20. Noah
Noah
M y father disappeared to his study, leaving me shocked that he let Del live. Vershun had been his head of security for the past thirty years.
I remember being a kid and Vershun would make snide remarks about my weight or snarl at me because I was too loud, too hyper, too much.
Did my father know the man was a fucking tool and had always been an asshole to me?
Still, I’m not going to ask him why he let Del live and give him any ideas.
I give Del a tour of the townhouse while we wait for the rest of our dinner guests. Sage texted me five minutes ago saying she’s ten minutes away and the butterflies in my stomach start stirring.
She showed up at Del’s apartment the day after the Christmas party and demanded an explanation.
I’m guessing Elias gave her the address since he showed up uninvited a few days after her.
Sage and I talked for hours. I told her everything about my mother’s murder.
About my father protecting me by changing my name and letting the world believe I was dead.
She said she understood. She wasn’t mad that I kept it all a secret to protect her, only that I kept this badass part about myself from her.
And now, Elias, with his heart eyes for Sage, has dragged her deeper into our world.
It’s not her fault she became best friends with the daughter of one of New York City’s most notorious mob bosses.
I should have pushed her away like I do everyone else.
But the moment we met, we clicked. She matched my energy.
When I was sad? She’d buy Ben she’d always encourage me to follow it.
Even when I wanted to learn archery and accidentally shot the instructor in the ass cheek the first day.
When I wanted to ride horses, but the teacher turned their nose down at me because of my weight.
And when I wanted to become a pop star despite my horrible singing voice.
Del sits on the bench in front of the baby grand. He skims his fingers over the top of keys as if he’s refamiliarizing himself with them.
When I sit next to him, he starts playing.
The song has a classical vibe with a fast and whimsical melody.
It reminds me of books I've read that send me to forests full of fae kings and magical creatures. Del’s fingers dance across the keys, his eyes closing as he becomes one with the music.
He doesn’t miss a beat, and I don’t think another human has amazed me more than this mystery of a man.
The song doesn’t last long and Del finishes with a dramatic slowdown as he gently presses the final two notes.
“Holy shit,” I whisper. “What song was that? It was beautiful.”
He smiles and looks down at his hands in his lap.
“‘Great Fairy Fountain’ from The Legend of Zelda . Elias and I used to play the game every day before he decided he was too cool to hang out with his annoying younger brother. Then when my mother died, I didn’t have the heart to play it anymore.
It reminded me of when she was alive, and she’d yell at us to come downstairs for dinner, but we were in the middle of a big battle, so we’d argue with her until she’d come in and turn off the game.
We'd get so mad at her.” His smile drops and his Adam's apple bobs as a painful memory resurfaces. “She’s no longer here, and I wasted time being mad at her over a fucking video game.”
I push the hair falling on his forehead back and run my fingers through the locks. He closes his eyes at my touch and clears his throat.
“She loved the piano. She taught lessons—taught me and Elias how to play too. Elias wasn’t interested. I don’t think he remembers how to play, but I do. Even after she died, I kept playing. That’s when I learned the Zelda song. I couldn’t bear to play the game, but the song was like an ode to her.”
He shrugs and looks away to wipe a tear off his cheek.
When he turns back to me, he’s smiling.
“I want to eat you out on this piano.”
I frown, and his smile drops. I palm his cheek.
“You know you can talk to me about anything, right? You can be vulnerable with me. This was a beautiful moment, a wonderful memory you shared with me. That’s all it needed to be.”
“So you’re saying I ruined it?”
I laugh this time and bring him in for a hug.
“You didn’t ruin anything.”
He melts against my body, squeezing his strong arms around me. I inhale his citrus and woodsy scent.
“I’m never letting you go,” he whispers against my neck.
“I’m not going anywhere.”
Two voices arguing downstairs break up the moment we’re having.
“Sage,” I say at the same time Del says, “Elias.”
When we get to the sitting room, Elias has Sage pinned to the wall and... they’re making out?
What the hell?
Del clears his throat.
Sage tears herself from the kiss and slaps Elias, the sound ricocheting throughout the small room. She wipes her mouth and walks over to where I stand to hide behind me. Elias has his back to us, his hand on his face where Sage hit him.
“Are you okay?” I ask.
“I’m fine,” Elias answers.
“I was asking Sage.”