“I have informed your sister that I will not spare her simply because she is of the fairer sex,” Noah said, his whole face lit up with delight. “I still maintain that I should have a claim to that moniker myself, for I am quite fair.”
His quip sent Aurora into peals of laughter. Beckett couldn’t help but smile as well. More than smile, something light and feathery spread through his chest and stomach as he watched Noah. Whatever the man’s faults were, he was handsome and exciting. He’d felt divine tucked into bed by Beckett’s side through the night. Well, once he’d settled down and fallen asleep.
But that was precisely the point. Noah was a cozy dream when he was at peace, and when he was awake and engaged with the world, he made Beckett feel as though everything were fresh and exciting.
“Come on,” Noah said, grasping Aurora’s hand and leading her off the path onto the grass. “There is a perfect spot of wind just over here. Beckett, you should purchase your own kite and join us.”
“Perhaps I will,” Beckett said, genuinely liking the idea.
He picked up his pace, and his father followed him toward the kite vendor.
“Perhaps you should make an appointment with our family physician, Dr. Hoffman, for your friend,” his father said. “Then at least you might have a medical opinion to help you make decisions about the man.”
“Decisions?” Beckett said, glancing over his shoulder at his father in alarm. “What sort of decisions would I make about him?”
“About whether to continue to offer Noah a place in your house,” his father said. “About whether to proceed with your association as it is or whether to make changes.”
Beckett could only imagine what his father was getting at. “Of course, Noah is welcome to a place in my home for as long as he wants it,” he said, reaching into his pocket for his wallet as they neared the kite vendor. “I wouldn’t think of throwing him out. Noah has been thrown out of too many other situations for me to do that to him.”
His father made a noise as if Beckett had proven his point instead of refuting it. “Have you asked yourself why he was thrown out?”
“Because Marcus wished to end things with him,” he answered his father in a whisper, seeing as too many people were nearby for a louder, longer answer. “And his sister does not sound particularly nice.”
“Or perhaps there is more to the man than you know about,” his father suggested. “More than you are ready for.”
Beckett wanted to answer, but they’d reached the kite vendor, and he busied himself choosing and paying for a kite instead.
His father wasn’t quite ready to let the matter slide, though. As they headed toward the large patch of grass where Noah and Aurora were already flying their kites, he said, “Caring for someone can make you blind to their struggles. I know you love your friend, but disturbances of the mind are extraordinarily difficult to manage.”
Beckett frowned. “I do not love Noah in that way,” he said, uncomfortable with saying so aloud. “I do care for him, though. He is my friend, the best friend I’ve had in a long time. We understand each other. We have a great deal in common. And I find him to be an interesting and engaging housemate.”
“Of course,” his father said, as though he saw through Beckett’s words, even though there was nothing to see through.
They were drawing too close to Noah and Aurora for the conversation to continue, so Beckett paused and turned to his father.
“This is my final word on the matter,” he began. “Noah is my friend. He is a dear friend. And he has had an upsetting setback. I believe he has been treated unfairly by those who should have looked out for him, and I will not be one of those people. I will do whatever is in my power to make him feel happy and secure, and to help him get what he wants. That is all there is to it.”
His father smiled sadly, reaching out to rest a hand on Beckett’s shoulder. “You are a good man, son. You have a good heart. And I do like Noah. Aurora obviously does as well. I will give you whatever assistance you require in this matter, but I must caution you.”
“Really, Father, there is no need,” Beckett insisted.
His father shook his head and said, “If your friend is simply out of sorts because of thwarted love, then that is one thing. But sufferers of mental sickness become skilled at hiding it from new friends. It is when they can no longer hide it that things turn tragic.”
“If they turn tragic, would that not be when Noah needs me the most?” Beckett asked.
His father smiled, though there was as much sadness as pride in the look. He thumped Beckett’s shoulder again, then inched back. “I will be here if and when you need me, Beckett. I will always be here for you.”
Beckett broke into a smile. “That is where I get it, then,” he said. “Because I feel the same way about Noah. When he needs me, unlike nearly everyone else in his life, I will be there.”
He was as certain of that as he was of the sun in the sky. He just wasn’t entirely certain what that implied about the depth of the feelings he had for his friend.
ChapterNine
Something was different. Wrong, even. Something had definitely shifted right under Noah’s feet without him being aware, but he wasn’t entirely certain what it was.
No, that wasn’t true. He knew precisely what it was. It was the Halloween ball. That was it. He’d suffered a grievous set-back. Marcus, his love, hisonlylove, had rebuffed him in front of a crowd. That had to be what had caused the strange, unsettled feeling within him as he tried to go about his business the day after having a lovely time with Beckett’s family.
Not that he had any business to go about.