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Fresh air. That’s what she needed. To clear her head so she could think.
Slipping out from beneath the covers, she padded toward the window only to find it couldn’t open. Apparently New Yorkers didn’t believe in throwing up the sash like they did in Fryberg. Very well, she’d risk a walk. A couple of moments of fumbling in the dark later, she was dressed and slipping out the door.
* * *
The brightness caught her off guard. She was used to seeing stars after midnight, not soft drink billboards and scrolling news feeds. After the soft lighting of their hotel room, the contrast hurt her eyes. Noelle leaned against the icy marble and inhaled. The air was cold and sour smelling. A mixture of body odor and exhaust. A few blocks away, a trio of young women giggled their way toward her. They looked cold with their short jackets and exposed legs. Just looking at them made Noelle stuff her hands deeper into her pockets. If she were smart, she’d turn around and head back inside.
Back to James. No sooner did she think his name than her heart started racing again.
She was scared. She didn’t want to be falling in love.
Was that what was happening? James certainly was someone she could love. Being with him these past two days, she’d felt like a different person. Not Kevin Fryberg’s widow or the infamous Manger Baby, but like herself. For the first time that she could remember, she hadn’t felt grateful for the attention. Maybe it was because they shared similar pasts, but when she was with James, she felt worthy. As though she was the gift.
She should be thrilled by the feeling. Why then was she standing panicked and shivering on a New York sidewalk?
“Like I would even be interested in the loser... Not that desperate... She’s such a skank!” The female trio was crossing the street, talking simultaneously. They had their arms linked. Holding each other up, no doubt, since they swayed back and forth as they walked. A blonde on the far end looked to be swaying more than the others, and as they got closer, Noelle realized it was because she was bouncing to a song she was singing. Her movement caused the middle one to pitch forward and stumble.
“What are you looking at?” she slurred as they stumbled past.
Noelle blinked. “Nothing,” she replied, but the trio had already passed on, the blonde turning the air blue as she heaved a string of crude obscenities in her direction. Half the words, Noelle had never heard a person actually say out loud. Feeling like she’d been punched, she tried to flatten herself farther against the building.
Something fuzzy brushed her ankle.
Oh, God, a rat! Noelle shrieked and jumped forward. City rats were rabid, weren’t they? She whipped her head back and forth to see which direction the horrid creature went.
Except it wasn’t a rat at all. It was a hand. A rattily gloved hand that had slipped free of a dark lump. In her distraction, she hadn’t noticed the body rolled up tight against the building. The person moaned and rolled over to reveal a weathered dirty face partially covered by a winter hat. White eyes stared out at her in the darkness as he moaned again. Despite the late hour, there was enough light to see his lips moving. He was trying to tell her something.
Swallowing in nerves, she moved closer and crouched down so she could hear. As she did, she realized he was the source of the sour smell from earlier. Body odor and alcohol swamped her nostrils.
“Do you need something?” she asked, opening her pocketbook. She only had a few dollars on her, but if it would help...
The vulgar name he called her brought her up short.
Her head snapped back. “Wh-what?”
“You ain’t takin’ my vent. Get your own fraking spot. I ain’t sharin’ my heat with nobody.”
The rant pushed her backward. Stumbling, she sat down hard. Tears sprang to her eyes from the impact, but she ignored them as she pushed herself to her feet. The homeless man was waving her off now as well, his voice growing loud and angry.
“I’m—I’m...sorry. I’m leaving right now.” Dropping a handful of bills by his hand—which he snatched while continuing to swear at her—she scurried backward, afraid to turn around until she’d put a safe distance between them. She traveled no more than a yard or two when her foot slipped off the curb. A horn blared. A taxicab had stopped in the intersection.
“Hey, lady. Watch where you’re going!”
Nodding, she hurried across the street, and didn’t stop until she reached a sign indicating an all-night coffee shop. There was a waitress behind the counter playing with her phone. She looked up when Noelle entered, and pointed to an empty stool.
“Counter service only,” she said, before going back to her phone.
