Teresa’s soft and inviting expression gave Noah a nervous itch all over his skin. H just knewthatquestion was coming, though she waited until their food was served before she posed it.
“So, did you give my proposal some thought? I know these past few weeks have been extra busy for you with the Peace Week preparations, but it is important to think ahead.”
Noah swallowed the beef chunk he’d been chewing and wished he hadn’t. “I did, of course. But I’m afraid my answer hasn’t changed, Teresa,” he said firmly but respectfully.
“Come on, now. A healthy young man such as yourself should be looking to put himself forward soon,” she advised, all but leering at him with a hungry spark in her eyes. “And you wouldn’t want to disappoint your future wife, would you?”
Noah’s stomach turned, protesting the food he’d just consumed. “I appreciate the offer, but like I said when you asked me a few weeks ago, I’m focusing on my career at the moment. I would like to be in a position where I can provide for myfuture familybefore I… start it,” he reasoned, hoping he sounded sincere and not at all like he was bullshitting her. There were so many men who’d be happy to grovel at Teresa’s feet to be allowed to attend her ‘husband classes’, so why the hell was she so hung up on him specifically?
“You are an attractive man, Noah. I am sure there are women in positions that allow them to be the onesproviding who would be interested in you,” she countered and, Noah needed to change the topic because there was only so much of this he could take while pretending he was enjoying her and her cronies’ company.
“Still, I would want to pull my weight,” he strung together, placing his fork down.
Teresa hummed. “As long as that’s the only reason.” She focused on cutting her steak, the succulent texture letting out juices and blood.
“What do you mean by that?” Noah demanded with a slight edge to his voice, his heart rate a little quicker. He watched her stab a piece of beef, then lather it in butter and blood sauce as nausea twisted his stomach.Yeah, he wasn’t getting his appetite back any time soon despite the gourmet dinner.
“Nothing, dear. I’m just looking out for you.”
“Thanks… I appreciate that, but I just want to get my life in order first,” he assured her, wiping his mouth with a cloth napkin. “Once I’m done with my training, I’ll be more than happy to take you up on your offer.”
“I will be looking forward to that, then.”
He didn’t doubt that, just like he knew it was never happening. He wasn’t stepping anywhere near those ‘classes’. He didn’t have the plan figured out exactly, but he had another year and a half to come up with the sort of excuse that would fly with her, so he wasn’t going to worry about it yet. Plus, he already had enough things on his mind to warrant adding an extra stressor.
The rest of their dinner went by in light conversation about Peace Week, with Noah mostly nodding and smiling and letting the four women do the actual talking while he absentmindedly listened to the evening news broadcasting on the TV across from them. The usual pieces onpopulation growth and international agreements were cut short in favor of more ‘exciting’ reports of the celebration preparations, but, of course, the program finished with the coverage of the Holy Empire’s diplomatic mission in Asia and the continuous efforts in ensuring the data of the representatives deployed there was kept safe. It wasn’t a surprise that cyber security was such a hot topic given the few breaches that had occurred so far globally, although Noah wasn’t sure what the Empire was even doing about that when everyone was so damn busy preaching.
As the news ended and one of those matchmaking shows started, Noah felt another urge to get this evening done with and go home. He abandoned trying to force his steak down and instead worked through his dessert as quickly as he could, refusing the glass of wine Teresa offered him. No matter how many times he told her that he didn’t drink, she seemed to always forget.
“Noah, you are coming with us to the performance at the theater, aren’t you?” Antoinette asked, excitementlacing her words. The rest of the women looked at him expectantly.
With a smile he hoped expressed enough regret, he shook his head. “Apologies, but I’ll have to turn you down, ladies. I’ve got that launch tomorrow and wanted to go through a few things at home,” he said, grabbing his jacket off the chair’s backrest as he stood up. “Thanks for the dinner. It was a pleasure.”
“That’s unfortunate, but entirely understandable. We wouldn’t want any issues during his Holiness’ celebrations.” She stood up, squeezed his shoulder and pulled him into a hug, wrapping her curvy, pencil-dress-clad body around his. “It was a pleasure to have your company tonight, dear, but do try and show your face around more often, will you?”
“Of course.” Noah’s body grew tense, his nerves on the brink of snapping. “Enjoy the rest of your evening and I’ll see you around in the office,” he rushed out, flashed them a strained smile and didn’t wait for their replies before he was legging it out of the pretentious restaurant.
2
As soon as Noah got home, he jumped in the shower, needing to wash all traces of Teresa off himself. He diligently scrubbed each and every place she’d touched, needing that extra care before he could feel clean again. After that, he just let the water rain on him, indulging in the sensation as he let his mind wander.
Today, just like always, he’d wasted his time sitting in the office for no other reason than the Holy Empire’s need to micromanage and control its population for as many hours in the day as it could manage. And Rosetta? She was the worst with her by-the-books attitude and no understanding whatsoever of how things actually worked. Not that this last part was particularly surprising, considering the Church’s backwards opinions of certain technological and social advancements.
Noah turned the water off, grabbed the fluffy towel off the heater’s top rail, and padded out of his small bathroom. It was just past eight p.m. The sky was on the brink of being swallowed up by midnight hues, though it wasn’t quite there yet, the last vestiges of twilight painting orange and crimson stripes along Noah’s beige wallpaper. If not for Rosetta, he wouldn’t have had to deal with Teresa. Hewould have been home by six, would have showered and been already painting instead of just now getting around to it.
Whatever.At least he didn’t have to be in the office until ten thirty tomorrow morning, which meant he could stay up late and draw anyway.
Noah plopped on the edge of his bed, the frame creaking under him, and cast his gaze around his room. Just like the rest of his apartment, it was old and not very spacious, though it had all he needed – a bed, a small closet with a mirror along one side of its door, a dresser and his desk. Like all of those who’d lost their homes during the war, the state had provided a roof over his head, though he’d stopped being entitled to the subsidized discount as soon as he’d enrolled in the tech training program. Still, it was the cheapest option, and it wasn’t like he needed a bigger place, especially since he wanted to save as much money as fast as he could. The fact that he didn’t exactly buy stuff helped too, and so did the low number of items that he owned.
Speaking of…
Noah glanced at his window, his pulse quickening slightly. His apartment was too high up to warrant no onlookers, but he still stood up, turned his bedside lamp on and lowered the blinds. The dim light spurred his heart on as did a peek toward his pillow where he’d hidden the small tome he used as inspiration for many of his artworks.
Rugged and old and 100% illegal, it was his most precious possession, his only indulgence besides art, a collection of fictional stories and pictures he’d gotten his hands on after he’d spent months carefully maneuvering and exploiting legal loopholes. He contemplated taking itout and leafing through the pages, but his heart rate had picked up already, telling him he didn’t really need that kind of prelude tonight.
Or, well,mostevery night, if he was being honest.
Walking over to his closet, Noah opened the door so the mirror could face his bed. He stood in front of it and tossed the towel away, studying his naked self. He’d been focusing on his upper body lately and it showed, probably even through his shirt, so it wasn’t surprising that Teresa andthose old hags were all over him. He wasn’t ripped or bulky like a bodybuilder, but his shoulders were wide and the muscles of his arms, pecs and abdominals were nicely sculpted. His dark brown hair complemented his tanned complexion, and his face wasn’t bad either, his chiseled jaw, high cheekbones and straight nose making up for his unexciting brown eyes.
