anybody in their vicinity happened to have cyborg-level hearing aids.
“My dad died when I was ten. I’m all she has left, so that’s why Mom seems a little over-the-top. She loves me.” Noah nodded as if to reassure himself of that fact. “But being somebody’s whole world is… exhausting. It’s going to be hard for her to accept that I’m my own person and make my own decisions. It’s going to take time for her to adjust to it.”
Just like many other times, Alex couldn’t help but feel there was something Noah left unsaid. A piece of a puzzle that had been tucked away somewhere, so Alex could see what the picture was, but it was still obvious that a chunk was missing.
“Umm… the doctor’s appointment thing your mom mentioned?” Alex asked, leaving the question hanging in the air.
Just please tell me it’s nothing important. Tell me you missed a dentist’s appointment and your mom is just a stickler about dental hygiene.
Noah bit his lip. “It’s… not a big deal,” Noah said, as if he was reading Alex’s mind, but he was way less convincing than Alex would have preferred. Alex’s expression must have displayed his feelings really well because Noah leaned forward in a hurry and spoke quickly. “It’s not like I have some kind of a life-threatening disease. I mean, I’m not hiding a deadly illness from you or anything. It was just this regular appointment I have. I…”—Noah looked extremely conflicted, which didn’t help the whole I-imagine-my-boyfriend-is-about-to-die vibe that whole exchange had created in Alex’s mind—“I… they need to draw blood every once in a while,” he explained, seemingly choosing every word carefully, which seemed a bit unnecessary.
“Okay?” Alex said.
Noah smiled at him and waved his hand dismissively in the air. “It’s nothing. Just this thing I do.” Noah seemed done with that line of conversation. “So about the weekend?”
Alex let Noah change the topic. They agreed to go to Portland again, and Alex promised to take care of the hotel, already planning on going all out. Noah deserved the best, so Alex was going to find the fanciest suite in Portland and book it for them. He couldn’t wait.
They chatted and finished their now-cold burgers, and by the end of the evening, Noah’s mood had significantly improved. Alex joked and laughed with him all the way home, but after a good-night kiss to rival all good-night kisses by Alex’s door, which included a lot of wandering hands and rubbing against each other, when Noah pulled away and got into his car, the niggling worry in Alex’s gut remained.
10
Alex had never been one to celebrate… anything, really. Not birthdays, not holidays. There hadn’t really even been any accomplishments that would have warranted throwing a party.
The long-held Ellison family tradition was usually to ignore every major holiday and life event. Even such staples as Christmas were usually spent in the spirit of let’s-just-pretend-it’s-a-regular-day, so Alex had very little expertise to lean on when it came to what to expect from something like a town festival, but seemingly overnight, the town had been covered in decorations and banners. Every business had decorated their windows, and the streets were closed to traffic. Alex was treated to the sight when he ran an errand for Carl, who seemed to be even more against celebrating anything than Alex and had volunteered Alex to make a last-minute pick-up at the feed store.
Alex realized quickly that all the cheer was too much for him, so he made a hasty escape as soon as he had the truck loaded. There was even a freaking parade, which Alex happily missed. He figured that since he hadn’t celebrated anything in, well, ever, the parade might be too much for a beginner. That was obviously advanced-level stuff he had no business sticking his nose into. He did laugh his ass off, however, when Noah came to pick him up at the center that afternoon to head to Portland.
“What the hell are you wearing?” Alex wheezed through roars of laughter.
“I’m an American flag, you ignoramus. Didn’t they teach you anything in that fancy private school of yours?” Noah gritted out as he marched past Alex toward the office. Alex followed, equal parts fascinated and horrified by the look.
“You’re wearing white leggings and a dress.”
Noah trust out his arm so that the large swath of fabric that was attached to the left sleeve was also visible. He gestured with his right hand. “See? A flag. Now, if you’ll excuse me,