Invisible To Her Bully (Jessa and Noah) novel Chapter 122

I don’t know what kind of idiot move 1 just made, but it’s probably somewhere between worst decision of my life and thing I’ll never regret no matter how much trouble it causes.

Because Jessa Lombardi just kissed me back.

And for a few seconds, everything in me went quiet–the noise, the guilt, even the voice in my head reminding me that she’s Jackson’s twin. None of it mattered. It was just her. The way she felt in my hands. The soft sound she made when I pulled her closer.

When she finally pulled back, her cheeks were pink, her eyes wide, and I swear the air between us felt charged. I didn’t know if I wanted to laugh, apologize, or kiss her again.

Instead, I leaned back against the seat and blew out a breath. “Well,” I said, my voice rough, “that just happened.”

She gave a nervous little smile. “Yeah. Guess it did.”

For a few seconds, neither of us said anything. The sound of the river below the overlook filled the space, soft and steady, like the world was waiting to see what we’d do next. I didn’t know what to do with my hands–every instinct told me to reach for her again, but the part of me that still had a shred of self–control said I should probably get her home before Jackson showed up and killed me.

So, I started the truck. “Come on,” I said quietly. “I’ll take you home.”

She nodded, turning to look out the window as I pulled away. The road wound through the hills, quiet except for the hum of the engine and the faint static of the radio. Her reflection in the window was soft, thoughtful.

I’d seen Jessa a thousand times before–at my house, at games, hanging around Jackson. But tonight, she looked … different. Or maybe I was just finally seeing her for real.

There wasn’t any heavy makeup or some dramatic new outfit. It was just her. The way she looked at me like she was trying to figure out what I was thinking, the faint nervous energy in her fingers as she twisted the hem of her sweater.

I kept stealing glances at her while pretending to focus on the road. The whole time, one thought kept pushing through everything else: what the hell did I just do?

The silence followed us halfway through town. Then she shifted a little in her seat and said softly, “Noah?”

“Yeah?”

Her voice was barely above a whisper. “What… what does this mean?”

I glanced at her, caught the uncertainty in her eyes, and my chest tightened.

“I don’t know yet,” I said honestly. “But I know what it doesn’t mean. It wasn’t a mistake.‘

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Chapter 122

She blinked, surprise flickering across her face, “You’re sure?”

63+25 BONUS

I gave a small langh under my breath. “Pretty damn sure. I’ve been trying do that for weeks now.”

That got her attention. “Weeks?”

“Yeah.” I rubbed the back of my neck, feeling like an idiot, “I don’t know when it started. Maybe the bonfire Maybe even before that. But I started noticing stuff. The way you laugh. The way you don’t take crap from Jackson or anyone else. The way you look at people like you actually see them.” Thesitated, then said quietly, “1 started noticing you, Jessa.”

She looked at me for a long moment, like she was trying to figure out if I meant it.

When she finally spoke, her voice cracked a little. “You don’t have to say that just because you kissed me.”

I turned my head toward her, catching her gaze. “I’m not.”

Her hands fidgeted in her lap. “It’s just…. hard to believe. People don’t usually say that about me.”

“Then they’re idiots,” I said simply. “Because you’re-“I stopped myself, realizing how fast my heart was beating. “You’re kind of impossible not to notice, Jess.”

She gave a small, shy smile, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “You don’t have to lie. I know what people say. Fat, weird, not like other girls–trust me, I’ve heard it all. I’m used to it.”

Something twisted in me hearing her say that. “You shouldn’t be.”

Her

reyes flicked to mine, wide and uncertain.

“Look,” I said, keeping my tone even. “You can tell yourself whatever you want, but that doesn’t change what I see when I look at you. You’re beautiful, Jessa. You’re smart. You’re funny as hell. And yeah, maybe you don’t fit into whatever box people at school think you should–but that’s their problem, not yours.”

We hit a red light, and I finally let myself look at her fully. “You asked what this means,” I said. “It means I like you. More than I should, maybe. But I do.”

She looked back at me, eyes glistening just a little. “And Jackson?”

That was the one question I didn’t have an easy answer for.

“Yeah,” I said. “Every word.”

The light turned green, and I pressed the gas. The rest of the drive was quiet, but it wasn’t the awkward kind of silence. It was thick with all the things we didn’t know how to say yet.

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