Erase and Rewind (Full Book)

Chapter Sixteen: Grave Robber

The broom closet was a room marked Staff Only. The student body tended to walk past it.

Malik, however, caught a familiar figure in coveralls disappear inside. He thought of waiting until Noah came out, there wasn't anything in particular that needed to be immediately discussed. They were supposed to meet early tomorrow anyway, Malik simply wanted to say hi. There was no problem with being friendly. Just two dudes saying hi.

Nothing to it.

He could go on to his next class and ignore Noah's blank expression and hunched shoulders.

Since this was the more logical thing to do, Malik did the opposite and went to check what's up.

The room was surprisingly immaculate and polished to a T. Color-coded boxes were stacked on the furthest left of the room. Next to them were trolley-like cleaning...trolleys? He'd seen Noah push them around campus while he worked.

In the broom closet, however, Noah wasn't working but was sitting cross-legged beside the door. His coveralls were unbuttoned at the pants-line, revealing a faded blue shirt beneath it. Noah had tied the coverall's sleeves around his then accentuated narrow waist, head titled back to rest on the wall. Stray blonde locks danced on his forehead; beside his socked feet was a dismissed colorful scarf and a dark blue cap. The scarf's absence left Noah's neck exposed, veins throbbing against smooth alabaster skin.

Malik's eyes trailed across the exposed skin, wondering if it would feel as smooth and it looked. He swallowed. "Hey."

Malik had thought himself clever. He'd found out Noah Davis was an artist. He was also over thirty and long dead. Every time he thought he was one step closer to deciphering Jude, he ended up being pushed two steps back.

"Hello," Noah said.

Malik hunkered down and Noah moved the discarded scarf to his lap and his Converse beneath it, to make room for Malik beside him. Inside Noah's cap, a furry rat stirred.

"There is vermin in your cap." Malik pointed.

"Yes." Noah said, "I'll set him free off-campus after break."

Malik would've killed the disgusting thing instead of protected it.

"I saw the video," Malik said as he sat on the cold, hard floor.

Noah had passed him a video of two students banging and smashing walls while they were at it, on a memory card. It was consistent with some of the rumors flying around campus. Malik was impressed by the quality of the video's editing and the guy's sexual prowess. That thing he did with his hips...damn.

"It's fake," Malik said.

"Hmm," Noah muttered.

Noah was almost still. Aside from the steady rise and fall of his chest, he didn't move or give an inkling he was interested in anything Malik had to say.

"Do you wanna talk later? Or do you wanna do this now?' Malik asked.

A few minutes ticked by and Noah said in a small voice. "No."

Which one, buddy? Malik thought.

When he didn't elaborate Malik probed. "Did something happen? Do you need money?"

Noah took a deep breath and let it out in a whoosh. It echoed in the near-empty storage room.

"Promise you won't laugh?" Noah asked looking at the closed window across the room.

"Depends," Malik said, "If it starts with a rabbi, a priest and a sheik walking into a bar...can't promise ya."

Noah didn't even smile. "Never mind."