Noah (5th Street series)

Chapter 22 - Part 1

The guys came over on Sunday and were there all day. It'd been a while since they'd had a virtual boxing fest like the old days. Noah checked with Roni first before okaying Hector to bring over his PlayStation 4. They worked on changing the oil on Roni's car all morning and then moved indoors for the boxing.

Noah told her she didn't have to, but Roni insisted on making them snacks and then lunch. She made sandwiches which she cut in half and piled high on a tray. Though the guys all said they weren't hungry, the pile of sandwiches were inhaled within minutes.

Her fussing over them had actually helped to distract her and get her mind off what she'd been moping about for days. She and Nellie were still on the outs, and Roni was beside herself with guilt over having hurt Nellie's feelings.

Noah tried to tell her she'd been right to speak up and tell Nellie how she felt, especially given the fact that Roni said Nellie would have done the same thing had the tables been turned. Still, as much as she tried to pretend nothing was wrong, there was no masking it. She was sad, and he hated to see her that way.

That afternoon Roni kept herself busy in the kitchen and later in her darkroom. She'd just walked out of the darkroom, and Noah turned, glad to see her smiling for a change.

Someone knocked at the front door, and Roni walked through the front room to get it. They'd ordered pizza, but it was way too soon for that to arrive. Since Noah had been living with her, the only people that ever came to the door were solicitors. Not once had she had any visitors. Even Nellie was yet to drop in since he'd been there.

They'd moved on from boxing to Call Of Duty, a military type game where they paired up in teams. "Noah, what are you doing?" Abel nudged him with his knee. "You're supposed to back me up; he almost got me."

Hector laughed, going heavy on the bombs, taking advantage of Noah's slipup. Noah made a few maneuvers to get his man out of harm's way, but his eyes were back on the door where Roni smiled as she greeted whoever it was. She glanced back at Noah with an expression he couldn't quite make out before she walked out onto the porch, closing the screen door behind her.

"Dude, can you fucking pay attention?" Noah looked back at the screen in time to see his man blown up. "You see?" Abel nudged him again.

The screen changed and Noah was down one life. He only had two left, but he couldn't care less. He paid more attention now but still glanced back at the front door repeatedly. From the window that was partially covered with thin drapes, he could see a man leaning against the railing of the porch, but he couldn't see Roni. She was probably leaning against the wall.

It could be anyone: a solicitor, a neighbor, but his already tightening gut told him otherwise. Since Roni had gone back to work, she'd mentioned reacquainting with old friends. That look she'd given him as she walked out put him completely on edge.

Noah managed to stay in the game for another fifteen minutes until he and a very annoyed Abel were wiped out. Fifteen minutes was a relatively short time, considering they could've gone on much longer had Noah actually been trying.

Noah stood up, tossing his controller on the sofa. "Leave it off, Hector. The game is gonna start if it hasn't already."

"Oh, yeah, the playoffs are on today," Hector said, flipping it from the PS4 to television mode.

Gio, who was always the first to catch on to what was going on in Noah's head, didn't miss a beat asking in a curious but cautious tone, "Who's that out there with Roni?"

Noah shrugged on his way to the door, but he was about to find out. He opened the door, leaning his upper body out. As he suspected, Roni was leaning against the wall just outside the door. Noah recognized the guy immediately and smiled, feeling an immediate relief wash over him. No way could Roni be into this asshole, though he did wonder what Kratz was doing visiting her. "Small fucking world." Noah reached out his hand to shake the dean's.