• • •

Looking back, Laken didn't hate almost anything about her relationship with Noah. Sure, there were things she found annoying, but mostly everything was just that—stuff she could get over.

If she had to pick one thing she would change, it would be how hard he slept.

She'd woken up after his phone vibrated against the night stand. She didn't know how many times whoever had called before, but she knew that since she opened her eyes it had rang four more times.

And was still going.

"Noah."

He didn't move at all, breathing peacefully against her. It was a shame, really, that she was about to kick his ass awake.

"Noah." Her foot connected with his leg, and she felt bad when he sat straight up like the Undertaker, "Please wake up and make it stop ringing."

Noah squinted down at her, then looked at his nightstand, reaching for his phone, "Yeah?"

Laken's phone was somewhere in the kitchen, unbeknownst to her, getting just as many calls and texts.

"He said what?" Noah asked.

Her ears perked up, trying to hear what was being said. It was no use, but she knew that whatever it was wasn't good news—judging from the way Noah's body had tensed.

Fuck it.

"What's wrong?" Laken rolled to look at him.

"Nothing."

The voice grew louder, and Noah sighed, putting it on speaker:

"I asked you, Noah. I asked was this going to be a problem."

"And I said yes."

"A fucking warning before I see you and her together would've been nice. Better yet, it was expected."

Laken blamed her half asleep brain for the question she asked, "Is she talking about me?"

"You on speaker, Kyser."

"Great! Now I can ask Laken if her family can lend me a hand or two to fix this shit-show."

Noah rubbed his eyes, talking to Laken, "Pictures from last night got posted. Wes' camp came out, said you cheated on him."

"I mean..."

"Is this—Are y'all—" Kyser laughed, somewhat hysterically, "You know what? If you don't care, then I don't."

To be fair, Laken didn't really see how it was a big deal. Did she want Wes to tell people that? No, but him spreading that around his circle wouldn't affect her or Noah.

Kyser continued to talk, "I'll do what I can, but if I'm being honest, I'm only looking out for your best interests, Noah."

"It's one and the same." He replied.

"I'm really happy for you, and you too, Laken, but no it's not. I'm actively watching this spread through blogs—New pages I've never even heard of."

Wait...

"Blogs?" Laken got closer to make sure she heard that right, "He sent it on blogs?"

"I'll read you one of the headlines, 'Wesley Carter confirms GreenMart heiress, Laken Green, ended their engagement. Lists star running back, Noah Walker as the reason'."

Laken slid from the bed, pulling a shirt on, "Are you shitting me? He doesn't even fucking get on the internet! Why would he do that?!"

Kyser sighed, long and low, "We can't get in front of it, but we can get behind it? Noah, you issue a state-"

"No." He disagreed, "Fuck 'em."

"I forgot who I was talking to—Laken, you put out a statement. I don't give a damn, but something is going to be posted if Noah wants to continue to employ this agency."

"Let me get my phone."

"Why can't we just ignore it?" Noah argued against it, "Let him talk to himself."

"Because, your endorsements matter. The public's opinion of you matters. Go read the comments, and come back and tell me that it doesn't."

Laken always admired how Noah never seemed to care about any of it. However, she did. Just the mention of comments made her want to throw up.

She was used to her personal life being hers. It felt invasive knowing that people who had never met her had a whole chapter of her life that she didn't even decide she wanted to share.

Once she made it to her phone, she forgot about needing to go back in the room.

Her dad was calling her.

"Hey." She answered, putting him on speaker to go search for what Kyser mentioned.

"Tell Noah we have a statement ready for him."

She stopped scrolling for just a second, "Why can't I do it?"

"Laken, I say this gently. You're not important enough."

It would've hurt more if she hadn't found what she was looking for.

They didn't even know who Wes was—didn't care about him at all. Still, she was being figuratively stoned by strangers. There were people who talked about true love and that other shit, but they were outweighed by the hundreds of comments that spoke negatively of her.

And that was just one page.

"Why do they even care?" Her breath caught while she looked for the other pages, "Nobody knows Wes. Nobody knows me, why the fuck is this important?"

"That's beside the point. Go get Noah."

She hated that she wanted to cry, but she followed her dad's instructions, still hearing Kyser on the phone with Noah, "My dad wants you."

"Yeah?" His eyes stayed on hers, watching them begin to water.

"Just emailed you something. Let your people read it, get it posted in the next hour."

Noah stayed silent.

"I'm reading it now." Kyser mumbled, "I think it's fine. Noah?"

He was still looking at Laken. She didn't know what he saw, what made the next question come out, "We can't ignore it?"

Darren started to talk, Noah interrupted, "I'm not talking to you."

"What do you wanna do?" Laken asked, "I read the comments."

"I don't give a fuck about that."

Her voice was low, "I do."

"Post it, Kyser."

• • •

Noah put his phone on 'Do not Disturb' at a record breaking eight AM.

Laken was somewhere in his apartment. He didn't go looking for her.

Simply because he knew she was actively searching for shit to hurt her feelings. She was probably knee-deep in comments, thinking about the opinions of people who didn't matter.

He'd been crucified in the eyes of the public too many times to even care at this point. It was a cycle—people liked to talk shit. His first time being on the receiving end of that had him sending DM's trying to fight.

Noah paused.

This was Laken's first time being on the receiving end.

That made him go look, go read, try to understand what specifically had her on the verge of tears earlier.

He was rubbing his feet together arguing with somebody when Laken poked her head, "Did you already get us a flight?"

"Yes and no." He moved to the next comment, "What's up?"

"I don't wanna go home."

"Then no, I didn't."

She observed him, "What are you doing?"

"Calling these niggas pussies. Fuck you on the internet for—go get some money fuck nigga."

"Stop!" Laken crossed the room, trying to grab his phone, "You'll get in trouble."

Noah held the phone above his head, "I'm on my burner, and 'in trouble' is insane."

She stopped reaching, "I didn't know you had one."

"My shit been got leaked." He smiled at her, "Can't nobody prove it, though."

Noah felt better hearing her laugh, locking his phone, "You good?"

"No." Laken leaned to press her face into his stomach, "I'm even madder because I don't blame him for doing it."

Noah did. He blamed Wes for fucking up his Saturday by being a hoe. Blamed him for turning a night Laken enjoyed into some more shit.

Laken rolled onto her back, "Chelsea texted me. Literally haven't talked to her in like four years. I didn't even know she still had my number."

"Stop checking your phone—Just chill."

"I'm trying. And I feel bad, too, because I don't want you to think I like, feel a way about it, you know?"

"I didn't think nun like that."

Laken snorted, "You're actually so full of yourself. Is nobody saying anything to you?"

"Wouldn't know." Noah yawned, "I turned my notifications off."

Her fingers tapped against his legs as she stared at the ceiling. He watched her, waiting for her to say something else. When she didn't, Noah sat up, "Come on."

"Where are we going?"

"Exposure therapy."

• • •

Laken had tears in her eyes watching Noah argue with the game attendant.

"Bro, I'm just saying I play professional sports for a living. You think I can't hit a target? This shit rigged."

"Are you the quarterback?"

She laughed harder, as Noah slammed more tickets down. For all of the tickets he'd spent, he might as well have just bought the stuffed animal himself. It was funnier to her because she didn't even want it.

Obviously they weren't leaving until he won, so Laken continued to eat her chicken on a stick and watch Noah embarrass himself.

She always liked the fair, even if she hadn't been in almost ten years. She came mainly for the food, stayed for the rides, loved it because of the experience. The overall vibe always made her happy—how everybody had a smile and was just glad to be there.

"You got it!" The man smiled. "Which one do you want?"

"Lake, hurry up and pick one before I crash out."

As they were walking away, stuffed animal in tow, Laken decided, "I want a funnel cake."

"I just lost my life savings trying to win a fuckin' elephant. We got food at the house."

She hadn't even checked his kitchen, "Did you not read the headlines? I'm a heiress—don't worry I'll pay for it."

"So dramatic." Noah laughed, "Jared probably laughing his ass off."

Jared actually hadn't said anything. They hadn't talked since she told him that he was failing as CEO. Funny, since she pulled that out of her ass to get under his skin.

While standing in line for the plate of diabetes, Laken thought about the fact that Noah hadn't eaten anything since they'd been there. He liked to joke about his diet but as the season grew closer, she knew he'd start taking it seriously.

Last night was a perfect example.

If he did drink, she didn't see it, and she was ninety-five percent sure he wouldn't have another one until off-season. Him caring about his body wasn't a bad thing—that wasn't the point.

Since he'd been back, Laken only got to experience this side, but she was familiar with the other side, knew it like the back of her hand.

He stressed the difference in college versus professional. However, she still remembered the short calls, even shorter answers. Football first. Everything else had to find a way in.

"Whatever you thinking about, stop."

She glanced up at him, "Can I stay here this week?"

"Yes. You packed enough? You need to buy clothes?"

"I planned on just being naked."

"Thank you, Jesus."

She laughed, turning her attention back to the menu. After another moment of deliberation, she settled on strawberries and powdered sugar. Noah paid before she could, ignoring her when she reminded him that she'd offered.

By the time they made it back to the parking lot, Laken had finished most of her funnel cake, holding her thumb up to his mouth, "Taste it."

Clearly, the girls on Instagram were right and she was a clout chasing hoe, but the moment his tongue touched her skin, it went straight to where it shouldn't have.

She pulled her thumb back carefully, eyeing him, "Stop teasing me."

"I was just tasting it. That's what you wanted, right?"

Well, not anymore.

Laken rolled her eyes, throwing the plate in one of the trash cans nearby.

• • •

"Taste it."

The second time Laken had said that today, but this was more important than the first. She wasn't even looking for the recipe, it came to her, and she wanted to try it. Now, she needed to know if it was good.

Noah bit into it and didn't make it two bites, "Disgusting."

"Fuck. I knew that bitch didn't know what she was talking about."

"What's it supposed to taste like?"

Laken tried it herself, spitting it back on the plate, "Not like that." She pushed another plate towards him, "Try these."

A wing 'sampler' plate. Laken wasn't sold on some of the bolder flavors anyway, but she let herself be influenced by the people saying they were good.

Why the fuck would peach bourbon wings be good?

Noah was smelling the new flavor, "I'm scared."

"You should be. It's cherry lemon pepper."

"Bro." He closed his eyes, "We don't have to do this."

"If I try it first, will you go after?"

Noah nodded, an amused look on his face. She wasn't even surprised when she took a bite and it was nasty again. It made her mad, though, "Food too high for this type of shit, man."

He didn't even care that she was upset, laughing into his hand, "That's on you, Lake. It don't even sound good."

"It was literally thousands of people saying they liked it. Kelsey sent me that bullshit—she will be dealt with."

"We can just eat the regular ones."

There were worse ways to spend a Saturday night than eating nasty wings, and like Noah said, they could still eat the normal flavors she'd made.

Besides, she was having fun.

Her whole day had been fun once she left the apartment. They got breakfast, spent way too much time in a bookstore, ended up at the fair, and then the grocery store when Laken decided she needed to purchase the worst seasonings ever created.

Which reminded her she still needed to curse Kelsey out.

Noah seemed to be enjoying the buffalo wings, if the way he was smacking was any indication, but this was still a crime that somebody had to answer for.

Laken didn't bother to swipe the notifications away. She just ignored them and went Kelsey's message thread to FaceTime her, leaning her phone against the wall.

"It's my favorite whore." Kelsey appeared in the screen, "Baby, I been fighting for our lives all day—they whacking your ass."

Noah looked up at her voice, while Laken rolled her eyes, "I deactivated. They was hurting my feelings."

"Oh, please. I hate when you start acting like a pussy. Stand ten toes and tell them hoes mind they fucking business."

"I'm finna stand ten toes behind something else." Laken changed the subject, and turned to grab the plate of cherry wings, "Why did you send me that nasty ass recipe?"

"Girl—"

"They was outta sweet tea. I got you—"

Kelsey muted the phone.

Laken stared at the screen, trying to place the voice, "Kels, please tell me I'm tripping."

Her voice came back through, "About what?"

That was all the confirmation she needed, "This is sick as fuck—Jared?"

"I honestly didn't want you to find out like this."

Noah was laughing, still eating all the chicken, "How you wanted her to find out?"

"I was thinking around my birthday next month."

Jared entered the screen, "Are you good, Lake? Dad said you won't answer your phone."

"No. My food nasty, then I found out you and my best friend are having sex. This is actually the worst day of my life."

"Dating." Kelsey corrected.

Laken fell to the floor.

• • •

thanks for reading 🫶🏽