I dozed off again, only waking up when Noah shifted with a mumble. If anyone hated waking up, Noah was no doubt at the top of that list. Me? I was always able to wake up and bounce out of bed. It was programmed into me.
I could remember most of the times that he’d fall asleep late at night, and I’d have to threaten to dump cold water over him. Not that I ever did. I didn’t want my bed ruined. That was the only thing I never wanted to ruin.
“Mo’ning.” He yawned, pushing his upper body more against my own like a cat would.
“Hey, sweetheart,” I mumbled back, running a hand up and down his back.
His bruises were slowly fading. There were now light, ugly colors instead of the dark ones they had been days ago. I still loathe seeing them. At least the ones around his neck were all but gone. The others that covered his skin would take a bit more time to heal and disappear.
“When...do you have a day off again?” He moved enough to set his chin on my chest, looking at me.
“Sunday. I’ll have three days off this time.”
“Right. Okay.” He settled back down, his hand drawing random patterns on my chest.
“What’s up?” It didn’t take a superpower to know his mind was going a hundred miles an hour.
“I should maybe get a job? Help pay for food. Or something.”
“No. You are to rest and heal. Get better first. Then we’ll figure out what you’d like to do. But right now, you don’t need a job.” I didn’t need to remind him that I had plenty of money. I didn’t even have to have the job that I had. Scarlett’s savings account that she’d created when I first came into her care was more than enough to cover every cost I could ever have. As long as I used my money wisely. Which I did.
I didn’t like touching that money anyway. It was bad enough she insisted that she pay for this apartment. I was grateful for it all, don’t doubt that. I just wasn’t the best at accepting help.
“We’ll go shopping on Sunday, too.”
“Okay.” I knew there was more he wanted to say but chose not to. Maybe it was for the best. Or it’d come up another time.
“I got a question for you,” I said, still running my hand along his back. He hummed, melting into me. “What do you want for breakfast?”
“Bacon?”
Pressing a kiss to the top of his head, soaking up every bit of him that I could, I wasn’t surprised by his answer. Of course, he’d want that. I did make the best type of bacon, after all. It wasn’t that turkey crap. No. Mine was cooked to crispy perfection with a slight dusting of garlic and herb seasoning.
“Then let's get moving so we have time to eat and get a list of what we need when we go shopping on Sunday. And then more cuddles before I head into work.”
After a full minute, Noah finally moved. His displeasure was noted as he grumbled about having to move.
I shook my head, glad to know that he wasn’t completely ruined by the man who got his hands on him.
By the time we both finished using the bathroom, the smell of bacon wafted through the small place, and Noah was sitting at the counter. His chin was propped up by one of his palms, his eyes watching my every movement.
“You’re going to start drooling soon,” I joked over my shoulder.
Noah stuck his tongue out, eyes light. I’d never tire of seeing him like that. Free to express how he felt.
“I’ve missed you.”
At my words, his happiness disappeared a bit. The silly boy that had been pushed to the ground one too many times faded.
“I shouldn’t have let my parents talk me into going to college. I hadn’t wanted it anyways, but...”
“They are your parents.” They were good ones, to an extent. Wanting their kid to have a good life, giving him everything they could to set him up to succeed. But the cost that came with it was hefty. One I wish I could have talked my best friend out of doing. But I wasn’t that selfish.
“Yeah....well. Not anymore. They weren’t too pleased that I wasn't going back.” Back to his parents' house, that is. Noah had mentioned his Mom had been pretty demanding about that option.
Noah had learned more than what his parents had wanted him to. I could see how much he grew, how much he found something that even I didn’t know he needed. College was meant to explore different pathways, and he certainly found one he liked, even if it didn’t pay the bills.
“You’re here now. You can keep volunteering at the vet place for however long you want.”
