complete stranger,” Alex suggested.
“You don’t feel like a stranger.”
Wasn’t that a loaded statement? Alex’s heart started beating faster at the realization that he felt the same way. Before he could figure out what to say, they were interrupted by a large group of people that came through the back door of the ice cream parlor.
There were nine of them, three girls and six boys, all about the same age as Alex and Noah.
One of the girls perked up at the sight of Noah and immediately headed over. “Noah! Hey. I haven’t seen you in forever.” She was very blonde and very peppy, with a wide, friendly smile and the inherent confidence of a girl who knew she looked good.
Alex felt a strange jolt in his gut that was definitely not jealousy as the girl hugged Noah and Noah wrapped his own arms around her. Yeah, no. No jealousy there at all. Alex was just an avid proponent of personal space. That was all.
“Hi, Lacey,” Noah said and smiled at the girl, who beamed back. “It’s been only what, a week?”
Lacey swatted Noah’s chest with the back of her hand and pouted. “Only a week? Careful, I might begin to think you don’t like me.” She was standing so close to Noah, and Alex had an irrational urge to push himself between the two, just to get the girl to take a step back.
Noah threw Alex a quick glance before turning his attention back to Lacey. He scratched the back of his head, which Alex had already learned Noah did because he felt awkward and didn’t know what to say, so he jumped in to save Noah.
Alex stood up and put on his most charming smile. “I’m afraid that’s my fault.” He thrust out his hand to shake Lacey’s and also managed to push the girl a couple of steps away from Noah while maneuvering himself in between the two of them. “I’m Alex.”
Lacey eyed Alex up and down. She didn’t even try to hide the slow perusal, just let her gaze slide over Alex’s whole body.
“Lacey,” she said. There was a definite gleam of appreciation there, but then she turned back to Noah, obviously having come to the conclusion that her current target was much more interesting. “How do you know Noah, here?”
“We work together at the rescue center,” Noah explained. “Alex is here for the summer.”
By then, the other people that had arrived with Lacey had followed her to where Noah and Alex had been sitting. All of them exchanged greetings. Noah introduced them to Alex, but there were so many of them that after the first three people, Alex gave up on remembering all of their names.
“So what are you guys up to?” Noah asked.
One of the boys, a blond Alex was pretty sure had introduced himself as Michael, lifted a cooler. “Lacey’s parents are away for the day. Gonna throw ourselves a pool party, so we’re stocking up.” There were whoops and high fives all around.
“I sent you a text about the party,” Lacey told Noah and batted her lashes.
Noah scrunched his nose. “I have no clue where my phone is. Must have left it at home.”
“But you’ll come, right? Pretty please?”
Noah looked at Alex questioningly.
Alex shrugged. “Sure. I don’t have anywhere I have to be today.”
Noah didn’t look overly excited about the prospect of a party, but Alex was not going to be an idiot and read too much into it. The arrival of Noah’s friends had broken the moment Alex and Noah had been sharing earlier, which was good. Alex needed to take a step back and remember the important things: he and Noah were just friends. Alex was not looking for a relationship. He didn’t want one. And Noah didn’t want him.
He repeated the words in his mind a couple of times like a mantra. Just to be sure. Yup. He was good to go. A party sounded… not as boring as going back to the center, so yeah, Alex was in.
“We’ll meet you guys there?” Noah asked nobody in particular.
The others scattered quickly after that, eager to get the party started.
“We don’t have to go,” Noah said as if he thought Alex had agreed to go just to be polite.
“Since my only options are to either go or get back to the center and stare at the ceiling of my room, I choose option number one.”
Noah nodded. “All right, then. A pool party it is.”
Lacey’s parents had a castle on the outskirts of