NOAH

Chapter 8

Now Ben and Harry had a young employee, who was talented enough to win first place at several local tattoo competitions and whose portfolio had even brought them clients from other states.

"You've gone quiet on me, kiddo."

"Sorry. I was just thinking about everyone at home," I admitted. Everyone who mattered anyway.

"Well, there you go."

Her words confused me and I waited a few seconds for her to elaborate. When she also didn't speak, I asked: "There I go what?"

"You said 'home' when you referred to Grandfort. But you are in Plymson now. 'Make Plymson my home' or 'second home' could be the first thing on your bucket list."

"Huh." I stood off the couch and went into the kitchen. "That's not a bad idea. Thanks, Aunt Helen!" I put my mug on a counter and opened the notepad I used for my grocery list to a new page to jot down 'Goals List' and below it '1. Make Plymson my home'.

I tore the page and used an apple-shaped magnet to display it on my fridge, grinning as I did so. It wasn't something grand and adventurous as a trip around the world or spending a holiday at an exotic destination, but it was a start.

"You're welcome. Now, who is your favorite aunt that you'll come and visit soon?"

"You are, Aunt Helen, but I don't know when I'll be able to visit," I said, switching to loudspeaker so I could use my hands to wash the now empty mug. "Kyle wants to time our days off so we can meet up at Grandfort and he could get some more ink."

"Yeah, he mentioned that when he called a few days ago. He sounded pretty giddy. Something about shooting a scene with two guys dressed as policemen. Thankfully, he didn't go into details."

I chuckled, heading for the bedroom.

Neither Helen, nor the guys at the tattoo shop judged Kyle for his profession of choice, but none of them wanted to know exactly what he got up to. Tyler was sort of cool about it - if he heard the details, that was okay; if he didn't, that was fine too - but the rest of them always interrupted Kyle if he started to give them the particulars.

"I have to get ready for work," I said as I opened the wardrobe. "Talk to you soon?"

"You better, kiddo."

"Say 'hi' to Ben for me."

"You've got it."

And with an exchange of 'I love you', we ended the call. I pocketed my phone and looked at my options. A simple t-shirt, even a well-fitted one, didn't go with the vibe of the club, at least not when I wore it. I wasn't ugly, but I didn't have striking eyes like Kyle or Ash, nor could I manage Erik's flirty, yet professional smiles, so I had to opt for more flashy clothing to compensate. Since 'flashy' wasn't my style, I'd asked both Kyle and Callian for ideas, the latter even coming to shop with me.

Kyle had suggested faux leather and lots of buckles and Callian had gone for sequins. Erik had also helped me in my predicament by suggesting I buy simple dark t-shirts and tank tops with colorful prints on them. So now I was the proud owner of a couple of tops with a dash of sequins on them, several black ones with colorful, abstract prints, and two faux leather bangles, one of which was a surprise gift Kyle had sent me through the mail.

For tonight, I chose black stretchy jeans, a black tank top with a print of baby pink, blue and purple paint splatters, and, of course, the bangles. Once I'd picked the outfit, I took a quick shower, made short work of a tomato and lettuce sandwich with toasted whole-wheat bread, put on my clothes, grabbed a light jacket, and exited my apartment.

As soon as I was on the landing, I heard raised voices from the floor below. Even without listening to the words, I knew what the fight was about, given who was involved in it. I climbed down the stairs under the soundtrack of Giles Goodwin's cussing, threats, and complaints.

"If you can't control that fucking creature, then get rid of it!" He concluded, just as I joined them on the first floor, then he walked up, slamming his shoulder in mine as he passed.

"Watch where you're going!" My neighbor growled as I rubbed the sore spot and glared at his back.

"Why that..." Mrs. Bates looked absolutely furious, all red cheeks and what was left of her teeth clenched tightly. This anger had to be bad for a woman her age, but it wasn't unjustified.

"What did Milo supposedly do this time?" I asked, approaching the old woman.

"Apparently our beloved Mr. Goodwin found a scratch on his door and, of course, my Milo must be the culprit. Because cats are known to leave a single scratch on a door." She huffed. "That man... He's only looking for reasons to complain. Did you know that he accused the Dawson girls of spray-painting that building across the street? Can you imagine that? A six-year-old and eight-year-old well-mannered girls going around at night, mind you, spray-painting buildings." She puffed again and I began to seriously worry about her already unstable blood pressure.

"I wish we could throw him out, but he hasn't broken any of the rules and he always pays the rent on time. Complains, of course, about paying too much for such a dump, but he pays nevertheless." She smashed her jaws together and I wasn't sure if it was a tic or an attempt to keep quiet. If it was the latter, it didn't work.

"Well, if he thinks this building is a dump, he could just leave. Good riddance!" She did the frightening jaw thing again, and I took that as my cue to try to soothe her.

"Mrs. Bates, don't take this to heart. A man like that doesn't deserve us getting upset over him." I took her hand in mine and patted it. I wasn't usually so tactile with the neighbors, but Mrs. Bates was in the habit of doing that to me and others she liked, so I knew she would appreciate the gesture. And sure enough, she used her free hand to cover mine, before returning the pat.

"You are such a sweet boy, Noah, and such a lovely neighbor. You, and the Dawsons. So, so helpful and understanding. And John is such a good apartment manager."

"When he's not teaching his little girls to spray-paint buildings in the middle of the night," I joked, and she huffed yet again, but this time she was smiling. Relieved that she'd calmed down, I pulled my hands away from hers. "I have to go to work now, Mrs. Bates. I hope you and Milo have a nice evening."

"Thank you, dear." She gave my arm a parting, grandmotherly pat as I moved past her. "And I do like your outfit," she called from behind me. "It's very hip."

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A/N: Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed the chapter, let me know in a comment or with a vote. 😸

Rereading this old story to edit it, I realize... Damn there are a lot of characters!

When I was writing this, I planned five books with different couples (except for Callian's story as that was poly), one novella (Kyle's life during this book), a series of one-shots about Gracie and Jess, a short story about Helen and Ben, and a spin-off book about Tyler and... Might as well give you the spoiler: Harry's son.

Oh, and a short story/novella about one of Kyle's co-workers, but that one was just a vague idea.

That's why more and more characters keep popping up or being mentioned; we meet them here, in Book 1, and they go off to have their own books.

Still, I feel like I need to clarify who is related to whom and how, so I'm seriously thinking about drawing you a spoiler-free chart.

By the way, are you curious who the other books were supposed to be about?

Book 2 is about half-written, by the way...