Circles

Chapter VIII

"Then the guy threw himself on the floor, as if he..."

"Noah?" called Alister, interrupting him as he entered the kitchen, and greeted Lizzie with a cheerful smile. Noah fell silent immediately, looking at him with glassy eyes.

"Yes?"

"Could you fetch my jacket? I forgot that I bought you something yesterday and it's in the pocket... would you mind?"

"Uh? But I was talking to Lizzie..."

"I assure you she'll wait for you. Don't worry," he said, stroking Noah's hair.

The girl smiled to confirm what Alister said.

"Alright..." he muttered as he left the kitchen, obediently.

It had been two weeks since the incident, and Lizzie couldn't shake the feeling of being watched. Mr. Alister hadn't approached her after the awkward conversation she had with Noah that day, and she knew that at some point he would bring up the topic.

"I wanted to talk to you about something, Lizzie. I'll be brief."

There he was.

"Yes, sir."

"Do you know why I told you to stay away from Noah?"

"I s-suspect... it's because he's... well... if I may say it, sick or something like that?"

Alister stifled a laugh.

"You thought he liked you?"

The girl paled immediately.

"I'm sorry, sir! That day I got carried away and asked him something I shouldn't have..."

"Hold on for a moment. I don't want your explanations right now."

Lizzie silently nodded, lowering her head. Although Alister's voice was still gentle, she could feel that he was genuinely angry.

"Now, listen carefully," he said, softening his tone. "Noah is gay. He's never been with a woman in his entire life, so it's completely impossible that he has feelings for you. Didn't you notice?"

"I... I didn't..."

"Alright. I don't blame you. Surprised?"

"A bit..."

"You must be wondering how I know, and why I'm so sure about it. After all, I hadn't seen Noah in years. Do you want to know?"

"I don't really..."

"Because Noah is completely in love with me."

The girl was truly bewildered by those words, and forgetting protocols, she looked Alister in the eyes, incredulous.

"No! That can't be..."

"Lizzie, remember I warned you? I warned you not to get close to him. Noah belongs to me."

"But he's your brother!"

"Ask him if you want. Anyway, I don't blame you. It's easy to get confused when it comes to Noah. He's always been... affectionate with everyone, when he needs to get something in return. He'd sleep with anyone, you know? He has this odd personality that attracts people like flies, and when he has them there, attached to him, he just takes advantage of them. It's quite amusing to watch."

Lizzie remained silent, unable to articulate a word, as she listened in horror to what Mr. Alister was telling her.

"By the way, I suppose you noticed that he used the master bedroom. I don't owe you any explanations for that, you're not so foolish as to not deduce it."