Undeclared (The Woodlands) - By Jen Frederick Page 0,32
library when I thought he was some random lacrosse player.
“Have them move around some more, like in a circle or something,” I called to Lana. She must have relayed the message, because the girls on the lawn moved into a round formation and started walking in unison. I motioned for Noah to look through the viewfinder. I noticed that he was careful not to touch anything, like Lana always was. Most people would’ve put their hand up to the lens or bumped the tripod. I held the remote in my hands and took several photos while Noah was looking.
He stepped back. “That’s pretty cool. I want to see the bigger versions, though. It’s hard to get the full effect with the tiny viewfinder.”
“I always tell Grace that I can’t see what she sees,” Lana interjected.
Noah nodded in agreement. “Yeah, I mean I kind of see it, but it’s not the same as the prints Grace sent me.”
“What ones did she send you? My favorite is the football one with Josh,” Lana said. I let the two of them chatter about their favorites while I raised and lowered the camera and adjusted the tilt, taking several photographs.
The Alpha Phis had gotten tired of doing circles and were breaking into small groups. A few sat down on the stairs of the house and some others stretched out on the lawn. The different body positions gave the image so much more composition. This was the photo. I would still review them all, but this one spoke the most to me, and I just knew that when I scrolled through the images this would be my favorite.
The sisters might choose something else more polished, but the relaxed and conversational nature of the scattered crowd would be the best image of the set.
“I’m ready,” I said, straightening up. I rubbed my neck a little to ease the slight ache that had gathered from bending over the camera. I felt a warm hand push mine away. Large, strong fingers cupped the base of my skull and flexed against my neck, gently but firmly massaging me. I closed my eyes for a moment and allowed the pleasure to wash over me.
The room was utterly silent, but I could feel Noah’s body, the heat and mass of it, next to me. I wanted to place my hands on him, stroke that marble-hard chest that Lana and Amy had patted down last night. But I knew that would be an invitation I wasn’t prepared to extend.
I curled my hands into fists, and the sting of my nails in my palms brought me back. I opened my eyes to find Noah staring at me, his hand still on my neck. His brown eyes had darkened and the skin over his cheekbones was pulled tight. He looked hungry and more than a little predatory. I shivered, a matching hunger building inside of me. It would be so easy to drop my defenses and tumble into his arms, but what would happen when he let go? I didn’t think I’d recover from the fall.
His fingers tightened for a minute and then dropped away. I took a deep breath and turned to dismantle my equipment. “Thanks for your help. I’m going to go over to the house for a little bit and look through the photos. See which ones they want.”
Noah understood that this was a dismissal. “I’ll walk you over.”
He carried everything for me, down the four flights of stairs, across the street, and into the front reception room of the house. The girls fluttered around him like butterflies trying to alight on the same flower. He didn’t talk or flirt or even acknowledge them. He set down my things and then hooked his hand around my neck again, turning me so I was looking directly at him.
“I’ll see you tonight,” he said.
I only nodded my response.
It took longer to fend off questions about Noah than it did to pick out a picture. The consensus of the rush committee was to use the image that had them circled around the Alpha Phi sign on the front lawn. It was one of my least favorites, but with a little processing, I could make it acceptable even for me. I ended up eating dinner at the sorority house, so I had little time to get ready for my date with Mike. And Noah. And whomever Noah was bringing.
***
“What’s showing?” I asked Mike when I met up with him at the library.