Kiss Me, Call Her Sweetie

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A new girl, Sienna, transferred ina bombshell with a sharp attitude. She vowed to have my childhood best friend, Noah, in her bed within months.

Without looking up, Noah said, Stay away. Im a germaphobe.

But then he gripped my hand, eyes red, and whispered, Aria, Ive only ever been yours. Why wait until after graduation? Waiting is killing me.

He paused, then added, But fine. Im traditional. A few more months wont kill me. Your happiness comes first.

Sienna chased him for half a year; he never glanced her way.

I thought it was true loveuntil the pre-semester party.

Drunk and barely standing, he leaned on me, murmuring my name desperately: Aria, have pity on your future husband

My heart raced. Alone, I tried to steal my first kiss.

But as my lips touched his, his hazy eyes snapped open. He pinned me against the door, his voice a rough whisper: Why so shy tonight? No tongue? Last night in the music room, you were all over me.

A chilling cold washed through me.

The boy who swore I was his one and only was wearing a mask Id never seen.

Noahs kiss was deep and possessive, his movements far from clumsy.

He kissed like an expert.

He said last night. So, who was he with last night?

Before I could even form the question, he pulled away.

He was completely wasted, his eyelids heavy.

He let out a low groan, his brow furrowing slightly.

"You dummy, still haven't learned how to breathe?"

"Did I teach you nothing?"

I took a sharp breath, pushing against his chest. My fingertips trembled, but I forced my voice to stay level. "Noah, look at me. Look who I am."

Noah went silent for a beat, squinting at me.

I never imagined that the few seconds before his answer would feel like an eternity.

A dreadful possibility was clawing its way into my mind.

But I needed to hear it from him.

He patted his own cheeks, then gently pinched mine, his words slurred with alcohol.

"Sweetheart, are you still in my dream?"

"Aria you're so much better in my dreams. You let me kiss you whenever I want."

My eyelashes fluttered. Hearing my name, that gnawing anxiety in my gut subsided, just for a moment.

So, he thought he was dreaming.

Noah cupped my face, his warm lips descending on mine again.

"Breathe, sweetheart. Don't hold your breath and turn all red like last time."

He cooed and kissed me, peppering his words with all the old pet names he had for me.

When he was done, he flopped onto the bed and buried his face in the pillows, as if embarrassed.

"Damn, this dream feels real."

I sat beside him on the edge of the bed, my thoughts racing.

After a few moments, I stood up.

Whatever. Noah was an idiot. Hed been chasing me his whole life. Even if he was hiding something, he was terrible at keeping secrets. It would come out eventually.

No one else was home tonight.

I pulled out my phone to order some hangover soup, but it died right in my hand.

Too lazy to find a charger, I grabbed Noah's phone instead.

The lock screen was still the latest picture Id sent him. He always claimed he got bored easily, so he demanded at least three new, different photos of me every week. If I didn't deliver, hed pout and ignore me, a real pain to win back over.

I always teased him about it. "If you get bored so easily, how have you been stuck on me for so many years?"

Hed just grin, all carefree charm. "Tough luck. You're the one I like."

But when I tried my fingerprint to unlock the phone, it failed.

Of the five fingerprints registered on his phone, one was his. The other four were mine.

I tried each of my fingers. All of them failed.

Did he delete them by mistake? Noah wasnt that careless.

I tried the passcode next: my birthday.

He'd used that code for years. He wouldn't change it.

But it failed, too.

Just then, a notification popped up on the screen.

It was a picture, from Sienna.

The girl who had been chasing Noah for months.

My hand tightened around the phone, my knuckles white.

When did they become friends on social media?

Didnt Noah say he couldn't stand her?

To be fair, Noah had always had a legion of admirers. But he was aloof and had a sharp tongue. That, combined with his blatant, unwavering devotion to me, made most girls give up pretty quickly.

Sienna was the only one who had lasted this long.

And she was the only one who truly got under his skin.

I remember one evening after our late study session, she cornered me in the hallway. Her voice was laced with ice.

"Aria, you and Noah aren't actually dating, are you?"

"So it's fair game. May the best woman win."

Her hostility was palpable. Before I could respond, Noah appeared, snagging my backpack and slinging it over his shoulder with practiced ease. He handed me a warm carton of milk and carefully adjusted my scarf and hat.

Noah was usually so mild-mannered, but that night, I could feel the storm brewing inside him.

He took my hand, his tall frame shielding me from her glare, and his voice was cold steel.

"She doesn't have to compete with you. Because I'm the one chasing her."

"And you're right, we're not dating. I'm just her future husband."

Noah was silent the entire walk home that night.

Finally, I couldnt take it anymore and poked his arm. "What's wrong?"

His eyes were red, and he pinched my cheek, his tone accusatory. "Aren't you even a little bit jealous?"

"Someone says that to you, and you have no reaction? Do you not even like me?"

Oh, so that was it.

I shook my head. "No, because I know your heart only has room for me."

Noah's lips pressed into a thin line, but I could see he was pleased.

He took my hand again, his grip tight.

"I can't wait for graduation, Aria. I want to date you so badly."

I looked down, remembering what Noah's mother had told me.

"Aria, sweetie, I know Noah has loved you since you were little, and I don't object to you two. But can you promise me you'll wait until after graduation to say yes to him?"

I squeezed Noah's hand, thinking to myself.

Just wait a little longer, Noah.

There's only one semester left.

I put Noahs phone down and went to my own room downstairs.

The room I had lived in for over a decade.

When I was three, my parents divorced. My mother, raising me alone, found a job with the Scotts, Noahs family. She worked as their housekeeper, and we lived there with them.

Noah and I are the same age. We grew up side by side.

Even as a kid, Noah had this "keep your distance" aura. I was a little scared of him, but I was always polite, calling him my big brother.

He never answered back, but he always included me when he played with his friends.

I guess I was a cute kid, because one of the boys once told Noah to share me with him.

Noah, who was always so cool and collected, exploded. He tackled the boy, pinned him to the ground, and just snarled, "Get lost."

It was the first time I'd ever seen him angry, the first time I'd heard him swear.

On the way home, I trailed timidly behind him, calling his name.

Still fuming, he turned and yelled at me, another first. "Don't call me your brother!"

I was so scared I avoided him for days, until he finally cornered me.

His tone was softer then, and he used a nickname for me for the very first time. "Aria, are you dense?"

"Brothers and sisters can't get married."

I froze, my heart pounding in my chest.

Id imagined he hated me, that he was annoyed by me

But I had never, ever imagined he might actually like me.

After his confession, Noah became even more shamelessly devoted to me. His love wasn't quiet like he was; it was loud, passionate, and on full display.

Everyone knew it.

Noah Scott would only ever marry one person in his life.

Aria Lane.

But tonight, my mind couldn't stop racing.

His practiced, expert kiss. The way he called me "sweetheart."

And that picture from Sienna, the one I couldn't see.

The next day was the first day of the new semester.

My mom had taken a month off to visit family, and Noah's parents were away on a business trip.

It was just me and Noah in the house.

I hadn't slept a wink, so naturally, I overslept.

The moment I opened my door, I walked straight into Noah's chest. A faint scent of citrus hit me.

I sniffed the air, asking without thinking, "Did you change your body wash? It smells unfamiliar."

For years, he had insisted on using the same brand as me. He'd never switched, not once. Even yesterday, when we went out, he smelled like my body wash.

Noah's Adam's apple bobbed. He gave a quiet "mmhmm."

He clearly didn't want to elaborate.

"I made you breakfast. Let's get to school."

I took the breakfast sandwich he handed me and pursed my lips. "My mom told me to take care of you..."

Noah grabbed my hand, a faint smile playing on his lips. "You, take care of someone? You practically threw me on the bed last night and disappeared."

I seized the opportunity. "I was going to order you some hangover soup, but my phone died. And you changed your phone's passcode."

Noah paused for a second before explaining, "The guys figured out my password was your birthday last time. It's not secure."

"You know my phone is filled with pictures of you. I'd lose my mind if even one got out."

"Oh," I said.

He continued, "I changed it to the day I first told you I liked you."

I nodded, pretending to understand. But a thought still nagged at me.

That doesn't explain why you deleted my fingerprints.

Just as I was about to press him further, Noah handed me his phone and leaned back against the car window, closing his eyes.

"Go ahead, look. It's not every day I get an inspection from you."

"Finally starting to care about what I'm up to, huh?"

I'd never done anything like this before, but today, I had to know.

So I opened his chat history.

Sienna's contact was gone.

I tossed the phone onto his lap. "I saw Sienna send you a message yesterday. It was a picture. It's gone now."

Noah didn't even open his eyes. "Yeah. She sent me an explicit photo. I blocked and deleted her."

An explicit photo?

A lump formed in my throat.

I wanted to ask him why hed added her in the first place.

I thought he couldnt stand her.

But what right did I have to ask? We werent anything, officially.

Everyone thought I was just stringing him along, refusing to say yes after hed poured his heart out for so long.

But Mrs. Scott had taken my mother and me in when we had nowhere else to go. We owed them everything. I had to honor the one condition shed given me.

Besides, it was just a little longer.

Being with Noah at all was more than I could have ever hoped for.

"Aria, I didn't know it was her when I accepted the request."

He held up his phone, showing me his lock screenmy facehis eyes softening with a genuine tenderness.

"It just disgusted me. She's got nothing on my Aria."

In class, Noah sat beside me as usual.

He expertly unpacked my various snacks from his backpack, along with new pens and notebooks, and a few other little things he knew I sometimes needed.

He was always like that, taking care of every little detail.

Sienna was the last one to arrive.

On this frigid winter day, she wore a tight, cropped top under a thin jacket, paired with a skirt that barely reached her mid-thigh.

She sauntered in, chewing gum, and tossed her bag onto the desk across the aisle from Noah.

Noah's pen froze for a second. He glanced at me.

"Aria, switch seats with me."

Sienna just smirked and plopped down into her chair.

I moved to Noah's seat. As soon as I sat down, I was hit by a wave of citrus.

The same scent that was on Noah.

Only here, it was much, much stronger.

First period was a study hall. I told myself to stop overthinking and buried my head in my workbook.

A folded note slid onto my desk. It was from Sienna.

I hesitated for a moment, then unfolded it.

"He smells like me, doesn't he?"

I crumpled the note into a tight ball and threw it at Noah in frustration.

He was in the middle of organizing my notes on problems Id gotten wrong. He raised an eyebrow at me, then slowly unfolded the paper.

As he read the words, his fingers clenched, crumpling it again.

Noah muttered a curse under his breath and pulled me out of my seat and into the hallway.

The class monitor called after us, but we were already gone. He sighed and wrote both our names on the board for detention.

At the end of the empty hall, I yanked my hand free. "What is wrong with you?"

"What kind of lies is she feeding you now?"

I pressed my lips together. "She's not lying. You both have the same scent."

Noah sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Don't listen to her nonsense. I ran into her the other day when I was buying you snacks."

"She must have seen me grab some new body wash. She's doing this on purpose to mess with you."

It felt like too many coincidences, but I chose to believe Noah wouldn't lie to me.

"Okay, I get it. I didn't say anything. Let's go back to class."

Noah reached for my hand, but I flinched away instinctively.

I was distracted for the rest of the day, making stupid mistakes on the simplest problems.

On the walk home, for the first time in forever, Noah didn't hold my hand or talk to me.

Usually, the walk from the classroom to the school gate was his dedicated pestering time. He'd chatter endlessly, a stark contrast to the cool, quiet persona he showed everyone else. It was an endearing, adorable side of him that I loved.

But today, he was just staring at his phone.

He had long legs and a fast pace. He forgot about me, leaving me trailing behind.

I clutched my backpack straps and jogged to catch up.

That evening, Noah brought a glass of warm milk to my room.

He leaned against the doorframe, watching me drink it all. Then he pushed his hair back from his forehead and smiled. "Can I have a hug?"

I nodded.

Wed already kissed last night, so a hug didn't seem like a big deal.

I walked over and stepped into his embrace.

The scent that hit me wasn't the citrus from earlier. It was my scent, the one he was supposed to smell like.

Didn't he say he switched his body wash?

Noah's phone buzzed. He glanced at it.

Then he released me and left without looking back. "Get some sleep."

I stood frozen in place, the lingering scent of him clinging to me, a confusing, unsettling presence that I couldn't shake.

Later that night, as I was getting ready for bed, I got a new friend request.

The profile picture was familiar. It was Sienna.

I accepted. A message came through immediately.

[Remember what I said three months ago? Well, I did it.]

[I tested him out for you. Hes amazing, by the way. And very gifted.]