Let Love In

“Hey man, thanks for covering for me, traffic was brutal.” John shook Shaun’s hand with Riley wrapped around his torso.

“Yeah man, no problem, any time.”

Garrett turned towards Colin with a smile on his lips. “I think I can take it from here, thanks a ton, bro, appreciate it.”

Colin muttered a stiff “uh huh” as he stood a little more tense than usual, taking a sip of his drink.

“We’re still gonna hit up that after party if you guys wanna join us.” John offered, realizing the two boys were now dateless. Shaun easily accepted the invitation for the two of them before disappearing to find a few other familiar faces on the dance floor. Colin quietly excused himself in search of some more punch as Garrett whisked Noah away towards the photo room.

“To commemorate this evening,” Garrett looked over the photo packages, selecting one and handing over the money.

Noah was thrilled Garrett came to surprise her; her skin was electric to his touch, her whole body experiencing the joy of having him there with her, but as they stood in line waiting for their turn, the moment with Colin loitered in the back of her mind.

The couple returned to the dance floor as a slow song filled the room, Garrett instantly wrapping his arms around her as they took small steps in sync, moving in time to the music.
“I’ve missed you… god, I wish we didn’t live so far away.”

“Me too.” She buried her face into his shoulder, the conversation with Colin creeping forward in her mind as they danced. They stayed silent, moving in sync to the music, their bodies pressed close together until the song came to an end.

“You guys ready to get outta here?” John appeared at Garrett’s side, Riley and their stand-in dates in tow. Garrett looked to Noah’s nod of approval before answering a yes.

John and Riley joined Colin and Shaun in the town car, leaving Garrett and Noah to follow behind in his tiny yellow car. As they drove towards their next destination, Garrett reached across the seat, lacing Noah’s fingers with his on her lap.

“I’m really glad you’re here with me tonight, Garrett, honestly I am.” Noah kept her voice quiet as she stared down at their intertwined fingers.

“Me too, baby.” A shy smile played on both their lips as the remaining few minutes of the car ride stayed silent.

The after-prom party was similar to parties everyone had been to before, lots of drinking, loud music, and “couples.” There were a decent number of people in attendance she recognized from the prom they had just come from, but no one she was particularly close with.

As they continued to dance and have a good time, Noah decided to nurse the one drink she held in her hand rather than get plastered like the last time she and Garrett were together.
Garrett excused himself for a moment after they had been at the party for a while, disappearing into the other room, leaving Noah alone for the first time since he showed up out of the blue earlier that evening. Colin immediately appeared at her side, and Noah’s breath caught in her throat as the new wave of butterflies attacked her insides.

“Don’t, don’t be with him.” His warm breath quietly washed over her face as he leaned in close, his voice barely audible above the music. She could smell the alcohol on his breath.
“What? Why, Colin? Why not?” Noah’s heart pulled itself in ten different directions as he looked at her with a straight face.

“Because, god I don’t know, just, don’t. Okay?”

“Are you still with Sarah?” Noah saw the expression in his eyes flicker for a mili-second as he took a breath to answer.

“Yes.” His tone was flat and unwavering, bringing a handful of confusing emotions to cloud her mind as his lips quickly pressed against hers.

“Just, don’t do anything with him you might regret.”

Noah whispered a “Was that kiss supposed to mean something…” but before she could finish her sentence, he replied with a stiff “No.” taking a breath and walking away.

She quietly whispered the rest of the sentence to herself as she stared at the remaining liquid still in her cup. “…because I’ve only spent the past five years wondering what that would feel like.” She took a deep breath, finishing off her drink and focusing on the bitter taste as it burned down her throat.

Migrating towards the kitchen in search of a refill, she found Garrett talking about his band with a few girls she sort of knew. Snaking her arms around his waist brought a few jealous stares as Garrett continued with his story. Noah smiled a content smile when he wrapped his arm around her as he finished his sentence and politely excused himself from the other girls, walking away with Noah at his side.

Instead of going back towards the living room dance floor, Garrett led them towards the front door.

“Mind if we go for a walk?” Noah agreed, slipping off her heels, preferring to walk barefooted to avoid any heel-related injuries.

As they walked down the driveway and to the sidewalk, the overpowering music started to fade and the warm night air welcomed a soft breeze as the stars peaked through the thin cloud cover.

Garrett slowed to a stop after a few houses, turning to face Noah. His eyes ran over her face as she stared back at him, wondering what he was thinking.

“What are you thinking about?” She whispered, biting gently on her lip, hoping for a response. He didn’t respond, only continuing to run his eyes over her face as he placed her face between his hands. He placed a soft, tender kiss on her lips, holding her head in place for a moment before letting go.

“That.” He laughed quietly as a smile spread across his mouth.

Noah leaned her head into his chest as she stood there, taking in the whole moment. She leaned back as he gently kissed her head, smiling at how innocent he could be after the intensity of a month ago. She leaned in, leaving a long slow kiss on his lips in return. He kissed her back with the same slow pace, savoring the feeling of his lips on hers. Their arms intertwined as they stood there on the sidewalk, pressed close together in a slow, elongated kiss.

“I can drive you home if you don’t want to stay at this party.” His voice hinted at nothing past chivalry after they broke away from another gentle kiss.

“That’d be nice actually, but can we get another drink as I track down Riley? I gotta at least let her know I’m leaving.”

As they meandered back down the street towards the loudest house on the block, Garrett pulled out his phone. “No need to find her. John said to not wait up.” He shook his head as he slipped his phone back in his pocket.

“Well that makes it easy.”

They returned to the party long enough to snag a bottle of choice liquid from the open bar on the kitchen counter before heading to Garrett’s bright yellow car. Thankfully, the GPS did all of the navigating, making it easier on Noah who was somewhat bad at directions. As they drove down the freeway, Garrett reached for her hand, rubbing circles into her skin with his rough thumb.

Noah had a habit of biting her lip, especially when Garrett looked her in the eye, and this time was no different. He returned it with a smirk as he turned his focus back to the road.
They sat quietly in the driveway for a moment before Garrett killed the motor, turning towards Noah.

“I-I had a really nice time tonight Garrett, this night was just about perfect.” He leaned in to kiss her, pulling their faces together with his hands. He rubbed his thumb across her jaw as he looked at her, smiling softly.

“It doesn’t, uh, doesn’t have to end yet if, um, unless you have other plans, I mean, uh.” Noah pressed her lips to his, saving him from further stumbling over his words. She took a deep breath before saying anything, her eyes running over the mixed emotions that showed on his face.

“Um, everyone’s still out for the weekend if you feel like coming inside. We could, like, watch a movie or something.”

Noah smiled as Garrett’s face lit up for a moment before regaining his composure and placing a light kiss on Noah’s cheek, opening his door in response to her offer.