"J, put the phone down. You're starting to look a little pathetic."

Bee was right. Nolan still hadn't messaged me back. I was starting to hear phantom rings, causing me to pull out my phone every three seconds. I dropped my phone in my bag, putting in the backseat next to Taylor's car seat. Somehow that didn't stop me from looking down at my lap for my phone every other second.

Since Nolan was still MIA Bee helped me get Taylor to Tiny Sprouts. Bee was in a better mood than when I saw her that morning. We hadn't talked about what was bothering her, but I had a feeling it had something to do with Gia. She didn't eat lunch with us that day. When I really thought about it I couldn't remember Gia eating with us at all that week.

Not that I've noticed much lately other than Nolan. Like the goofy way he laughed or the way my fingers fit perfectly between his or the long hugs he gave me after lunch like he needed something to hold him over until we saw each other again during sixth period. Or maybe it was a regular hug that I put too much meaning on.

That was becoming a problem for me. I constantly over thought every interaction between us, searching for clues. Did he feel the same way I did or was he just playing the part? Not knowing was driving me crazy. I didn't know how much longer I could keep the feelings I had hidden.

A sharp pain in my arm yanked me from my thoughts. Bee pinched me. We made it to Tiny Sprouts.

"You were thinking about Nolan again, huh?"

My cheek went warm as I rubbed my arm where she pinched me. "I'm just worried."

"You should tell him."

"That I was worried about him?"

"That you're in love with him," she said, simply. A sad smile appeared on her freckled face. "I think he likes you too, but he won't admit. Not on his own, at least."

My brow cinched together. She never talked like that. I had to ask, "What happened with Gia?"

Bee let out a heavy sigh as she fell back against the seat. "I told her I loved her."

My jaw dropped. "You've never said that to anyone you've dated."

"Exactly!" She exclaimed. "That's why I pretended like I didn't remember saying it."

"Bee!" Why was I even surprised that she'd pull something like that? She avoided commitment like I avoided phone calls from my father.

"I know." She buried her face in her hands. "She saw right through my shit. She said she couldn't be with me if I wasn't going to take our relationship seriously."

I wanted to tell her she was being ridiculous. It was obvious she felt deeply for Gia, otherwise she wouldn't be that broken up about her. But it wasn't what she needed at the moment. Instead I reached over and gave her hand a tight squeeze.

A tear rolled down her cheek and she quickly wiped it away, sniffling. "That's why you need to tell Nolan how you feel before you're in too deep. You have to find out where he stands. I don't want you to end up like Gia—in love with someone too cowardly to admit they feel the same way."

There was a beat of silence as I let what she said settle in. She wiped a few more tears from her face before continuing. "I know we're in high school and five years from now it'll be Nolan who? but he matters now and that's counts for something right?"

I ran what Bee said over and over again in my head as I took Taylor into Tiny Sprouts. When I asked Bee to take me to Nolan's house I still hadn't decided if I would take her advice or not. There were only a few months until prom. I could hold on to my feelings for a few more months if I really tried.

Then he opened the door and I knew all hope was lost for me. We'd only been apart with no communication for about eight hours, yet I felt the urge to tackle him with a bear hug as if it'd been years.

Yeah, I thought, I was too far gone.

I waved bye to Bee, who was already pulling out of the driveway, before stepping into the house with Nolan.

"I was just about to text you back."

He was lying. From the groggy sound of his voice and the crease marks on his face, I'd say he just woke up from a nap. "You were asleep, weren't you?"

"Yes," he proudly admitted.

I should've been mad at him for worrying me to death while he was catching up on his beauty sleep. But I couldn't bring myself to do it. That smile could make me forgive just about anything.

"To answer your text, I did have the interview and I also said the photo booth was our first kiss," he told me, crossing his arms across his chest with a cocky grin. "You were worried about nothing."

"We got lucky," I said, biting back a smile. "So, what? You ditched school for a nap?"

"Accidentally," he said with a small laugh. "My mom had to go to the ER." The way my heart dropped must've shown on my face. He quickly added, "She's fine, she's fine. She thinks she's getting a cold or something and with her weakened immune system she has to be careful with stuff like that. They're keeping her overnight for observation."

I let out a breath of relief. "Next time lead with that."

"Sorry." I thought he was going to grab my hand before he pulled back, running the hand through his hair instead. "Anyway, she called me to take her since she couldn't get a hold of my dad. As brave as she acts, she's afraid of riding in an ambulance. He's there with her now, though."

I nodded, slowly. "And are you okay?" We've talked about his mom a few times while we were at the creek. He'd never said it out loud, but I knew he was afraid of her dying. Of being there when she did. I figured that was why he wanted to get out if Bellcreek so badly.

"Yeah," he said, shrugging it off. "It's probably nothing. A harmless cold."

I had a feeling he was trying to convince himself more than me. I wrapped my hand around his before he began tugging at his hair again. "I'm sure everything will be fine."

He stared down our hands for a moment before meeting my eyes. "I want to show you something." Still holding my hand, he lead me down the short hall and into his room.

"I played this game with Brandon Adamson in seventh grade," I half joked, distracting myself from the fact that I was in Nolan's bedroom. Strangely, it was just as I imagined it: dark and messy. "He walked funny for a week after I kicked him in the thing he had to show me."

Nolan snorted a laugh as he let go of my hand to grab something from the top of his closet. "I'll keep that in mind," he said, emerging from the closet with a small wooden box. "It's a gift for my mom. She always talks about this jewelry box my great grandma gave her. She lost it in college, thinks her roommate stole it."

He handed me the box. It was simple with gold hinges connecting the lid. "Did you make this?"

"With Mr. Barton's help. And I need your help to finish it." He opened the box, pulling a faded photo from inside. It was of a younger Allison holding a small box painted with gold, pink and green. She looked like the female version of Nolan. It was uncanny. "It's the only picture she has of the box. I'm hoping you can paint something similar on the new one."

I couldn't help the smile that broke on my face. It was a simple request, but he asked me and that made me feel special. "Really?"

"Yeah, I—" He was cut short by me stumbling into him. He stopped us both from falling over, his arms firmly gripping my waist.

I was about to joke about my clumsiness when I felt it. The earthquake. Well, the earth felt more like it was rolling beneath my feet. Nolan felt it too. The two of us were frozen as we watched his bedroom door swing back and forth, the lamp on his dresser wobbled as it tried to keep it's balance.

"I haven't felt an earthquake in years," I whispered, still watching the door.

"Why are you whispering?" He also whispered, but only to mock me.

I glanced up at him, laughing as I whispered back, "I don't know."

The earth stopped rolling, but my heart was still pounding a mile a minute. Maybe it was the thrill of the earthquake. Maybe it was the way Nolan's honey brown eyes stared down at me. His heart was beating erratically as well. I could feel it under my palm that was pressed to his chest.

I'm not sure how it happened, which one of us made the move first, but were kissing. It wasn't a brush of the lips like in the photo booth or a quick peck to keep up appearances. It was real and soft and warm and perfect.

We parted for air. He was smiling like an idiot. I'm pretty sure I was too. He took the box I was still holding on to, setting it on the dresser, but keeping a hold of me. Then we were kissing again. A little less soft, a little more hungry. Like I wasn't the only one who had been craving it for the last few months.

Somewhere between our goofy grins and nibbling on each other's lips we ended up in his bed. He kissed my jaw, my neck, back to my lips. My hands roamed over his chiseled chest and tangled in his hair. How did I not know how soft his hair was?

We couldn't keep our hands off each other, making up for the lost time. As I pulled him closer, leaving no space between us, he made a noise I didn't think he was capable of. I was proud of myself for bringing it out of him.

Then Nolan's phone rang, reminding us that we weren't alone in the world. He continued to kiss me, intent on ignoring the call. When my phone joined in we reluctantly pulled away from each other. That didn't kill our smiles, though.

He got to his phone first. As he was telling his dad he was fine and asking how his mom was doing, I answered my own phone.

My mom didn't sound concerned or worried. She sounded pissed. "Bring your ass home. Right now."