Bound to Lust

Lost in Silence

He parked his car in the driveway and got out, slipping on his shades to shield his eyes from the bright summer sun. He walked the short distance to the door and rang the doorbell. An old woman dressed in preppy clothes opened the door. Her face lit up in a smile when she saw it was him.

"Noah!" she called out as she wrapped her frail arms around him. He hugged her back catching a whiff of the sweet aroma of baked goods.

"Alecia! Wow, you look beautiful." he cooed and got a playful eye roll. She had been living with them for as long as he could remember as the housekeeper. He pulled back and they stepped inside.

"Noah!" a voice exclaimed from atop the stairs. He looked up with a wide smile as she rushed down the stairs as fast as a 69 year old woman can. "Oh my! Do you not eat?"

"Really, Grams. I think I look fine." he teased and hugged her. She then held his face and planted a sloppy kiss on his cheeks. "I really missed you."

"Well you could visit more often." She retorted playfully and he threw her an apologetic look. Rosa was the one woman who understood him. She practically raised him and his sister, Carla since his parents divorced.

"I know and I'm sorry."

She pat his back gently, "Never mind! You're here now..."

"Where's the old man anyway?" he asked referring to his grandfather.

"Right here, young man!" a deep voice responded from behind them. Noah turned to face him with a salute. The old man chuckled and returned the salute. At 75, Kieran Hedlund looked strong as ever, only his white hair gave him away. He had been a war veteran, having fought in the Second World War. Noah was about a few inches taller than him but he still feared him in a good way.

He walked the short distance and shook his hands, "Good to see you, gramps."

"You too! Though it would be great if it were more often. Your grams tends to nag a lot when you're not around." He looked Rosa's way confirm the stern look she had adorned at his statement and mouthed a 'sorry'. "How have you been?" he asked Noah.

"Great, really great!" he replied. His grandparents shared a surprised look and he furrowed his brows. "What!"

"Your answer to that has always been...same as always" Rosa explained.

"Well things change" he shrugged with a boyish grin. He walked over to Rosa and draped his arm around her shoulder. She had that look where she was about to break into a thousand and one questions and he wasn't ready to tell anyone about anything yet. "I'm starved, Grams."

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot. Your parents..." Kieran begun before he was cut off by the clicking of heels against the marble floor. Noah's mood immediately turned sour. He clenched his jaw and tried to calm his breathing.

"Noah! Look at you..." Heather, his mother, exclaimed as she held his face.

"Yeah, look at me, Mum!" he sarcastically replied and removed her hands off him. Just then, a man entered. He looked almost like Noah except for his dirty blonde hair and tiny gray strands. The frown on Noah's face grew worse and the entire foyer felt gloomy. Noah and his father, Andrew had a bitter relationship no one could fix, they all tried believe me, but it made no difference. Noah couldn't stand him but the pleading look on Rosa's face forced him to stay.

"Hi, Dad." Andrew greeted as he hugged Kieran.

"Hello!" he replied with a smile. Andrew turned to Rosa and hugged her as well. She chastised him for not visiting often and he apologized with a sweet smile. It was obvious they were close and Noah couldn't help but feel envious. He wished he had such a close relationship with his mother but that could never happen when all she was ever concerned about was which country or city she should grace her presence with.