White Noise // Noah Sebastian

23.

"Fuck you! You cheated!"

I threw my controller down, Noah and Nicholas obviously conspiring against me in Mario Party on the Nintendo GameCube.

"Be better." Noah smirked triumphantly, his eyes never leaving the screen. Nicholas opened his mouth to speak but I gave him a death glare that always makes them back off.

"Be better." I mocked. Noah put his controller down and slowly looked at me devilishly. Nicholas gave me the look that I'm in trouble and should run. Noah and I stared each other down for a few seconds, challenging each other to see who would run first.

  He thinks I can't outrun him, but the one thing he doesn't know about me is there was a time that I ran track, mainly due to the weight remarks I was surrounded by growing up.

I got up and took off sprinting through the hardwood floors in the living room, kitchen, and finally running up the carpeted stairs. My fatal mistake is when I look over my shoulder and Noah is at my heels, grabbing my waist and spinning me around causing me to shriek, landing on the bed with him hovering over me.

We said nothing for a good minute as Noah took in all of my facial features, and I do the same as him. "You know you are the most beautiful being in all creation, right?" I blushed, giving him a kiss in response, not being able to find the words to express how much that meant to me, deep down wanting to believe it. "C'mon love, we ordered pizza, with pineapple..just for you, ya weirdo." He poked my nose and helped me up. "Excuse you..it belongs on pizza!" I flicked him in the forehead earning a pout in return.

"In your dreams, Hopkins." I glared at him while he smirked. He knows damn well to not use my last name.

  "I suggest you run, Sebastian." I mocked again playfully. This time Noah takes off down the stairs with me chasing him, almost running into Nicholas with our precious pizzas in hand.

  "You fools!" He shouts.

- - -

  I decide to take a walk to Richard and Carol's by myself while Noah and the guys are working away at the studio.

  "Hi, Avery." Carol says sadly, she doesn't seem like her normal cheery self. She motions me to come behind the counter. Sometimes I'll help her in the back, knowing they can't do everything themselves due to age. I feel guilty that it has been a few weeks that Noah and I have not been around.

  "I'm so sorry we haven't been around. We have been so busy. Noah and I are both going on tours, separate, but it'll be okay. What can I help you guys with?"

  "Avery, I'm afraid I have some bad news. Richard has fallen very, very ill. He does not have long now. He has been moved to hospice." She starts to tear up. I'm stunned to say the least.

  "What? Oh Carol, I am so sorry." I pull her into a hug. "Why are you here, you should be at home with him." I say in more of a statement than question.

  "I cannot afford to shut down, the medical bills will be coming in." She looks down at her feet defeated.

  "Go home. I'll take care of your shop today." I've been here enough to know how Carol makes some of the drinks and I've helped her put orders away before. This is so out of my element, but for Carol I'd do anything.

  "Avery, I will not ask you to do that for me."

  "You are not asking, I am insisting. Please Carol, go be with your soulmate and tell him we say hello." She smiles weakly at me and shows me where certain things are and hands me the keys. I shoo her out the door, reassuring her I've got this.