No Body No Crime || Bad Omens || Noah Sebastian

Death by a thousand cuts

Lisa had worn a black cocktail dress that evening. After a month of dating, Noah had managed to arrange a dinner with his best friends, and she wanted to make a good impression, especially not to disappoint him in any way.

Noah had already met her friends and had quickly formed a friendship with Nancy. Whenever he could, he would bring lunch for both of them at their office, and they had often gone out together with Nancy and her husband. The fact that Nancy had approved of Noah was crucial to her. Nancy was her best friend, the sister she had never had. She was the only person she trusted enough to work with and manage the business’s finances.

Noah entered her room at that moment, and as soon as he saw her dressed so elegantly, he let out an ironic whistle. When he wasn’t working, the musician was almost always at home with her, and by now Lisa had grown accustomed to his comforting presence.

“You know, I don’t think I feel like going out to dinner anymore,” he said, pulling her close, holding her by the waist while kissing her hungrily. Lisa wanted to make a good impression on Noah's friends, but his gentle touch clouded her reasoning.

“We have to go, love,” she said in a whisper, muffled by a sigh. But Noah wasn’t paying attention, too busy leaving wet kisses on her bare shoulder, while his hands slid down her thighs, slightly lifting her dress.

“No one will mind if we’re a bit late.”

Lisa wanted to argue that it wasn’t polite to keep people waiting, but Noah knew how to be persuasive. He pressed her back against the wardrobe behind her, lifting her legs so she could wrap them around his waist.

Maybe he was right; no one would complain about a slight delay.

They arrived at the restaurant when everyone had already taken their seats at the table. Noah made the introductions, and Lisa ended up sitting next to a sharp-featured guy whom his friends called Jolly.

Jolly was nice and showed a lot of interest in her work. He wanted to know everything. How the sessions go, how to help people heal during them, what her methods were. All things she couldn’t talk about, especially not with a glass of wine in hand.

“Is it true that all psychologists are crazy?” asked the youngest of the group, Nick.

“Folio, don’t bother the new entry” said the other Nick. “But, yeah, I mean... is it true?” he asked, turning towards her.

“Guys, I asked you not to embarrass me” Noah said.

“No, it’s fine. Those are questions I’ve asked myself too,” she reassured him, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Let’s just say that you start studying psychology because you think there’s something wrong with you, so yes, we’re probably all crazy.”

“But do psychologists go to other psychologists? Like a Russian doll… is the last one the supreme psychologist?” asked the guy named Davis.

Lisa laughed. She had been so worried about that evening, but instead, these guys were genuinely curious about her.

“Guys, enough, you’re embarrassing her” said the long-haired Nick. “Forgive them, they don’t know what they’re talking about”

“No one does most of the time. Besides, they’re cute, so eager to learn” she said, taking a sip from her glass.

They spent the rest of the evening talking about whatever came to mind. Anecdotes from various tours, musical opinions, recently released TV series.

That night, Lisa and Noah ended up wrapped in each other’s arms under the covers, and for the first time, he told her he loved her. Lisa kissed his bare shoulder and told him she loved him too.

___________________________________________

Noah found himself thinking that everything was fake, that Lisa didn’t truly have those feelings for him. The more he read her diary, the more he discovered the sides of his girlfriend that he barely recognized.

Some pages were dated a few months earlier, and in them, she wrote about another man. From what she wrote, she had known him for some time, but only recently had she begun to see him differently. She described all the times they had talked, how he had confided in her about every aspect of his life. He had been experiencing several panic attacks lately and was spending sleepless nights.

Lisa spoke about him tenderly, as if describing a wounded puppy. There wasn’t the same passion she expressed when she talked about him, about Noah.

In those pages, she wrote about how safe she felt with that boy. How he would take her on long walks in the woods not far from her home. How they would have long conversations immersed in nature, while eating the sweets she had lovingly prepared.

Noah realized that Lisa had never taken him on a picnic in those woods, and from her words, he understood why.

It was her secret place; no one could enter it unless she wanted them to. She had invited that mysterious man into her little slice of paradise, and it made him feel as if countless blades were piercing his chest.

But for that very moment, she was thinking about that man as a friend.

Then one evening came.

The man had gone to her house, and Lisa had been wearing only a nightgown that left little to the imagination. He had entered without even apologizing for the late hour, and Lisa noticed his heavy breathing, his chest heaving like the rhythmic ticking of a pendulum on a clock. Incessantly.

Lisa had let him sit on the red couch and made him chamomile tea. She had calmed him with sweet words and gentle strokes through his hair. The man had rested his head on her shoulder, and at that touch, he had burst into tears.

“I can’t live like this anymore; I don’t want to go on. Why don’t I just die? It would be so much easier.”

Lisa had placed two fingers under his chin to lift his face and make him look into her eyes. And at that moment, something clicked in the man’s mind. His grip on the girl’s waist tightened, pulling her even closer to him. Their bodies pressed together in a dance of heartbeats, while their lips met in a kiss full of unsaid words.

The man was kissing her, and she felt dirty. She knew it was wrong; her mind immediately went to Noah. But she didn’t know why she found herself running her hands through his hair while his fingers lifted her nightgown.

“I can’t do this,” she whispered against his lips.

Lisa described those moments with anguish, not even she was sure what she had felt. She knew she loved Noah, so why had she ended up in such a situation?

Lisa had gotten up from the couch and walked towards the kitchen. She needed to put some distance between herself and him. It wasn’t because she didn’t want to kiss him or feel his warmth, but because it was wrong. She was with Noah. She loved Noah. Right?

"I'm sorry, Lisa. I didn’t mean to..."

"It’s okay. I just need to..."

The man had stood up and now held her in a hug. "I’m really sorry. I don’t know what came over me. But I don’t regret it," Lisa saw sincerity in his eyes. He would have done it again if she had allowed it.

And maybe the man saw in her eyes the same desire he felt to be close to her, and he kissed her again. This time, the kiss became more intense quickly. He had her sit on the kitchen table while he touched her with lust.

Lisa didn’t write what happened next, but Noah could sense what had occurred.

Noah clenched his fists in anger. He wanted to break anything in that house, but the damage had already been done. Not the betrayal. The damage he had inflicted on his girlfriend. He had made her feel alone in that relationship countless times, so much so that her sense of morality had shattered.

Maybe now, while Noah was crying in front of her computer screen, she had found herself in that man’s arms.

No, he shouldn’t make excuses for her. He deserved an explanation, and there was only one person who could give it to him, while Lisa was gone.

Nancy.