Chapter 6 Noah
NOAH
The door clicked, and the condo went quiet.
Em stood there in my sweatshirt, hair damp, Sassy pressed to her ankle.
Her hands shook when she lifted the mug.
She looked so distraught, her usually styled hair flat against her face.
God, hearing her voice come through Ivy’s phone had felt like a physical punch to my gut.
Then seeing her standing outside in a storm?
I clenched my fist, the worry and adrenaline still coursing through me.
I took a calm breath, settling my own nerves and feelings, and hoped my face was smooth and reassuring.
“Hey, you really should try to get some sleep. I’m sure tonight was rough.”
She nodded, a slight frown between her eyebrows. “Noah, t-thank you for—”
“Em, stop thanking me.” I cleared my throat and stepped closer, placing a hand on her shoulder.
I knew she’d want physical reassurance. That was her language, but she tensed when I touched her, and I immediately released her shoulder.
I hated that she felt the need to thank me, again, like helping her was such a chore.
“You have nothing to thank me for. I’d do this a thousand times, and you would do the same. ”
She swallowed and seemed surprised, then nodded again. The nod seemed careful, like she was waiting for a reaction. She rubbed her lips together, her eyes still holding too much worry.
“Come on.” I kept my voice low and walked her down the hall.
Miles’s door was shut, covered in Pokémon stickers.
Charmander, Pikachu, and Evee were his favorite, and those stickers were the largest. The same confusing feelings of protection, love, grief, and guilt twisted into a painful rope that suffocated me.
But with Em here, I could force my issues to the back burner.
If anything, having her with us was a great distraction.
I pointed to the next white door. “This one is all yours. Bathroom is across from you. If you need anything, I’ll be right there.” I tipped my head at my door.
She stepped into the room and stopped. “This is perfect,” she said. Her voice was thin. Her shoulders dropped half an inch.
I set her duffel on the dresser and backed into the hall. I wanted to list every way I could make this easier, what I could do to help ease her worry or stress, but instead of her chatting a mile a minute, she was silent. “Do you need anything else? Food?”
She shook her head.
“More tea? A beer?”
“No, I’m okay.” Her voice was so damn small, so unlike her that my heart physically ached. I wanted her fight. I wanted her to call me out, to be mad at me for not calling her two months ago. I wanted the girl on top of the Ferris wheel.
“Does Sassy need to go out one more time?” I asked, just needing to do something else for her. “You can settle in, and I’ll take her.”
Sassy wagged her tail at the mention of her name, the cute black lab walking toward me with a butt wiggle. I crouched and petted her head, scratching behind her ears. “You are such a pretty girl, aren’t you? You protected your momma tonight, yeah? Such a brave, good girl.”
Her tail wagged even harder, thumping on the floor over and over. She licked my face once, then twice, and Em laughed. Good.
“She’s so aggressive.” Em had that half smile, and seeing that fixed the ache in my chest that had been there since I picked her up. “Sas, give him some space, damn.”
“Nah, I like it.” I continued petting Sassy but met Em’s eyes. “She’s perfect. Let me take her out. All I ask is if you don’t mind listening for Miles. He is passed out, but if he wanders out and I’m not there, he might worry.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes. Your lips still look a little blue. Warm up.”
She handed me Sassy’s leash, her eyes downcast. “Seriously, I—”
“Hey. Hey.” I pressed my finger against her lip, stopping the phrase that was about to leave her mouth. “No more thanking. No apologizing. I don’t want to hear that come out of your mouth. Got me?”
I tried not to think about how full her lips were against my finger, or how her eyes widened and her cheeks pinkened just slightly. “If you do, I’ll get mad, and you don’t wanna see me mad.”
Her lips quirked. “Are we talking sophomore year mad, when you broke a library chair? Or senior year mad, when you bought a spell online to curse your rival?”
“Somewhere in between.”
She saluted me, once again smiling and not looking at me like a lost puppy. “Understood, Abbott. Since I can’t thank you, then get to it. Sassy’s gotta go pee.”
There she was. I tapped the doorframe and took Sassy with me to endure the weather. The dog was beautiful and so happy. I petted her head while we waited for the elevator, so glad Em found her. Em had always wanted a dog in college, and she’d gone through with it. “You did good, pup. Real good.”
The rain beat down on us, and I found a little alcove for Sassy to pee, and without Em standing in front of me, my thoughts overwhelmed me.
Em barefoot in the rain. The way she attempted to sound fine on the phone. The trash bags on her shoulder. My chest felt hot and tight.
I wanted to start a list for tomorrow. Call her building. Start the claim. Handle the work with the mitigation company. Sit next to her while she itemized what she lost. The weight of what she was carrying made me angry—especially knowing she’d tried to do it alone, refusing any help.
The guilt came next. If I had reached out to her in June, we wouldn’t be starting here.
I should have called that night, asked her out, anything so she wouldn’t be so hesitant around me.
I pinched the bridge of my nose, exhaling as Sloane told me to when thoughts were too much. Do what you can control.
I could help her. Let her stay here. Offer to make some calls.
I could get her food.
Yes, I could do those things without disrupting Miles’s life too much, because that was reality.
Miles was my priority now. Just thinking about him had me hurrying back upstairs, stressed he’d wake up and be scared without me there.
We were back in the apartment within a minute, and the second I let Sassy off the leash, she jogged toward Em’s room.
“I appreciate your assistance with this matter, good sir,” Em said, leaning against her doorframe. She’d braided her hair, a braid on each side, and her eyes had finally gone from pure panic to just worry now. “Your effort is noted in regards to Sassy.”
“Uh, why are you talking like a nobleman?”
“I am forbidden from thanking you, so I am being creative. Obviously.”
My lips twitched. “Obviously.”
She grinned, then yawned. “Wow, I’m exhausted.”
“I bet. If you need anything, tell me. I mean that, okay?”
She nodded, swallowing as she shifted on her feet. “I want to say thank you like a thousand times, but I can’t, and I don’t know how to say good night.”
I chuckled, closing the distance between us and wrapping her in my arms. She smelled good, really good, and she was warm and fit me perfectly.
I rested my chin on top of her head, sighing in relief.
She was safe. She was here. She leaned her head against my chest, and I ran my hands up and down her arms, acting like it was for her, but it was for me.
“This’ll do then. A good night hug,” I said, not quite ready to let her go.
“You know I like my hugs,” she mumbled, letting go of me and heading toward her room. “See you in the morning, Noah. Night.”
She shut the door softly without looking back, and I stood there like a fool, drowning in regret. I’d be exhausted tomorrow if I didn’t try to sleep, but sleep never came easily. Nights were the worst where all the thoughts came back, and after tossing and turning for an hour, sleep finally came.
I woke to nails on the floor and a small hand on my arm. “Uncle Noah,” Miles whispered. “There is a dog on my bed!”
His voice sounded excited. I scrubbed my face with my hand and pushed up. My body felt like a train had hit me, but I powered through. “That is Sassy,” I said. “She is a guest. Be nice.”
“A guest?”
“A friend is staying with us for a bit. She needed some help, but Sassy is hers.”
“Come see her. Come, Uncle Noah, come!” He held out his hand, and whenever he did that, I couldn’t help but take it. The kid had dragged me to see dead bugs, a straw twisted weird, and now Sassy.
I let him drag me toward his bedroom, where Sassy was sprawled out on his little bed. The dog truly was the length of the bed, from back paw to front paws, all stretched out. “Wow, look at her.”
“She likes me, huh? She’s in my room!” Miles whispered, his sleep face clashing with his wide, happy eyes.
“Sassy must like you, buddy.”
At the mention of her name, Sassy stirred and jumped up in one motion. She shook out her ears and pranced right to Miles, licking him on the face. The kid giggled and giggled and wrapped his arms around her. “I love her!”
“Sassy! Damn it!” Em jogged down the hall, stopping when she saw Miles, Sassy, and me.
Some color had returned to her face. Her braided hair was so cute and messy, with little blonde curls escaping near her forehead.
My sweatshirt hung low on her frame. I knew she wore shorts, but the oversized fabric swallowed them, giving the illusion she didn’t. Her long bare legs were smooth. Damn.
I never had the opportunity to see Em in the morning like this, and I loved it. A lot.
“Did she wake you up, Miles?” Em snapped her fingers, calling for Sass, but the dog remained with Miles. “Oh wow, she must really like you, Miles!”
Miles giggled and scratched behind Sassy’s ears, causing the dog’s tail to thump even more. “She was in bed with me!”
“Oh, that’s really special. That means she really, really likes you!”
“This is so cool, Uncle Noah! We have a dog now!”
“Ah, well, it’s Em’s dog. This is my friend I told you about. She’s staying with us for a while, but Sassy is hers.”
“Well, then can we get a dog?”