Wow, so nice of everyone to review my story so far. Thank you for coming back to comment, too! To the peeps that commented about spelling mistakes - I am aware, I will fix them as I find them, English is not my native language, but it's one close to a mother tonge. Still, things slip from my grasp and sometimes a dreaded auto-correct ruins my efforts, too! I do apologize. If you find anything, just send me a message and I'll happily correct whatever you found :-)

I love how the story has several blank spots that Noah's POV can fill. At first when you read the book, you don't really notice they're there but then when you take a closer look, you realize that there is so much more to this story than that's told so far and that is very exciting for anyone that wants to fill those blanks, eh?

I am planning to write some oneshots - any suggestions, wishes, maybe a challenge (words that need to be in the story etc.) ... send it my way and I'll write it for you. I feel like I've just been kissed by my muse :-)

Beth, I love you - thank you for the story and I hope you write a sequel :*

Six.

Lee and Elle played video games for the rest of the day, really, while I got all of my homework done. College application process was done for the next school year and I was awaiting letters from several colleges, some of them Ivy League. Until then I had promised my parents to keep my grades up and that meant that I had to miss out on Elle kicking Lee's ass at Mario Kart. His constant defeat was clearly marked by the excited squeals from Elle that were pretty ... audible. For just a few moments my biology essay was forgotten as I imagined the sounds she'd make when I kissed her ... if I kissed her ... no, when I kissed her ...

Well, my mind totally went into the gutter there.

Elle's dress was now laid on my bed and I was concerned she might have forgotton I still had it in my room. She hadn't come upstairs to retrieve it, yet. I was contemplating whether or not to take it downstairs and tease her a little bit more about her almost stripper career ...

My will to concentrate on anything photosynthesis was gone out the door, anyway, so I got up, grabbed her dress and made my way downstairs.

Elle and Lee were still at it, Lee's Princess Peach constanly being bombarded with all things banana, shell or bomb and he was constantly complaining about Elle's luck or how her usually terrible aim in Mario Kart suddenly had taken a turn for the better. Lee was not happy at all. They hadn't noticed me standing in the door so I cleared my throat. It made Elle jump.

'Noah,' she said, while a content borderline sly grin formed on Lee's face as his Princess Peach overtook Elle's Luigi. No wonder he managed, though, since Elle had thrown her controller on the ground.

'Oh, I'm sorry,' I said and grinned, 'did I startle you there, Shelly?'

'No, you most certainly did not,' she retorted and I could not fight back my grin when she, yet again, blushed furiously. Lee laughed.

'Oh, so it's part of the game to throw your controller away from time to time? I see, never knew that,' I teased her and she fell silent, looking down onto her hands that were holding the controller very tight. I could see her knuckles turn white.

'Whatever,' I added and threw her dress down onto the two seater sofa next to them, 'you forgot your dress in my room.' I purposefully strectched the 'my room' part and with a last triumphant glance I turned around to go back upstairs.

'You're an ass, Noah Flynn,' I heard Elle say.

'Yeah, I am one fine ass, I know Shelly,' I shouted back, teasingly, but I didn't look back. I knew she was staring at said part of my body. I was sure of it. What can I say?

Lee drove Elle home since she was wearing a pair of his pants. I wasn't sure if or when I would be seeing my shirt again, but that didn't matter. It was a marvellous opportunity for teasing her as this shirt was a constant reminder of her waking up in my room and most importantly of me having seen her in her underpants. I still marvelled at how she'd be embarrassed about that when in fact I had seen her numerous times in her bikini. That was a mystery to me

Lee came back twenty minutes later and when he entered the kitchen I had just taken a zip of a can of soda and was leaning against the counter.

He didn't say anything to me when he made his way toward the fridge to retrieve a can of soda himself. I could tell there was something on his mind and I was pretty sure he was still pouting at my accusations from last night. After all I had told him that he hadn't taken his friendship duties seriously.

'You wanna tell me something?' I asked when a few minutes had passed in complete silence.

'Not really,' Lee answered but his snarky tone gave him away.

'Come on Lee, you're mad at me and I think we should talk about it.'

'Well, I think we shouldn't.'

'And why is that?' I pressed.

'Because it's none of your business,' Lee snapped and turned around to face me, his eyes burning into mine. Finally, a reaction. Now that was something I could work with.

'And it is none of my business ... how? You were the one that made me aware of Elle's little stripper situation and I am grateful you did that, Lee, she would have hated herself if anything more inappropriate were to have happened. You know that. All I've asked you last night and all I will ask you now is why you haven't intervened sooner. She's your best friend, it's your damn job!'

Had I just lectured Lee on his friendship? Looked like I had. Lee didn't look happy but his glance lessened in intensity and he sighed.

'You're right,' he said, 'I should have seen to her drinking a lot less than she drank. That one is on me. I am glad you took care of her, though. You needn't have...'

'Oh trust me, I had to...'

Lee suspiciously raised his eyebrow at me but didn't ask any further questions.

'What kept you occupied, anyway, young man?' I said and ruffled through Lee's hair. He hated it almost as much as Elle did. I laughed.

'See there is this girl...'

'Ah-ha!' I grinned in triumph before I took another sip from my soda, 'You were smooching a lady!'

'We were just getting to know each other a little better ...'

'Uh-Huh!'

'Shut up!'

'Does Elle know?'

'Yeah, I told her.'

'Is she mad at you for not saving her?'

'No, I apologized anyway. We're cool.'

'That's good.'

'She did say she was surprised you of all people saved her...' Lee said and he was watching me intently.

'Is that so?' I retorted, emptying my soda with one big gulp and tossing the can in the trash.

'Yeah, it had surprised us both, actually,' Lee said.

'And why is that? She's practically family...' I said, trying to lead him astray but Lee must have caught on to me hiding something. He suddenly became pretty somber.

'She's my best friend,' Lee said and he stressed the sentence just as he had been stressing it for the last couple of days, weeks even. He had claimed her as his best friend and hadn't I been the one to tell all the boys not to date her, Lee would have become close second to have that idea and make it happen. He was very protective of her, maybe even a little more than I was. Only I had absolutely no right to be protective of her. She may have had a crush on me before and there was this small hope inside me that she would actually consider me ... even if that meant that her relationship with Lee were to degrade. Would she ever choose me over her best friend, though? I guess not. I pushed further.

'She still has a crush on me, doesn't she?' I feigned innocence and searched his face for any clue.

'Maybe,' Lee said and averted my gaze. Bingo.

'Huh.'

'Noah...'

'Yeah?'

'Don't...'