The Bad Boy's Crush (bxb)

23) On the Verge of Conciousness (Pt.2)

The echoing of childish laughter rang loudly through the thin-walled apartment as a young boy at the age of ten jumped away from an older, red-headed girl.

She chased him through the house, a grin etched upon both their glowing faces. They radiated youth- the boy's mother watched on in content, holding a toddler on her hip. She hoisted her young daughter up, sipping on her coffee.

It was the evening, the time approaching 7 o'clock.

"You can't catch me!" The boy giggled, jumping onto the sofa in the small living room, "I'm too fast!" He balanced himself onto the arm of the sofa, readying to jump off as the girl neared.

"Noah be careful!" Evelyn reprimanded, "James and May is watching, be a good role-model. They might start copying you."

"Don't worry Ma! If James or May start doing it I won't buy them anymore Haribos!" The girl reassured, lunging at Noah who jumped off with a scream.

"You buy them Haribos?!" Evelyn cried, "Sasha, I told you to not spend your money like that!"

Sasha staggered and cursed in her head. She turned to Evelyn with a sheepish smile, "Uh... no it's only sometimes." Sasha quickly took the packet of gummies in James's hand and stuffed it in her pocket, "Besides, they're for Elijah too!"

Young James pouted, stretching out his hands, "My gummies..."

Noah picked up a pillow and threw it at his neighbour's head, hitting her square in the face.

"Hey!"

"Noah!" Evelyn scolded again, "What did I say-"

The baby girl in her arms began to whine, twisting sideways and trying to get out of her arms, "Oh it's May's bedtime. Sasha dear, I'm going to put her to bed, can you make sure James brushes his teeth?"

Sasha nodded her head as her and Noah watched Evelyn walk further into the apartment and turn into her room. They glanced at each other, a cheeky grin dancing on their faces.

"You get snacks, I'll feed James." Sasha grabbed James's plate of pasta and took him into the kitchen part of the apartment.

With an excited grin, Noah jumped onto a stool and reached up into the snack cabinet.

A knock on the door halted Noah in his actions of getting a crisps packet. He furrowed his eyebrows.

Is someone meant to come at this time?

Noah got off the stool, stepped towards the door and turned the handle before slowly pulling it open. He peeked through the gap and looked up at a tall, suited in black man who also had red hair like Sasha- though his hair was much darker to the point it looked brown.

He looked in his early thirties.

The man towered over Noah, nailing him down with an intense stare for a good five seconds, before contorting his face into a sickening grin. "Hello kid."

Noah concealed himself behind the door, "Hi."

The older man leaned down, hands clasped behind his back. "Can I have a chat with my daughter? I was told by her mother that she camps here sometimes."

Noah blinked, confused.

Daughter?

"Who?" Noah asked quietly, closing the gap by a centimeter.

The mysterious man placed his hands in the gap and pushed it open to its original state. Noah's gut was twisting with nerves and something was telling him to shut the door, however the man's hold kept him from doing that.