Presently Perfect (Perfect #3) Read online

  I quietly approached. Standing directly behind Tweet, I collapsed over the back of the sofa, wrapped my arms around her, and rested my chin on her shoulder.

  “Mornin’, Tweet,” I mumbled.

  “Noah!” She gasped. “You’re all sweaty! Let go of me!” Laughter flew out of her as she tried to wiggle free from me.

  Holding on tight, I teased, “I’ve missed you soooo much, Tweet.”

  “You just saw me last night.” She giggled.

  The sound made me smile. Vibrations started in my chest and quickly spread to the rest of my body. I wanted to turn my head toward her neck and touch her skin with my lips. She smelled so good, like raspberries and Cap’n Crunch. The twitching in my shorts let me know I needed to back off. I wasn’t sure what was going on with me and Tweet right now. All I knew was that she invaded my thoughts and dreams all the time. She was usually either naked or about to get naked in them. It made me feel like a creepy pervert thinking of her that way. She was my best friend. My Tweet. Then when I was actually around her all I wanted to do was touch her— hold her hand, sit close to her, or put my arm around her shoulders. It was as if I had no control over what my body did. It just automatically moved toward her as close as possible.

  Dropping my arms, I stood and walked to the chair next to the sofa. I sat on the edge, elbows propped up on my knees, and leaned forward.

  “I’ll never get why you still watch this stupid cartoon,” I said, snatching up the box of cereal and tossing a handful in my mouth.

  Placing the empty bowl down on the coffee table, a look of confusion crossed Tweet’s face. “The question is why wouldn’t I still watch The Smurfs? They live in a utopia with a ‘one for all and all for one mentality.’ Everyone is equal, but different, and they respect that. Plus, they’re really cute and have a lot of fun screwing around with Gargamel.”

  “Yeah well, they’re still little blue fuckers who give me the creeps.”

  The next thing I knew there was a pillow being pitched directly at my head. Holding my arm up, I caught it just before impact.

  “Oh, it’s like that, is it?” I jumped up and quickly stepped forward, placing me directly in front of her. I tried to keep my expression serious, but the smirk kept creeping across my mouth.

  “Give me the remote,” I commanded. “There’s got to be something better on than these little Smurffuckers.”

  Tweet grabbed the remote and slipped it behind her back. “Don’t call them that,” she said, tilting her chin up defiantly, in an attempt to maintain her own serious expression.

  I positioned my hands on the back of the sofa just above her shoulders. Leaning in, I looked into her eyes. “Give. Me. The. Remote.”

  “I seemed to have misplaced it,” she announced, narrowing her eyes.

  “Then you leave me no choice.”

  “Noah, don’t you dare.”

  We held each other’s gaze. The same feeling I had in my dream took over my body. Everything around me stopped and I got lost in those beautiful eyes. I felt a shiver come off of her. Tweet softly cleared her throat, which snapped me back to attention. A slow smile spread across my face. Moving with lightning speed, I placed my hands just below her rib cage and started to relentlessly tickle her. My heart almost stopped when the top of my hand brushed the bottom of her boob.

  Whoa, she wasn’t wearing a bra.

  Tweet doubled over laughing and fell to one side, all the while swatting my hands away.

  The remote was within reach the second she fell to the side, but I wasn’t ready to take my hands off of her yet. Between fighting me off and laughing, she was having a hard time breathing, so I figured I’d give up my quest for another touch of her boob.

  Grabbing the remote, I stepped back, leaving her a heaving mess on the sofa. I flipped through the channels.

  “You don’t play fair.” She gasped.

  I ignored her whining and continued to channel surf. “Let’s go for a swim.” “I can’t.” She sounded weird.”

  “Don’t be mad at me, Tweet,” I said.

  “I’m not mad. Oh, go back one channel. I just saw Justin Timberlake.” I scrunched up my face. “So what.”

  “So what? I like him. He’s cute and sexy. Besides, my TV, my rules.”

  A burning sensation spread across my chest at the same time my grip tightened on the remote. I sneered at the TV and felt a slight growl rumble in the back of my throat.

  What the hell was wrong with me? I liked Justin Timberlake.

  I hated the way Tweet was drooling over him. She had this strange look on her face, like she was hypnotized. The more she stared at him, the more pissed off I got. I aimed the remote at the TV and clicked it off.

  “Hey! I was watching that. Thank you.”

  I turned toward her. “Go get your suit on.” I didn’t mean for it to come out like an order, but it did.

  “I told you, I can’t go swimming today.” She lowered her chin to her chest.

  “Why?”

  “I just can’t.”

  I didn’t know what her problem was. We spent every day hanging out together. She didn’t act mad at me, but she wouldn’t look at me either.

  “Tell me.”

  “No. It’s personal,” she said, quickly glancing up at me.

  I could tell my questions were making her uncomfortable. I didn’t want her to feel bad. I wanted to make her smile.

  “You know you can always talk to me about anything.” Our eyes connected. I saw relief in hers once she realized I wasn’t going to push her. “Besides, I think we are pretty personal. I mean, I’ve seen your drawers flapping in the wind.”

  All the blood drained from her face. “What do you mean you’ve seen my drawers?” She sat up from the sofa, looking past me out the window. “Oh. My. God! Is it that woman’s goal in life to humiliate me whenever possible?”

  Tweet bolted off the sofa and ran out the back door. I felt bad that I had a hand in embarrassing her. Although, I couldn’t help but laugh as I watched her snatch each pair of panties off the clothesline one by one while ignoring her mom.

  God, she was cute.

  Turning with an armful of underwear, she headed back toward the house.

  The second she hit the door, she said, “Noah Jeffrey Stewart, we are never to speak of this again.”

  Trying to hide the smile that was stuck to my face, I agreed, “Absolutely. In fact, I really didn’t pay any attention to what was out there.”

  She let out one big sigh and nodded her head, looking relieved. She took one step toward her bedroom when my words stopped her.

  “Oh Tweet.”

  “Yes?”

  “The yellow pair are my favorite.”

  A loud groan escaped her as she sneered at me before heading down the hall.

  I placed my hand flat on the picnic table behind her and scooted closer until our bare thighs rubbed against each other. I was so happy Tweet wore her short shorts. I’d spent most of the summer thinking about touching her and then trying my best to touch her in subtle ways as often as possible. She seemed to be okay with it for the most part. Spending time with Tweet had always been effortless. I never started a day wondering if she would be in it. It was like breathing. I automatically knew I’d be doing it. And just like I wouldn’t survive without oxygen, I knew I couldn’t survive without Tweet. But things were changing, lines were blurring, and becoming confusing.

  I didn’t know if she was having the same feelings as I was. There were times when I thought maybe she did. Like when I held her hand, a shy smile appeared across her face, or the way she leaned into my side when I put my arm around her shoulders. And then there were the goose bumps that had popped up all over her thigh when our skin made contact. I wasn’t sure how to tell her how I felt or if I even wanted to. My head kept telling me it was wrong to have the thoughts I had been having about her. Somehow, my body started reacting to Tweet, the hot girl, but my mind was still seeing her as my best friend.

  There was a s
light breeze coming off the lake as we sat on top of the picnic table at our spot. This park had been a major part of our lives. Tweet and I played on the playground and in the sandbox as little kids. We had our birthday parties here, and family picnics, and Dad had pitched my first baseball to me here. We had one more week left of summer vacation before freshman year in high school started. Between classes and baseball practice Tweet and I knew time at our spot was going to be limited, so we made it a point to be here every night this week.

  A tiny piece of dark brown hair brushed across her cheek. Tweet didn’t pay any attention to it. She was too caught up in listening to the music that was pouring out of my ear buds that we were sharing. With her eyes closed, she swayed back and forth, getting lost in the music of our favorite band, Lifehouse.

  “What do you think?” I asked.

  “They’re awesome,” she said, still swaying with eyes shut. Her head was tilted back slightly and there was a peaceful look on her face. “The entire CD is brilliant. The song “Everything” is my favorite.”

  “Mine too. It reminds me of you.” I was so close to her face that my breath caused that same piece of hair to glide back over her cheek.

  Man, her skin looked even softer up close.

  Her eyes shot open to meet mine. There was a look of surprise across her face. For a split second I had the urge to look away but I stayed focused. I wanted her to know I wasn’t teasing. Maybe if she saw how serious I was she’d tell me if she was having these same feelings. Her gaze dropped back toward the ground, her eyes closing again. I continued to stare. She was so pretty. I didn’t get a chance very often to take long looks at her. Whenever she caught me stealing a glance I turned away embarrassed. A smile crossed my face as I watched and thought about the surprise I had for her. I was so focused I hadn’t even noticed the song was over.

  “What are you smiling at?” she asked.

  “You. I like watching you listen to music. You get so lost in it.”

  Our eyes locked and the air in my lungs rushed out. My mouth went dry watching her teeth glide across her lower lip as she sucked on it. The breeze that was helping cool us off suddenly wasn’t doing its job. I was burning up. Tweet must have been warm too because her cheeks were turning pink. She smiled at me as she handed my ear buds back, then looked away, breaking our contact.

  “Do you think they’ll go on tour soon?” she asked, staring out over the lake.

  Trying to act casual, I shrugged and answered, “Maybe.”

  “If they come to town we have got to see them. I bet they’re unbelievable in concert.”

  I leaned away, put my iPod down, and jumped off the table. Her eyes narrowed as her brows squished together. The expression was priceless. Maintaining eye contact, I reached around to my back pocket. Slowly I brought my hand around and held up the two concert tickets.

  “Performing Arts Center, three weeks, you and me, Tweet,” I said, grinning.

  Her eyebrows shot up as her head tipped to the side and her jaw dropped open. She blinked several times, not quite registering my words. I waved the tickets in front of her face hoping to snap her out of her shock and awe. I worked and saved all summer for these tickets, cutting grass in the neighborhood and doing extra chores for my parents. My dad must have asked me at least five times if I was sure I wanted to spend all the money I had worked so hard for on one thing. When the one thing was Tweet, the answer was a definite yes.

  After several seconds I saw a flicker of recognition cross her eyes. “You’re kidding?!”

  Shaking my head, I answered, “Nope.”

  As she launched herself off the table I instinctively opened my arms to catch her. Stumbling back, I lost my balance, landing us both on the ground with Tweet straddling me. We were both laughing so much it was hard to catch our breath. The combination of her body, her laughter, and the excitement in her eyes had me “excited” in record time.

  “Noah Stewart, you are the bestest best friend a girl could have.”

  “I am pretty awesome, aren’t I?” I cocked an eyebrow and shot a flirtatious smirk up at her.

  “Yes you are,” she said in a low breathy voice.

  Tweet squirmed slightly on top of me. This, of course, made me even harder than I was already. Our faces were so close that if either one of us puckered our lips they would have been touching. My gaze moved up and down her face before it froze on her eyes. Tweet had the most amazing eyes I’d ever seen. They were big, greenish blue, and my favorite things to look into. Her dark brown lashes made the unique color pop even brighter. The curves of her face were soft and smooth—from her high cheekbones, to the slope of her nose that turned up at the end, down to the little dimple in her chin.

  She had to have felt how hard I was but she wasn’t freaking out about it. After a few seconds when she didn’t move I allowed my attention to focus more on how her body felt against mine. Her hands were between us, holding her up slightly, but I felt her boobs against my chest. Several months ago Tweet’s body started to change or maybe I just started to notice. That’s when my world flipped upside down and confusion took up permanent residence where Tweet was concerned.

  The first thing that caught my eye was her ass. It was round, firm, and the way it curved out from her body drove me crazy. Then one day out of nowhere she got her awesome boobs. They were perky, full, and next to her eyes, my favorite thing to stare at. I especially enjoyed it when the top of her boobs peeked out from underneath her shirt. Tank tops and low cut T-shirts were the best. All the parts of her body fit together perfectly and felt fantastic on top of me. Glancing down at her pink lips caused a tremor to run through me. My tongue darted out, wetting my bottom lip. Her hair had fallen from behind her ear and brushed the side of my face. It was soft and as usual smelled like vanilla and raspberries. The tips of my fingers tingled as they trailed the length of her hair, tucking it back behind her ear.

  “You were extremely sure of yourself, getting those tickets without asking me first. What if I didn’t want to go with you?” she said, teasing.

  “Impossible. I know my girl too well.” We exchanged smiles. I wanted to kiss her so much right then, but I was too scared. I didn’t know how to really kiss a girl.

  She’s not a girl. She’s Tweet. Your best friend.

  I couldn’t take her being this close to me any longer. Clearing my throat, I said, “I guess we better get up.”

  “Oh. Yeah. Sorry about that.” Her cheeks turned deep red.

  As she rolled off of me her thigh slid over my dick, causing my eyes to shut tight. I sucked in a deep breath. The friction felt amazing. Pulling my knees up, I rested my elbows on them, and lowered my head. I needed a minute. Tweet must have gotten the message because she sat quietly next to me.

  Once certain parts of my body relaxed I was able to stand up. Tweet slipped her hands into my outstretched ones, and in one fluid movement, I helped her off the ground, pulling her into my chest.

  “That was fun. What would you do for tickets to see Green Day in concert?” I asked, smirking down at her.

  Her body pressed up against mine had my head spinning and the rest of me vibrating. As we stood there the look in her eyes shifted from warmth to what looked like sadness. I felt a heaviness in my chest.

  Should I have kissed her? Was she sad because I didn’t? Couldn’t she tell I wanted to? Maybe she was scared I was going to. She was probably grossed out by how hard I was and just didn’t want to hurt my feelings by jumping away.

  I opened my mouth to say something but my mind was cloudy. I wasn’t ready and by the look on Tweet’s face neither was she. I took in a deep breath and stepped back.

  “I guess we should be getting home.” I paused. I’d always been able to read Tweet so easily, knowing her thoughts like they were my own. It was getting harder and harder for me to figure out what was going on in her head. “Unless you have something you want to tell me.”

  Chewing on her bottom lip, she glanced down, twisting the edge of her sh
irt around her finger. “I was just going to say the same thing about getting home.”

  I waited a second for her to let go of her shirt so that I could take her hand. Her head tilted up, but her eyes were focused over my shoulder. A shy smile flashed across her face before she turned and walked away. As the distance between us grew so did the tightness in my chest. Something had happened. I didn’t know what it was, but I saw it in her eyes. Things between us were no longer changing, they had already changed.

  Travis collapsed against the set of lockers, clutching one hand over his chest. “Be still my beating heart.”

  I looked around my locker door at him. Chuckling, I said, “What’s your deal, man?”

  Travis and I met over the summer at baseball camp and had hit it off from the start. Even though he was a sophomore and I was a freshman he always acted cool about hanging out together. I followed his gaze. The hallway was crowded with students slamming lockers, talking, and rushing to their next class. He didn’t need to tell me what had grabbed his attention. She was tall, blond, and very curvy. She walked down the hall with confidence, acting like she owned the place—head up, shoulders back, hips swiveling from side-to-side, causing the slightest bounce of her ass. The snug shirt she wore outlined the curves of her back, stopping at the top of her painted on low rise jeans. As she swayed, a little of her skin was revealed at the small of her back. I felt a twitch in my pants. My gaze stayed glued to that ass until it disappeared around the corner.

  “Hey Amanda.” The sound of Travis’s voice knocked me out of my daze.

  Glancing back I caught Tweet’s beautiful teal eyes looking directly at me. I quickly lowered my gaze, turning back toward my locker, and pretended to be searching for another book.

  “Hey Travis,” she said. I jerked slightly when I felt her hand on my shoulder. “Are you okay, Noah?”

  My throat closed up. I didn’t know why I felt weird. I hadn’t done anything wrong. I looked at a girl’s ass. There was no crime in that. Tweet wasn’t my girlfriend. Since the day at our spot when I showed her the tickets, I had tried to hold her hand again, but she avoided my reach. I wanted to touch her all the time, that hadn’t changed, but things between us had. At times she acted nervous and shy around me. This was a good thing. I had no business touching her or thinking about touching her.