Erase and Rewind (Full Book)

Chapter Twenty Nine: Ne Me Quitte Pas

Anubis had been the god of mummification and the afterlife as well as the patron god of lost souls and the helpless. Noah had been in favor of giving the puppy his name because of the latter connotation but Malik said Anubis had bad juju and it would creep him out. They decided on Horus, son of the god Osiris and the goddess Isis, who took the form of a falcon. His right eye was the sun and his left the moon; healing personified.

The name was perfect.

Over the next weeks, the trio was busy. Malik had midterms and Noah helped in as much as could while evading Malik's hints about enrolling in college. When Malik jogged in Windsor park, Noah took to walking and training Horus. Horus came out of his shell rather quickly. He adored his master and obeyed his commands and whenever passersby stopped to pet him, he'd cock his head to where Noah stood and allowed strangers to fawn over him after Noah okay-ed it. Although blind, dog and master had no trouble communicating.

Which could not be said when it came to Malik. Noah couldn't put his finger on it but the air sometimes would become thick with tension. Malik had said he came from a loud family that invited platoons over weekends so Noah should be able to roam as he pleased. Except he couldn't. Malik often took his coat and shirt off the moment he came into the apartment, stripping to pants and an undershirt.

"What?" Malik asked when he caught Noah gaping.

The biceps were on display. "I. What happened to your tattoo?"

He'd noticed earlier it had disappeared, leaving smooth tanned skin unmarred. He'd meant to inquire about it. It should explain the heat rising to his cheeks. Shouldn't it?

"It was semi-permanent," Malik opened a bag of peeled baby carrots that was left on the kitchen counter. "It washed off."

"Oh,'' Noah scratched behind Horus' ear. Since his nervous breakdown, they had not spoken of anything remotely related to the investigation that brought them together in the first place. It was not clear if Malik believed him to be a basket-case who had grand illusions of healing faster than any normal person could or if he was the average disturbed teen. Sometimes Malik treated him too gently as if he were a bomb about to detonate. That drove him insane. He was eighteen, a man by right. He could sign up for the army, open a bank account, and get a girlfriend or a boyfriend.

Boyfriend.

"...Chinese."

Noah had zoned off. "Pardon?"

Malik laughed. He tossed a carrot to Horus who snapped his jaw and caught it mid-air. "We could get Chinese but I'm too lazy to go pick it up.''

Noah got up. "I'll do it."

"Yeah?"

He felt horrible about his inability to go anywhere near a stove and cook for them. The memory of his flesh burning to a cinder remained fresh. "I don't mind."

Malik nodded. "I'll have-"

"Grilled orange chicken, steamed vegetables, and sauce on the side. Wontons?"

"Nah.''

Noah sheepishly took cash from under the green paperweight on the coffee table. He intended to buy a double portion of wontons because Malik always said he didn't want any then proceeded to annihilate the dumplings.

Dashing to the nearest local Chinese, Noah placed their orders. It was not the fancy Wong where Malik and that Eugene character had their pretend date, it was authentic, humble, and busy. He chose to wait outside rather than inside the overcrowded restaurant. The weather had been tempestuous; he huddled inside his coat, watching a homeless boy beg for a few bills.