The Anatomy of Killer

Chapter 20 - Shady

Before I start this chapter, I wanted to apologize for my lack of updates for the past few months. I'm working on this huge ten-page paper for English this month so I can graduate :O and it's kind of taking up all of my time. I hope you guys understand... I'll do my best to keep updates coming, but they probably won't be very frequent. So sorry again!

I sat in a shocked silence. What had just happened had blown my mind a little bit. From Corbin saving my life to Gabriel texting me to Noah almost kissing me, the day felt like it had been a week.

Noah cleared his throat, making me pay attention to him. "Who texted you?"

"Gabriel." Neither of us made any move to continue what had been interrupted moments before. Too scared to make the first move, worried that the other might have regretted what we'd almost done.

"Ah," said Noah.

The silence dragged on for what seemed like an eternity. The tension was so thick that you could cut it with a knife.

"Um, yeah. I guess I should." I picked up my phone and typed a quick response.

Okay. What time? I placed my phone down beside me and noticed that my hands were shaking. I took a deep, shuddering breath.

"You're shaking," Noah said, his voice full of tentative worry.

"Y-yeah. I just - didn't expect - never mind," I stammered.

"Didn't expect what? For me to kiss you?" Noah asked, smirking.

"Um," I said dumbly, blushing at the thought of him that close to me again.

Noah moved closer to me. I kept my gaze forward to control my heart's beating. I could feel his warm breath on my hair. "Do you mind if we continue?" he whispered into my ear. He gently moved my head so I was looking at him. Our faces were inches apart. The breath that was making my hair flutter was now tickling my lips.

I couldn't speak, so I just shook my head.

Noah leaned his forehead against mine. "I've been thinking about this for a long time."

He captured my lips with his. I melted into his body. He buried his hands in my hair, holding me impossibly close to him, as if he didn't, I would dissolve. He was probably right. My body was buzzing with adrenaline at his touch and the feeling of his lips on mine. My nerves were on fire, hyper aware of every point where our bodies touched. I felt his teeth tug my bottom lip, gently asking for permission. I opened my mouth, allowing his tongue to roam my mouth. He moaned when I tangled my hands in his dark hair. He moved his hands from my hair and into the small of my back, pushing me down until my back was touching the couch and my head was resting on the armrest. He did all of this without breaking the kiss. Not once. He was nearly fully on top of me, his knees on either side of my hips, being careful not to crush me under his weight. I was drowning in the scent of him. His aftershave and his cologne.

He broke the kiss to trail kisses down my neck. I couldn't help but gasp when his lips met the sweet spot behind my ear. He didn't get past my collarbone, though, because my phone went off again. I groaned. "I should probably get that, huh?"

Noah laughed, kissing me quickly. "God damn."

I gently pushed him off of me and made my way back into a sitting position. I snatched my phone off of the couch. 9:30 pm sound ok?

Sure.

My memory flashed back to Noah strapped to that table, bruised and bleeding with Lily standing over him.

"Hey. What's wrong? What did you just think about?" Noah asked.

"Nothing. I'm okay." I shook my head.

"Bullshit. I know you better than you think. What's going on?"

I sighed. "Gabriel asked me to meet him at the old Glenwood/Yonkers power plant where we faced off with Lily."

"Where, you faced off with Lily. I was unconscious most of the time."

"Okay, fine. Where I faced off with Lily." I shook my head again, smiling. "Why would he want me to meet him there? That factory holds bad memories for me."

Noah nodded. "Do you want me to go with you?" He took my hand, intertwining our fingers.

I thought for a moment. I did want him to go with me. But at the same time, I didn't want him to have to deal with the whole Gabriel, Upstairs, and Downstairs mess, and my secret. I needed his support, though. Maybe it would make it easier to tell him who I really was. "Yeah. Come with me."

Noah rubbed my hand with his thumb comfortingly. "Why would he want you to go there? It's pretty shady. You - we - have to be careful."

"Careful? This is Gabriel we're talking about!" I protested. But my friend in my head with the nasty voice said: You don't really know him. You shouldn't trust him so much.

Noah shrugged. "I'm just saying. Especially with what happened with Lily. I'm surprised you trust me like you do."

I shrugged. "Maybe it's not to my benefit, but I'd trust you with my life." I meant that. "Should I not?"

Noah smiled. "I don't know. But I do know that I would protect you with my own life. I promise you that." He grinned. "Maybe this sounds cheesy, but even though I've only known you for about a month, I feel like I've known you forever."

I smirked. "Maybe we knew each other in another life."

Noah squeezed my hand. "Maybe."

I smiled down at my lap. I'd missed Gabriel in the days that we'd had radio silence, but having Noah there made me miss him less. It's so funny how I can be comforted my the presence of the man who killed me.

I truly trusted Gabriel and valued his friendship, but I was still suspicious. Why would Gabriel want me to meet him at a creepy, abandoned warehouse? My good mood had all but disappeared.

Obviously, Noah noticed. "Hey, what's going on? Are you okay?"

I met his eyes. "I'm just wondering why Gabe would want me to meet him in a creepy warehouse at nine-thirty on a Monday night."

Noah frowned. "I don't know, but I don't like it." He paused. "But if you trust him, I trust him. Plus, I'll be with you."

I grinned. "Yeah, sure. The two people who can barely stand against someone who might want to kill us. I like those odds."

Noah smirked. "Hey, it's two against one." He said before pulling me into another breath-stealing kiss.

Hello, everyone! I'm so sorry about the lack of updates recently. I've been super busy as I mentioned in the authors' note at the beginning. I do really enjoy this chapter, though, so I hope you do too.

Questions, Questions

1. Whoop whoop! Noanita exists! What do you think? Did you ship Anibriel? (There could still be hope for them, you never know...)

2. Do you trust Gabriel right now?

3. Should Anita tell Noah who she really is? You know, since they made out for a bit.

4. If so, how do you think he would handle it?

Hope you enjoyed this part! Please make sure to vote, comment (PLEASE), follow me, and add this story to your library so you don't miss a part! See you next week (hopefully)

xCelia