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

Invisible string

Those days on tour with the guys had been anything but a relaxing vacation. Not physically— the guys kept her moving from city to city, and Lisa enjoyed the shows from behind the scenes with the Bad Omens crew. At first, she only knew Davis, but soon she had become friends with the rest of the guys, particularly Bryan, who had a great time taking photos of her in the most unlikely moments. The roll of film contained pictures of her with a sulky expression trying the local cuisine. It was awful.

And not emotionally — though she enjoyed their company, when left alone with her thoughts, a veil of sadness dulled all the colors that came into her field of vision. She couldn’t stop thinking about what awaited her once she returned home—the responsibilities of adult life that had come too quickly, without a instruction manual.

The guys had just finished playing, and Jolly came over to her, guitar still slung around his neck. “Did you have fun?”

“You were great; it was an amazing show.”

“Tell your face. It looks like someone just drained your bank account.”

Lisa sighed heavily. “I’m just a bit tired.”

“Is it still about your patient? Is everything okay?”

No, everything wasn’t okay. Dylan hadn’t been improving recently. He continued to stay holed up at home, sending her messages from morning till night. She had taken to not replying, which only enraged him further. Sessions with him had become the heaviest part of her week.

Jolly seemed to understand from her expression the response she would give if she could manage to string two words together.

“Come to the after-party. You deserve a distraction” he said, giving her a gentle pat on the cheek before heading off to change, leaving her alone once more.

Noah came off stage at that moment. His favorite part of concerts was finally enjoying the applause of the crowd. His smile could light up the darkest room. The crowd loved him, and it was everything he had always dreamed of.

When he saw Lisa, he ran to her, releasing all the accumulated adrenaline in a passionate kiss. His slender fingers gripped her hips tightly, as if afraid he might fall and needing support.

“I’m so glad you’re here” he said, pulling away from the kiss.

Noah hadn’t noticed Lisa’s sad eyes or that she hadn’t spoken a word. He greeted her with another kiss and went in the same direction as Jolly to change out of his stage clothes.

At the after-party, the guys met many fans, leaving them little time to rest. Lisa watched Noah surrounded by adoring fans, taking photos and talking to everyone who spoke to him. He was happy, and that made her smile.

A lump formed in her stomach. He was happy even without her, while Lisa had eagerly awaited every second they spent together after those weeks apart.

She prepared to leave, and her eyes met Bryan’s. The photographer silently asked where she was going, and Lisa signaled that she was tired, receiving a thumbs-up in response.

Outside the venue, Lisa had to lean against the wall, the weight of the world on her shoulders. She didn’t want to go home, but she didn’t want to stay there either. She felt incomplete; whatever she did in her life would never be enough.

She saw the bassist’s tousled hair emerge from the same door she had exited. She saw Nicholas light a cigarette and signaled for him to join her.

When they were close enough, Lisa took the cigarette from his fingers and brought it to her lips. She had never been much of a smoker, but at that moment, every choice seemed like the wrong choice, so why overthink it?

“Why did you leave?” Nicholas asked her.

“I was feeling suffocated. I don’t know how you all manage to relate to so many people at once.”

Nicholas nodded. “Yeah, I get it. Sometimes I can’t take it anymore. It’s like everything I do doesn’t really matter.”

She felt the same way. She wasn’t able to do anything, not even help a patient who depended on her to get better. She felt useless. She was useless.

Nicholas looked at her in a way Noah never had. He saw her. And Lisa saw him.

“I don’t want to stay here anymore,” the bassist said. “Do you want to come with me to the hotel?”

___________________________________________

Dylan Monroe.

He had never heard that name, but Lisa was always very private about her work, so it wasn’t surprising.

“Where does this Dylan live?”

“I can’t tell you that, Noah,” Nancy shook her head. “If I do, I jeopardize my career. And without valid evidence, I can’t even call the police.”

“Why not?”

“Because that’s how professional secrecy works,” she raised her voice. “If I don’t have evidence—and I don’t—I can’t go around town talking about a patient’s affairs.”

“But we have evidence.” Noah’s eyes were now full of tears, and he was begging the therapist to help him.

“No, Noah, we don’t. We only have suspicions. For all I know, Lisa left because she didn’t want to be with you anymore.”

No, he couldn’t accept that. He got up from the chair, knocking over the coffee cup onto the carpet. Nancy went to get a cloth, and Noah took the opportunity to look at the man’s file. Now he knew where Dylan lived.

When Nancy returned to the room, Noah was pretending to clean with some tissues he had found around. “I’m so sorry, Nance.”

“It’s alright, Noah. Why don’t you go get some sleep? You look exhausted.”

Noah nodded, deliberately accentuating his tired expression. He apologized again for spilling the coffee and headed to the car.

Destination: Dylan Monroe’s house.

At that moment, he received a phone call.

“Hello?”

“Noah, where the hell are you? You’ve been out all day.” Being scolded by Jolly was the last thing he wanted that day, but the guitarist was right.

He had started that treasure hunt that morning, and now the sun was setting before his eyes. He thought about Lisa and how much she loved watching the warm colors that the sky gifted each day.

“Jolly, I’m afraid something has happened to Lisa.”

“What do you mean?”

“There’s a strange guy among her patients, and even her colleague was worried. I’m going to his place.”

There was silence on the other end of the line for a while, making Noah think the call had dropped. Before hanging up, he heard Jolly’s voice break the deafening silence.

“Send me your location; I’m coming with you.”