Invisible To Her Bully (Jessa and Noah) novel Chapter 283

Chapter 283

Mariah

It was weird how quiet everything felt now.

Not school.

School was never quiet.

But… everything else.

No whispers when I walked into a room.

No girls side–eyeing me like I’d stolen something from them.

No stupid rumors floating around like they owned the place.

Just… normal.

Which, honestly?

I wasn’t used to.

I dropped my bag onto the chair in the TV room and flopped down onto the couch, staring at the blank screen in front of me.

“Mom, we’re in here!” I called.

From the kitchen, I heard, “Okay! I’m making dinner!”

I exhaled, sinking deeper into the cushions.

Normal.

That’s what this was supposed to feel like.

A few minutes later, I heard the front door open.

My heart did that annoying little jump it always did when I knew it was him.

“Mariah?” Jackson’s voice carried through the house.

“In the TV room!”

His footsteps came closer, and then he appeared in the doorway.

For a second, he just stood there.

Looking at me.

And yeah, I’d never admit this out loud, but-

That look still did something to me.

“Hey,” he said.

“Hey.”

He walked in, shutting the door behind him just enough for privacy but not enough to make it obvious.

Respectful.

That was new too.

Chapter 283

He dropped his bag and sat beside me, close enough that our knees touched.

“Your mom said dinner in a bit.”

“Yeah.”

Silence.

Not awkward.

Just… there.

And that’s when it hit me.

This.

This was the first time we were just… here.

No chaos.

No people.

No reason to rush anything.

Jackson leaned back into the couch.

“You’re quiet.”

I glanced at him.

“You’re one to talk.”

He smirked slightly.

“I’m always quiet.”

I gave him a look.

“That’s the biggest lie you’ve ever told.”

He laughed under his breath.

Then his arm slid across the back of the couch behind me, casual, like it had always been there.

My body reacted before my brain did, leaning just slightly into him.

Comfort.

Easy.

Familiar.

But underneath that?

Something else.

Something I couldn’t quite name.

I turned my head toward him.

“You realize this is weird, right?”

His brow furrowed.

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Chapter 283

“What is?”

“This.”

I gestured between us.

“Us just… sitting here. Alone. With nothing going on.”

He looked around the room like he was trying to see it from my perspective.

“Feels normal to me.”

“Exactly,” I said.

“That’s the problem.”

He gave me a look.

“I’m not following.”

I sat up a little straighter.

“For months it’s been… something.”

“What do you mean?”

“Drama. Rumors. People watching. Something always happening.”

He nodded slowly.

“Yeah.”

“And now there’s nothing.”

He shrugged.

“That’s a good thing.”

“Is it?”

That made him pause.

I looked down at my hands, picking at the edge of my sleeve.

“It’s just… different.”

“Different how?”

I hesitated.

Because the next part felt stupid to say out loud.

But also…

Real.

I glanced back at him.

“For the first time, it actually feels like this matters.”

He didn’t joke.

Didn’t deflect.

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Chapter 283

Didn’t smirk.

He just looked at me.

And that alone made my stomach flip.

“Mariah…”

I shook my head slightly.

“I don’t even know what I’m saying.”

“You’re saying it feels real.”

I blinked.

“…Yeah.”

He nodded once.

“Good.”

“Good?”

“Yeah.”

He shifted closer, his hand brushing lightly against my arm.

“Because it is.”

That simple.

That confident.

And somehow that made my chest tighten.

Because now there was no noise to hide behind.

No chaos to distract from what this actually was.

Just us.

He tilted his head slightly.

“Come here.”

I rolled my eyes.

“You’re already right next to me.”

“Closer.”

I huffed out a quiet laugh but moved anyway, turning slightly toward him.

His hand came up, brushing a strand of hair away from my face.

Then he kissed me.

Soft at first.

Slow.

Nothing rushed.

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Chapter 293

Nothing intense.

Just… intentional.

And that somehow hit harder than anything else.

I kissed him back, my hand resting lightly against his chest.

His heartbeat was steady under my palm.

Mine?

Not so much.

The kiss deepened slowly.

Not desperate.

Not messy.

Just… building.

His hand slid to my waist, pulling me closer.

And yeah, okay-

That’s when the shift happened.

Because suddenly I was very aware of how close we were.

Of his hand.

Of my body.

Of the fact that there was nothing stopping this from going further.

I pulled back slightly.

Not all the way.

Just enough.

“This is what I mean,” I said quietly.

His eyes searched mine.

“What?”

“This.”

My voice was softer now.

“Now there’s nothing stopping us.”

He didn’t immediately respond.

Which told me he understood exactly what I meant.

I swallowed.

“I don’t know if I’m ready for… more.”

There.

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Chapter 283

I said it.

The thing that had been sitting in the back of my head.

Jackson didn’t react the way I expected.

No frustration.

No pressure.

No disappointment.