Chapter 17 Chapter 17
Noah's POV
By the time practice ended, my shoulder throbbed in that familiar dull way that meant I had pushed it just enough without Emily noticing, or at least I hoped she hadn’t noticed. She had this annoying ability to look at me once and immediately know exactly what my muscles were doing wrong, which meant tonight I needed something different. Something that was normal. That was what I told myself as I tossed my bag into the back seat of Sean’s truck.
“I’m going back to the apartment,” I said. “Are you guys coming?” I asked.
Sean glanced at me suspiciously. “You mean the apartment where your terrifying rehab overlord lives?”
“She studies late at the library.”
“So?”
“So it’s empty.”
Sean leaned against the truck door. “You’re about to do something stupid, aren’t you?”
I shrugged. “Define stupid.”
His eyes narrowed. “Noah.”
“What?”
“You have that look.”
“What look?” I asked.
“The ‘I’m about to poke the tiger with a stick’ look.”
I smirked. “You’re imagining things.”
He sighed. “Fine. Who else is coming?” He asked.
Within ten minutes there were five of us walking up the stairs to my apartment. It was Sean, Tyler, Marcus, and two girls Tyler had met after practice. I barely registered their names. Ashley and something with a 'K'.
The apartment felt strangely quiet when I unlocked the door. Emily’s neatly labeled grocery containers sat in the fridge. Her color-coded rehab chart was still stuck to the kitchen cabinet, evidence she existed here, which was weird enough on its own.
I tossed my keys on the kitchen counter. “Make yourselves comfortable.” I said as I plopped down onto the sofa.
Music started within seconds. Sean sprawled across the sofa like he owned the place. Tyler opened the fridge and immediately recoiled. “Why is there kale in here?” He asked.
“Don’t touch the kale,” I said automatically.
Everyone looked at me. “Why not?”
“Because Emily will notice.”
Tyler laughed. “You’re scared of the rehab girl.”
“I’m not scared.”
“You just defended kale.”
“That’s because she weaponizes vegetables.”
The girls laughed, and Ashley slid down beside me on the sofa. “So,” she said, brushing her hair over one shoulder, “You’re the famous Noah Harris.”
“That depends who you ask.”
“I saw your game last season.”
“Hopefully one of the good ones.”
She leaned closer. “You’re funny.”
Sean shot me a look from across the lounge. A very pointed look. The kind that said 'You’re definitely doing something stupid.' Maybe I was, but I kept thinking about Emily. About the way she looked at me during rehab She was focused, unimpressed and untouchable. It irritated me more than it should have. So tonight I wanted to see something. A reaction. Any type of reaction from her.
The music got louder. Marcus turned on the TV. Tyler passed around drinks. Ashley leaned against my shoulder. And right when the lounge hit peak chaos, the front door opened. The music suddenly felt too loud. Emily stood in the doorway holding a stack of textbooks. Her hair was slightly messy from studying, and she looked exhausted in that quiet academic way that made it obvious she had been working for hours.
She froze.
The entire room seemed to freeze with her. Her eyes moved slowly across the apartment.
Sean.
Tyler.
Marcus.
The two girls.
Ashley’s arm still resting against mine.
For one long moment, Emily said absolutely nothing. I watched her carefully.
Waiting. Waiting for the irritation, the jealousy, for anything, but she just walked inside calmly. Closed the door behind her, setting her textbooks on the table and then she walked straight into the kitchen. There was no dramatic reaction nor any confrontation. She was just...calm. That somehow annoyed me more.
Sean noticed too. He leaned towards me and muttered quietly. “She’s not reacting.”
“I see that.”
Ashley tilted her head. “Who’s that?”
“Roommate,” I said.
Emily opened the fridge. I watched her pull out the container of protein mix, she took the blender, and then the almond milk she insisted on buying. My recovery smoothie. She started preparing it like nothing unusual was happening. The blender whirred loudly. Marcus lowered the music volume slightly. The tension in the lounge thickened.
Ashley leaned closer to me. “Your roommate’s intense.”
I didn’t answer. I was watching Emily. She moved with quiet efficiency that was measured and controlled. Every movement was precise. It was the same focus she had during rehab sessions. But now it felt… colder.
She poured the smoothie into a shaker bottle. Screwed the lid on, and then finally walked back towards the lounge. Everyone’s eyes followed her. She stopped in front of me. Her expression was completely neutral. “Your post-practice recovery,” she said calmly, holding out the bottle towards me.
I took it from her. “Thanks.”
She nodded once before she glanced around the lounge, there was no judgements coming from her, she was just being observant. Ashley shifted slightly. Emily’s gaze landed on her for half a second and then moved away again, there was absolutely no reaction at all. She walked past the sofa, right past the two girls and then straight towards the hallway. But then she suddenly stopped in her tracks and turned around, looking directly at me.
“Your rehab session starts at 6 AM,” she said evenly. There was no emotion on her face. The room went silent. “I suggest they leave before then.” Her eyes flicked briefly towards the girls and then back to me, without another word, she disappeared down the hallway. Her bedroom door closed quietly.
The apartment remained silent for several seconds before Marcus exhaled. “Dude.”
Tyler shook his head. “She’s terrifying.”
Ashley looked confused. “Was she mad?” She asked.
I stared at the hallway. “I don’t know.” And that was the problem, because if Emily had yelled, thrown something or if she had gotten jealous, then at least I would've understood it, but this was calm, professional detachment. It felt worse.
Sean stood up slowly. “You’re an idiot.”
“Why?” I asked.
“You wanted a reaction.”
“I didn’t say that.”
“You didn’t have to.”
I leaned back on the sofa. “She didn’t react.”
Sean laughed quietly. “Oh, she reacted.”
“No she didn’t.”
“Trust me,” He said, grabbing his jacket. “That woman is furious.”
Tyler stood up too. “You might want to survive tomorrow morning’s rehab.”
The girls exchanged awkward glances. Ashley stood up. “Well… I have an early class.”
Within two minutes everyone was heading towards the door. Sean paused before leaving. “You poked the tiger,” he said.
I rubbed the back of my neck. “Apparently.”
He smirked. “Have fun at 6 AM.”
The door closed behind them. The apartment fell silent. I stared at the hallway again. Emily’s door remained closed, there wasn't any noise, movement, nothing.That quiet bothered me more than if she had screamed, because I still couldn’t tell one thing. Whether Emily Taylor was completely unaffected, or whether I had just made her hate me. For some reason… I wasn’t sure which outcome I disliked more.