Luca’s expression remained occluded, unaltered. While he agreed to what she had said, Luca feared for Noah’s life, she feared of what could come next. He was a TARGET, after all, he was a firefighter. Her lips parted to emit sound, to protest his return to the firehouse and ask him to be careful, BEG him to be careful. Yet, she stilled; mouth agape as she stared into the warm blue of his eyes. Instead, Luca stood silent, the only sign of her agitation was the failed attempts to CONTROL the rise and fall of her chest. It was like she finally realized the air was knocked out of her lungs. As if the whole time while they were apart, the whole time she was in worry, she was ASPHYXIATING. “It’s okay,” she eventually mumbled, giving him a weak smile to reassure her words. “I know it was. The whole town got a bit crazy this morning. — and I’m sorry. I should’ve given you time, you know, to do what you do, to heal in your time. I’m sorry I got worried and was about to put out an APB.”
“Noah,” she gasped in surprise as she was sprung around to him, his arms wrapping around her petite body. Reaching out her delicate fingers, they wrapped around his hoodie, pulling herself closer, seeking the AFFECTIONS she, as a friend, shouldn’t be asking for. Her fingers curled tighter on the material of his hoodie, and even with her eyes lidded, she could feel the sting of tears threatening to spill over. God, just the thought, the MERE thought of losing him, brought a side of her to life; a side of her that she never imagined it existed. “Come on, let’s go home,” she mumbled, her voice was quiet and dangerously cracking with a tsunami of emotions raging like a war within her.
Out of habit, once they were inside the woman’s home, Noah UNLACED his shoes before setting them neatly on the mat behind her front door then hung shrugged off his hooded sweatshirt that was still stained darker from the sweat of his earlier run. “I’m just going to wash my hands, I’ll be right back,” he gave the woman a soft smile then wandered the FAMILIAR HALLS until he came to the bathroom. Once inside, he peeled off his damp t-shirt and aired it out a little as he used the basin and warm water to wash the sweat from his arms and torso. After ten or so minutes of making himself more presentable, he towel dried himself and returned the t-shirt over his head before making his way back to the woman once more. “I used one of your towels, I HOPE that’s okay,” he spoke while placing the aforementioned object in her washing machine. Now that he was somewhat clean and free from the harbour view, Noah could only focus on what others must’ve thought during his absence so, leaning one hand on the kitchen counter while his other scratched at the back of his head.
“I owe you an APOLOGY... again,” Noah sighed. It seemed that, lately, all he was doing was apologising for his INABILITY TO COPE with the events that were targeting their city as of late. “I shouldn’t have disappeared like that and I know that now,” he continued, eyes barely able to meet the familiar brown that he had grown so accustomed to. “Luca, I’m...” he was, what? Afraid? TERRIFIED? Not for himself. No, Noah’s concern for himself had died the day his parents did, but for others? His entire life rested on the notion that those he cared about were alive. ALIVE. “I’m not used to someone other than Kate caring about where I am, so you... this --” Not that he knew what it was, though, “I should’ve REALISED. Please let me buy dinner tonight.” She deserved MORE than dinner after the way he had worried her, but it was all he knew what to offer in that moment.
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