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I gently nod in response. Noah jumps up out of the bed and grabs my hand, dragging us towards the shower. I guess this conversation is over.
A couple of hours later,we pull into my driveway. After being at Noah’s, it's odd being back here. It's a harsh reminder of how much has happened to me. The house that always taunted me with its emptiness. But now, I feel complete, and with that so does my home. Huh, you’d think Noah had pissed on the house, marking his territory, with how much I feel him in every room, even when he’s not here.
Not alone anymore.
Just as I unlock the front door, Noah moves in close behind me, and I hear my name called out. My stomach drops when I recognize the voice. A line has now been drawn where the truth will come out today, a day I may lose my best friend.
“Chase?” Liam calls out. My feet are like cement blocks, they don’t want to move. I’m not prepared to face the backlash yet. I’ve only just started to come to terms with my unique relationship myself. Noah has moved to the side of me, and I force myself with everything I have to look at my friend. I need to make him understand.
“Hey, Liam.”
Liam watches Noah, and I see the exact second it registers who Noah is.
“Wait. Isn’t this one of your patients, Chase?”
“Can we talk inside, please?” I beg, opening the door and encouraging us all inside.
Noah leans up against the back of the couch, his arms crossed. Every inch of him is intimidating and menacing.
“Talk, Chase. Has he followed you here? Why is one of your patients in your home?” Liam admonishes me, and it's a foreign feeling. The look of shock and disappointment across his face has me cringing and I hate it. This is my friend.
“His name is Noah,” I start, but Liam cuts me off, anger radiating off him.
His posture stiff, his mouth turned down like he has tasted something bitter.
“I don’t give a fuck. Answer the question, why is he here? Please tell me this isn’t what it looks like?” Liam says.
A deep laugh fills the room. Looking to my side, I see Noah laughing.
“I thought you therapists were smart? He’s mine, and it’s got fuck all to do with you. I’d watch how you speak to him. I don’t take too kindly to meddling bitches,” Noah warns as Liam’s eyes widen at the threat.
“Noah, stop,” I hiss as he grins, still watching Liam.
“Noah, can you give us a moment, please?” I ask, needing to keep this conversation as calm as possible.
He turns to look at me. “No. I told you, baby. I’m not going anywhere,” he says, and I groan in frustration, rubbing my hand over my face until it hurts.
“Baby? So you’re fucking?” Liam asks, and it sounds crude. The disgust pours out of him like it's the worst thing in the world. This is a side of Liam I’ve never seen and I hate myself for bringing it out of him.
“Look, Liam. It just happened. I honestly tried to stop it, but I couldn’t, and after the mess with Wade…”
“You should’ve tried harder. You could lose your job over this!” Liam shouts. I freeze at his anger. There’s no point trying to defend myself, he isn’t in a space to listen to me, so I allowhim to rant away. Let every word sever a piece of our friendship. As Liam lists the entire catalog of reasons as to why I’m beyond stupid and how this is a bad idea, I miss the build-up to where Noah slams into Liam, pushing him to the ground.
“No! Noah, stop!” I yell at him, trying to move his big body off Liam.
“He’s out of line, he can’t speak to you like that. He’s trying to come between us,” Noah rasps as he holds Liam’s throat and tightens his grip where Liam struggles under his hold.
“Noah, please.”
He ignores me, the coldness of Noah’s face is trained only on Liam, he’s losing control. Liam’s face starts to turn purple as his legs start to kick out, trying to fight against it. I resort to my last option. I place my hands on Noah’s wide shoulders, gripping him so hard that my fingers lose circulation, with white replacing pink skin.
“Shadow, please hold me.Be my shadow.Hurting him hurts me,” I say. A tear slips from my eye as Noah turns to look at me with those intense green orbs. After he takes a couple of breaths, he loosens his grip enough that Liam falls back on the floor. A look of pure horror across Liam’s face makes me internally wince. This is how a normal person would react. I’ve been so consumed by Noah that seeing him in this light is second nature to me. A good friend, a “normal” person, would be comforting Liam right now. Instead, my focus is to comfort Noah. To calm his rage, at least for now.
Noah gathers me in his arms as I asked and I drift away with him into our bubble. Comfort, safety and warmth fill me as I settle into his hold.
“Your shadow, baby,” he murmurs, and I feel his body start to relax.
“Who the hell are you, Chase? Where has my sensible and good friend gone? Don’t you see how mad this is? He justattacked me, and you’re consoling him!” Liam says, his voice croaky from the attempted strangulation.
