Circles

Chapter IX

"Do you even work on Sundays?" Noah asked as he saw Alister entering his room dressed in a suit.

"There's always something to do."

"Being a boss is tough, isn't it?" he smiled, trying to tease him.

"I suppose. I'm leaving, don't give Lizzie any trouble."

"Oh, I see, do you like her?"

"Don't be ridiculous, Noah, she's my employee."

"That's got nothing to do with it..."

Alister looked in his direction, analyzing him for a moment.

"Is something wrong?"

Noah forced a laugh.

"Are you worried now?"

"I've always been worried about you."

"Ahh, yes, I just vaguely thought that we hadn't seen each other in eleven years... but I guess I was mistaken."

"I don't want to argue with you about this. Not now. If you need anything, tell Lizzie to call me, and I'll bring it for you. You can also call me; I registered my personal number in the phone. Although I don't think you'd want to do that."

"Fine. I won't, but fine."

"Oh, I almost forgot. Doctor Hawks said that after a week you should be much better, so you can get out of bed if you want. Don't force yourself."

"Okay."

"Goodbye."

"Wait!"

Noah looked anxious and began to twist his hands and touch his hair without realizing it.

"So, something was going on." Said Alister in a calm voice.

"Just be quiet for a moment, will you?"

Alister sighed and patiently waited until Noah decided to speak again.

"Thank you for the phone," he mumbled in a low voice.

The man looked surprised. He didn't expect him to say a word about it.

"I'm leaving," he said with a small smile before turning around.

Noah watched him go until he disappeared downstairs, and then he lay back on the bed, letting out a long sigh. That would show Alister that he wasn't an ungrateful rat.

A few hours later, Lizzie entered the room with breakfast.

"Do you feel better today?"

"Much better," he responded with a smile as he sat up on the bed. "Hey, Lizzie..."

"Yes?"

"You know, Alister gave me a phone."

"Oh, so he finally did it! Good for you..." she spoke absentmindedly as she arranged the food tray on Noah's bed.

"Huh?"

"It's nothing. Do you want me to help you set it up?"

"Oh, yes, please. I'm terrible at these things. But... what do you think about it? I mean, the gift... Why do you think he gave it to me?"

"Mmm... well, Mr. Alister is quite considerate and always cares about others. I suppose he didn't want you to feel lonely or bored. Plus, you can call him from there if you need anything; it's good to have it for safety."

"Oh..."

"Don't you think so?"

"I don't know. It's been years since I saw Alister, so I guess you know him better than I do. But he never... well, it doesn't matter now. He could have changed."