“Noel is an avenger. He’s not a good guy in the official sense, but he fights criminals and supernatural villains when no one else can defeat them.”
“Right, but,” I trailed off, my eyes darting from the page to the deep furrow in his brow. “Why is he doing it? Like Batman for example, his parents were murdered, so with every villain he catches, he’s avenging their death. You can tell Noel is passionate and troubled—”
“You could tell that and you’re not even halfway in?” He crossed his arms over his broad chest, his wide shoulders rigid as if I’d struck a nerve. The defensive glare he threw me led me to believe I’d stumbled on to something.
All of the pieces I’d written, both for school and myself, always had a piece of me in there somewhere. Oftentimes, it was something I was working out on the page because I couldn’t say it out loud.
Anthony’s hero had the most haunting, sad eyes. He was a loner, not unusual for a vigilante, but the pain etched on Noel’s face said more than any of the dialogue Anthony had shown me so far.
“I think there is a reason why he’s fighting. Filling in the gaps of his story will be easier if you can zero in on his goal. That first sketch you showed me gave me chills. I knew right away that he had a bigger reason why than just catching bad guys.”
“Maybe he used tobethe bad guy. Maybe he hurt a lot of people and he’s trying to make it right.”
Anthony’s dark eyes bore into mine, almost as if he was issuing a challenge.
“Perfect!”
He flinched when I slapped my hand on the table.
“Reformed villains are thebestto read about. Too good gets monotonous. That’s why Superman always bored me.”
He burst out laughing when I crinkled my nose.
His shoulders relaxed, and he looked so handsome, and young. When I set up his direct deposit with the main office, I’d noticed his birthday was almost two years before mine, but he always seemed much older and more reserved, carrying himself as if he had a permanent weight on his shoulders. For that one amazing moment, I stole a glimpse of the carefree boy he kept hidden deep inside.
“You’re a mystery, Falco.” He shook his head, still chuckling to himself.
“Back at you,Diaz.” I squinted at him, spying relief drifting across his features as he flashed me a grin. It was the same grin I’d seen that first day when we were just two people connecting over a common interest, and maybe a little attraction.
Or a lot. At least on my side. But it was more than the full lips and stubble along his chiseled jaw that drew me to him. His talent and his quiet intensity left me breathless.
I wondered how much of him was in Noel. I yearned to know more about them both.
After chatting through the rest of the pages, Anthony stood and scooped the book off the table.
“I hope I wasn’t too forward.” I cringed at his rushed departure. “I think you have a great story going, and I’m excited to see where it goes. If you want to keep showing me, that is.”
He stilled before flashing a shy smile.
“Not too forward at all. It’s actually nice to talk about it with you. I mean,” he cleared his throat, “it’s nice to bounce ideas off of someone. Even though I just do this to pass the time. I’ll work on your suggestions and show you on Monday. Only if you don’t mind.”
“Monday is my late night at school, but I’ll be here on Tuesday afternoon. And I don’t mind. I told you, I want to see what happens.”
My lip curled into a smirk until his smile faded. My breathing hitched a moment, that initial pull between us I tried to forget was still very much there.
“I better get back. This is the first time I’ve been late coming back from a break.” A nervous laugh fell from his lips. “Thanks, Victoria.”
I was relieved that the ice between us had finally thawed. In fact, the nape of my neck had a sheen of sweat on it as I lifted my hair to cool off.
Something in Anthony called to something in me—and it was impossible not to answer.
3
Anthony
“I think Noel needs a friend,”Victoria said, tapping her finger on the page.
“A friend?” I laughed at the serious furrow of her brow. “Did he have a lonely look in his eye when he cut the dragon’s head off?”
