Guarding Dior

Chapter 7

The rest of the drive to Noel's apartment was filled with a comfortable silence. Noel's mind was racing, mentally kicking himself for having left Dior alone the previous day. He should've known the gunman would find her quickly. Relief washed over him knowing Officer Taron had arrived before anything could happen.

As they pulled into the building's parking lot, Noel noticed Dior glancing around at the buildings. He parked near the stairs and told her he was on the third floor. Grabbing her bag from the back, he locked the car, and they walked toward the building. Despite the quiet, it didn't feel forced or awkward. Maybe it was because they were both exhausted.

Noel unlocked the door with his free hand, and they stepped into his apartment, which was simple but clean. From somewhere inside, his cat meowed.

"Shoot, I forgot about Buttons. I hope you're not allergic to cats," he said, glancing at Dior.

"I love cats," she replied, smiling.

Just then, Buttons darted out of the guest bedroom to greet them. Dior immediately knelt down and extended her hand to pet him while Noel took off his shoes and carried her bag to the guest room.

"Hi, Mr. Buttons, you are adorable," he heard her say as he set the bag down by the twin bed. When he returned to the living room, he was surprised to see Dior holding Buttons like a baby while inspecting the few picture frames and movies by his TV. Buttons was never one for cuddling and usually disliked being picked up, so this was unusual.

"I think he likes you," Noel remarked, raising his eyebrows.

"I think I like him more," she said, setting Buttons down.

Noel showed her the guest room and the attached bathroom. "If you need anything, I'm right across the living room," he said.

"Thank you," she replied, and they both went to sleep.

Noel, who had been unable to sleep before out of worry, now felt more at peace knowing Dior was in the other room. He slept soundly and woke up around 6 AM to get ready for the day. There were no leads on the gunman yet, and he had a lot of paperwork to finish. After a quick shower, he decided to make pancakes, knowing Dior liked them.

As he was serving himself a plate, he heard Dior's door open. Her hair was messy, and she was still wearing a big Twilight shirt and black sweats.

"Morning, I made pancakes," he said, watching her face perk up at the mention of breakfast. He set the syrup on the kitchen island next to the plates.

They ate in near silence until Noel broke it. "So, I think the safest and easiest thing to do is have you join me at work," he said, expecting her to disagree.

"Seems legit," she replied simply, making him smile.

"Alright then, I think we should leave in about 15 minutes unless you need more time," he said.

"15 minutes is good. I shower at night, so I just need to change," she said, getting up to wash her plate.

"You don't have to do that," Noel said.

"It's only fair. You cooked, and I don't mind," she said, her eyes focused on the sink.

Fifteen minutes later, they were ready. Dior now wore utility pants and a black short-sleeve shirt, her usual gold necklace around her neck, and her hair down but brushed. Noel, dressed in his usual jeans and shirt combo, led the way out. During the car ride, he asked Dior to recount everything she remembered about the night before so he could write up the report. When they arrived at the station, he looked at her.

"So, the chief is usually pretty busy, so I think if I just say you're an intern, we should be fine. But if anyone asks, you definitely signed an NDA," he said, and she nodded.

They walked into the detective side of the building, which was behind a locked gate. The open office space had a couple of desks, and their break room was adjacent, furnished with a big couch, an armchair, and two tables next to a small kitchen. Noel explained there was a lot of paperwork he had to finish and suggested she hang out in the break room. His desk was perpendicular to the break room, allowing him to see her through the big windows as she put down her backpack and got out her laptop to work. He glanced at her now and then while working on paperwork and greeting colleagues.

There were four other detectives in the department. Noel told them all that if anyone asked, Dior was an intern. Some of them went to meet her as they got their usual cups of coffee, and he saw her smile politely at them. After about two hours, when Noel did another routine glance at Dior, he noticed she was asleep on the couch. He got up, grabbed his jacket off his chair, and went inside to drape it over her shoulders. She was curled on her side, arms crossed and legs bent. As he stepped back out, he noticed Brandon by his desk.

"I see you brought in reinforcements," Brandon said, nodding toward Dior.

"You touch her, and I'll kill you, Brandon," Noel said simply, sitting back down.

"Well, Noel, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you mean that quite literally," Brandon said, leaning on his desk. Noel remained silent, knowing Brandon was probably right. Brandon often poked fun as he saw fit, and Noel never really cared until now. Brandon was careless around women, and Noel didn't want him anywhere near Dior.

"If anyone asks, she's interning," Noel said, noticing Brandon looking at Dior, which made him a little angry.

"Have you told the chief about her?" Brandon asked.

"No. Charlie wanted me to keep her safe, and that's what I'm trying to do. There was a break-in at her apartment last night. This gunman is serious," Noel said.

"Forensics hasn't finished with the gun, but they said there don't seem to be any prints," Brandon said, heading back to his desk.

Another two hours passed, and it was time for lunch. Noel went to the break room to wake Dior, who was still sound asleep. He looked at her for a moment, noticing how peaceful she seemed and wondering what she might be dreaming about. Then he gently placed his hand on her shoulder, waking her up. She looked disoriented for a second, then realized where she was.

"Hey, you wanna get some lunch?" he asked.

"It's lunchtime already?" she asked, and he nodded. "Geez, I was out for a while. I'm a terrible intern."

He chuckled as she got up and stretched. Everyone had already left for their own lunch, and Noel told Dior she could leave her backpack by his desk. She put her backpack and his jacket by the desk, and he wondered how she knew it was his jacket or if she just assumed. They got into his car, and he asked her what she wanted to eat. She said she'd love some Chickies, a chicken sandwich place a few blocks away.

When they got to Chickies, there weren't many people there. They ordered at the front and sat at a table near the big windows. Dior talked about how Buttons had slept at her feet all night and how cute his little white spots were against his gray fur, like buttons. She figured that's why Noel named him that, and he confirmed it.

As they ate, Noel told her the story of how he came to adopt Buttons and how the cat had never once slept on his bed or cuddled with him, making her laugh. The sun moved in the sky, casting light on their table, and Noel noticed the red in Dior's hair like he had at the diner only a day ago. It looked brown in any other light, but in the sunlight, it had a striking red hue.

As they headed out, Noel received a call on the radio. They had tracked down an office in the gunman's name, and the police were headed there now. Noel looked at Dior.

"Are you okay to ride along?" he asked.

She nodded, appearing calm. "Yeah, I'm okay."

With that assurance, Noel drove toward their next destination, his mind focused on the task ahead while feeling a sense of relief having Dior close by.

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