Filmed: An Alpha Bad Boy Romance (City Series Book 3) (14 page)

We stopped in front of my apartment.

“I won’t be at work tomorrow or Friday,” he said.

“Why not? More good deeds?”

He laughed. “No, not exactly. I have to go to a premier in L.A. with my dad.”

I nodded. I had almost forgotten about his dad.

“Okay, well, have fun.”

“I won’t. But, speaking of fun, I’m having a party when I get back, on Saturday. It’s at my dad’s east coast house, which is a little north of the city in the suburbs. I want you to come.”

“I will. That sounds fun.”

“I’ll text you.” He grabbed my chin and kissed me softly. I had to resist grabbing him by the hair and crushing his face with mine.

He turned and started to walk back toward campus, and I stood outside of my apartment for a few seconds, catching my breath. I had no idea what to expect from him. I felt like I was meeting a new version of him every single time I saw him. I loved it, I realized. He was like a film with multiple endings, each equally interesting. Finally, I climbed up my stoop, and into my apartment.

W
e drove up Kelly Drive, winding along the Schuylkill River, past Boathouse Row and their beautiful year-round white Christmas lights, and up toward the Carterson East Coast Manse. Chris volunteered to drive, Selena volunteered her car, and I volunteered to procure a nice bottle of vodka to keep Selene and I entertained on the way there. Chris didn’t seem to mind; she almost always was the designated driver. Ever responsible, my Chrissy.

The roads out into the suburbs were windy and old, with a sheer cliff wall on the right side, and a beautiful jogging and walking path along the river on the left. We pointed north, passing under bridges and tunnels hewn out of rocks that were at least a hundred years old, and went out toward Chestnut Hill.

I was nervous. Of course I was nervous. I was about to see Noah’s personal life up close for the first time, although it wasn’t as if I were getting a tour. Although, part of me hoped that there were ulterior motives on his part. As far as I knew, it was supposed to be a low-key thing, just a few close friends of his hanging out in his father’s ridiculous house. The weather was warm, and I was wearing a cute and revealing top, but not too revealing, with tight black jeans and small heels. I was trying to walk the line, and felt like I was pulling it off.

“Fuck, I can’t wait to see this place,” Selena said, taking a slug of vodka.

“Cool it with that, guys,” Chris warned.

Selena gave me a look and rolled her eyes. She was much less forgiving of Chris’s responsibility than I was. I laughed at her, taking a small sip, feeling good as its warmth filled my stomach.

“We leave by one at the latest,” Chris said. Kelly Drive turned into Lincoln Drive as we passed into the outer fringes of Philadelphia County. The houses out there were larger and older, Victorian style multi-million dollar things. Chestnut Hill was a small town centered around Germantown Avenue. It used to be home to German immigrants back in the 20s and 30s, during the very beginning of the suburban sprawl, but it quickly shifted to upper class mansions and rich folk.

“Yes, Mom,” Selena said.

“Unless you stay over, Lind,” Chris said, grinning at me in the rear view mirror. I was relegated to the back seat because it was Selena’s car. She was a diva sometimes.

“I doubt that’s going to happen,” I said, lying. Part of me was hoping for exactly that.

We turned off of Lincoln Drive, and wound our way through Chestnut Hill. Chris’s phone acted as the GPS, and I was positive we would have gotten lost without it. I was a little familiar with the area, but Chris had no idea where she was going, and she wasn’t exactly the best driver in the world. It was about ten at night, and there weren’t too many cars out on the roads.

Finally, we pulled up outside of an enormous house. It was probably the largest home I’d ever seen in the Philly area, white with dark blue shutters and beautiful Roman columns out front. It looked like an old southern plantation home, and I guessed it was older than all of our ages combined.

“Holy shit,” Selena said.

“Now that’s a mansion,” Chris laughed.

We began to drive slowly up the driveway. There were a few other cars parked, and some which obviously didn’t belong: old beat up clunkers, like Selena’s. My stomach began to do flip-flops as Chris pulled into an open space and turned the engine off.

She turned around and looked at me. “Not too late to back out.”

“Fuck that,” Selena said, climbing out.

I smiled at Chris. “I’ll be fine. I’m excited for this.”

She nodded, not convinced. “Okay then. Let’s see Mr. Rich Boy’s country home.”

I laughed and climbed out of the car, looking around. The three of us walked up to the front door. We could hear the thumping bass of club music pumping from inside, and I wondered if anyone would hear us knocking. Chris rang the bell a few times, and after a minute or two, the door pulled open.

Noah looked out at the three of us. My breath caught in my chest: he was handsome in a button down plaid work shirt and tight faded blue jeans and leather boots. His smile was genuine and he immediately locked eyes with me.

“Hey guys, welcome to my ancestral home.”

Selena laughed. “Nice place, Noah.”

“Thanks. Come on in,” he said, stepping aside.

We followed him inside, and I was immediate assaulted by loud music and the smell of beer. There were way more people than I had expected. It wasn’t a “low-key gathering,” like he had said over text, at all. In fact, it was a legit college bash with multiple kegs and at least a hundred people.

The downstairs was massive, mostly open spaces, with separate rooms for a formal dining room and a parlor. Those rooms were closed off with French doors, and he made it clear that they were off limits. Most people congregated in the living room and kitchen, with open sliding doors leading out to the back patio.

The whole place was richly decorated, and I suddenly had a stab of anxiety wondering what expensive piece of art was going to get ruined. It was inevitable at a party like this. There were three kegs and plenty of bottles of liquor with mixers, and people were doing shots and taking beer bongs by the sink.

Chris gave me a look that screamed “this is not what I expected,” and I shrugged in return. I could tell Selena loved every minute of it. Of the three of us, she was still in her party phase.

Noah led us out back. There was a large pool that curved gracefully around a hot tub. People were swimming, and some were sitting in the tub. There was another keg, and more liquor at a small bar positioned by the fake waterfall that fed the pool. People milled about everywhere, and I wondered how they all got out there. Noah stopped and faced us, gesturing out around him.

“Well, this is it. Get a drink, have a good time.”

“Thanks, I think I will,” Selena said loudly, eyeing up the bar.

“Feel free to swim or whatever.” He gave us another smile then walked off back into the house. I stared after him, wondering what was going on. He hadn’t so much as acknowledged me since I walked in, barely looking at me. I didn’t expect him to throw his arms around me make out with me right there in the middle of everyone, but anything would have been better than what I got.

“Don’t worry about it, he’s probably just stressed,” Chris said, sensing my discomfort.

“Yeah, you’re right.”

I didn’t have time to dwell on it too much because Selena was busy pouring us shots. Chris tried to decline hers, but we peer pressured her into at least one drink. We downed the tequila Selena had procured, and I felt a little better, the alcohol giving me a small measure of confidence. Once that was down, Selena thrust a full beer into my hand. I sipped at it, deciding that it would be my second to last drink. I didn’t want to get wasted and leave Chris to deal with everything on her own.

We wandered around, mingling with random groups, and it hit me hard how many people were there. I watched one guy do three beer bongs in a row, then stumble off wasted to dive into the pool. There was a room toward the back of the house with three ping pong tables set up, and a group of serious bros trying to organize a beer pong tournament. That didn’t last very long, and devolved into teams of screaming girls with enormous hair playing flip cup and spilling everywhere.

I didn’t see much of Noah after his initial tour. I kept catching glimpses of him in the crowd, but he kept moving around from one group to the next, blending in seamlessly. I kept trying to catch his eye, but any time I got close to him, he seemed intent on ignoring me. I had no clue what was going on, but I decided I wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of upsetting me.

After about an hour of wandering around, witnessing one crazy situation after another, we transitioned back into the kitchen where a group of guys with backwards hats and khaki shorts began to pour shots for everyone. Naturally, Selena joined in, because she wasn’t able to pass up a chance to do shots with strange guys, and I was pulled along. We took them, and I felt a little tipsy, a pleasant floating feeling in my head and chest.

“You doing okay?” Chris asked me, looking concerned.

I threw my arms around her and pulled her into a hug. She laughed, surprised.

“I’m totally fine. I’m having fun!” I realized I was a little tipsier than I had thought, and decided to cut myself off.

“Yeah, good. I think hurricane Selena is about to make landfall.”

I pulled out of the hug and looked back at the group. She was standing there flirting loudly and suggestively with one bro who I was pretty sure could barely stand from being too drunk.

“Great choice she’s making,” I said, laughing.

“Yeah, I think I’m going to be carrying her home later tonight.”

“Thanks so much for doing this, Chris. I know you hate it.”

She shrugged and grinned. “I need to have some fun every once in a while.”

“We both do.”

I scanned the crowd again and couldn’t see Noah. I kept catching myself wondering where he was. The kitchen was getting crowded as another group merged with the one we had joined. They began to fill up beers and were having a loud chugging contest. Girls were practically screaming, and sweaty dudes I had never met before assaulted me on all sides with their stench and annoying chants.

“Maybe this isn’t my scene, though,” Chris yelled out over the noise.

I grinned at her. “You think?”

Suddenly, out of nowhere a huge body knocked into me, sending me stumbling. It felt like a wrecking ball slammed directly into my chest and something cold and wet spilled down the front of me. I let out a loud gasp and caught myself on a chair before I fell over, but the damage was done. Beer dripped down the front of me, practically soaked me down to the skin.

“What the fuck!” I yelled. A guy with long hair pulled back into a ponytail, a polo shirt, and pink shorts stared back at me, obviously wasted. He looked down at his now-empty beer, then back at me, and shrugged.

“Hey, asshole, you almost killed my friend,” Chris said, getting in his face.

“What the fuck do you want?” the guy slurred back.

“Are you kidding me? I’m going to kick your ass,” she yelled, getting aggressive.

“Fuck off, bitch,” he said.

Before I could step up and say something, another body appeared from the crowd, and the guy went flying, slamming hard into the wall. Noah appeared at his side, his face a mask of rage. Chris took a few steps back, shocked, and a ring of space opened up around him and the wasted guy.

“Don’t you ever talk to them that way,” he said loudly and menacingly.

His face was blank but there was something dangerous in the way he held his body. Without warning, the drunk guy pushed Noah a step back, and threw a punch. Noah easily ducked it then stepped back in closer and punched the drunk guy hard in the stomach, doubling him over. Noah grabbed him by the back of the shirt and began to drag him toward the front door as a cheer went up in the crowd.

I stared at them as they disappeared around the corner. Noah had come out of nowhere and took that kid out without a second thought. It was crazy and dangerous, and he could have been hurt, but there was obviously no hesitation. He had heard the guy insult Chris, and he had stepped in to throw the asshole out. I was in shock, still dripping wet. I hadn’t even seen Noah standing nearby, let alone close enough to hear what the dude was saying.

Chris looked back at me, obviously as surprised as I was. It happened so fast, and neither of us had a chance to do anything. Noah was quick and strong, and although the dickhead had been pretty drunk, I had a feeling Noah would have been able to take care of him no matter what.

“Ohmygod that was cray!” Selena cried out in my ear.

I cringed.

“Yeah, that was crazy.”

Chris approached, frowning. “You okay, Linda?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. Just covered in fucking beer.”

“You want to get out of here?”

I looked around, but didn’t see Noah. I had no idea what I wanted. I definitely didn’t want to be covered in beer, but I also wanted to thank Noah for taking care of that guy before the situation had escalated further.

I didn’t have to decide, though, as he appeared around the corner, his face a mask of anger and concern. He walked directly up to me and put his hands on my shoulders.

“Are you okay?”

I looked up at him, my mouth open. He was clearly still angry. It was the first time he had really acknowledged me all night, despite several chances.

“I’m okay. Just covered in beer.”

“Come on.” He grabbed me by the hand and began to lead me away.

“I’ll be right back,” I said to Chris, and she grinned at me.

I wished I could apologize for leaving her alone with Selena, but we were already out of earshot, Noah moving confidently through the crowd. He took me back into the main foyer and began to climb the stairs.

“Showing me your childhood bedroom?” I asked.

He laughed. “No, getting you a change of clothes.”

“Oh, so I don’t get a ride in your racecar bed?”

He looked back at me, and I saw something there in his expression. It was conflicted, anguished, and it confused me.