Noah's New Plan - 4. Chapter 4

"So. I hear you're looking to get fucked."

Noah's mouth dropped open. How dare this man--a man he didn't know from Adam--talk to him like that? Clearly the expression on his face was enough to throw the obnoxious man off guard.

Eli took a step back and looked apologetic. "Woah. I was just teasing. That kid said..."

Noah followed Eli's gaze over his shoulder. He saw Nicholas and Leslie duck behind one of the stacks. Noah was officially going to kill the both of them. "I'm sorry they dragged you into this."

"No, I'm the one who should apologize. Why don't you let me take you to lunch?"

"You don't have to do that."

"I want to." Eli's eyes roamed down Noah's body.

"I'm sure you're a nice guy, but..."

"Enough said. Thanks again for your help."

"You're welcome."

Eli was already walking away, so Noah made a bee-line for his two clerks. He pulled the two young people aside. They both looked sufficiently chastised before Noah even opened his mouth. Still, he wanted to make sure they knew how serious he was.

Noah spoke quietly, but forcefully. "Don't ever do that again. I am not playing."

Leslie bit her lower lip. "Noah, we really care about you."

Nicholas added, "We weren't trying to embarrass you."

They both looked like they were about to burst into tears. Noah couldn't help but feel bad. He let out a sigh. "Just... Don't. Please."

Leslie gave him a quick hug before she left.

Before he could even register it coming, Noah sneezed so hard it made his body ache. He hoped he wasn't coming down with something. It would be just his luck after spending the morning in the rain dealing with a flat tire.

* * * *

Eli felt horrible for what happened at the library. That snobby little library nerd looked absolutely mortified. He seemed to have a stick up his ass--but what a hot little ass it was.

Totally not Eli's type.

Eli liked a guy who liked to have fun. That was not Noah.

But still, Eli felt bad. After work, he made his way back to the library with the intention of asking the man out to dinner--just platonically--to apologize.

When Eli parked his car, he saw Noah exiting the library. The man stopped to blow his nose, then continued on to the parking lot.

Eli knew exactly when Noah spotted him walking across the lot. The smaller man froze in his tracks for a moment before continuing on at a slower pace, all while giving Eli a suspicious eye.

"Can I help you?" Noah asked cautiously.

"I just wanted to say again how sorry I was."

"Like I said before, it's not necessary."

"I'd really like to take you to dinner."

"I'm sure you're a nice guy, but I'm not really looking for... um..."

"This is just a 'thank you' dinner. No pressure. Besides, you're not really my type."

Noah frowned. "Gee, thanks, I guess."

* * * *

Eli picked up his phone and looked at the time once again.

What a nightmare. This dinner ended up being a colossal mistake. As cute as Noah was, he was a total bore. The man made it perfectly clear that he didn't like Eli. It was like pulling teeth to get a single word out of the man. Eli would rather gouge out his eyes than watch the other man push a salad around with his fork.

"Got somewhere to be?" Noah asked, his voice and expression both flat.

"I've got my night job at ten."

"Oh."

"Look, you're clearly not into whatever this is, so I'll pay the check and we can both get on with whatever." Eli raised his hand to try to signal the waiter.

"I'm sorry. I'm just... I'm really bad at this."

With a sigh, Eli lowered his hand. The librarian looked like someone kicked his puppy. "Eh, it's okay. So, when was the last time you were on a date?"

"Like twenty years ago." Noah shot Eli a wry smile. "I just got out of a twenty-year relationship."

"Jesus. What did you do? Hook up with your grade school sweetheart?"

Noah rolled his eyes. "Right. I'm forty-one years old."

"No shit. I thought you were younger than me. Good genes you got. So what happened?"

"He found someone younger."

"After twenty years? What a fucking asshole."

"So what does a security guard moonlight as?"

Eli didn't miss the change of subject. It clearly made Noah uncomfortable to talk about his ex, and since he was actually starting to speak, Eli went with it. "I'm a bouncer at The Buckle."

Noah thought for a moment. "The Buckle? I've never heard of it."

Eli smirked. "Yeah." His eyes roamed Noah. "It's a gay bar. Not really your style."

Noah ducked his eyes and rubbed his hand over his hair. "I'm not that bad, am I?"

"Nah. That place can be a little rough. Like I said, not your style. There's nothing wrong with that."

With a sigh, Noah set his fork down. "It wasn't supposed to be like this," he said quietly. "This wasn't part of my plan."

"Yeah, I hate those weeds they pass off as salad greens, too. You should order yourself a nice greasy cheeseburger. Or better yet, that huge slab of chocolate cake. With ice cream."

Noah cocked his head to the side and looked at Eli like he was crazy. Then he did the damnedest thing. He laughed. Not a polite giggle, but a genuine from-the-gut, honest-to-goodness laugh. In that moment, Noah transformed. His green eyes lit up bright behind his glasses. He was damn sexy.

"That sounds so good. I can't remember the last time I had cake..."

He didn't say it, but Eli knew why. That prick of an ex liked 'em young and skinny.

Eli signaled the waiter over.

"We'll take a piece of that chocolate cake a la mode. Two forks."