MADNESS

9. Are you okay?

SYDNEY WILSON

"Noah." I call all the way from across the room. Why did I sound like a mom scolding her child?

I am a bit unnerved, yeah. But sounding like a mom is another level, I need to calm down.

Noah glances in my direction alarmed by the sound of my voice. This is so embarrassing. I didn't mean for it to sound like that.

He looks happy to see me though. His forever sleepy eyes flash me some positive energy. It's like my arrival splashed him in the face with cold water. And he liked it.

"What ha-" He doesn't even get to talk, because I start rambling.

"Noah, I need to ask you a question, because I think I've hallucinated something, which I've never done before in my life and it feels absolutely horrible- like I want to bang my head on that wall over there." I point my finger at the said wall. "If you lie, I'll be mad at you for eternity and that's not good considering you have to see me almost every day in this same exact room which is depressing and-" Noah touches my hands to stop me from frantically gesturing and venting, bringing me back to reality.

He smiles at my agitated behavior.

Don't smile right now man, I'm upset.

"Sorry, I'm just- I don't even know. I guess I'm frazzled and anxious and so uncomfortable about this whole situation because right now-" He raises his brows, which makes me stop talking.

I was rambling again.

"First off, thank God you're back, we've been stuck with the actual Devil for the past week." How bad could've the other assistant been? "I'm not going to let you continue this, it's making you even more hectic." He shakes his head with his lips curled up into a smile. "Just ask the question."

I'm scared that I'll be met with the same answer that the others gave me. I don't want him to confirm to that my mind is making things up, because that would send me off into a spiral once again today.

"Did you punch me in the face?" I ask straightforwardly.

"Multiple times, yeah." He answers with such a sudden seriousness that my face completely falls.

Excuse me.

"What did you-"

"I'm just kidding, Sydney." The bastard starts laughing in front of me.

My jaw literally dropped in relief and now I have my mouth open. He did not just make my heart stop like that and now he's laughing.

"That was not funny. Stop laughing." I can't resist people laughing, it's contagious. Smiling and laughing are catching.

So I'm laughing too now.

He has a beautiful laughter, I've never heard him actually laugh before. Not like this. He has a happy laugh, one that rings out and is filled with genuine joy and warmth. Contrary to the monotone face and the lack of expressive intonations that he usually has, the dimples in his cheeks radiate approachability and a particularly shooting comforting .

"Why are you not taking me seriously?!" I giggle lightly.

With the corner of my eye I spot the guards staring at us weirdly, as if we have 3 heads, only because we're laughing together. Which is sad actually, patients here don't usually mess around like me and Noah.

"No, I am taking you seriously, I just-"

"Suuuuure, Noah. I know you're laughing at me."

"Actually, I'm laughing with you." He points to my grin. "As if that wasn't already obvious."