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Chapter Eleven

By the time that Nate and I got back to the table, the food had arrived. We sat down, folded our napkins in our laps and dug in.

"So, how long have you been friends with Brooke?" Nate asked.

"Forever," we said in unison. We laughed.

"Do you sing?" he asked. Kay smiled.

"Only in the shower," she said sweetly.

I couldn't believe her insinuation. I kicked her, but she didn't flinch. "What about you?" she continued.

His eyes sparkled. "Only when I think no one's watching," he said.

I almost died. I grabbed my water glass and took a big drink. Nate held his fork casually in his right hand, but his left hand found its way back to my knee. His fingers slowly stroked up, but he did't go any further then the bottom of my dress.

Even though I kind of wanted him too. I willed myself to focus.

"How's school going?" I asked Kay. I needed to change the subject away from showers. That only reminded me of how amazing Nate looked naked.

Kay snorted. "It's school."

"But you're going the whole day," I pointed out. "That's got to be different."

"Well, at least people are talking to me now that I'm not just one of the weird homeschooled kids."

I smiled. "You've never been weird."

Kay laughed and speared a huge hunk of lettuce onto her fork.

I felt as red as the lobster that I was picking through. I had never felt so many emotions at one time.

It was wearing me out.

We spent the rest of the evening talking about ridiculous things, but it was perfect. Kay seemed relaxed and I loved hearing her laugh. When we finally got up to leave, Nate took both of our arms and escorted us out into the SUV.

"Thanks for inviting me," Nate said politely.

"It was fun," Kay said. There was no sarcasm in her voice. She smiled at me.

My bestie approved.

When we got back to the hotel, Kay slid into the room claiming that she needed to floss. It was a lame excuse, but it left me and Nate out in the hall. I looked up into his gorgeous eyes.

"Thanks for coming with us," I said softly. He shook his head.

"Thanks for asking me."

His hand ran through my hair and tugged gently. My chin lifted; my lips parted. He took my bottom lip between his teeth and nibbled before kissing me.

Somehow that little kiss landed me against the wall. Nate's hands returned to the back of my dress. They slid under my panties and grabbed my bare ass. I gasped. My fingers clawed into his hair. This was bad.

In a good way.

With his leverage on what I always considered too much backside, he pulled me forward for our groins to meet. I about died when I felt his erection. His lips fell from mine. His dark head lowered to my neck and sucked greedily.

When he finally looked up, I was sure that he was going to scoop me up and take me back to his bedroom. Instead he stroked my face.

"Sweet dreams," he whispered.

"But--" I started to say. He kissed me quickly and walked down the hall. I didn't move until I heard his door close.

"Ugggggh," I gargled.

I stayed out in the hall until I knew I could speak again. The feel of him pressed against me was still burning into my flesh.

"Need another shower?" Kay teased the moment I entered the room. I laughed and kicked off her shoes.

"I'm fine," I said. I was proud of myself. I even sounded fine!

We spent the next hour getting into our pajamas. I racked my brain for a good distraction from thinking about Nate.

"Hey Kay?" I called out as Kay brushed, flossed, and gargled in the bathroom. I heard her spit.

"Yeah?"

I grabbed the memory card Noah had given me before I left. I walked into the bathroom and held it aloft. "Noah gave this to me before I left. I think it's my next hit. Wanna listen?" I asked.

Kay's eyes lit up. She smiled. "Sure."

She followed me into the room and we crawled onto the huge bed. I grabbed my laptop from the table and balanced it on my legs.

"I hope he's not pranking me," I said as I inserted the small memory card. After a few clicks, the media player started. We settled back into the pillows.

"Okay, so you wanted another hit and this is what I came up with. Don't blame me if lightning only strikes once," Noah warned. I rolled her eyes. Noah was such a goober.

There was a pause and some fumbling as if he was fiddling with the mixing board.

What came out next was incredible. I closed my eyes and tried to imagine myself singing instead of Noah. The song was so totally meant for a girl; the lyrics were filled with a strong message about lost love, new love, and unrequited love. It sounded a lot like my life. Noah was going to get rich off my drama.

"So, that was it," Noah said after the last note faded away. He laughed. "Does it sum up all the crappy boyfriends you've had lately?"

He was also a mindreader it seemed. I couldn't help but laugh.

"I call it Heartbreaker," Noah explained. "But you can change it. Just remember who gets the dough if it hits number one."

"Maybe I'll get another necklace," Kay teased. I jabbed her side.

"It's really good," I said. "I can't believe he's so talent--"

"I have something else I want you to hear," Noah said awkwardly. Kay and I both looked at the screen in surprise.

"I've been working on this for awhile. It's really special to me and you can't sing this one," he warned. "But...let me know what you think, okay?"

He sounded so shy. He had my attention. There were a few moments of mechanical clicks and pops. I heard a strum of a guitar.

"It's called Just the Way You Are," he explained. "Or better yet...Kayleigh's song."

Kay's eyes widened. She seemed shocked.

The song was gorgeous. Noah's voice, the voice that sounded so much like dad's, was filled with so much emotion. He owned the song.

And by the end, he totally owned Kay's heart.

"Kay, are you okay?" I asked. The tears were pouring from her eyes.

Kay tilted her head back and took a breath.

"I love him," she said breathlessly. She buried her face in her hands and just lost it. I wrapped my arms around her.

The revelation didn't shock me. Ever since the night at the hotel, I had a feeling that my bestie and my brother were going to end up together.

And I was okay with that.

NoNo was a great guy. And Kay was a great girl.

I loved them both with all my heart.

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I woke up early the next morning. After she had finally stopped crying, Kay had been totally exhausted. She wrapped herself around one of the big fluffy pillows and drifted off to sleep.

As for me, I couldn't fall asleep as easily. My body was still wound up from my makeout session in the hall. I spent a long time just staring up at the ceiling and dreaming of what it would be like in his arms.