Copyright 2014 JC Wallace
Each week a group of authors participate weekly in Wednesday Briefs Flash Fiction. Each installment is 500-1000 words long and is posted to our blogs each week. After you read the latest in my story, click on the link at the end to visit the other flashers.
Levi spent the remainder of the day playing with his new
phone, and receiving dozens of texts from Gia expressing unabashed jealousy
over Levi’s new toy and making sure he kept up on the gossip, which Levi could
have cared less about. When Gia’s last text mentioned Noah, Levi ignored her.
True to his word, Logan sent a text complete with a picture
of him with his girlfriend, Melissa. Levi couldn’t glean where the photo had
been taken, but Levi was certain it wasn’t anywhere Logan truly wanted to be. Night
and Day was how Levi described Logan and Melissa despite that, they appeared to
care deeply for one another.
Levi dragged his laptop across the bed and logged into
his Facebook account, which he rarely checked. The last time had been over a
week ago. Besides Gia, there weren’t many other people Levi considered true
friends. Compared to others on the social network, his friends list bordered on
the pathetic, filled mostly with relatives. Some friends on his list were
people from his college classes. A few were from Plattsburgh, including
Professor Winston who’d taught Levi’s philosophy class. For some reason, they’d
clicked and kept in touch on Facebook since Levi had abandoned college for the
safety of home. She’d been trying to get Levi to come to Plattsburgh to visit
but he’d declined each time. For the most part, Levi had accepted many of the
friend requests, being nice. Now, the
small red box with the white number “one” at the top of the screen made him
wonder who he’d be friending out of nicety this time.
Clicking on the red box, Noah Macy’s small face beamed
back at him from the request. Fuck!
He let out a moan and threw his head back onto the pillow. Why was this guy’s
name constantly invading his life? Gia must have put him up to it. Levi bit
down on his lip and tapped his finger against the keyboard. What harm could
come from friending the man who’d saved him from freezing to death? Gia had
been prepared to offer up his phone number to Noah. This act might serve to
silence the subject with Gia, giving enough time for all of the hoopla to die
down.
Two choices—“Accept”
or “Not Now”. Tentatively, he pointed the white arrow to Accept. Just do it. With a press of his thumb
the request was accepted—“friends”
with Noah Macy. No big deal right? But if it wasn’t then what was with the
nagging intuition that Noah was about to complicate his life?
Probably a premonition because Noah showed up at Levi’s
house that night.
Chapter 8
Nothing. Not a twinge, or a skip of the heart, or an
inkling of the warm lust Levi had experienced yesterday as he’d gazed up at
Noah from that gurney. As he assessed Noah sitting on the couch across from him,
he studied the contours of his cheeks, the shape of his lips and tried to recreate
that perfect moment in the hospital. Nothing. Both relief and remorse struggled
to be recognized.
Earlier, Levi had been relatively pain free and
comfortable in his bed. Reluctantly, he’d moved to the couch in the living room
after his father announcement that Noah would arrive at six P.M. No amount of arguing
or excuses got Levi off that hook. The question of the day? How did Noah get an
invitation to his house and from his father no less? Impossible, Levi had
thought, yet there was Noah sitting across from where Levi laid propped up on
pillows. Noah’s wavy auburn hair had been pulled neatly into a ponytail. None
of those pesky, errant waves from yesterday were visible. In his button-up,
blue shirt, khakis and leather loafers, he’d come dressed to impress.
Levi’s father had monopolized most of the conversation so
far which took the pressure off Levi, however, Noah kept insisting on dragging Levi
in. After a play-by-play of the events after Levi had stumbled to the cabin,
Noah went on to explain why he’d been there in the first place. To Levi’s
surprise, Noah was an Adirondack guide, as well as a college student and
caretaker for the owner of the cabin, some big lawyer from Albany. Most
weekends, Noah guided fishermen, hunters, hikers—anyone who wanted the mountain experience—through the Adirondack Mountains.
During the week, he attended classes and kept up the cabin. A bonus, he added,
was his unlimited use of the cabin since the owner only visited the area a few
times a year. Noah had flashed Levi a wide grin with that last bit of info as
if that would impress Levi.
Levi’s mother stepped into the living room, asking Noah
for like the tenth time if he wanted anything. Again, his answer was no.
Apparently, he wasn’t getting that saying ‘yes’ would have saved him from her
incessant hospitality. Unfortunately,
his mother’s mission this time wasn’t to serve as much as to drag his father
from the living room.
Great, alone with Noah.
Unease filled Levi’s gut. Noah may have saved him, but
now Levi felt as if he owed Noah something and he didn’t like the feeling.
Small talk was not Levi’s forte. Any kind of talking at all was something he
tended to avoid. What would a normal person say in this situation?
Noah relaxed on the couch, his arm resting across the
back. Levi could swear there was a nervousness underlying his cool façade.
Silence rarely bothered Levi, in fact, most of the time,
it was his saving grace but he chose to break it first.
“I’m not sure if I said it at the hospital”—Levi could have said anything
given the drugged state he’d been in—“and…well,
I just want to thank you for helping me out yesterday.” He breathed a sigh of
relief. He’d spoken and lived to tell about it.
Noah sat forward on the sofa and propped his elbows on
his knees. His face brightened and a gleam flashed in his eye. His smile was a
bit too wide. “No problem. Kind of a freaky day, huh?”
The understatement of the century. “Yeah, I guess.” So, Levi
had said thanks and now wanted to know when to expect Noah’s departure.
When Noah sat back on the couch, getting comfortable
again, Levi feared it was going to be a long haul.
“So, exactly how did you end up here, at my house,
tonight?” The question sounded ruder aloud than it had in Levi’s head.
Before Levi could retract it, Noah answered. “Your father
called me. He actually knows my mom. He surveyed some land for her a couple of
years ago. Your Dad said he appreciated what I’d done for you and then asked me
to visit.” He shrugged his shoulders.
Probably more like getting the story straight from the
horse’s mouth. The fact that his father trusted a stranger more than he trusted
Levi was a sickening kick in the stomach.
“So how’re the ribs doing? That was a nasty bruise. I can
only imagine what it looks like today.”
Levi’s cheeks heated at the memory of Noah lifting his
sweater yesterday. It increased his unease ten-fold. “I haven’t taken off the wrap
that the doctor put on. He said not to remove it for a couple of days.
Something about keeping the swelling down. Really, I have no desire to see it.”
Time to leave,
right?
“You’re lucky you
only broke a rib. At that distance, you could have been knocked out.”
The enormity of the distance he’d fallen hadn’t hit Levi
until Noah had driven the motor boat from the camp. When Levi had pointed out
the massive stone ledge, Noah had shook his head in disbelief and questioned
how Levi had walked away with only a broken rib.
“Yup. I’m the lucky one all right.” Levi moaned silently.
A dental visit would have been less painful than this conversation, but how did
he end it without being totally impolite. Then, as if on cue, Logan walked into
the living room, Melissa following close behind.
My hero!
Levi introduced them to Noah. Logan vigorously shook
Noah’s hand, showing his appreciation.
“Hey, thanks for taking care of Crash here for us. We
just never know what he’ll do next,” Logan said, winking at Levi.
Levi glared at Logan and crossed his arms.
“Logan, don’t pick on Levi. How’re you feeling?” Melissa asked,
flopping onto a chair with a magazine she’d been carrying (no doubt some kind
of girly shit.)
Levi knew he liked her for a reason. “Good.”
Noah chuckled with an impish smirk. “Crash?”
“Logan, you’re gonna get it,” Levi murmured but first he
had to remove himself as the focus of the conversation. “Hey, Logan. Noah’s an
Adirondack guide.”
That statement not only removed the focus from Levi, but
also saved him from further conversation with Noah. By eight o’clock, Levi’s
ribs pulsed as the pain meds wore off. Levi
excused himself for the comfort of his bed.
Logan assisted Levi off the couch. Climbing the stairs
was a slow process, his ribs pained with each lift of his right leg. Relief
came in the form of pain meds and the escape of sleep.
##
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