Invisible To Her Bully (Jessa and Noah) novel Chapter 219

Chapter 219

Noah

After practice, my body was tired in that good way–like the kind of exhaustion that meant I’d earned the shower I was going to take later.

But my brain wasn’t tired.

My brain was stuck.

On her.

On the way she’d looked at me this morning like she still couldn’t believe I was real. On the way she’d smiled like she was holding something fragile inside her chest.

So instead of going home, instead of doing what I always did, I drove to the Lombardi house.

It still felt strange, pulling up here for someone other than Jackson.

I’d been coming to this house for years. I knew which step on the porch creaked. I knew the smell of Mrs. Lombardi’s laundry detergent. I knew Jackson’s room was always a disaster.

But coming here because I wanted to see Jessa…

That was new.

My stomach twisted a little as I knocked.

The door opened almost immediately.

Jessa stood there in a red sweater, hair down, cheeks a little flushed like I’d caught her mid–thought.

She smiled.

Not a nervous one.

Not the kind she used to wear like armor.

Just… real.

“Hey,” she said softly.

“Hey,” I answered, and my voice came out quieter than I meant it to.

For a second, neither of us moved.

Like we were both still adjusting to the fact that this was normal now.

That I could come here.

That she would open the door.

That she would smile at me like she was glad I existed.

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Then she stepped back, letting me in.

The warmth of the house hit immediately, along with that familiar scent–clean laundry, a faint vanilla candle, something comforting I couldn’t name.

Jessa closed the door behind me and tucked her hair behind her ear.

“So,” she said, like she didn’t know what else to do with the moment. “Hi.”

I chuckled. “Hi.”

We stood there like two idiots.

Then she gestured toward the living room.

“I was… doing homework.”

“Biology?” I guessed.

She groaned immediately. “Yes.”

I followed her into the living room, and she flopped down onto the couch like the weight of school finally caught up to her.

“I just finished,” she said. “And in a few weeks we have to dissect a frog.”

I blinked. “A frog?”

“Yes. A real one.”

“That’s horrifying.”

“It is,” she said, pointing at me like I was finally understanding the severity. “Thank you.”

I sat down beside her, close enough that our shoulders brushed.

“So,” I said, “since you survived biology… what do you want to do?”

Jessa tilted her head. “You said movies earlier.”

“I did.”

She shrugged. “We could just watch one here.”

I smiled. “That sounds perfect.”

Her cheeks warmed a little at that.

There was something about being here, in her space, where she wasn’t trying to prove anything.

She was just Jessa.

And I liked that more than I could explain.

She reached for the remote, scrolling through options.

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“What kind of movie?” I asked.

She hesitated. “Something easy.”

“Easy is good.”

She glanced at me. “No sports documentaries.”

I gasped. “That’s discrimination.”

She laughed. “It’s survival.”

I liked her laugh.

It did something stupid to my chest.

She settled on some romcom–something with bright colors and ridiculous plotlines–and pressed play.

The screen lit up.

For a few minutes, we actually watched.

Or tried to.

I kept noticing little things instead.

The way she pulled her knees up under her.

The way her sleeve covered part of her hand.

The way she looked calmer than she had at school.

Then the front door opened.

Jackson’s voice carried down the hall.

“I’m home-”

He appeared in the living room and froze.

His eyes flicked between me and Jessa like he’d walked in on something illegal.

He immediately held up his hands.

“Hands in front of you at all times.”

Jessa’s face went bright red. “Jackson!”

“What?” he said defensively. “I’m just being a responsible brother.”

I leaned back, amused. “You’re being dramatic.”

“I’m being aware,” he corrected.

Jessa threw a pillow at him.

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Jackson caught it easily, smirked, then nodded toward the TV.

“What are you doing?”

“Watching a movie,” Jessa said quickly.

Jackson stared at me.

Then at her.

Then sighed like the universe was exhausting.

“Do you want me to join, or…?”

Jessa blinked. “You could.”

Jackson shook his head immediately.

I frowned. “Watched a movie?”