Falling for Noah Jordan

Emily’s POV

The goal was simple. Graduate high school. Get into my dream college. Get a good job, settle down with the love of my life, have beautiful kids and live happily ever after. But I never knew life had other plans for me. My family restaurant burned down a year ago, and it became a hassle. I had to work side jobs, to try and sort out some bills in college, although my brother supported too, it barely sufficed.

Now I’m back home for the holidays, and as it so happens, today is the official reopening of the restaurant. I’ve been so busy all morning that my legs are now aching. The doorbell rang as a voice drifted through the air.

“Good morning, Mrs. Duncan. You look astonishing as always.”

“Oh Noah, you’re such a sweetheart. Thank you.” My mum’s voice came through, chuckling.

I recognized that voice. It was one I had heard for most part of my life. One that always managed to get under my skin at any given chance. Noah Jordan. My brother’s best friend, and my personal nemesis. The annoying guy who teased me a lot growing up. Never hesitating to call me kiddo, even when he clearly knew I hated it. He’s like the unofficial son of the Duncan family.

I didn’t want to look back, I didn’t want to see him, in fact I have been praying not to bump into him ever since I got back. But apparently the universe decided to ignore my pleas.

“Hey kiddo!” He called out, approaching me.

I ignored him and kept working the counters.

He chuckled, pushing further. “Ignoring me now, huh? Come on, that’s not fair. You haven’t seen me in a while and this is the first thing you do?” He teased, leaning against the counter.

I lifted my eyes to look at him briefly and that’s when I realized I shouldn’t have done that. He was different. He looked different. He wasn’t the same old annoying jerk I knew. He looked older, more charming, and definitely more sexy. The moment our eyes locked, something shifted. Almost like he was equally caught off guard.

“Damn! Who are you and what have you done to Emily?” He asked sarcastically, but I wasn’t having it. “You look really good.” He added the last part gently, almost like he was trying to be careful, before flashing me a bright smile.

I blushed. Like I really blushed. Why was I blushing at a backhanded compliment jerkface Noah gave to me? I thought to myself.

Deciding not to give him the satisfaction that his words had any effect on me, I responded dryly. “It’s good to see you too, Noah.” Then headed inside the kitchen.

He trailed behind me almost immediately. “You know you should blush more. It makes you kinda hot.” He started, reaching for my hair, but I moved back immediately, clearly irritated.

“What do you want, Noah? I’m not in the mood for your dumb jokes.” I said, throwing the towel in my hand down with more force than necessary.

He chuckled, sliding both hands into his pockets. “Nothing really. I just wanna take you out to dinner. Let’s catch up a bit. I mean it’s been a long time, you know?”

I scoffed in disbelief, rolling my eyes at him. Before I could respond, Mike came in through the back door. “Don’t get any ideas, Noah. My sis is off limits.” He said, ruffling my hair playfully.

I noticed the flinch on Noah’s face, almost like he was asked not to do something he desperately wanted to. But he quickly masked it and smiled.

“Come on, we still have work to do.” Mike called out, walking back into the restaurant.

Noah stared at me for a while, assessing, before he eventually spoke. “It’s nice to see you again, Emily. See you around.” And just like that he left.

The restaurant relaunch was a success. People flocked in from all across town, and even from neighboring cities. All thanks to me who insisted on putting it on social media. By the time we were done, my parents left, and Mike followed soon.

“Seriously, Mike, how do you expect me to finish up and lock up by myself? That’s not fair.” I whined, crossing my arms in defiance but he didn’t budge.

“I’ve been the one handling it all while you were away, Emily, so now that you’re back for the meantime, it’s your turn. It’s not a big deal.” He said casually, reaching for his bag on the table.

“I’ll stay and help out Emily, don’t worry about it.” Noah chirped in, but I growled at him instead.

“No need for that, Noah. I’m good. I don’t need a babysitter. You can leave with Mike.” I shot back, turning to him.

Mike’s brows furrowed in annoyance. “Seriously? You were just complaining about doing it all alone, now that you got help you’re turning it down?” He paused, shaking his head. “I can never understand women.”

I grunted, not letting his words get to me.

“Anyway, thanks for doing this, Noah. I appreciate it.” Mike added before heading out the door, as the doorbell chimed in the quiet.

I headed to the kitchen and began arranging some things, anything to keep my hands busy and my mind occupied from thinking about that annoying, dangerously looking hot mess out there.

After a while Noah walked back in, towel flung over his shoulders. “You know, now doesn’t seem like a bad time for that dinner you promised.” He said in a playful tone, tilting his head.

“I never promised you dinner, Noah. Heck, I never even agreed to doing that with you.” My voice came out flat, dry as I kept cleaning.

He took a few steps closer, closing the distance between us. I could smell his cologne and that affected me more than I wanted to admit. “Why do you hate me so much, Emily? Why do you always act like I’m your enemy?”

I paused, finally meeting his eyes since he got in here. “I don’t hate you, Noah. You’re like a bee, stuck to honey. I can’t seem to get rid of you even if I want to. So how about you stop bothering me and let’s get back to work?” I managed to say, although standing so close to him made it even harder for me to think clearly.

He held my gaze for a while, unyielding as those beautiful hazel brown eyes looked back at me. He chuckled, nodding, then took a few steps back. “Okay. If you say so.”

We didn’t say anything to each other all through, but occasionally my mind would drift unconsciously to him and I would glance at him quickly. When it was time to leave, I locked up and he insisted on dropping me home. As the car came to a stop, I was already reaching for the door handle when he grabbed me by the wrist, making me stop.

I turned to him, just as he leaned in and kissed me on the lips. It was soft, gentle, absolutely nothing I expected. My breath caught in my throat for half a second. I couldn’t say anything, rather my hand moved, and I slapped him hard across the face.

“How dare you, Noah?”