Luckily, with his extracurricular lessons, the gym, classes, and his part-time job, another year passed in a blur. His eighteens, along with the last year of school, slipped through his fingers.
He’d been drifting in a sea of numbness and brief moments of clarity for a long while. But once he and the guys moved to Roskilde to go to Højskole, faint rays of sun shone in his cloudy sky.Finally. They were one step closer to turning their dreams into reality.
“Yo, asshole!” Theo snapped, bumping Noah’s leg with his knee. “I called this bed.”
“You should have been faster then.” He shrugged with an unapologetic grin and laid down, crossing his arms under his head.
“You’re so getting it!” Theo launched himself at Noah with so much force that he rolled to the other side when they grappled, landing face down on the floor. Noah roared with laughter.
“And this is just the beginning.” Trine sighed, dropping a box on Val’s bed. “I feel so sorry for you.” She patted his back.
“I feel sorry for myself, too.” He chuckled.
Of course Trine was helping them. There was no way she’d have allowed herbaby boyto leave the nest and not be here to witness every step he took toward his independence. Not that she was going too far, though. Since she had nothing left in her hometown—no family, no friends—she’d sold her parents’ house and found one in a town halfway between Roskilde and Copenhagen. It needed some work, but she saw it as a project—a fresh start alongside her new job as a makeup artist at aphotography studio in the capital. Noah had no idea how she would make it all work, but to each their own.
“Are you really gonna be this noisy all the fucking time?” Val protested.
“Probably.”
“Who knows.”
“Why am I even friends with you guys?” Val mumbled to himself, tucking a blond lock away from his face.
“Okay, I think it’s time for me to go, boys.” Nostalgia shone in Trine’s eyes as she hugged each one of them. “You call me if you need anything, alright?” she said, cupping and pressing Noah’s cheeks, making his lips pout.
“Mom...” he said, embarrassed. “We’re not that far, and yes, we’ll call if we need anything.”
“You better.” She hugged him again, reluctantly letting go before grabbing her bag and leaving to let them unpack.
It was fleeting, but Noah felt a twinge of pain in his chest. He wanted this, and he was truly excited about it, but not sharing a space with his mom anymore, moving on, it made him a little sad at the same time. Until Theo bitch-slapped his head with a pillow.
“Earth to Noah!”
“Shithead!” He laughed.
Since they had all chosen arts to study—Val was going for photography, Theo for design, and Noah for music—and had managed to get into the same school, it was only reasonable that they shared a bedroom, too.Obviously.
Of course, learning and settling some solid bases in whatever field they were interested in was important. But the whole idea of this new stage in their lives was also to build on responsibility, tolerance, and community. Social life was as essential as the technical part, and who was better for that than Val and Theo?Well, them and the other twelve students living on the same floor.
Their room, in particular, had three large single beds with nightstands between each. Cork paneling lined the space above their headboards—a perfect place to display their photos and music posters. Val’s bed was closest to the entrance, Theo’s was in the middle, and Noah’s was by the window, where rays of sun played with the branches of the tree outside, painting abstract shadows over his sheets.
The closets were on the opposite wall, and linoleum that mimicked concrete covered the floors, adding a modern air that contrasted with the cozy blue, grey, and white color palette. The privacy their room offered was perfect for small gatherings, and whatever other nocturnal plans Val and Theo had—there was a list. The shared tea kitchen, lounge area, and five bathrooms—one for every two to three students—were decent, too.
The eighteen residents were separated into two and three-person rooms, but they all were supposed to live together like one big family, dividing everyday chores and helping each other with any projects during their stay.
Noah was excited about everything ahead of him. They were situated right between the train station and some festival grounds, with the Ragnarock museum nearby, too. Not to mention all the cultural, historical, and natural sites surrounding the area. If this didn’t inspire their creativity, nothing else would.
However, he expected to be more enthusiastic.
The anticipation during the summer, while they were getting ready to move and start this new chapter, had been huge, bubbling inside him like a volcano about to erupt. Val and Theo were clearly riding on the crest of the thrill, talking and giggling like schoolgirls as they found places for all their belongings.But for Noah, it was as if the entire world had been painted in greyscale.
Although he didn’t want to admit it aloud, he knew why. The reason his smile didn’t reach his eyes, and his laughter didn’t get to a painful point anymore had a first and last name, and they were both branded on his heart—rough, fibrous tissue that now covered what used to be a bleeding wound.
It had been a long time since he last saw or talked to Kaj, yet both the love and the betrayal still stung. Maybe it was because Kaj had been his first. Or maybe it was that he hadn’t met anyone who made him feel anything remotely close to what he had felt for Kaj. That flutter in his stomach or the throb in his pants. His body had turned off, sticking to the basics to keep him alive. Pretending pain didn’t flog his mind every now and then, sometimes transforming mental distress into physical discomfort, had become a habit. But he had made peace with this neurotic side of him. Kaj was a part of him, and he always would be.
He questioned whether breaking up had been the best decision, though. But no matter how much he missed him some days or how much he longed for the life they’d pictured together, deep down, Noah knew he wouldn’t have been happy caught in a web of lies where he wasn’t the only one.
“Noah?” Val called, bringing him back. “Are you okay?”
