as Noah visibly perks up and eagerly runs off. "You'll either get a romance novel or a foreign language grammar textbook. Depends on his mood."

"I don't know which one I'd rather have," I chuckle. "I generally avoid both."

"I'm going to fix that," Noah tells me, making his way back around the counter. "I got you one of each. And I'm going to make you read them. You're not getting out of this."

"Alright," I say, rolling my eyes. Noah's eagerness as he checks out the books is contagious, so even though I generally don't like those types of books, I find that I don't really mind the prospect of reading them.

"Thanks, Noah!" Justin says. "Chance, come back soon!"

"I will," I say, waving at him as we walk out the door. "Hey, it stopped raining! We don't have to run anymore!"

"We could run anyway," he suggests, smirking when he sees my appalled look.

"No way."

"Fine. But you get to try to lead me back. I'm going to make you learn your way around eventually, so you might as well start now."

I scowl, but I know there's no use in arguing, so I start walking back in the direction I think we came. "You'll tell me if I make a wrong turn, right?"

"Nope. Not unless you're about to walk us right out of town."

"I hate you."

He pouts. "Do you really? I thought you liked me. You snuggled with me!"

I grin, unable to stay mad. "More like you snuggled with me."

He holds his finger up to his lips. "Shh. We don't talk about that."

"Emma does," I tease, stopping once we get to an intersection. "Pick a number from one to three," I tell Noah.

"Three," he mutters, looking confused.

"Thanks," I tell him. "I guess we're going right."

"What?"

"One was left, two was straight, three was right."

He looks at me in disbelief. "That's how you're going to try to get back?"

I shrug. "Why not? It's not like I have a better way."

"We're going to be out here forever," he sighs.