#bitemarks:first drafts

[bitemarksafterdark]

Heart of Glass - Chapter 18

“What on earth are you wearing?” Noah asked with a slightly bewildered smirk at seeing his brother in clothes that might have been several decades out of date.

“Dude, it’s Halloween.”

“Yeah, but….”

“Uh…. David? From The Lost Boys?” Aspen replied, gesturing to his outfit like he thought it was supposed to be obvious. “Come on, man. I know you’ve seen that movie because I’m the one who made you watch it.”

“Oh, I remember. More times than I could count,” Noah teased, breaking into a grin. “Relax, I’m fucking with you. Looks good.”

“Yeah?”

“Yes. Just, uh, watch out for any vampire slayers, yeah?”

Aspen laughed and shook his head as he sat on the end of the bed and laced up his boots.

“What’s Aria going as?” Noah asked, as he hadn’t seen the other when he came downstairs earlier.

“Michael.”

Noah did a single slow nod of acknowledgment, smirking a little at them doing the whole couple’s costumes thing, though he couldn’t say he was all that surprised with how Aspen and Aria were with each other.

“You’re coming too, right?” Aspen inquired, head tilting as he casually glanced at Noah’s outfit and saw that he was in his regular clothes, not a costume.

“Coming to what?”

“Only the biggest Halloween party on campus,” Aspen explained, realizing that he might have neglected to mention it with everything that Noah had on his plate already lately. “One of the frat houses throws a costume party every year and invites basically the entire student body. Shit, dude, they even have prizes for the best costumes.”

“I wondered why there wasn’t one here tonight….”

“Mm, yeah. No point in me throwing one when everyone will be at the big one, huh?”

“Fair point.”

“So, are you coming?” Aspen asked, getting up.

“I don’t have a costume.”

“Do you have a plain white t-shirt that you don’t mind getting trashed?”

“Yeah?” Noah answered, frowning in confusion.

“Then slap some fake blood on that bitch, stick some gel in your hair and tell everyone you’re Billy fucking Loomis,” Aspen instructed with a grin as he patted his brother on the shoulder. “Be quick about it, though, because we’re leaving in about fifteen minutes.”

The frat house was huge.

Noah had thought Aspen’s place was pretty big, given that it had five bedrooms, four bathrooms, a basement, and a private, decently sized fenced-in backyard in a neighborhood where having a yard at all appeared to be a luxury.

By comparison, the frat house was more or less a mansion, with at least twice as many rooms by Noah’s estimation.

It was certainly big enough that, by the time Noah had had a few drinks and inadvertently got separated from his brother and friends, he quickly lost his bearings.

Between his comfortable buzz turning into nauseating disorientation and finding himself alone, Noah started to feel anxious and overwhelmed. He had no idea where to begin looking for the people he’d come here with since the place was even busier than Aspen’s got during a party.

Following a hallway that seemed to have one of the bathrooms along it, judging by the line outside one of the doors, he eventually found his way out toward the back of the property.

He passed through a lounge area and found a set of sliding glass doors that opened out to a patio area with several beer kegs arranged on it. Noah stepped outside, needing a few minutes to himself away from the noise and the throng of bodies packed throughout the place to give himself a moment to breathe.

SItting down on the low stone wall of one of the planters that bordered the patio’s edge, Noah rubbed his face with his hands and took several deep breaths.

It was the first time he’d been out since the night he'd ended up in the hospital.

Noah was beginning to think he probably should have left it a little bit longer as that telltale prickling sensation of the threat of a panic attack seeped through his scalp and neck, along with feeling like he might throw up.

He managed to get the feeling to subside after a few minutes, though, relief flooding him that he seemed to have staved off the sense of loss of control for now.

Glancing around, he took in the layout of the back of the house, realizing that it was even bigger than he first thought when he’d seen it from the front, so his having gotten lost suddenly made more sense.

Still, Noah was hesitant to return inside just yet, wanting to enjoy the little bit of solitude he’d found for a while longer.

He pulled his phone out and sent a text message to Kai to see what he was up to, as he hadn’t come with Noah and Aspen, and Noah had no idea if he was even coming to this party in the first place, especially at such short notice.

While preoccupied with his phone, Noah didn’t notice that someone else had come outside, red cup in hand, seeking to top up their drink from the kegs on the patio.

“Well, well,” Lowell murmured, half to himself but loud enough for Noah to hear. “Didn’t expect to see you here tonight.”

Noah was startled slightly, but when he saw who had addressed him, he tensed on reflex, Noah’s stomach knotting up uncomfortably, making his nausea return.

“It’s a party. Open invite, isn’t it?” he replied with a shrug, trying to act casual to hide his reactive discomfort.

“That it is,” Lowell acknowledged, filling the cup from the hose attached to the keg. “Are you here with Ruby?”

“No. Why?”

“Just asking.”

“Yeah, and I’m asking why are you asking?” Noah inquired, defensiveness starting to creep into his tone thanks to his lowered inhibitions as he subconsciously recalled why Lowell made him so uncomfortable.

“Polite conversation? Or is that an alien concept where you’re from?” Lowell replied, the corner of his mouth twitching up into a smirk.

Noah knew Lowell was trying to get a rise out of him with that remark and that he shouldn’t give him the satisfaction, but he couldn’t help himself as his jaw set tight and his nostrils flared slightly.

“You fucking what, mate?” he retorted, chin up, staring Lowell down in challenge.

“I’m sorry. Do you need me to repeat myself or just speak more slowly for you? My apologies.”

“Oh, fuck off, you stuck-up prick! Why don’t you piss off back to the country club with the rest of your stuck-up prick friends? I bet you all have a right fucking laugh and a joke, don’t you?”

“A laugh about what exactly?” Lowell inquired, his smirk only broadening to see that he’d gotten under Noah’s skin enough to make him react. “I’m afraid you’ll have to be more specific than that since it’s clear you’ve got something on your mind, and you wish to say it.”

“Ruby,” Noah replied, finding his momentary anger a good shield for the spike in his anxiety. “You fucking fancy her, don’t you? Don’t think I haven’t noticed how you are around her.”

“I’m not sure I know what you’re talking about, Noah. I treat her no different than any of my female friends.”

“Oh, come off it. I saw you touching her arm and giving her lifts home and all that shit. I’m not fucking blind, but I bet you thought you could just slide under the radar, didn’t you? Well, guess what, mate? She’s already got a boyfriend, and that ain’t you.”

Noah hoped that Lowell couldn’t see that he was putting on a front, that beneath the aggressive stance and the verbal challenge, he was starting to feel short of breath again.

“God, you are one pathetically insecure creature, aren’t you?” Lowell jeered back derisively, shaking his head and laughing. “Look at you there with your chest all puffed out, trying to act like you aren’t just a scared little boy who’s way out of his depth because he can’t stand the thought of his girlfriend making new friends and realizing she’s so much better than he is.”

Noah seethed at the callout, but his resolve was starting to crumble under such a harsh and, unfortunately, accurate read of him.

On the other hand, Lowell was still as calm as ever, if not more than a little amused at just how easily he could push the other’s buttons, and he was so confident in his assessment that he dared set down his cup of beer on top of the keg and get within arms reach of Noah, just to see what he’d do.

“Noah, face it. Ruby is so far out of your league, and whoo boy, don’t you fucking know it,” Lowell taunted, getting up in Noah’s face with a leering grin.

Noah snapped and took a swing at Lowell.

His fist connected with the other’s jaw, but Lowell anticipated it well enough that it was only a glancing blow, putting Noah off balance and allowing Lowell to trip him.

Noah crashed to the ground hard, the impact causing his lip to split as his teeth bit into it. He also scraped his chin, hands, arms, and knees on the rough flagstone of the patio and knocked the air out of his lungs, winding him momentarily.

Lowell stepped around him, laughing, before grabbing the back of Noah’s t-shirt and his shoulder to pull him up and back to his feet, acting as though he was helping. However, the second Noah was upright again, Lowell punched him in the stomach, then shoved him back against the wall by the doorway, pinning him with his arm across Noah’s throat, choking him.

Noah spat blood from his busted lip as he tried to draw breath, the sudden shock and fear immediately sending him into a panic attack.

“See? You’re all fucking talk, Noah,” Lowell hissed coldly, still sneering at him. “Look at you; you’re practically pissing your pants like a scared puppy right now.”

Noah struggled futilely, gritting his teeth as his chest heaved raggedly, unable to do anything other than stare at the mocking grin inches from his face.

“Fuck you!” he ground out, the words half whimpered, but Noah was trying to fight nonetheless.

It earned him another punch to the gut before Lowell let go of him and muttered, “Fucking pathetic,” before casually walking back inside, leaving Noah to slump to the ground, wheezing and feeling like his head was about to explode as the panic attack ramped up on him.

Noah stayed curled up with his back against the wall for another fifteen minutes or so before the worst of the panic attack finally passed.

Still, even when he could finally draw enough breath again, his heart was pounding in his chest like it was trying to break through his ribcage, and he felt like someone was attempting to drill into his skull via his temples.

Dragging himself up from the ground, Noah swayed unsteadily, blinking back the ache behind his eyes as he put a hand out against the wall to regain balance.

Before he could move any further, however, his stomach lurched violently. Noah gagged, his whole body convulsing with a couple of solid retches before he vomited, the force of it stealing the breath from his lungs again and making him cough.

With his stomach emptied, Noah needed to wash the taste out of his mouth.

He glanced about and spotted the plastic cup sitting on top of the keg, Lowell apparently having forgotten about it after pouring it. Noah hadn’t brought anything outside with him to drink out of, and since he’d watched Lowell pour it and then not drink from it, Noah figured why let the beer go to waste.

Staggering over, he picked it up and swilled some around his mouth to wash away the taste of blood and bile, spat that mouthful out, then thought, “fuck it,” and chugged the rest of it, finding that the beer had an aftertaste that was a little strange. However, as it only faintly tasted off, Noah assumed it was just because he’d puked and his lip was still bloody.

Still, he was in no fit state nor mood to be at the party anymore, so Noah decided it was best he just went home since he still couldn’t get his heart rate down, and his head swam and ached sickeningly enough that keeping his balance was a challenge as he started to make his way back through the house.

Other than his run-in with Lowell, Noah hadn’t seen Aspen, Aria, or any other familiar face in the last hour or so, which only upset him further.

He took out his phone again to text his brother, but Noah could barely focus on the screen to see what he was typing or that there was a sizeable crack running through it from when he’d fallen, though since Noah’s phone had a glass screen protector on it, the damage might have only been to that.

Noah repeatedly stumbled as he wandered back through the procession of hallways and rooms, hoping he was traveling in the right direction to leave. He had to stop to lean against the walls every so often when his vision blurred or he retched again, not noticing that some of the scrapes and abrasions he’d sustained were bleeding. However, that was understandable as he’d had fake blood on him before then and it was near-impossible to tell the difference in his present state.

He was relieved when he found his way to a room with a familiar-looking staircase. Noah remembered that he’d passed it on the way into the frat house, so seeing it now told him he was right by the front entrance again.

“Oh my god, Noah! What happened?”

Noah heard his name and turned toward it, not realizing it was Ruby until he saw her looking back at him with a mildly horrified look.

He didn’t want to deal with her right now, especially after having been roughed up by Lowell enough to send him into a panic attack, but Noah was finding it harder and harder to think straight, much less string more than a couple of words together at a time.

“I… I need to go….” Noah slurred out, gesturing toward the front door with a vague sweep of his arm, looking like he could pass out at any moment from the way he swayed uneasily.

“Noah, you don’t look right. Maybe we should get you upstairs so you can lie down,” Ruby replied, taking hold of his arm and trying to lead him toward the stairs.

“No!”

Noah forced the word out, shaking his head despite it worsening his headache and disorientation.

“I wanna go home… I need to…”

“Okay,” Ruby nodded, changing course toward the front door. “Okay, let me take you home, alright? Let me take care of you.”

Noah didn’t argue. He just wanted out of there and to go back to Aspen’s place, away from everything, so he could go to sleep and try to forget everything.

Ruby led him outside and sat Noah down on the front steps while she took out her phone and booked an Uber. Meanwhile, Noah rested his forehead against one of the stair’s handrail bars, half using it to keep himself upright as he drifted in and out of lucidity, feeling sorry for himself.

Everything felt too loud and bright, and like his senses were scrambled.

Noah figured he was feeling like shit because he’d drunk too much, even though he’d stuck entirely to beer, and then had a panic attack on top of being inebriated. He was so out of it, though, that the thought didn’t cross his mind that he felt far worse than he usually did on the same amount of alcohol.

He had no idea how much time had passed while he sat leaning against the rail before Ruby returned and started pulling at him, trying to get Noah back on his feet again as a car pulled up out front of the frat house. Eventually, Ruby got Noah up off the steps and took his weight as he staggered the few paces between the steps and the waiting vehicle, then carefully maneuvered him into the back seat.

Noah flopped down heavily, head lolling back against the headrest as Ruby ran around the other side and got in.

Ruby hadn’t noticed they had an audience while this was happening. Kai arrived right then, having gotten Noah’s earlier text message, only to see him with an arm around Ruby, looking hurt and worse for wear, getting into a car and pulling away before Kai could do or say anything about it.

Standing on the sidewalk, confused about what he’d just seen, Kai debated whether there was any point going inside since Noah had just left, and he didn't know if the blood on Noah's shirt and skin was real or not, given that there were other people around also sporting fake bloodstains.

Kai knew how Ruby treated Noah, but he hadn’t seen Noah refuse or resist, leading him to consider the possibility that Noah got into the car willingly. Still, something about the scene didn’t sit quite right with him, so he called Aspen and told him that he’d seen Noah get into an Uber with Ruby, thinking that Aspen would be in a better position to do something if something indeed needed doing.

© 2025 BitemarksAfterDark

[bitemarksafterdark]

Heart of Glass - Chapter 17

Noah was under orders to rest and avoid stress as much as possible so that he didn’t end up back in the ER.

In the wake of his hospitalization, Aspen had taken it upon himself to oversee his brother’s recovery and keep him away from any potential sources of distress that could set him off again.

That, of course, meant Ruby, and naturally, she had not been happy about it.

Not that Aspen cared about Ruby’s feelings in the slightest, since she was the primary source of Noah’s anxiety and distress in the first place and despite her attempts to argue and claim that Noah should be back at their apartment with her so that she could be the one taking care of him. However, Aspen had made clear in no uncertain terms that if she continued to push the issue and try to get her way, he would personally see to it that her parents, his and Noah’s parents, and everyone else on campus found out what sort of person she really was.

That had gotten her to back off some, but not entirely.

Still, it bought Noah a few days of peace away from her, at the very least.

Noah was resting in Aspen’s room in the attic since that was the most obvious choice and generally the quietest room in the whole house. Aspen brought up some lunch for him, as well as to ensure Noah was taking the new dosage of his medications correctly and checking on him in general.

“Ruby called again,” Aspen informed his brother as he set a plate of leftovers on the nightstand.

“What did she want?” Noah asked, still sounding tired.

“Just the usual bullshit. When are you coming home and all that? I told her if she doesn’t stop blowing up your phone, I’m going to block her number.”

“How’d she take it?”

“She called me an asshole,” Aspen answered with a smirk, quite happy to be called that if it meant Noah was safe.

“I am going to have to go home at some point,” Noah acknowledged. “I can’t avoid her forever, and the longer I do, it’s just going to make shit worse.”

“You could just move in here, you know? I can go pick up all your stuff from your place for you; tell her to go fuck herself and be done with it?”

“You mean run away?”

“You call it running away. I call it a clean break.”

“Yeah, like she’d let that happen….”

“Noah, you’ve got to stop letting that girl walk all over you,” Aspen sighed, hoping that his brother wasn’t planning on going back there any time soon, if ever, given that he had a place to stay and all the support he could need. “I can’t stand by and watch that shit happen anymore, bro, and it would be fucking irresponsible of me to let you go back there knowing what’ll happen if you do.”

“I know, but what can I do?”

“Stay here. It doesn’t have to be permanent, but at least stay a while longer, yeah? Give yourself some breathing room.”

“How long?”

“What about Thanksgiving?”

“Aspen, that’s weeks away.”

“So?”

“I can’t hide out here for that long.”

“Why not?” Aspen inquired, seeing no issue with it other than the one person from whom he was trying to keep Noah away. “Speaking of Thanksgiving, you got any plans yet?”

“I’m supposed to be going to Ruby’s parents’ place with her,” Noah replied, vaguely shaking his head. “But with everything that’s going on…. Honestly, I’m kinda fucking dreading it.”

“Don’t go then,” Aspen shrugged.

“Ruby’s already booked flights and everything.”

“Do you really want to spend five hours stuck next to her in an airplane and then have to pretend nothing is wrong in front of her folks again with nowhere to escape?” Aspen asked, trying to keep his tone from creeping higher as worry flooded him again. “Noah, she stressed you out so bad in a matter of hours that it just put you in the hospital. What do you think will happen if Ruby forces you to do that shit for the better part of a week? Or worse, she fucking hurts you again? What then?”

Noah understood that Aspen was trying to look out for him and do what was in his best interests.

It hurt to see his brother trying so hard to convince him to walk away, but Noah still couldn’t find the nerve to break it off and do so, more scared for what Ruby might do in response than for his mental health and wellbeing.

“I know…” he murmured, gaze dropping. “I know it sounds fucking stupid, and I know I’m just digging my own grave, but I still love her, and I don’t want to hurt her.”

“Noah, she hurt you. You’re not obligated to give a fuck about her feelings anymore.”

“Yeah, but that doesn’t mean I don’t.”

“I know, and I get it, alright? Even after everything Ruby has done to you, it doesn’t magically turn those feelings off, I know. Breakups suck, and they hurt—especially the messy ones, but sometimes they’re the best thing we can do for ourselves when staying in a relationship hurts more.”

Aspen didn’t know how many more times and how many different ways he could say the same thing to Noah, but he’d keep trying no matter what.

“Please, just…. Stay on campus with me for Thanksgiving, okay? Look, I wasn’t supposed to tell you this because it was meant to be a surprise for your birthday, but Mom and Dad decided they’re coming out here for it because they didn’t want to put you through any more stress flying.”

“Wait, when did you talk to Mom and Dad?”

“I called them the night you were in the hospital.”

��What? Why?”

“I had to, Noah. They would have found out anyway when they got the bill, and you know how Mom would be if we kept it from her.”

Aspen was right, and Noah knew it.

After everything that had happened after his abduction, Noah could barely sneeze without his Mom making a fuss, so to find out he’d ended up in the ER and not be told about it would just have her fretting about him being all the way across the other side of the country again.

“Alright, I’ll stay,” he acquiesced, quietly relieved to have an alternative option, but that meant he had to deal with informing Ruby he was backing out of their plans instead. “But I’m going to have to tell Ruby I’m not going with her, and I know she’s going to be pissed about it.”

“She can hold out a few more days for that,” Aspen told him, nodding slowly. “And if you need backup when you tell her, I’ll be there, alright? She can’t do shit to you if I’m around.”

Noah nodded, appreciating the offer of support, even if it felt like Aspen was determined not to let his little brother out of his sight again for the foreseeable future, which was understandable given their history.

“Oh, um, actually, there was something else I wanted to ask you,” Aspen added suddenly. “That night, when you were in the ambulance, Ruby told the EMT she’s your fiancée. That true?”

“Uh, no?” Noah frowned, looking confused.

“You sure?”

“Yeah, I’m sure,” Noah confirmed, puzzled why Ruby would say that, but something occurred to him a split second later. “I mean, when she was planning everything for the future, she was saying how we could get married after graduation, but I’ve never proposed to her.”

“Yeah, I figured that might have been the case,” Aspen replied, glad Noah hadn’t actively been planning that kind of commitment. “I’m guessing she was just trying to leverage it to throw her weight around.”

He paused for a moment, letting the quiet settle before asking his brother another question.

“So, what do you want to come out of all of this?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, hypothetically, if the situation was optimal for ending things with Ruby with zero blowback and taking into account what you told me about what happened with Kai, what would you want to happen?”

“Honest answer? I don’t know,” Noah admitted with a sigh. “Still trying to figure it out, but it’s kinda hard with everything going on, y’know?”

“Yeah, I know.”

The sound of footsteps coming up the stairs interrupted the conversation, Kai knocking lightly on the wall at the top as he appeared, poking his head out into the attic space cautiously.

“Speak of the devil….” Aspen muttered to Noah with a smirk. “Shall I stick around a little longer, or do you want me to give the two of you some space to catch up?”

Noah shot Aspen a look before agreeing that he’d like to speak to Kai alone, as he at least owed him an apology. Aspen nodded, got up from the bed, then quietly retreated and went back downstairs.

Kai hovered near the top of the stairs as Aspen passed him and descended, leaving him and Noah alone.

“Hey,” Noah greeted quietly from across the room, apprehensive after how things had been left between them.

“Hey,” Kai echoed, looking just as nervous as he remained glued to the spot and fidgeted slightly before thinking to explain what he was doing there. “Aspen called me and told me what happened. Asked if I could pick up whatever you missed in class, so you didn’t fall behind.”

“Oh. Thanks,” Noah acknowledged awkwardly with a nod before anxious silence fell between them again for several seconds too long for Noah to bear it.

“You don’t have to stand all the way over there, you know?” he murmured, inviting Kai to come over to him as Noah moved some stuff off the bed to make more room for Kai to sit.

Kai’s expression flickered with relief as he crossed the room, though the nervous energy he gave off was still palpable as he perched carefully on the edge of the bed despite Noah having cleared space for him.

Another beat of silence.

They both spoke suddenly, trying to apologize but cutting each other off, faltering as they both let out small laughs and tried again.

“Sorry, you first,” Noah offered.

“No, no, you….”

“Okay. I’m sorry I freaked out on you the other night.”

“It’s fine. I’m sorry I made you freak out. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable….”

“You didn’t.”

“Oh…”

Kai looked confused, not understanding why Noah had bolted if he hadn't been uncomfortable.

“Actually, I panicked because….” Noah tried to explain, but he faltered slightly, trying to work up the courage to say what was on his mind. “I panicked because I like you.”

“You do?” Kai asked, eyes widening in surprise and something that looked like cautious hope.

Noah nodded.

“I like you too….” Kai confessed quietly. “Sorry I didn’t do or say anything in the bar. I feel like shit for that. I-I should have stayed… I should have done something…. I-.”

“Kai, no,” Noah soothed, reaching out to touch his hand as he saw him get wound up. “There wasn’t anything you could have done, okay? It wasn’t your fault, and I wouldn’t want to put you in that position anyway. Things are bad enough with Ruby as it is. I couldn’t forgive myself if I painted a target on your back too.”

“When Aspen told me you were in the hospital….” Kai whispered, getting tearful. “It scared me.”

The sight of tears in Kai’s eyes had Noah shifting across the bed to him instantly, moving to wrap around him in a comforting hug.

“I’m so sorry,” he murmured, hating that Kai must have been so worried about him. “I’m sorry I scared you. I didn’t mean to.”

“I know you didn’t,” Kai sniffled, returning the hug. “Are you okay, though?”

“I’m okay, I promise.”

“I should have been there….”

“You’re here now. That’s all that matters to me.”

“Is there anything I can do to help? Right now, I mean?”

Noah thought for a moment and nodded before letting Kai out of the hug, but only so he could shift back on the bed again, leaning against the pile of pillows that he’d propped against the headboard, then gestured for Kai to join him.

Kai was a little timid, but he moved up the bed, sitting beside him but retaining a polite space between them.

“No, come here,” Noah quietly giggled as he shook his head and lay down, patting the mattress immediately in front of him, wanting Kai closer than that.

Kai tentatively lay down and scooted closer, his movements slow and hesitant despite Noah pulling him into his arms until Kai was pressed against his side, his head resting on Noah’s shoulder. Once Kai was settled, Noah wrapped his arms around him again, nuzzling into Kai’s hair, needing the closeness and reassurance of his presence as much as Kai needed his.

Noah let the quiet stretch out as the two of them lay there, Kai tracing light circles on Noah’s opposite shoulder while Noah idly ran his fingers through Kai’s hair.

It didn’t need to be said, but they were both aware that whatever this was between them, they were walking a fine line right now, given that Noah was still in a relationship with someone else, and Kai knew that.

“What do we do about this?” Kai asked quietly after a few minutes of feeling the weight of it hanging over them again.

“I don’t know,” Noah answered honestly, sighing. “I like you, Kai. A lot.”

“But Ruby…?”

Noah closed his eyes and nodded, feeling his heart ache as he silently acknowledged that he didn’t want to keep fighting against his feelings for Kai. Still, Noah wasn’t the unfaithful type, no matter how miserable he was with his present situation, and he knew that he’d have to do something sooner or later, no matter how afraid he was of the outcome.

© 2025 BitemarksAfterDark

[bitemarksafterdark]

Heart of Glass - Chapter 16

“Promise you won’t embarrass me tonight, please? I don’t want a repeat of last time….”

“I said I wouldn’t, didn’t I?”

“Promise me.”

“I promise I won’t fuck anything up for you, okay?”

Noah had made that promise several hours ago.

Now, after having been ordered to be on his best behavior, he was trying his hardest to comply with it, but it was proving to be a challenge when Noah could barely stand to be around Ruby anymore.

Still, Scott Miller and his second wife, Stephanie, Ruby’s stepmother, were reasonably pleasant people. Scott worked in the financial sector, and Stephanie was an aesthetician by trade, but mostly she was a stay-at-home mom these days, occasionally doing beauty treatments on her friends out of her living room, as well as touting essential oils on the side, but that was more of a hobby than a business.

Noah got along with Scott and Stephanie easily enough.

Scott was a relatively mild-mannered sort of man, dependable and family-oriented, and he was the sort of father that tried to be more of a friend to his two children than a parental figure. Hence, rules in his household were fairly relaxed, and he bent over backward to give his kids anything and everything they could ever want.

Amber, Ruby’s biological mother, was another matter entirely.

She and Scott had divorced when Ruby was four years old and shared joint custody, so Ruby had spent most of her childhood being shunted back and forth between two homes and two different parenting styles.

In contrast to her ex-husband, Amber possessed a much more dramatic and strong-willed personality and was often vocal about her disdain for Scott after he’d ended their marriage, citing irreconcilable differences. She claimed that he called her a gold digger and a narcissist, he never put effort toward maintaining their marriage, and was inattentive, even though Scott gave Amber the family home, along with generous alimony with minimal resistance in their separation proceedings.

Within a year of the marriage’s dissolution, Scott had already moved on with Stephanie, and they were expecting a child together, Ruby’s younger brother Brandon.

Meanwhile, Amber went through a string of boyfriends with the frequency of a revolving door, and although she doted on Ruby as much as Scott did, she spent most of the time lamenting how Scott had abandoned her for “that floozy with the bad dye job and fake tan.”

Then in the summer at the end of Ruby’s Sophomore year of high school, Amber decided she wanted to go traveling to “find herself.” Ruby went to live with her father full-time and then moved to New York with Scott and Stephanie shortly after, as Scott had gotten a new job.

The following Fall, after starting at her new school, Ruby met Noah, and life seemed to settle down for the better, at least from her point of view.

Here and now, though, Ruby’s parents were entirely unaware of anything wrong between the two as Ruby was determined to paint a picture-perfect image, if only for appearance’s sake, just as she had learned as a child.

Noah had thought he might have been able to put up the act and play along.

It wasn’t until Ruby revealed where they were going out for dinner that his carefully constructed façade began to crumble.

Ruby chose the same bar where Noah first met her group of friends that night at the start of the semester, which had kicked off his sense of discomfort around them, but in particular, Lowell. With that being where Ruby would force him to play the perfect boyfriend for the rest of the night, Noah immediately slipped into hypervigilance.

His anxiety only escalated as the conversation casually turned to how things were going with school, when Scott innocently inquired how Noah was finding the course load for Business and Economics.

Ruby pounced on the question with a glint in her eye that Noah caught right before she put him on the spot.

“Actually, Noah isn’t doing Business anymore,” she declared casually with a pleasant smile, though her eyes were cold as she looked in his direction. “Isn’t that right, Babe?”

Noah froze, drawing a sharp breath as Ruby’s gaze pierced right into him, the near-smirk on her lips challenging him to try to worm his way out of the trap.

“Uh, yeah,” he answered, bobbing his head in an uncomfortable nod. “Yeah, I, uh… I… Business wasn’t really working out for me, so I thought it would be better to change my classes than to waste time and money by dropping out.”

“Oh, well, that’s very responsible of you, Noah,” Scott replied, surprised that Ruby hadn’t mentioned it before.

Still, he appreciated that Noah had chosen to make a decision based on adjusting his course rather than abandoning it entirely.

“What are you studying now, then?”

“Music. Composition and production,” Noah answered, relaxing slightly. “And film studies.”

“Oh, that sounds lovely, dear,” Stephanie chimed in with a smile that seemed to irritate Ruby when she saw it. “I had an uncle that was in the music industry. Well, he was technically a roadie, but he toured with a lot of big bands at the time. Even the Rolling Stones and Aerosmith at one point.”

“Really?” Noah asked, looking impressed. “Is he still touring?”

“Oh, no, sweety. Uncle Tony passed away a couple of years back. Lung cancer. Smoked like a chimney damn near his whole life.”

“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that.”

Ruby wasn’t pleased that her attempt to shame Noah had fallen flat, and she elbowed him in the ribs, making Noah yelp loud enough for Scott and Stephanie to notice, though he covered for her by claiming that he’d accidentally hit his knee off the table leg.

It was enough, though, for Noah to start to feel like he was getting short of breath, as he knew that Ruby could and potentially would find other things to bring up to keep forcing him to explain his way out of it, and Noah wasn’t in the right headspace to be on that sort of defensive.

Worse still, Ruby insouciantly mentioned that some of her friends might be swinging by later in the evening, though she neglected to give a specific time.

Noah spent the next twenty minutes trying to bring his breathing under control without drawing attention to himself, smiling and nodding and only answering questions directed toward him, which Ruby attempted to divert to him at any given opportunity.

The muted sound of skateboard wheels riding over the pavement, followed by the unmistakable slap of the board being kicked up, came from outside the window behind them, catching Noah’s attention suddenly.

He didn’t turn around to see, but he didn’t need to as the rider came in through the front door and approached the bar.

Not here. Not now.

Noah’s blood ran cold with panic at seeing Kai there so unexpectedly.

Kai hadn’t seen him yet, talking to one of the bar staff as he had come to collect a takeout order he’d placed, but as he waited, Kai glanced around the establishment. He finally caught sight of Noah, offering a faint smile across the crowded bar, though it took him a second or two longer to register that he was there with Ruby and two older people he didn’t recognize.

Noah didn’t look comfortable.

Kai’s smile faltered, understanding that Noah was in a situation where he couldn’t acknowledge his presence, much less interact or talk to him right now.

Still, Noah at least looked in his direction, gaze locked in a silent plea for Kai to act like he wasn’t there.

Don’t come over. Don’t say hi. Don’t engage.

Noah’s heart was pounding hard and fast enough that he could feel the throb of it in his temples. He struggled to keep himself from panicking in those few minutes while he and Kai stared at each other across the bar in silent communication until one of the kitchen runners brought out Kai’s order.

Kai took the hint, keeping his head down as he left, though he stole a final glance at Noah as he reached the door, the pair exchanging pained ghosts of smiles again before Kai stepped outside and skated away again.

“Noah, are you listening?” Ruby demanded, dragging his attention back to her.

“Sorry?” he replied on reflex, Noah’s skin prickling all over as the room seemed uncomfortably hot at that moment.

“Noah, honey, are you alright? You don’t look so good,” Stephanie commented with a concerned expression as the color drained from Noah’s face.

“I’m fine….” He answered unconvincingly, Noah’s mouth feeling dry as his head swam. “I, uh… I think… I need some fresh air, is all….”

Scott also looked concerned as he nodded and got up to let Noah pass, exchanging puzzled and worried looks with his wife as Ruby watched on, more annoyed than concerned that her boyfriend suddenly seemed to be feeling unwell.

Noah took three steps before the whole bar room tipped sideways in his field of vision, his legs going out from underneath him.

When he came to, Noah found himself lying on his back, staring up at the ceiling and feeling deeply disoriented and breathless, his heart still hammering wildly in his chest.

Ruby was leaning over him with panic etched on her face, along with her parents and some of the senior bar staff. One of them had called for an ambulance when Noah collapsed, and a few minutes later, the paramedics arrived on the scene.

While being assessed, Noah pulled his phone out of his pocket. He asked if they could call his brother, as Aspen was his registered emergency contact and could give them his medical history better than Ruby.

As the paramedics were too busy assessing Noah to make the call, one of them passed Noah’s phone to the bar manager, who offered to do so on Noah’s behalf. Aspen picked up, thinking it was his brother calling, only for the manager to inform him that Noah had collapsed at the bar and an ambulance was on site.

Racing over to the bar with Aria, Aspen looked like he was about to have a panic attack of his own as he saw the paramedics loading Noah into the back of the ambulance, Ruby hovering nearby with her family, along with several staff and patrons who had come outside.

“Noah!” he yelled out, running to the ambulance as one of the paramedics blocked him momentarily until he explained that he was Noah’s brother and therefore riding with him to the hospital. The paramedic confirmed with Noah, then relented, allowing Aspen to climb into the back of the ambulance with him.

Of course, Ruby tried to argue that she should be the one to do so, only for the paramedic to tell her that family took precedence.

“But I’m Noah’s fiancée,” she whined back demandingly. “I am family!”

Hearing that, Aspen left Noah’s side momentarily to return to the open back door, fixing her with a look that said he was not in any mood for her to cross him right now. Still, he offered a compromise in as calm a voice as he could manage for Aria to drive her and her parents to the hospital, tossing Aria his keys.

Noah was assessed further at the hospital for suspected orthostatic tachycardia, given that he’d passed out suddenly after standing up.

While a nurse was with Noah taking his vitals, Aspen gave the attending doctor his brother’s details and medical history, informing her that Noah had been diagnosed with severe anxiety and PTSD, and had a history of panic attacks. He also listed off the medications prescribed to Noah to treat those conditions, though he made a point to mention that Noah had told him his meds did not appear to be having much effect recently.

“Hey, Doc, can I ask you something?” Aspen inquired once Noah’s admission forms had been completed. “Is there any way you can keep my brother’s girlfriend away from him? Like, tell her it’s family only right now or something?”

“If there is a reason to, that can be arranged. Why?”

“Because she’s the reason he’s been having panic attacks again.”

“I see,” the doctor noted, preparing to add further information to the bottom of Noah’s admission sheet. “Can you give me further information as to how or why that is the case?”

Aspen went quiet a moment, reluctant to share what his brother was going through without Noah’s consent. Still, Aspen was aware that medical staff had a duty of care that extended to protecting patients from anything or anyone that might worsen their condition or threaten their safety.

“She….” He faltered, huffing as he brought a sudden flare of anger back under control. “Their relationship isn’t what one might consider healthy, and a few weeks ago, she threw a perfume bottle at him. Cut up and bruised his face real bad. I’ve been trying to talk Noah around into getting out of there, but you know how hard these things can be, right, Doc? I just want my brother safe.”

“Okay, I’ll speak to the front desk and security, but if Noah requests to see her, there’s not a lot I can do to stop that because he’s over eighteen, and it’s his decision to make at the end of the day.”

“I understand. Thanks, Doc,” Aspen acknowledged with a nod. “Do you know how long he’s gonna be in for?”

“Well, his heart rate seems to have come back down within normal range for someone with his condition, at least for now, so technically, he could be discharged tonight, but I’d like to keep him in for observation so that we can rule out anything else that might be going on, at least until overnight.”

“Okay, Doc. Can I stay with him if he stays here? I don’t want to leave him alone if I don’t have to.”

“That shouldn't be a problem. Leave it with me, and I’ll see how long it will take to get Noah moved to a room, alright? But only one person can stay with him overnight, so if that’s you, everyone else will need to go home and come back during visiting hours tomorrow.”

“Yes, absolutely,” Aspen agreed, relief flooding him that he could stay by Noah’s side and keep Ruby from getting to him again, at least until he was discharged.

“Thank you.”

© 2025 BitemarksAfterDark

[bitemarksafterdark]

Heart of Glass - Chapter 15

For a Friday night, things were surprisingly quiet over at Aspen’s place, with no party this weekend. Just friends having a casual hangout and movie night as Halloween was just over a week away, and the housemates made a tradition of spending most of October binging horror movies.

Noah wasn’t feeling nearly as relaxed as he ought to be, though.

Not when he had been fretting over the fact that Ruby’s parents would be arriving in town in the morning ahead of her birthday, and Ruby expected him to show up and act as though nothing were out of the ordinary.

Noah had no idea how he was meant to pull that off when he was in a constant state of hypervigilance around her, and he could barely stand to be in the same room for too long without feeling like she would find something wrong with what he was doing, even when doing nothing at all.

As he sat among his friends on one of the plush couches in the living room, watching The Thing, Noah’s attention started to drift further and further from the movie, getting caught up in worrying about the following day and the myriad things that could happen.

Not wanting the others to see that his anxiety was getting on top of him and spiking hard, he got up as though he was going to use the bathroom.

Aspen noticed, though, that Noah walked past the alcove where the downstairs one was and headed upstairs instead, even though there was no need to, so he gave it a couple of minutes before he followed to check on him.

Noah was nowhere to be seen on the first floor as Aspen checked all the rooms before turning toward the stairs to the attic.

As his line of sight crested the top of the stairs, Aspen could see his brother sitting on the floor with his back against the wall; knees pulled up to his chest and erratically tapping his feet as Noah wrung his hands.

Aspen recognized that body language immediately, his heart sinking at seeing Noah mid-panic attack.

Approaching slowly so that he didn’t startle his brother, Aspen quietly assessed Noah’s physical state and the surrounding area for clues as to what had triggered him, then crouched in front of Noah and put a gentle hand on his arm.

Noah was hyperventilating, with a pained and frantic expression on his face as he looked at his brother, silently pleading for help. Without a word, Aspen shifted to sit beside him and gently coaxed Noah out of the fetal position, and got him to lie down, resting his head in Aspen’s lap.

Once he was comfortably lying down, Aspen started combing his fingers through Noah’s hair, a soothing tactic he’d picked up from their mom when they were kids. Aspen had adopted the gesture after Noah’s abduction, taking it upon himself to assume the role of caregiver and using it to calm his sibling whenever Noah was upset.

After a few minutes, the rhythm of Noah’s breathing slowed, and Aspen felt him begin to relax, signaling the end of the attack, though Aspen kept up the comfort, giving him a little more time to fully come down from it before asking if Noah had taken his anxiety medication, as that was supposed to help prevent him from having the attacks.

“They’re not working anymore….” Noah answered with a shuddered sigh, his body sagging from exhaustion.

Aspen was sad to hear that, but he wasn’t surprised. Not with how much stress his brother had been under of late.

Still running his fingers through Noah’s hair, Aspen inquired whether he knew what had set him off or if it had happened spontaneously.

“Ruby’s folks will be here tomorrow for her birthday….” Noah mumbled, trying to focus entirely on the comfort offered by the fingertips gently kneading at his scalp.

“Ah.”

“Yeah…”

“And is this the first panic attack you’ve had recently?” Aspen asked though he could guess the likely answer.

Noah shook his head.

“How many times has it happened?”

“I don’t know….” Noah answered, sighing. “A lot?”

“Okay.”

It hurt Aspen that his brother was struggling again, and even more than he’d been letting on. He knew what Ruby had been doing to Noah, and yet he felt like he should have done... should be doing more to protect him.

“I’ve fucked everything up, haven’t I?” Noah sniffled, turning over a little to look at his brother. “I thought I had everything figured out before I came here, but now it’s like my whole life has gone off the rails, and I don’t know what to do anymore.”

“Well, first of all, no, you have not fucked everything up,” Aspen stated in a firm but gentle tone. “Second, that plan you had before wasn’t yours, remember?”

Noah heaved a heavy sigh, feeling defeated and far too exhausted even to attempt to argue, all the fight gone from his body.

“Listen, I’m going to tell you something I wish someone had told me at your age, alright?” Aspen murmured, sighing as he played idly with Noah’s hair. “Noah, it’s okay for you not to have everything figured out. That’s normal. Hell, half the time, I don’t even know what I’m doing, and that’s okay.”

“It is?”

“Yeah, it is. Look, I know it seems like some people have all their shit mapped out even before they finish middle school, but they’re outliers. And guess what? Most of those kids hit their late twenties or thirties burned out. Or they marry the first person they met in high school and pop out a bunch of kids. Then they wake up one day wondering what happened because they ended up in a job they hate and feeling like it’s too late to start over because they bought into the idea that that was what they were supposed to do.”

Not that Aspen was condemning anyone who followed that path. If anything, he thought that if someone was content with their lot in life after they did that, then more power to them. However, he knew there were also a whole lot of unhappy people in the world who would have found more fulfillment in their lives if they had followed their hearts instead of the expectations put upon them.

“And do you know what else is perfectly okay to do?”

“No. What?” Noah asked, gazing up at Aspen intently, finding some tiny shred of comfort to cling to in his words.

“Walking away from a relationship if it’s unhealthy for you, or even if it just doesn’t make you happy anymore. Sometimes, two people just aren’t compatible like that, no matter how much one of them puts into trying to make it work,” Aspen replied, the look in his eyes deeply sincere and filled with the hope that Noah would see sense and listen. “Noah, you don’t have to keep throwing yourself into a relationship that isn’t working for you. Especially if you’re only doing it because that’s what you think you should do. You’re still so young and have so much to learn about yourself and about life. Don’t buy into someone else’s idea of what the future looks like if it’s incompatible with yours, okay? That’s slow suicide.”

“Okay….”

Noah could see that his brother was practically pleading with him to leave the situation with Ruby, though Noah couldn’t see how it was as simple as that. Not when he feared what Ruby would do if he tried to walk away, since Noah couldn’t say for certain what lengths she would go to to keep him from leaving her.

“Why is it so hard, though? Why can’t I have something like what you and Aria have? You two make it look so easy, but I just…. How?”

“With the right person, it will be, alright? But you should know not all of my relationships have been so easy,” Aspen soothed, a slight sadness behind his eyes.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, I’ve had my own share of unhealthy and toxic relationships, and I had to learn the hard way how to recognize when something is a red flag. The same way you are doing right now with Ruby.”

Noah frowned, surprised as this was the first he was hearing that Aspen had experienced something similar.

“And I still didn’t understand a lot of things were wrong with those relationships I had until I met Aria because until he came along, that shit was all I knew, and I didn’t know that a different kind of love that didn’t hurt existed.”

Aspen paused, a bittersweet smile ghosting over his lips before he caught the confused look on his brother’s face and thought it best to elaborate further.

“Before Aria, the longest I’d ever dated anyone was less than a year because I couldn’t stand the thought of letting anyone get too close to really know me,” he admitted quietly. “But he’s taught me things I barely even knew about myself. Things that have helped me be better than before I met him because he loves my flaws just as much as he loves everything else about me.”

“What flaws?”

Aspen smiled that bittersweet smile again and bowed his head, huffing out a small laugh.

“You’re not the only one who struggles with the shit inside your head, little bro,” he answered, knowing he was revealing to Noah something he’d never admitted to him before. “After you got hurt, I... I couldn’t stop beating myself up about it, asking myself why I hadn’t been looking out for you, why I hadn’t been a better brother. I should have been there, protected you better….”

“Aspen, you were there. Remember you took care of me when Mom and Dad couldn’t take any more time off work?” Noah argued, sitting up suddenly. “You’ve been there for me more than most people ever were.”

“Was I, though?”

Aspen paused, sighing heavily, not wishing to make an argument of it.

“I was there to take care of you after it happened, but before? I treated you like you were my annoying kid brother when I should have had your back,” he continued, jaw set tight with the sense of guilt and regret that he still fought over it. “Those weeks you were in the hospital, I didn’t leave your side once. I was so scared that I was going to lose you, and it would have been my fault because if I’d been there, maybe I could have stopped it from happening in the first place.”

“No. No, it’s not your fault, okay? I won’t let you blame yourself for what that bastard did to me. Never,” Noah soothed, absolutely heartbroken that Aspen had been carrying the weight of his guilt in secret all this time and had never once let his little brother see it. “Why didn’t you tell me you felt like this?”

“Because you already had so much to deal with, I promised myself that I would never let anyone hurt you again because I’m your big brother. I’m supposed to take care of you, not the other way around.”

“Aspen, we take care of each other.”

“Yeah, but I haven’t been doing a very good job of it again lately, have I?” Aspen countered, swiping at his nose with the back of his hand as he sniffled. “Or else you wouldn’t be having panic attacks again over the thought of being stuck in the company of your abusive girlfriend for however many hours her parents are here for tomorrow, would you?”

Noah couldn’t argue with that, but he refused to lay blame at Aspen’s feet for it when Noah had to shoulder much more of the responsibility as he still couldn’t work up the nerve to break things off with Ruby, as miserable as it was making him.

“I told Kai what happened…” he confessed meekly, diverting the conversation away from any talk of Ruby. “I showed him my scars.”

Aspen looked surprised, tilting his head as a flicker of concern crossed his gaze.

“You told him? About…?”

“Yeah,” Noah affirmed with a slow nod. “I told him all of it.”

“Okay…. And what happened?” Aspen inquired cautiously, feeling protective of his brother all over again.

“Honestly, I thought maybe it would freak him out, or he’d look at me differently or something….”

“And…?”

“And… it didn’t bother him. I mean, it did, but he was more upset that someone had done that to me than by the sight of them,” Noah explained, fidgeting slightly. “He, uh… he even touched them….”

“He touched them? Like…. How do you mean?”

“Like, soft, you know? Just… We were sitting there, and I told him what happened, and… we sort of had a moment, I guess?”

“A moment? Like a moment, moment?”

Noah nodded, that confused and guilty feeling flooding him again.

“And then I fucked it all up.”

“How?”

“By panicking,” Noah explained, sighing. “I was upset, and he touched my face to wipe away my tears, and his hand just felt so good, and I… I wanted to kiss him, but then I remembered I couldn’t, so I pretty much ran out of his dorm room.”

“And have you seen him since?” Aspen asked, trying to suppress the urge to smile at the absolutely terrible way his brother had handled finally acknowledging he had feelings for Kai.

“Just in class a couple of times, but I didn’t want to say anything about it because I feel stupid, and I don’t want him to hate me.”

“I don’t think he hates you, Noah. Quite the opposite by the sound of it. Especially if he wasn’t freaked out about your scars.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, it sounds like Kai is the kind of guy who sees the whole person, not just the most desirable parts.”

Noah canted his head in confusion, frowning.

“You remember before how I told you that Aria loves my flaws as much as everything else? Well, the right person will always love you as a complete person, whether you’re broken or not.”

“Do you love Aria that way?”

“Yeah, I do,” Aspen confirmed, nodding. “And I think that’s part of why what we have works the way it does.”

“Do you think you and he will be together for a long time? Like, getting married and all that stuff?”

“Honestly, I don’t know, but as I said, this is the longest relationship I’ve had so far, and to be honest, how I feel about him, I think it feels possible for the first time in my life. Which is funny because if you ask any of my previous boyfriends, the first thing they’ll tell you is that I’ve always been kind of a commitmentphobe.”

Noah felt calmer now for having talked things out with his brother, but especially now knowing more about things Aspen had never really spoken of to him before now.

“What’s different this time?” he asked curiously, wondering if there was anything specific that Aspen could identify as a change in the pattern of his relationship history.

“Aside from the sex being fucking spectacular?” Aspen joked, breaking into a laugh before his expression grew more serious but kept to a soft, seemingly contented smile. “He balances out my crazy, and he gets me in ways nobody else ever has before, but also because something about him makes me want to put effort into our relationship and keep that spark, you know? Like stoking a fire, I guess? In past relationships, I’d get bored within weeks or months, but with him? I don’t know what it is exactly, but it feels like I’m in love with his soul as much as his mind and body, if that makes sense?”

“Like soulmates?” Noah asked, unable to help the soft little smirk that painted across his face as he listened to his brother wax poetic about his boyfriend, a little envious of just how completely in love Aspen appeared to be with Aria.

“I don’t know if I’d use that word specifically,” Aspen mused, not wanting to sound too mushy, but he realized he had probably passed that mile marker a while back already. “The best way I can describe it is…. You’ve seen the Addams Family, right?”

“Yes, I’ve seen the Addams Family,” Noah laughed, nodding.

“Then I guess it’s like the way Gomez loves Morticia. Like, being so utterly obsessed with everything about them and loving them with total reckless abandon, not giving a fuck what anyone else thinks. It’s just you and them, loving each other like nobody’s watching.”

Noah was happy that Aspen had found someone he felt like that about and who returned that same feeling, though he couldn’t help feeling a twinge of sadness over his own circumstances, especially when they were so far to the opposite end of the spectrum.

“I wish I had something like what you and Aria have….” He murmured quietly, not realizing he’d said it aloud until Aspen responded.

“Hey, don’t give up hope, alright? You’ll find it,” he soothed reassuringly, catching Noah’s gaze and giving him a soft, encouraging smile. “Or it will find you, and most probably when you least expect it but need it the most.”

He wouldn’t press the matter and bring Kai’s name into it. Still, Aspen figured that Noah’s feelings for Kai would already have him looking in that direction as a starting point whenever he finally decided enough was enough with Ruby.

© 2025 BitemarksAfterDark

[bitemarksafterdark]

Heart of Glass - Chapter 14

Noah’s heart hurt.

He felt so lost and confused, torn between his guilt over having feelings for Kai and knowing that he still loved Ruby despite how she treated him.

The situation seemed hopeless, and Noah couldn’t see a clear way out that didn’t involve at least one person he cared about getting hurt.

On the one hand, Noah was afraid to tell Ruby he couldn’t take it anymore. Afraid to finally admit defeat, throw in the towel and break up with her because he knew that she’d take it badly, and Noah couldn’t bring himself to be the one to break anyone’s heart but his own.

On the other, what if he did pursue things with Kai, and they went wrong because Kai saw how broken and fucked up Noah really was? Taking that risk and screwing it up, ending up alone without Kai or Ruby, terrified Noah, his overwhelming fear of abandonment was too strong to consider it a viable option. Not only that, but if he broke up with Ruby and started seeing Kai right after, Ruby would blame Kai for taking Noah away from her, and Noah couldn’t bear the thought of that.

No, this was Noah’s fault alone.

After the moment he and Kai had shared earlier, Noah returned to an empty apartment, honestly relieved that Ruby wasn’t there when he got home as he was in no mental or emotional state to handle any confrontation that would almost certainly arise if Ruby noticed he was acting strangely.

He considered making dinner, but Noah had no appetite, and he didn’t bother to message Ruby to ask what time she was coming home, instead just sitting in silence with his thoughts.

Even then, all he could do was keep replaying what had happened with Kai earlier, over and over in his mind, Noah trying to convince himself that he hadn’t wanted to kiss Kai, that he hadn’t struggled to fight the urge to give in and follow what he’d wanted at that moment.

Noah told himself that it had just been because he was upset from talking about his scars and how he got them, but he couldn’t ignore the fact that he’d told Kai any of that stuff at all when the only other people that knew were Aspen, their parents, and to an extent, Ruby. He couldn’t deny that, deep down, he’d told Kai because Noah felt seen for once, felt safe, and felt like he could trust Kai with that secret.

Part of him had subconsciously wanted to test what would happen if he showed Kai the truth.

He wanted to see if tearing himself open and showing Kai who he was underneath scared him or pushed him away, thinking it would be the easiest way to stop himself from doing something stupid, but Kai hadn’t run away, which only confused Noah more.

As he sat with the lights off in the apartment with only the tv on for illumination and background noise, Noah could still feel the ghost of Kai’s hand on his cheek, touching him with more warmth than he had felt in months, and the memory of him tracing his scars with gentle reverence made Noah ache.

Gods, how he wished he hadn’t made excuses and gone home; the sad look on Kai’s face as Noah had apologized and pulled away still burned into his consciousness.

Noah hadn’t meant to leave him hanging like that, but he’d panicked.

Taking his phone out of his pocket, Noah started to text Kai to apologize for running out the way he did, hoping that Kai hadn’t taken it as a rejection, but halfway through writing it, Noah deleted the message.

He sat for another few seconds on the verge of tears as he stared at Kai’s number, Noah’s thumb hovering over the call button.

Noah wanted to press it, even if the call was just to give him the fleeting comfort of hearing Kai’s voice for a few seconds while he apologized to him properly, wanting him to know that he regretted panicking on him like that.

However, his attempts to psych himself up enough to hit call were interrupted as Ruby came home right at that moment.

Noah shoved his phone back into his pocket, wiping his face with his hand and grabbing the tv remote instead, switching to the first movie he found to pretend that he’d been watching it in case Ruby questioned why he was sitting in the dark with all the lights off.

Ruby barely even noticed, though, since she hadn’t come home alone.

Following immediately behind her came Lowell, Angie, and Tori as Ruby turned the lights on, Noah blinking momentarily against the glare until his vision adjusted, then got up from the couch and offered a basic greeting to the bunch.

Lowell set a grocery bag down on the counter as the girls greeted Noah in return before continuing the conversation they had been having as they walked into the apartment.

“Are you going out tonight?” Noah asked Ruby, assuming that was the case for why Ruby’s friends were there, as it made sense to him that they would pop in before heading off again.

“No, we’re hanging out here tonight,” Ruby replied, turning to grab a bottle of wine from the grocery bag and retrieve some glasses and a corkscrew. “That’s not a problem, is it?”

“No. No problem at all.”

Noah slightly stiffened as he answered, hands slipping into his pockets to disguise how he fidgetted uncomfortably with having company suddenly sprung on him. Especially as he still hadn’t had much interaction with the rest of Ruby’s friends since that night at the bar, though he’d crossed paths with Lowell a few times since, and something about the other’s presence just added to Noah’s discomfort, though he couldn’t quite seem to place why.

He had attempted to broach the subject with Ruby once or twice. Ruby had brushed off his concerns, telling him that he was probably intimidated by Lowell’s father being in politics and Lowell having the kind of confidence Noah could only dream of, so he should just work on his own insecurities instead of projecting them onto other people.

“Are you joining us?” Ruby inquired, prepared to pour an additional glass of wine for Noah as though she hadn’t previously gone off at him for drinking on several occasions after he’d been over to Aspen’s.

“Uh… no. I’ve got an assignment to finish for Monday, so I should probably work on that. I’m pretty tired too, so I’m probably going to have an early night,” Noah explained as he gestured over his shoulder toward the bedroom, bringing up the essay he was supposed to have been working on at Kai’s earlier.

“Well, don’t let us get in your way,” Ruby shrugged casually, sipping her wine.

“No, it’s fine. I’m going to work on it in the bedroom,” Noah conceded, excusing himself from the living area before grabbing his backpack and disappearing into the other room.

Noah shut the door and put his back against it, taking a few deep breaths as he felt his chest tighten and the static-prickling sensation creep up his neck and spread over his scalp from the looming threat of a panic attack.

“Get it together, Noah…” he muttered to himself as he dropped his backpack, ran his hands over his face, and pushed his fingers through his hair, trying to will the feeling away.

While the immediate panicked feeling eventually subsided, the lingering anxiousness and exhaustion remained as the bedroom walls and door were thin enough that he could hear the noise from the living room as though he was still in there. Noah moved his backpack onto the bed, unzipped it, and pulled out his laptop and a couple of notebooks and pens, wholly intending to try to get his essay written despite the disturbance of Ruby and the others next door.

After spending a few minutes getting comfortable and settling down to work, attempting to ignore the grating sounds of laughter and loud chatter from the other room, Noah grew frustrated with himself.

It quickly grew apparent that Noah could not concentrate from the distraction. Not only that, but his mind wasn’t on his schoolwork in the first place as his thoughts drifted back toward Kai.

He briefly considered leaving the apartment and heading to Aspen’s instead, Noah hoping he might have better luck focusing there, but he doubted it. Add to that, it meant he’d have to walk past Ruby and her friends, drawing attention to the fact that he’d claimed he was going to have an early night, and it seemed like more fuss than it was worth.

Noah stayed put in the bedroom, changing his clothes into a pair of comfortable sweatpants he could sleep in and retrieving his earphones from his bag to block out the external noise, even if he’d given up on working on his essay.

Lying awake in the dark, wishing for sleep to come, Noah stared at the ceiling and returned to his thoughts from earlier before Ruby came home.

He felt trapped.

Not just physically by being cornered in a bedroom with people he didn’t want to be around on the other side of the door. He was trapped emotionally by the crushing weight of starting to accept that it felt like the love was hemorrhaging out of his relationship, and Noah couldn’t stop the bleeding.

Closing his eyes, Noah tried to tune out the world around him and focus on just the music.

As he listened, another peal of laughter broke out over the melody as, as loud as he’d turned up the volume, it still wasn’t enough to completely block out any external sound.

Noah heaved a sigh and turned on his side away from the door.

A pinch of distress made his throat tighten as he let out a quiet sob in the darkness, a few stray tears escaping and falling down the side of his face into the pillow.

It had been years since the last time he’d felt so low, the last being in the months of his physical recovery in the aftermath of his abduction, and Noah hated that it felt like he’d backslid so hard into that dark place because he was scared that he wouldn’t find his way out again.

Worse still was that the only light in that darkness right now was something he knew he couldn’t have.

Still, he couldn’t let that little flicker of hope die, as hopeless as he felt.

As he lay in the dark, Noah closed his eyes again, this time imagining the Kai was there with him, curled up behind him, keeping him close.

The conjured imagining was vivid enough that it sent a shiver through him.

His skin itching for the touch that he craved as Noah traced the path of the scar on his stomach just as Kai had done, pretending he was back in the moment earlier, only this time, Noah let himself imagine how things might have played out had he not pulled away.

© 2025 BitemarksAfterDark

[bitemarksafterdark]

Heart of Glass - Chapter 13

Six days had passed since Kai witnessed for himself how Ruby treated Noah outside of the tattoo studio, and it still didn’t sit right with him.

It hadn’t helped that Noah had shown up to class the following day with a makeshift dressing on his left forearm, made of a gauze pad held on with medical tape. However, Kai recognized it as the type of thing most skaters knew how to throw together to keep a fresh graze clean when they’d take a spill off their board, so he tried not to jump to conclusions.

He’d tried his best to put it to the back of his mind and forget about it, no matter how much it worried him that Ruby had physically hurt Noah again.

Still, it wasn’t until Noah came over to Kai’s dorm room to study for an assignment they had due for film studies the following week that Kai saw what Noah had been covering up. Several linear scabs ran parallel to each other about halfway up the inside of Noah’s wrist, toward the outer side, so they hadn’t caused anything other than superficial damage, but they momentarily stole the air from Kai’s lungs when he saw them.

Pretending he hadn’t noticed was difficult, but Kai threw all his focus into the study session.

For their assignment, they each had to choose and analyze a commonly used trope in film, then write an essay deconstructing it and provide examples of how the trope could be subverted to change the story’s narrative.

“So, what were you thinking of writing about?” Kai asked, tapping his pen on the inside page of his open notebook as he lay stretched out on his stomach on his bed, Noah sitting on the floor beside him with his back resting against it.

“Not sure yet,” he replied, still weighing up a few options. “Maybe something horror.”

“What, like the ‘unkillable killer’ or the ‘Final Girl never dies’ kind of thing?”

“Maybe? Or do you think those are probably too obvious and overdone?”

“They might be a little bit, but I doubt that will matter when we have to deconstruct it anyway.”

“Yeah, I guess…?” Noah sighed, resting his head back on the edge of the mattress as he thought for a moment before a smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth as he glanced up at Kai. “Or I could absolutely eviscerate the whole “Young Adult female protagonist is so special the male love interest just has to have her” trope?”

“You just want an excuse to talk shit about Twilight, don’t you?” Kai answered with a laugh.

“Mm, not just Twilight,” Noah corrected smugly. “Also, The Vampire Diaries, which, while we’re on the subject, don’t get me started on the whole ‘centuries-old vampire goes back to high school to bang teenage girls’ thing because that’s a whole-ass TED Talk for another time.”

“Something tells me you’ve put way too much thought into that already,” Kai teased. “But go on, why also The Vampire Diaries? Also, why in the hell do you even know anything about either of those?”

“Because Ruby made me watch them. More than once. Anyway, TVD because of the stupid love triangle involving the main female character and not one, but two vampires, who also happen to be brothers.”

“So, like Twilight, if you swap the werewolf for Edward Cullen’s brother?”

“Yeah, except both the vampires are played by actors in their thirties, and we, the audience, are expected to believe one of them can pass as a high school senior.”

“Okay?”

“Anyway, Stefan, the one who goes back to high school, he’s supposed to be like the classic hot, popular, captain of the football team type guy, yeah? And he and Elena, they start dating, but then Damon-“

“The brother?”

“Yeah, the brother. Damon, he’s supposed to be like the even sexier, unattainable aloof bad boy of the story. Then Elena and Damon are attracted to each other, even though she’s with Stefan, and then there was stuff about doppelgangers and lovers from previous lives or some shit, I don’t remember, honestly. I lost interest after a point, but, come to think of it; there was also a character named Kai in it.”

“There is?”

“Yeah. He’s like a witch, if I remember correctly, but also a serial killer who murdered his family to steal their magic. He got imprisoned in a pocket dimension or something where he was forced to listen to Two Princes by Spin Doctors on repeat.”

Kai just blinked, trying to process the infodump Noah had just offloaded on him in trying to explain the plot of The Vampire Diaries to him before he burst out laughing.

“Okay, that sounds way too convoluted for my taste,” he giggled, shaking his head.

“Yeah, but, anyway… what was I saying? Oh yeah, so basically, the whole idea of the main female lead being so special that all dudes within whatever place or situation she finds herself in gravitate toward her because they all want to be the one guy worthy of her is overused to hell, and kinda dumb when you think about it,” Noah explained, having evidently put more thought into the premise than he’d initially let on. “And how come you hardly ever see those stories from the perspective of the male love interest? Like, what’s going through his mind other than wanting to hook up with her? Think about it. If it was a guy and suddenly all the female characters were throwing themselves at him even though he was a dick to them at times, people would call that shit out straight away, but when the protagonist is a girl, she can be a bitch, and everyone still loves her for it. How is that fair? Why isn’t she ever called out for any toxic behavior?”

“Sort of like how some of those movies and tv shows go the ‘I can fix him’ route? Like, you have the movies where the geek gets a makeover so the popular girl or guy will be attracted to them?” Kai asked, looking a little puzzled but thoughtful before something else occurred to him about what Noah had said about how the girl doesn’t get called out for her toxic behavior.

“Or the boy who, when the girl comes along, ties himself up in knots trying to prove he’s worthy and be what she wants him to be because he feels like the real him isn’t good enough for her?”

Noah immediately went silent as the question evoked a strong swell of emotion, unsure if Kai was still talking about movie tropes or if he was actually referring to how he saw things between Noah and Ruby.

Either way, being struck by the realization hurt, and it showed as his expression fell right before his gaze left Kai in search of anything else to hide his reaction to it.

There was no hiding it, however, and the moment Kai saw Noah’s whole demeanor shift, he knew he’d put his foot in it, as unintentional as it had been.

“Noah, I’m sorry… I didn’t mean-.”

“No, it’s okay. I know you didn’t mean it like that,” Noah replied quietly, still avoiding looking at Kai as he tried to stuff his feelings back down again.

Kai slid off the bed, settling beside Noah on the floor, kicking himself for upsetting him like that when he should have been more careful.

“I wasn’t saying that’s what you do,” he explained gently. “I just…”

“But you’re right, though. I do,” Noah murmured, slightly sniffling as he swiped at his nose with the back of his hand.

Heaving a sigh, Kai hung his head, letting a moment of silence hang between them before he spoke.

“Let’s take a break or talk about something else, okay?” he offered, trying to find a way to pull Noah out of the sudden tailspin that he’d thrown him into accidentally. However, Noah didn’t respond immediately, filling Kai with a sense of panic that he’d made a mess of things between them.

“Hey, um, you recall that first day you spoke to me? Remember you said you’d seen me in film studies before music, and you brought up me talking about Eternal Sunshine?”

Noah nodded, wondering where Kai was going with this new line of questioning.

“Have you seen it?” Kai asked, a tentative but panicked smile pulling at the corner of his mouth. “You didn’t say if you had already.”

“Yeah, I’ve seen it,” Noah affirmed. “It’s one of my favorite movies.”

“Mine too.”

Kai fidgeted for a second, chewing his lip as he stalled, trying to figure out where else to direct the conversation.

“Do you want to watch it now? I can put it on if you’d like and we could watch it. Together?”

“Okay,” Noah nodded, feeling the anxious energy radiating off Kai at feeling like he’d screwed up and recognized it like his own.

Kai smiled awkwardly and got up, grabbing his laptop from his desk and bringing it back to Noah, setting it up so that they could both see the screen clearly to watch the movie.

Having the film to focus on seemed to help ease the tension as they both sat quietly and watched, at first just sitting side by side. Still, by about halfway through, Kai and Noah had gotten comfortable enough that they were now leaning on each other, with Kai pulling his knees up, so he was curled up against Noah’s shoulder.

“If you could erase your memories, would you?” Kai inquired casually, wanting to break the silence between them despite the movie still playing.

“Some of them.”

“Me too.”

“What would you erase?”

“When I came out to my parents,” Kai admitted, a flicker of a sad smile flashing across his face before disappearing, just leaving the sadness in Kai’s eyes behind at the thought. “And all the memories of my dad being a homophobic asshole after that.”

“Is that why you came out here to go to school?” Noah asked, his heart aching suddenly at the revelation that Kai’s family treated him poorly over who he was attracted to, as that was one of Noah’s own biggest fears. However, he had yet to face coming out to anyone other than Aspen.

“I figure if I’m lucky, I can get my life figured out enough by graduation that I won’t have to go back there,” Kai admitted, nodding and still trying to find a smile. “What about you? What would you erase?”

Noah’s head dropped a little, an answer on the tip of his tongue, but he was reluctant to speak it aloud.

“The worst memory of my life,” he confessed, fidgeting and scratching at his wrist, close to where the cuts Kai had noticed earlier were.

Noah drew a deep breath, needing a second to steady himself as he worked up the nerve to elaborate on what that memory was.

“When I was fourteen, my dad knew this guy. Sort of someone he knew through work, you know?” he began, carefully choosing his words. “Anyway, my dad found out he abused some kids and made an anonymous tip to the cops about it. The guy got fired from his job, lost everything, life ruined, all that shit.”

“Okay?” Kai murmured, watching Noah carefully as he listened.

“The guy figured out my dad was the one who called the cops on him, and he decided he wanted revenge, so he… abducted me to get back at him.”

Kai’s eyes widened, his lip starting to quiver as his heart broke when he realized where Noah’s tale was heading, but he didn’t say anything for the moment.

“He, um… He…” Noah faltered, struggling to continue as he recalled the ordeal he’d been put through, the words sticking in his throat as his eyes brimmed with tears and his breathing pattern changed pace, growing more shallow and rapid.

Kai didn’t need Noah to force himself to say what had happened. It was written all over his face and how he balled his hands into fists to disguise their shaking, to which Kai instinctively moved to cover them with his own, squeezing gently to help ground him again.

Noah took a few more deep breaths, swallowing thickly, staring down at their hands interlocked with each other for a moment before he gathered himself again to continue.

“I got hurt. Bad,” Noah murmured, his voice cracking and barely more than a whisper.

“Is that how you got your scars?” Kai asked softly, tracing circles in the back of Noah’s hands with his thumbs.

The question caught Noah off guard, and he looked confused about how Kai could have known until he remembered that Kai had seen him shirtless at Aspen’s and when they’d gotten tattooed, so he must have noticed then.

“Yeah, that’s how I got them,” he nodded finally, letting out a shuddered breath, strangely feeling some relief talking to Kai about it.

“When he realized the cops knew where he’d taken me, I don’t know if he panicked or that was just part of his plan the whole time, but he decided he wasn’t going to let them take either of us alive,” Noah explained, a few stray tears spilling over. “He’d already cut me a few times by that point, but when the cops got there, he stabbed me multiple times and then slit his own throat.”

Noah paused briefly, then took his t-shirt off to show Kai the full extent of the damage done to him.

Despite disguising it with tattooed linework and shading, Noah’s largest and most prominent scar was still very visible up this close, and it immediately drew Kai’s attention.

The scarring started at the base of his sternum, tracing the contour of his ribcage before arcing across his stomach in a downward trajectory, then over his left hip before disappearing beneath the elasticated waistband of his boxers.

Without thinking, Kai reached out and traced its path, stunned into silence as he imagined how horrific the injury must have been to have left that much damage in its wake.

Surprisingly, Noah didn’t flinch or pull away as Kai’s fingertips grazed gently over the raised lines that ran through his skin, feeling drawn to the touch, not repelled by it.

“That’s why I started getting tattoos,” he confessed quietly, wanting to reach out and touch Kai in return, like he had back at Aspen’s place the other night. “It was a way to cover them up, so I didn’t have to keep being reminded of what happened to me.”

“You wanted to reclaim your body….” Kai acknowledged, understanding Noah’s reasoning completely.

“Yeah,” Noah replied, managing to find a smile, albeit a sad one. “And then it sort of became a coping mechanism. After what happened, I would hurt myself sometimes, but then after I got my first few tattoos, any time I felt like I wanted to hurt myself again, I’d go get another one instead.”

Kai trailed his fingers down Noah’s arm and gently caught his hand again, circling it with his fingers and turning it over palm upwards to reveal the cuts on his wrist. He lightly traced those, too, before gazing up at Noah.

“Seems like it hasn’t quite been so effective lately,” he sighed softly with no accusation in his tone, just sympathy, and worry.

Noah closed his eyes and hung his head, acknowledging that Kai was correct.

“Things have been getting harder lately….” He admitted quietly, though he knew Kai was already aware of what was going on as it would take a blind man not to see it.

“Ruby?” Kai asked anyway.

Noah nodded.

“Does she know? About…?”

“Yeah, she does. At least most of it. I didn’t want to tell her about….” Noah replied, faltering again. “I didn’t want to upset her.”

“I know,” Kai smiled sadly. “You do a lot of not wanting to upset her. You can tell me I’m wrong or to shut the fuck up, but it seems like she doesn’t seem all that concerned about how much she upsets you.”

Noah wanted to argue, but the words died in his throat, and all he could do was try to swallow the stab of emotion that caught him and fight back the fresh sting of tears in his eyes, not wanting to lie anymore and tired of pretending that nothing was wrong.

“I hate it…” he whispered, choking up a little. “I don’t know how everything got so fucked up, and I don’t know how to fix it. Everything I do just makes it worse.”

Noah looked and sounded so exhausted right then, and Kai couldn’t blame him in the slightest for it. It physically hurt Kai to see how much pain Noah had endured not only in his past but was still enduring to this day.

Kai couldn’t help but wish there was something more he could do to ease it, even just a little, so when another tear spilled over and cut a track down Noah’s cheek, Kai instinctively reached up to brush it away, his thumb gliding gently over Noah’s cheekbone.

Noah leaned into the touch with another shivering sigh, his eyes fluttering closed for a moment, crying out for comfort.

The atmosphere was noticeably heavy as they searched each other’s gaze in silence, aching from the weight of the moment as Noah’s hand came up to rest over Kai’s, still pressed against his cheek, as he nuzzled into Kai’s palm just a moment longer, then pulled away as Noah acknowledged that he was still in a relationship with someone else, and the last thing he wanted was to put Kai in any position that would make him a target for Ruby or anyone else because of him.

© 2025 BitemarksAfterDark

[bitemarksafterdark]

Heart of Glass - Chapter 12

Noah woke with a start.

He couldn’t recall what exactly he had been dreaming, but the sudden sensation of falling had been what had woken him up.

He wasn’t falling.

At least not physically.

Green eyes blinked, taking a few seconds to register his surroundings and remember he wasn’t in his own bed, sunlight filtering in through the skylight windows, casting long beams across the wood flooring of Aspen’s attic room.

Noah rolled over away from the encroaching light, not quite ready to greet the day yet.

Still half asleep, he reached out on reflex for a shape he expected to be there, his fingertips touching nothing but vacant space on the other side in the split second before Noah realized it was Kai he had shared the bed with, and it was Kai that was now absent.

Noah sat up, looking around the room as if to find him, feeling slightly crestfallen at the likelihood that Kai had gotten up earlier and left already.

Especially as Noah’s shirt was still hanging over the back of the chair, suggesting that Kai had probably gotten his own one back by now.

Noah shook the feeling away, telling himself he was being stupid and to get his shit together, Ruby’s words echoing in his head as Noah chastised himself.

The house was quiet.

Almost silent compared to the night before, but that wasn’t unusual in Aspen’s home. As Noah crept downstairs, it wasn’t until he neared the kitchen that he heard music playing from a small stereo somewhere within, along with the unmistakable sounds of his brother and Aria making breakfast. The scent of freshly brewed coffee and bacon wafted through the open doorway into the living room, making Noah’s stomach growl with hunger almost immediately.

While Noah was still in the jeans he’d slept in, Aria was at the stove wearing what Noah was fairly certain was one of Aspen’s t-shirts and a pair of check lounge pants, tending pans containing bacon and eggs. Sitting on the counter beside him, Aspen was rolling a cigarette in only his underwear and a robe he hadn’t bothered tying closed.

The rest of their housemates had already left, having their own plans for the day, leaving just them.

Or so Noah thought until he entered the kitchen fully and spotted Kai at the other end of the breakfast bar countertop, still shirtless, looking at his phone.

Noah halted in his tracks on sight, faintly relieved Kai hadn’t left already.

“Good morning,” Aspen called out to his brother as he brought his cigarette to his lips and lit it before hopping off the counter to pour his brother a mug of coffee.

Kai’s attention immediately went from his phone to the doorway, smiling up at Noah in greeting.

“Good morning,” Noah replied, addressing everyone in the room, though he returned Kai’s gaze as he did so.

Aria moved some of the bacon and eggs onto an empty plate and passed it over to Aspen, who then set the food and the coffee down on the breakfast bar before grabbing some cutlery for his brother as Noah sat beside Kai.

“I put your shirt in the dryer before I crashed last night, so it should be dry now,” Noah informed Kai, figuring that Kai wasn’t wearing it because he forgot where the laundry was.

Not that Noah minded any.

“Thanks. I’ll grab it in a bit,” Kai nodded. “I left yours on the chair upstairs.”

“Yeah, I know. I saw it, thanks,” Noah replied, letting out a faint giggle.

Kai nodded again, ducking his head and smiling shyly, his cheeks getting a little pinker, quietly admiring Noah’s tattoos now that he could get a good look at the extent of the work he had done.

Up close as he was, though, he couldn’t help but notice that some of the artwork that adorned Noah’s body had unusual texture in places. Trying not to make it obvious he was looking, Kai realized that what he was looking at were raised patches of scar tissue, covered and disguised by the lines of some of the tattoos.

Kai had noticed that Noah had thinner, smaller scars on his arms that ran in a telltale pattern indicating Noah had a history of self-harm, but the ones on his body were much bigger and more pronounced, and Kai wondered what had happened to Noah to have acquired them.

He knew this was neither the time nor place to ask, however.

While Kai was sure that Aspen likely knew what had happened to his brother, Kai could not say the same about Aria or whether Noah would be comfortable with him pointing them out in the first place, so he kept his mouth shut.

Meanwhile, Aspen’s attention had returned to Aria.

He was now standing behind his boyfriend, arms wrapped around Aria’s waist as he murmured something to him and nuzzled affectionately at his neck, trailing a few little kisses along the curve of his shoulder and up his throat.

Aria hummed, melting into the embrace and resting his head against Aspen’s shoulder, a dreamy smirk on his face as Aspen’s beard tickled him a little.

None of this went unnoticed by Kai or Noah, though Noah seemed utterly unfazed by his brother’s behavior as Kai leaned in closer to speak quietly to him.

“Aspen and his boyfriend are kinda….” He began in a quiet tone.

“Intense?” Noah replied with a smirk that only broadened as Kai giggled.

“I was going to say sweet but intense works, too,” he acknowledged, teeth setting into his bottom lip. “Seems like they’re really into each other.”

“Yeah, it does….” Noah agreed, a faintly thoughtful expression forming on his face, feeling just a little envious of his brother’s relationship and how unabashedly in love with each other Aspen and Aria appeared to be, though, of course, Noah was very happy for them both.

It seemed, though, that, for a moment, Aspen forgot he and Aria had an audience as he started to get a little more handsy with his affection, nipping at his boyfriend’s neck as his fingertips traced a path that began to drift lower on Aria’s stomach.

“You keep that up, and I might have to drag you back to bed,” Aria muttered, the warning carrying on a sigh as he reminded Aspen they weren’t alone.

“That doesn’t sound like a bad idea,” Aspen replied with a grin, tightening his hold around Aria’s body.

“It does when you said you’d give me a ride to my tattoo appointment,” Noah interjected, speaking through a mouthful of bacon, while Kai averted his gaze and half covered his face to stifle a laugh and hide that he was blushing crimson red.

Noah hadn’t mentioned to Ruby that the real reason he and Aspen were going downtown today was so he could get another tattoo. However, his claim that he was going to buy guitar strings and other things for class wasn’t an entire fabrication either, as he still intended to do that after he’d been to his appointment.

He’d also lied about how many people would be in the car with them, as Aria was the only other person who was supposed to be coming with them.

“Yeah, I did say that, didn’t I?” Aspen acknowledged, still reluctant to untangle himself from around Aria, though he loosened his grip just a little.

“Raincheck for later?” he purred to his lover, nuzzling him again and getting a kiss on the lips in return as an answer.

Noah rolled his eyes dramatically and made a gagging sound, drawing another giggle from Kai.

Aspen quirked an eyebrow at the pair before smirking as an idea came to him.

“Kai, do you want to tag along too? Unless you already have plans, of course?” he asked, feigning nonchalance as he observed how Noah reacted to the sudden invitation, catching the slight widening of his brother’s eyes and the faint blush that tinted his cheeks.

“Oh, uh, I don’t have plans….” Kai hesitated, glancing at Noah as if seeking his approval of the idea. “If that’s okay?”

“Yeah, it’s totally fine,” Noah agreed, more than happy for Kai to come with them.

“Then it looks like it’s a day out for the boys, doesn’t it?” Aspen declared in delight, grinning broadly. “Just let me throw on some pants first. Wouldn’t want to spoil the fun by getting arrested for indecent exposure now, would I?”

Before heading to the tattoo studio Noah was booked into, Aspen dropped his boyfriend off, as Aria had some other errands he needed to run that afternoon, and it made more sense for him to do them while they were at the studio, then meet back up later.

Beth, the artist Noah had booked with, was a friend of Aspen’s and had done some of his own tattoos. She had moved within the same social circles earlier in Aspen’s time at college before she dropped out to take her apprenticeship, having also been the one who introduced him to Aria.

That meant she came highly recommended as an artist, and Aspen trusted her implicitly to take care of his brother, knowing that any ink Noah got from her would be up to the same standard he was used to with his old artist back home in New York.

Kai hung back slightly as Noah and Aspen spoke to the studio’s receptionist, confirming that Noah’s appointment was booked as a two-hour slot, with wiggle room in case it ran over.

Before they had finished speaking with her, a yell of excitement sounded out from the back of the shop. It was followed by a woman with dyed-silver hair, covered in tattoos from the neck down, appearing in the doorway, greeting Aspen with a hug before turning her attention to the two others with him.

Noah had already emailed Beth back and forth a couple of times to discuss what he wanted; a death’s head hawk moth framed by two lilies in a shaded black and grey style. He’d shared some of his drawings of the design he had in mind and worked with Beth’s suggestions to ensure the piece she was etching into his skin was precisely as he wanted it.

As Beth had already prepped everything else, all that remained was to copy the design onto transfer paper. That way, she could place it on Noah’s skin to get the positioning correct ahead of starting on the linework.

Noah removed his t-shirt, and after laying down the design from the transfer paper onto the side of Noah’s neck and getting him to look in a mirror to confirm everything looked as it should, Noah sat down in the chair. Beth lowered the angle of the chair back so Noah was more or less lying down and got him to turn on his side slightly into a position that would be comfortable for the both of them.

Since Beth was friends with Aspen, she had no issue with him and Kai sitting in on the session instead of waiting out front for Noah, especially as Noah had initially asked if it was alright if Aspen be there anyway.

While Beth tattooed Noah, Aspen texted Aria. Kai sat quietly on the couch by the wall, looking at the flash art and collection of photos of Beth’s work on other clients that were framed and hung across it.

Noah noticed that he seemed interested in the collection of images, wondering if Kai had any tattoos himself, though he hadn’t seen any earlier or the previous night.

“Kai, do you have any?” he asked, immediately deciding to satisfy his curiosity.

“Oh, me? No,” Kai answered, glancing back toward Noah, a question of his own forming at seeing Noah seem calm and in an almost peaceful-looking state as Beth etched the black linework into his skin. “Does it hurt?”

“Not really… Well, sometimes, but I think it mostly depends on your pain tolerance and where you’re getting it done,” Noah admitted honestly, knowing that he had a few that had stung more than others. Still, his pain tolerance was generally relatively high. “The ones on my ribs and my hip and stomach hurt a little, but the rest didn’t really hurt at all.”

“The places people usually feel it the most are areas with a lot of nerve endings, where their skin is a bit thinner or over a bone,” Beth added, confirming that the reason the ones on Noah’s ribs and hip probably hurt the most was because they were bonier areas. “Otherwise, most of my clients generally describe it as more of a scratching sensation than actual pain.”

Kai nodded at the explanation, offering a comforted smile in response.

“You ever thought about getting any?” Noah further inquired, thinking maybe the pain aspect had been the biggest barrier to Kai doing so if he had.

“I don’t know, maybe?” Kai replied with a shrug. “I’ve thought about it, but needles kinda make me nervous, and it seems like a pretty big commitment to have something so permanent like that when I can’t even decide what I’d want.”

“How about something music related?” Noah suggested. “I can design it for you if you want?”

“I guess…?”

“Hey, Aspen, can you grab my sketchbook out of my bag so Kai can have a look at it?”

“Yeah, sure,” Aspen answered, immediately unzipping the main compartment of Noah’s backpack and pulling the book out before giving it to Kai.

With a soft smile, Kai flipped through the pages, looking at all the artwork and tattoo designs Noah had clearly worked on for some time, as the sketchbook was almost full.

One piece caught Kai’s attention as he went through the pages. The design was small and relatively simple in that it was a set of musical notes that had been stylized to make them more ornate. Kai could tell that their layout was made up of a couple of bars of a tune, though he didn’t immediately recognize the song.

“Did you find something you like?” Noah asked, catching that Kai had paused from going through the pages to look at something in particular.

“Maybe?” Kai replied, unsure about asking if he could have it since it seemed to be one Noah was thinking about getting himself at some point, but he got up and moved over to show him the one he found. “I like this one.”

Noah saw which one Kai was pointing to and smiled warmly.

“That’s actually part of a matching pair,” he explained bashfully, finding it funny that Kai had picked that one from among the others.

“Oh. I’m… sorry. I didn’t….”

“It’s okay. If you want that one, you can have it,” Noah assured him. “I’ll tell you what, I’ll even pay for it.”

“I couldn’t ask you to do that.”

“You’re not asking. I’m offering. Hell, I’ll even get the other one at the same time if you’re nervous?”

“You’d do that?”

“Yeah, of course.”

“Okay,” Kai nodded, accepting the offer, though his smile said he was still a little apprehensive about the part involving needles. “Uh, when do you want to…?”

Beth cut into the conversation before Noah could answer, pausing for a moment and gesturing for Kai to show her the book and the designs in question, as she’d only gotten a glance at it when Kai had pointed it out to Noah.

“Can I get a look at that?” she asked, Kai immediately turning to let her see. “I can fit you both in after I finish this one if you’d like. It shouldn’t take more than twenty minutes to half an hour each at most, and you already booked extra time, so I’ll just charge you for whatever we run over since my rates are by the hour anyway.”

“Sounds good to me,” Noah replied, nodding as that seemed the most logical option as they were already there, and it meant they didn’t have to make another booking. He looked to Kai for his thoughts, though.

“Yeah, okay,” Kai replied in agreement, thinking getting it done the sooner, the better, so he had less time to work himself up into an anxious state in anticipation of it.

“Okay, cool. Let me finish up Noah’s neck, and then I’ll do his one first, then yours, so I only have to change needles and inks over once, if that’s alright with the two of you?”

“Yeah, sure.”

Since Noah already had his shirt off, he chose to have his done on his chest, a few inches below his left collarbone, right by one of a pair of neo-traditional swallows he had on each side.

While Beth was working on the newest addition, Aspen got a text from Aria to say he’d finished what he needed to do and asked if they were still at the tattoo studio.

“I need to go pick Aria up,” Aspen informed the others. “I won’t be long, but will you two be alright while I pop over and get him?”

“Absolutely,” Kai and Noah both replied, their synchronized response drawing a smirk from Aspen as he nodded and disappeared outside.

With Noah’s tattoo finished, it was Kai’s turn, though he still hadn’t decided exactly where he wanted it. He considered the inside of his wrist, but Beth advised that the wrist had a lot of nerve endings there, and if he was nervous about it hurting, he might want to choose a different placement and offered him a few options.

Ultimately, Kai opted to have his placement similar to Noah’s, though a little lower and more over his heart, as Beth explained that a tattoo there would hurt less and wouldn’t stretch much when he moved, so it offered him minimal discomfort during the healing process.

When Beth had finished, Kai checked out the result in the mirror before showing Noah.

“What do you think?” he asked, a tentative ghost of a smile on his face.

“It’s cute,” Noah affirmed, his own smile warm and appraising. “It suits you.”

Aspen still hadn’t returned by the time they had finished, and Noah had paid Beth for the work, so after Aspen messaged back saying he’d be a few more minutes, Kai and Noah waited on a bench across the street outside the shop for him to pick them up, using the time to have a quick smoke.

While they relaxed in the warm Californian October afternoon sunshine, a familiar blonde figure clutching several shopping bags and heading in their direction caught Noah’s eye.

“Shit!” he muttered, knowing he had no time to hide as Ruby immediately locked gaze with him, looking less surprised to see him as he did her.

Kai followed Noah’s gaze and saw the blonde suddenly quicken her pace as she marched up to them.

It didn’t take Kai much to realize who she was just from Noah’s reaction to the sight of her and the way he immediately tensed in preparation for a potential confrontation.

“Ruby,” Noah greeted, forcing a smile and pretending he was happy, if not surprised, to see her. “What are you doing here?”

“Well, since you already had plans, I thought I’d do some afternoon shopping, same as you,” Ruby declared casually, holding up the bags she held to illustrate her point. However, it had not escaped her notice that Noah was sitting across the street from a tattoo parlor and had a very conspicuous dressing on the side of his neck that protected his newest ink.

“Funny looking guitar strings,” she commented, one eyebrow raising as she queried the discrepancy between what he had told her and the reality that presented itself.

“I’m going to the music store when Aspen gets back,” Noah replied, holding firm in the silent accusation of being a liar, as all he’d done was omit to mention his tattoo appointment from the details.

Ruby hardly seemed to notice anyone else there, her attention fixed squarely on her boyfriend. Meanwhile, Kai had shrank back slightly, minimizing his presence out of habit as he knew at least somewhat of what Ruby was capable of and was not nearly as shy about confrontation as he was.

“And how much did that cost?” Ruby quizzed, nodding toward the tattoo. “Why do you keep wasting money on those? Haven’t you spent enough already?”

Noah didn’t answer, knowing that saying it was his money, his body, and his choice would just push Ruby’s buttons, and he didn’t want to put Kai in the middle of all that if Ruby chose to blow up at him about it.

“I don’t get why you keep getting more,” she pouted, seeming disappointed. “I liked how you looked before, but now… And a neck tattoo? Noah that doesn’t look very professional. How will you get a good job when you’re starting to look like you’re in a gang or something?”

“He looks just fine as he is,” Kai muttered, annoyed enough that the comment came out before he could stop it.

Ruby balked, blinking for a moment before addressing him.

“Um, I’m sorry. Did I ask you for your opinion?” she inquired, apparently surprised and offended by the comment. “Who even are you anyway?”

Kai shrank back again as Ruby turned her ire in his direction, to which Noah stood up and immediately put himself between them so Noah could shield Kai and take Ruby's attention off him.

“Look, Ruby, I don’t want to fight about this right now, alright? Especially not in the middle of the street,” Noah pleaded as he reached out, traced his fingertips down her arm in a pacifying gesture, and moved in closer to offer further affection.

“You should have told me.”

“Yeah, I know. I’m sorry. I screwed up, okay?”

Hearing and seeing Noah accept blame to appease Ruby made Kai feel sick, wanting to speak up and tell Ruby she had no right to tell Noah what he could and couldn’t do with his own body, but he also didn’t want to put Noah in the firing line by pissing Ruby off himself, so Kai stayed quiet.

“We’ll talk when I get home,” Noah promised, nuzzling his girlfriend in a continued attempt to defuse the situation.

“Okay,” Ruby agreed, reciprocating the affection by giving Noah a deliberately lingering kiss. “Don’t be late.”

“I won’t.”

With that, Ruby left them alone again, and Noah sat back down on the bench, his head in his hands as he took a moment to breathe and recollect himself. Kai waited until Ruby had disappeared entirely from view before he spoke.

“Was that your girlfriend?” he asked, breaking the silence, though Kai already knew the answer.

“Yeah….”

“Are you okay?” Kai inquired further, daring to lightly touch the back of Noah’s shoulder to offer comfort he could easily shrug out of if he didn’t want it.

Noah heaved a shuddered sigh, clearly rattled, but he nodded.

“I’m okay,” he lied, not wanting to worry Kai more than he already seemed to be from the look on his face. “I’m sorry Ruby spoke to you like that.”

“Don’t be. It’s not your fault.”

“I know, but she didn’t have to be rude like that.”

As they were talking, Aspen finally pulled up in the car, honking the horn to get their attention, unaware that Ruby had just been by, as neither Kai nor Noah brought it up when they got in the back.

© 2025 BitemarksAfterDark

[bitemarksafterdark]

Heart of Glass - Chapter 11

Kai said he’d meet Noah at Aspen’s place, so getting there and finding that Kai hadn’t shown up yet had Noah feeling oddly unsettled, despite having been over to his brother’s house more than a dozen times in the last few weeks hanging out.

Maybe it was because Noah was still up in his head about what had happened with Ruby earlier, and it had rattled his self-confidence, but Noah just couldn’t seem to settle into the party’s vibe until he knew Kai had arrived.

“Hey, have you seen Kai yet?” he asked Aspen for the third time in the last hour.

“No, but you said he was coming, right?” Aspen replied, having picked up on the fact that his younger brother seemed more wound up than usual.

“Here,” he added, handing Noah the rest of the joint he’d been smoking. “Have some of this and relax, okay? I’m sure he’ll be here soon.”

Realizing he was overly tense from the anxious state he’d gotten himself worked up into, Noah nodded and huffed out a sigh, forcing himself to try to calm down and stop overthinking. In all likelihood, when Noah messaged Kai, he’d probably already been in the middle of something else, and he needed time to finish doing that before coming over.

Another fifteen minutes passed before a familiar face finally wandered into the party, brown eyes keenly searching the gathered crowd as Kai sought out Noah among them.

“Kai!”

Noah was leaning against the living room wall, in the corner by the archway that separated it from the kitchen.

“Hey,” Kai greeted, the timidness in his expression disappearing as he broke into a grin.

“I was beginning to think you’d stood me up,” Noah joked, returning the grin as he pushed away from the wall and fell into step beside Kai as they headed into the kitchen.

“Me? No, never,” Kai replied, smirking and shaking his head. “Just had to jump in the shower and stuff before I came over.”

“Yeah, fair. I did kinda spring it on you last minute, huh?” Noah acknowledged. “Sort of runs in the family, though, because Aspen only told me about five minutes before I messaged you.”

“Does he do that a lot?”

“Mm, sometimes. My brother’s got this sort of philosophy about living spontaneously and not giving a single fuck what anyone else thinks of him for it. He says it’s more fun that way.”

“I think he might be onto something there….” Kai acknowledged with a soft laugh as he glanced around the party, quietly wishing he had even half of Aspen’s confidence for being unapologetically himself in the face of a world that favored conformity over the kind of over-the-top individuality he exuded.

“Don’t let him hear you say that, or we’ll never hear the end of it,” Noah warned, smirking and shaking his head as he gestured with the drink in his hand.

The conversation dipped for a moment, but the quiet between Noah and Kai wasn’t uncomfortable in the slightest; just two friends enjoying each other’s company standing in Aspen’s kitchen while the chaos of a house party was happening around them.

However, Noah noticed a pair of eyes watching them from across the crowded room during that quiet moment.

Starla, one of the girls in some of their classes for film studies, kept stealing glances over to them, or more specifically, at Kai, as Starla didn’t look away when Noah first noticed, suggesting her attention was not on him.

“Hey, don’t look now, but I think you might have caught someone’s eye,” Noah murmured, deciding suddenly to play wingman as he nudged Kai to get his attention and gestured with his head in Starla’s direction.

“Hm?” Kai replied, blinking before he registered what Noah had said to him, then followed his gaze toward the girl, who promptly looked away when Kai looked at her.

“Oh, uh…” he faltered, almost spitting a mouthful of beer before shyly ducking his head to hide the blush that spread through his cheeks. “She’s… not really my type.”

“Oh?”

Noah looked puzzled but accepted Kai’s response.

In Noah’s assessment, Starla was objectively pretty in a girl-next-door kind of way, and she had a shy, slightly bookish demeanor that wasn’t overly comfortable around strangers but came out of her shell once comfortable around someone.

Not too dissimilar to Kai in that respect.

Still, who was Noah to argue if Kai wasn’t interested in her? However, it did get him wondering what Kai’s type was, and Noah couldn’t help but let his curiosity get the better of him as he glanced around in search of anyone else that might be more to Kai’s liking.

While Noah pondered on the matter, trying to guess what sort of person would catch Kai’s attention, they both made their way from the kitchen through the dining room and back lounge toward the open bifold doors that led out onto the deck. Naturally, Aspen and the others were hanging out there as usual, as that spot was exclusively reserved for the house’s occupants and close friends.

The back lounge was as busy as the rest of the rooms on the ground floor, Noah and Kai having to navigate between bodies to cut a path through.

Before they could reach the back door, someone bumped into Kai and dropped their beer, Kai’s t-shirt catching the bulk of its contents.

Kai froze on the spot in momentary shock as the liquid soaked through the fabric of his shirt, ice cold against his skin.

“Shit, sorry, dude…” the guy who had spilled his drink muttered apologetically at the accident, though there was little that could be said or done about it now that it had happened.

“It’s fine, don’t worry about it,” Kai replied, trying to shrug off the shock and the sense of embarrassment quickly filling him.

Noah had turned around just a split second after it happened, seeing Kai standing there helplessly, drenched and looking like a cornered rabbit about to bolt.

“Hey, are you alright?” Noah asked, coming back to him and taking on a protective demeanor as he spoke to Kai.

“Yeah, I… I’m fine….” Kai answered, looking increasingly upset the more he tried to convince himself of the fact.

“It’s okay. I’ve got a clean shirt you can borrow upstairs. Come on,” Noah coaxed gently, barely registering that he’d taken hold of Kai’s hand, lacing fingers with his to keep anyone else from bumping into him as Noah led Kai back through the house to the front hallway staircase.

Kai followed, sticking close as he hoped nobody noticed the very obvious wet, dark stain down the front of his t-shirt.

The floor that contained most of the bedrooms in the house was less busy than the ground floor, but the landing area was still well-occupied with lines for the two bathrooms on that floor. Noah had left his backpack in Aspen’s room in the attic space, though, so he and Kai had to climb a second set of stairs to reach it.

As with the other bedrooms below, Aspen had designated his room off-limits to everyone except his housemates and brother, so when Noah and Kai got upstairs, the room was empty and a quiet, safe space away from the party for Kai to change.

While Noah went digging through his backpack for his shirt, Kai perched carefully on the end of the bed, looking around the attic space as he waited, noticing that Aspen had a drum kit and a few guitars set up.

“Your brother does music, too?” he asked Noah, pointing toward the collection of instruments. “Is that his major?”

“No, he’s doing Geophysics, but he plays,” Noah replied with a nod and smile as he tugged the clean shirt out of his bag. “He taught me, actually.”

“He did?”

“Yeah. Do you wanna hear me play something?” Noah asked, handing Kai his shirt.

“Okay,” Kai nodded, his expression brightening up.

Noah crossed the room to the drum kit, sat down, and relaxed, getting comfortable before playing the opening part of Limits by Bad Omens.

Kai completely forgot about his wet t-shirt in the few moments while he watched Noah play, quietly impressed by Noah’s time-keeping and technical proficiency with the drums despite not being familiar with the song he played.

The performance ended quicker than he expected, Kai hoping he might hear the whole song, but it seemed that Noah just wanted to give a brief sample for now. That was fine, though, since they were in music class together, and with the project they were working on, there would be plenty more opportunities to hear him play.

“You’re really good,” Kai praised when Noah finished, a soft smile on his lips.

“Thanks,” Noah replied bashfully, shoving his hands in the pockets of his jeans to avoid fidgeting too noticeably.

That comfortable silence slipped in again for a moment before Kai remembered he was still wearing a wet shirt and had the dry, clean one clutched in his hands like a security blanket.

“Oh! Yeah, I was supposed to….” He laughed, holding up the clean shirt, blushing, and looking at the floor before electing to try to make a joke. “Got a bit distracted, I guess?”

“Nah, it’s cool. I can be kinda distracting,” Noah shot back with a smirk, feeling his own cheeks warm up. “Uh, should I turn around and give you some privacy or…?”

“Um, I’m… fine either way.”

“Alright then.”

Noah politely averted his gaze a little, regardless, if only to try to get the goofy smirk that had broken out on his face under control before Kai noticed it, not wanting to make things awkward between them by being weird.

While Noah waited for Kai to change his shirt, he wondered again about earlier when Kai had said he wasn’t interested in Starla. Since there was nobody around, he figured that now was the perfect time to broach the subject as he thought perhaps Kai already had a girlfriend, or at least someone he had his eye on but hadn’t approached yet.

“So, um, you can tell me if this is none of my business, but before, when you said Star’s not your type? You got a girlfriend already or something?”

“No.”

“So then, what kind of girl is your type?”

“Uh…”

Kai went quiet suddenly, fidgeting under the question as he hesitated to answer, which only made Noah all the more curious.

“Actually, girls aren’t my type in general,” Kai admitted quietly with a slightly nervous laugh.

“Oh,” Noah replied, a slight pinch of guilt at feeling like he’d put Kai on the spot. “So… guys, then?”

“Mhm.”

“Cool.”

Noah let the quiet fall between them again as they left Aspen’s room, stopping off on the floor below to throw Kai’s t-shirt into the washing machine as the laundry was in a recess beneath the staircase up to the attic.

As they rejoined the party, Kai and Noah returned to the deck, thankfully avoiding any additional accidental spillages until they reached Aspen and the others.

Kai remained quiet a while longer, even after they had sat down with the others, acquired fresh drinks, and passed around at least one joint. Long enough that eventually, Noah noticed.

“Are you okay?” he quietly asked as he turned to Kai to check everything was alright.

“Yeah,” Kai answered with a single nod, his expression filled with cautious anxiety. “Can I ask you something?”

“Yeah, sure.”

“What I told you upstairs…. It’s not going to cause any problems between us, is it?” Kai asked, chewing the inside of his lip.

“No, of course not. Why would it?” Noah answered, puzzled and concerned about why Kai would think it would be.

Kai fidgeted and shrugged, trying to express himself despite his anxiousness.

“I dunno, but I guess it’s ‘cause I’ve had bad reactions from straight guys before, so….”

“Kai, I don’t have a problem with it, alright?” Noah reassured him, feeling enough of a twinge of sadness that Kai had received negative responses that Noah completely overlooked the part where he'd assumed he was straight.

“Promise?”

“I promise,” Noah echoed with a soft smile, glancing across the table in his brother’s direction before nudging Kai and gesturing toward Aspen, whose attention was very much occupied with Aria right then.

“See? Do you really think I’d have a problem with it when my brother is sitting there with his boyfriend in his lap and they're practically eating each other’s face right now?” he giggled.

Kai looked over at Aspen and Aria and burst out laughing, covering his mouth with his hand in a shy gesture.

“Fair point,” he acknowledged with a nod, relaxing again. “Wow, your brother and his boyfriend are….”

“Yeah, they’re really going at it, huh?” Noah agreed, cringing slightly, though it was purely an exaggerated gesture.

Kai giggled again, the pair sharing in the humour of the moment before Noah got an idea.

“Hey, watch this,” he murmured conspiratorially to Kai as he picked up an empty cigarette packet from the table, took aim, and threw it at his brother.

“Bro, get a room!” he called out teasingly as the cigarette packet bounced off his brother’s knee.

Aspen didn’t flinch or even break from making out with Aria, simply raising his middle finger in response, starting Kai and Noah off cackling with glee.

The party finally started to wind down around three in the morning, Noah and Kai talking on the back deck about their project for music class, discussing recording a drum track for the performance so that they could focus on the rest of the instrumentation they needed.

Aspen overheard the discussion, catching on that they had to complete a performance as part of their winter finals.

“Nuh-uh, if you’re doing a show, live drums are always better,” he interjected, taking a hit on the joint he’d been rolling while listening in.

“Yeah, but we don’t have anyone to play for us,” Noah pointed out, aware that he and Kai could always pull a White Stripes and just have drums and guitar, but the songs they had been working on sounded better with a fully rounded out set-up.

“You know, if you needed a drummer, all you had to do was ask,” Aspen replied casually, his expression faintly feigning offense that neither of them had done so already.

“You’d drum for us?” Kai asked, eyes lighting up hopefully as it meant they stood a chance to get a better grade for their performance.

“Yeah,” Aspen nodded. “My kits upstairs….”

“Yeah, we know. We were up there earlier,” Noah admitted sheepishly. “Someone dumped their drink on Kai, and he needed to change his shirt,” he added quickly, feeling the sudden need to clarify why they had been there.

“I thought I heard someone playing,” Aspen acknowledged sagely, though he already knew it had been Noah since he was one of the only people allowed up there.

“Yeah. Oh, and I tossed Kai’s shirt in your laundry, if that’s okay?”

“Of course.”

While Noah and Aspen conversed, Kai let out a small yawn, starting to feel the late hour as he glanced at his watch and noticed the time.

“Hey, it’s late. I should probably make a move,” he murmured sleepily, gesturing vaguely in the direction of the front of the house.

“Kai, don’t be silly. You’re more than welcome to stay over,” Aspen proclaimed, waving away the notion of Kai traveling back to his dormitory alone so late at night.

“Oh, I don’t want to be any trouble….”

“You’re no trouble to anyone, I promise,” Aspen assured with a gracious smile. “You and Noah can crash in my room. The bed’s kingsize, so there’s plenty of space, and besides, I sleep in Aria’s room now anyway, so someone might as well make use of it.”

Kai still looked hesitant, but if he was honest, the thought of skating home right now wasn’t all that appealing.

“I mean, if you’re sure…?”

“Shh, it’s fine,” Aspen nodded, making a slight shooing gesture with his hands.

Kai glanced at Noah, seeking his thoughts on the matter. Noah gave a half-shrug, half-nod in response, having never had a problem sharing a bed with a friend, and he wasn’t about to start having one now when he was staying over anyway and shared the same concern about Kai going home alone.

“Okay then, thanks,” Kai agreed, smiling gratefully as he stood up. “I guess I’m going to go crash out then. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight,” Noah and Aspen replied in unison, Aspen giving a small salute alongside it.

Noah was tired, too but elected to stay up just a little while longer as Aspen passed him the joint he’d rolled just a few minutes earlier.

After Kai disappeared upstairs, Aspen let silence fall for a bit between himself and his brother, though the smirk on his lips said he had something on his mind, and it took Noah a few minutes of that silence stretching out for him to notice and break the quiet finally.

“What?” he asked, squinting at the look on his older brother’s face.

“What?” Aspen echoed back. “I didn’t say anything.”

“You’ve got that look.”

“What look?”

“You know what look.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Yeah, okay…”

Noah fell quiet again, drawing in a lungful of smoke and holding it for several seconds before exhaling again, letting the hazy grey plume drift up into the night sky.

“So, what were you and Kai doing upstairs before, other than you messing around on my kit and letting him wear your shirt?”

“Just that,” Noah answered with a shrug. “And he told me something.”

“Told you what? That he’s gay?”

Noah froze, confused as to how Aspen could guess so easily.

“Wait, how’d you know?” he quizzed.

“We can spot our own,” Aspen replied nonchalantly before grinning. “Dude, he’s got a pride flag patch on his backpack and a sticker on his board. You telling me you didn’t notice either of them?”

“No. I didn’t really think about it,” Noah replied.

Aspen chuckled, sitting up and leaning closer to his brother, patting him on the back.

“Noah, I love you dearly, little bro, but sometimes you are as dense as a Neutron star, and I mean that endearingly,” he murmured, resting his head briefly on Noah’s shoulder, gazing up at him with a teasing grin before flopping over into his lap and making himself comfortable again now there was nobody else around taking up space on the wicker couch on the deck.

Noah made a slight, playful grumbling sound at being used as a pillow, but he rested his arm over Aspen to return the affection as they relaxed together.

“Hey, you remember that guy you had a thing with that summer before I came here?” Aspen suddenly inquired, casting his gaze up at his brother, eyebrows raised.

“Yeah?”

“What was his name again?”

“Liam?”

“Liam,” Aspen repeated, nodding slowly. “I remember you had it down bad for that guy….”

“Yeah, and?” Noah inquired, a little more suspicious now with such a specific conversation turn.

“I’m just saying, he was all doe-eyed and floppy-haired, and you were crushing on him so hard it was fucking adorable,” Aspen mused before quirking an eyebrow suggestively. “Remind you of anyone?”

“Shut up,” Noah retorted, a small scoff of a laugh leaving him as he gave Aspen a soft shove. “Kai and I are just friends, alright? Nothing more.”

“I know.”

“Then why bring it up?”

Aspen shrugged in response, feigning ignorance of his motives and playing innocent.

“Look, even if I did like him like that, which I don’t, it doesn’t matter anyway, ‘cause I’m with Ruby,” Noah explained, not letting his brother off the hook that easily.

“Maybe it doesn’t matter,” Aspen murmured, giving his brother puppy-dog eyes. “But no matter what circumstances you’re in or who you happen to be with, I’ll always have your back, alright? No questions asked.”

“Thanks,” Noah muttered with a sigh, finding the barest trace of a tired smile. “Love you, bro.”

“Love you too.”

As Noah finally made his way off to bed, he stopped briefly at the laundry to move Kai’s t-shirt to the dryer so it would be done by morning, then headed upstairs. Kai was already asleep by the time Noah crept up the stairs, catching sight of his t-shirt hanging over the back of the chair where Kai had left it.

As quietly as he could manage, Noah stripped off his own shirt and hoodie, and got into the empty side of the bed, mindful not to disturb the sleeping form on the other side.

Lying in the dark, Noah was alone with his thoughts as he waited to drift off, his mind going back to what Aspen had said before he came upstairs. Noah was reluctant to acknowledge it, but there might have been a little truth to his brother’s teasing.

Still restless, Noah turned over in bed, facing Kai’s back.

The room wasn’t completely pitch black, some moonlight spilling in through the skylights that lined one side of the pitched roof to act as windows into the attic space, one beam casting across the floor to the bed.

In the pale light, Noah noticed myriad freckles scattered over Kai’s back and shoulders like stars on a clear night in places where the sky wasn’t drowned out by light pollution.

Noah was overcome by the sudden desire to reach out and touch them, but he resisted despite the twinge of emotion it caused him. Sighing softly, Noah turned back over and tried to push the thought from his mind until sleep finally took him.

© 2025 BitemarksAfterDark

[bitemarksafterdark]

Heart of Glass - Chapter 10

Things had been calm for almost three weeks.

Since the night that Ruby had thrown the bottle of perfume at Noah, she had been like a different person. Almost like how things were when she and Noah had first gotten together.

Noah had started to believe that maybe that night had scared her as much as it had him, that it really was just an accident and a one-off that would never happen again.

Maybe it meant things would finally get better.

And yet, still, he’d been walking on eggshells the whole time.

The incident had shaken Noah more than he wanted to admit, even to himself, and he’d made himself busy with schoolwork as a distraction. However, he couldn’t deny that he had spent more time socializing outside of school hours as much as he could get away with just to avoid going home.

Even on days when he had hardly anything on his schedule, Noah made arrangements to go to Kai’s to work on their project, hang out at his brother’s place, or he’d just go somewhere on his own.

The quiet should have been comforting, but Noah couldn’t figure out why it was anything but.

Coming home in the evening, Noah stiffened on reflex when he entered the apartment and realized Ruby was home, though he covered the tension well as he dropped his backpack and skateboard by the door and took off his hoodie, acting like he hadn’t noticed.

“Hey, Babe,” Ruby greeted casually from over the back of the couch, casting Noah a glance but making no move to get up.

“Hey,” Noah replied, flopping down onto the other end, keeping the middle seat empty between them, though Ruby decided to take that exact moment to move up and occupy it, cuddling up to him.

“I’ve been thinking,” she murmured, leaning against Noah and getting comfortable. “Since neither of us has any classes tomorrow, we could spend the day together.”

“Can’t. I’ve already got plans tomorrow with Aspen.”

“Babe, I feel like you never want to spend time with me anymore,” she huffed, pouting as she sat up again, her brow creasing in a petulant scowl. “It’s like you’re always at your brother’s place smoking and drinking.”

Noah didn’t have the energy to argue, even if Ruby had yet to blow up at him.

He let out a faintly growled sigh and ran his hands over his face before turning to her.

“Actually, for your information, tomorrow I need to go downtown to find a music shop so I can buy new strings and some other stuff I need for class, and since I still don’t know my way around, but Aspen does, he offered to give me a ride and show me where everything is, alright?”

Noah didn’t quite snap at her, but his words were undercut by a hint of tired frustration nonetheless, to which Ruby only pouted harder.

“No need to get grumpy with me, Babe,” she muttered before her expression shifted suddenly. “How about I tag along with you, hm? We can make an afternoon of it?”

“No, Ruby.”

“Is this because your brother doesn’t like me?”

“I didn’t say that….”

“He hates me, doesn’t he? I bet he blames me for you getting hurt, even though it was an accident.”

Noah bit his tongue for a split second, avoiding confirming that Aspen did indeed blame her and had a growing distaste for her as a person with every unkind word Ruby spoke in Noah’s direction.

“Look, he guessed that we got into a fight, but I only told him the truth so he’d know it was an accident, alright? I was protecting you,” he lied, making out that he had smoothed things over with Aspen for Ruby’s benefit.

“Are you sure?” Ruby asked with a wide-eyed, innocent-but-sad expression like a child that had gotten scolded.

“Yes.”

“Then why can’t I come with you tomorrow?”

“Because I’m not the only one he’s giving a ride to, Ruby. The car’s already full.”

“Okay…”

Ruby let the matter drop, shifting to snuggle back up to Noah, nuzzling at the side of his jaw until he nuzzled her back, Noah sighing and starting to relax.

“I only ask because it feels like I hardly see you anymore, and I worry it’s because you’re still holding it against me,” she murmured sweetly, gazing up at him.

“Ruby… I’m not holding anything against you, I swear. I love you,” Noah assured her, stroking her arm in a pacifying manner. “I’ve just been so busy with stuff for class, and with us not being on the same schedule anymore and having different friends, it’s just been hard to fit everything in, you know?”

“But I miss you.”

“I miss you too, and I’m sorry I’ve been so busy that you feel like I’m neglecting you. I’ll try to figure something out soon, okay?” Noah replied, acknowledging he could have done better to make time for her if he’d really tried.

“Okay, I guess?” Ruby muttered, still pouting.

If Ruby was trying to make him feel guilty, it was working, whether Noah realized it was deliberate or not, and it made him eager to appease the feeling that scraped at his nerves like broken glass and razor blades by any means he could.

“I’m not going anywhere tonight?” he offered, pulling Ruby closer and pressing soft kisses along her shoulder to her neck, hoping it would be good enough. “We could stay here, just me and you, and I’ll make it up to you?”

Ruby tilted her head to bare her throat to him, softly humming as Noah took the initiative and kissed her neck with increasing enthusiasm. Within moments, Ruby turned to kiss Noah, her lips parting invitingly as she slid her hands around his neck and pulled him down on top of her.

Things quickly escalated as hands groped and felt their way around each other’s bodies, Noah moaning against Ruby’s skin as he kissed her throat again, rolling his hips against her as he sought more friction.

Ruby’s hands slid underneath Noah’s t-shirt, tugging at the fabric impatiently. She had worked it up his body so far that Noah had little option but to quickly shrug it off over his head before heatedly returning his attention to his girlfriend, driven on by his growing arousal.

A buzzing sound suddenly emanated from the coffee table, interrupting the moment as Ruby pulled away.

“Ignore it…” Noah murmured, trying to draw Ruby’s attention back away from the distraction.

“Noah, I need to get this,” she replied, pushing him off her enough to reach for the phone and read the message she’d received.

“Shit, I have to go….”

“What? Why?” Noah quizzed as he sat back on his heels, flustered.

“I made plans already.”

“But I thought we were going to spend some time together? Just cancel.”

“I can’t.”

“Babe, please?”

“I can’t cancel because I thought you would have plans, and I didn’t want to be here all alone,” Ruby replied, getting up off the couch and straightening out where her clothes had gotten a little rumpled.

“But you’re not alone. I’m here….”

“No means no, Noah!”

The complete one-eighty in those few short seconds threw Noah for a loop, leaving him confused and unsure how to feel since he’d gotten all worked up, only for Ruby to reject him the moment she got a text from whichever one of her friends had messaged her.

Still, he knew better than to press the issue, wanting to avoid anything that could trigger another fight, so he let it drop.

“What time will you be home?” he asked instead, hoping they could pick things up later if Ruby were only going to be out for a couple of hours.

“I don’t know yet,” Ruby replied, gathering up her purse and checking what makeup she had in it. “Probably best not to wait up for me, to be honest.”

Noah’s face fell, hurt and bewildered.

He didn’t say anything else as Ruby hurried off to the bedroom to change her clothes and style her hair before leaving him alone in the apartment with nothing but the tv still on in the background to break the silence.

It didn’t take long for the confusion to subside and be replaced by the sinking feeling that Ruby had set him up.

She had deliberately allowed Noah to believe they would stay home together and then let him get all worked up like that when all the while, Ruby had been entirely aware that she had made plans that didn’t involve him, just to fuck with his head.

The realization deeply upset Noah. Turning off the tv, he sat in silence for a while and cried, kicking himself for having fallen for it.

He felt like such a fool.

How could he not have realized that Ruby was just playing another one of her cruel mind games to keep stringing him along when that was all she’d done to him in weeks? Longer than that, even, if Noah was truly honest with himself about how long his relationship had been a wildly unbalanced power dynamic in Ruby’s favor.

Noah was so distraught that he considered just going to bed and trying to sleep away the feeling, but his phone chirped in his pocket as he got a text message.

Something inside him hoped for a brief flicker of a moment that it was Ruby telling him she was coming home.

Instead, he found that it was Aspen who had messaged him, informing his younger brother that he was throwing another impromptu party since nobody had any classes the following day with the campus being closed.

Noah considered ignoring it for a second but hit call instead, wanting to at least speak to Aspen rather than leaving him on read.

“Hey, bro, are you coming over?” Aspen inquired cheerfully when he answered the call.

“Uh, I dunno… Kinda not in the mood, to be honest.”

“Don’t tell me you had another bust-up with Ruby,” Aspen sighed, his tone immediately changing when he heard the despondency in his brother’s voice.

“No. No, nothing like that. Just… I don’t know. I feel kinda weird right now. I might just go to bed.”

“Weird, how? Noah, what happened?”

“I don’t know. We were on the couch, and I was kissing her because I thought we were staying in and spending time together, and things were getting a little…. You know? But then she got a text from someone and said she was going out ‘cause she had plans with her friends.”

“So let me get this straight, she led you on to make you think you were going to spend time together, and then she blue-balled you for whoever texted her?”

“Pretty much?”

“Dude, she’s fucking with you again,” Aspen huffed a frustrated sigh out, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration. “And if I were you, I’d be asking serious questions about who the fuck is texting her so that she immediately ditches you for them.”

“She just said it was her friends.”

“Okay, okay,” Aspen replied, dropping the matter. “But if she’s out with her friends, then that’s all the more reason you should be out with yours, right?”

“I don’t know. I don’t want to risk coming home and having another fight.”

“Then crash here for the night. We’ve got plans tomorrow anyway, so you might as well come to the party, sleep over, and you don’t have to worry about getting another bottle thrown at you because you won’t have to deal with her at all. Hell, you should invite Kai too if that helps convince you that coming over is a good idea?”

Until Aspen mentioned Kai, Noah remained in two minds about going.

Still, he decided that Aspen was right and that staying home alone and getting up in his head wouldn’t do Noah any favors in the long run, especially if Ruby came home drunk enough for a repeat playthrough of the last time.

“Alright, you’re right. I’ll come,” Noah confirmed with a nod despite Aspen not being able to see him do so. “I’ll message Kai on the way over and see if he’s up for it too.”

“Okay, cool,” Aspen acknowledged, glad to hear Noah agree that it was probably a good idea not to run the risk of being there when Ruby came home from wherever she had gone with whomever. “I’ll see you when you get here.”

“Yeah. See you soon.”

Noah hung up the phone and picked himself up off the couch, walking into the bedroom to fetch some clean clothes for the following day before shoving them in his backpack and grabbing his skateboard.

He paused right before the door, though, as the thought struck him to try to give Ruby one less reason to be pissed at him, at least when she came home and realized he’d gone out again.

Taking a page out of one of his notebooks, Noah quickly wrote a note to say he’d gone to Aspen’s for the night, explaining that, as he and Aspen had plans the next day anyway, staying over would mean Noah wouldn’t disturb Ruby in the morning if she came home late. However, he omitted any mention of the party as he left the note on the counter where Ruby would see it when she got home.

He then shot Kai a quick message inviting him to the party, picked up his bag and skateboard, and headed out for the night.

© 2025 BitemarksAfterDark

[bitemarksafterdark]

Heart of Glass - Chapter 9

Noah hadn’t left the apartment all weekend, lying low to avoid being seen.

Ruby had been quiet but overly attentive, things almost feeling like how they used to be between them if it weren’t for the fact that Noah’s face still hurt, and every mirror in the apartment reminded him why whenever he caught his reflection in one.

Still, Monday rolled around, and he had to choose between missing classes and coming out of hiding.

Given that he’d only just started his new classes, cutting them to stay out of sight wasn’t really an option, and Noah didn’t want to stay cooped up in the apartment with Ruby any longer, constantly feeling like he was on the verge of a panic attack just by being around her.

That panic attack feeling didn’t subside even when he went to class, showing up early enough to be one of the first into the room so he could sit at the back and hopefully minimize drawing any attention to himself.

His fingertips drummed on the cover of the binder in his lap as Noah tried a few breathing exercises his therapist had taught him to try to stave off having a complete meltdown in class. He was too preoccupied even to notice when Kai arrived, searching him out among the people already there, as Noah wasn’t sitting where they had both been the last time.

Kai smiled as he approached the back of the class, pausing suddenly when he noticed that Noah seemed agitated.

More puzzling still was the very noticeable black eye and wounds across Noah's face, Kai wondering what had happened over the weekend.

“Hey,” he greeted quietly, waving his hand and ducking his head to catch Noah’s line of sight before sitting beside him, cautious concern in Kai’s expression. “Noah, are you okay?”

Noah startled, sucking in a sharp breath as he focused, realized it was Kai addressing him, and sat up straighter in his seat.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” he lied, nodding stiffly and forcing a smile.

“What happened to your face?” Kai inquired, still studying the whole picture of Noah’s demeanor for clues.

“Oh, uh… Walked into a door.”

“Okay?”

The bruising looked too dark and too close to the inner corner of Noah’s eye to have been caused by just walking into a door, but Kai could be wrong.

Still, he had heard that excuse before. Hell, he’d even used it himself a few times, but Kai didn’t know Noah well enough to feel like it was his place to call it into question. Especially when Noah already seemed more than a little on edge.

Kai didn’t press the matter any further for the time being and quietly sat with Noah, letting him decide how much he wanted to talk, but Noah mostly stayed silent as the session began.

All through class, Kai sporadically glanced over to his friend to check on him, feeling anxious at not being able to do much more than that without any prompting from Noah. However, if whatever had happened had upset Noah this much, Kai wouldn’t leave him to deal with it all alone.

Right before the end of the session, their instructor announced an assignment that the class was to work on in groups over the next two months, culminating in a performance element as part of their final exam for the semester in December.

Immediately, some of the clusters of students seemed to group together purely because they were already friends, which soon meant options were thin.

Kai didn’t seem bothered, however, turning to Noah to ask if he wanted to work on the project with him instead, as there were no rules to the assignment saying that the group couldn’t be just two people.

“Hm?” Noah replied, evidently too distracted to have been paying attention.

“The project for finals. We have to work as a group to compose an original piece and then perform that, along with a cover song, for our exam. Do you want to want to be my partner?”

“Oh. Yeah, sure.”

“Okay, cool,” Kai nodded, starting to gather his stuff, but he stopped again, still fighting the feeling that something was wrong.

“Are you sure you’re alright?” he added, giving Noah another opportunity to answer. “You can tell me to mind my own business if you want?”

Noah didn’t answer, but the look on his face said he wasn’t. His silence said he didn’t want to talk about it, though, as he moved slowly, picking up his backpack and getting up from his seat.

Kai followed suit, giving Noah enough space not to feel like he was invading it and plenty of opportunity to tell him to go away if that was what he wanted.

Instead, as they left the music studio, Noah suddenly stopped, leaning back against the nearest wall as he heaved a tired sigh and finally spoke.

“Hey, do you wanna hang out for a bit?” he asked, trying to extend an invitation to Kai that hopefully told him that Noah didn’t actually want to be alone right now. “Like, now?”

Kai’s expression brightened at the request, a small, crooked smile tugging at the corner of his mouth as he nodded.

“Sure,” he answered. “Where’d you want to hang out?”

“I don’t know. Anywhere, really?”

Before Kai could respond, Noah’s phone buzzed in his pocket, still on silent as it rang. Taking it out to check who was calling, Noah was relieved to see that it was his brother, not Ruby.

“Hang on a sec,” he muttered to Kai before picking up and speaking to Aspen to find out why he was ringing him.

As luck would have it, Aspen was calling to see if Noah wanted to come over to the house for a barbeque, as the weather was nice and everyone else either had no classes at all or the few they did have were already finished for the day.

“Actually, yeah,” Noah replied, a look of relief breaking out on his face. “Can I bring a friend?”

“Yeah, bro. The more, the merrier,” Aspen confirmed down the phone. “See you soon.”

Noah hung up and turned back to Kai, who wore an expression of mild puzzlement as he waited for the call to end.

“How does a barbeque at my brother’s place sound?” Noah asked, looking considerably less worn down than he had earlier.

“Free food?” Kai asked coyly, a slight teasing to his tone.

“Free food and some of the best weed on campus,” Noah replied, hoping that would sweeten the deal since he knew Aspen always kept his stash well stocked.

Kai pretended to consider it for a moment before he let out a soft giggle.

“Sounds like an offer I can’t refuse,” he answered with a smirk. “Yeah, I’m down.”

“Cool. It’s about ten minutes from here if that’s okay?”

“Yeah, that’s fine. I brought my board anyway,” Kai replied, holding up the aforementioned skateboard since he rarely went anywhere without it.

“Call it more like five minutes then,” Noah replied, clutching his own board under his arm.

It barely even took the full five minutes to skate over to Aspen’s house, the music school closer to it than Noah’s apartment, and when they got there, Noah found a note taped to the front door telling them to go around the back.

Following the instructions, Noah led Kai down the side of the house to the rear, the scent of smoke from the barbeque already apparent by the time they emerged into the backyard. Noah climbed the stairs to the deck, beckoning Kai to follow him, knocking lightly on the railing paneling as they reached the top to announce their arrival, even though the pair had been seen already.

Noah exchanged greetings with the rest of his friends before their attention turned to the boy with the floppy brown hair that accompanied him, shyly hanging back behind his friend as he politely waited to be introduced to the rest.

“Everyone, this is Kai. He’s in my music class,” Noah explained, gesturing toward him with a smile as he coaxed him forward to meet the others.

“Oh, and film studies, so, uh, Micah, you already kinda know,” he added, intending to name everyone individually, so Kai knew them.

Kai gave a little wave and smile as Micah nodded in greeting, recognizing Kai and moving up on the bench to make room for him to sit.

“Then you’ve got Elodie and Jade, and this is Aria and… Where’s Aspen?” Noah asked, realizing his brother wasn’t out on the deck.

“Here,” Aspen replied from behind the two of them, dressed only in a pair of ripped jeans and a novelty cooking apron with a pair of large, cartoonish anime-girl breasts printed onto the fabric panel above the front pocket, carrying a pack of burgers and steaks in one hand and a bottle of beer in the other.

Stepping out onto the deck, he greeted them with a broad smile that faltered the moment Noah turned, and Aspen saw that his brother was sporting a black eye.

Recovering quickly, Aspen’s kilowatt smile returned as he elected not to draw any more attention to Noah’s appearance than everyone else had probably already noted. Later, at a more opportune moment, he would ask Noah about it, but for now, Aspen would spare him from explaining in front of an audience since it was neither the time nor place.

Noah saw the brief shift in Aspen’s expression, his own stiffening in response, so he was silently relieved when Aspen didn’t say anything. Still, he knew that his brother would question him at some point, and Noah wasn’t looking forward to the conversation. Until then, he could put it to the back of his mind in the interim, for appearance’s sake, especially as he didn’t want to make Kai uncomfortable by having to witness any of that.

“Aspen, this is Kai. Kai, this is my brother, Aspen,” Noah stated, diverting attention from himself as Aspen passed the package of meat over to Jade to set it on the table beside the grill.

“Kai, hello. Very nice to meet you,” Aspen greeted with a warm grin and a slight nod. “Any friend of Noah’s is a friend of mine and welcome in this house any time.”

“Thanks,” Kai replied, looking slightly nervous in the presence of Aspen’s more outgoing personality as he tucked an errant strand of hair behind his ear and then jammed his hands into his pockets. “Nice to meet you too.”

“Please, sit down, make yourself at home,” Aspen encouraged, picking up on Kai’s shy disposition, finding it quite endearing. “Kai, you eat meat, right? I’m kinda low on vegetarian options at the moment, so if you don’t, I apologize.”

“Yeah, I eat meat,” Kai replied with a nod and another small giggle, his teeth setting into his bottom lip as he smiled.

“Good man.”

As Kai and Noah sat down, Jade pulled a couple of bottles from the cooler behind her, opened them, and passed them over.

Seeing Aspen and the others accept Kai without any hesitation was a comfort to Noah, glad that his suggestion for the two of them to spend the afternoon there had paid off so well. It especially pleased him that it meant that he would have more excuses to hang out with him outside of school than just working on their project for finals together.

The afternoon passed in a haze of barbeque and weed smoke, the late September West Coast weather still pleasant and warm enough for the gathering to carry on well into the evening as it started growing dark.

Aspen decided he’d left it long enough that he could pull his brother aside without anyone immediately knowing the reason.

With all the meat cooked and mostly eaten, he started clearing up the area around the grill, so he had the perfect excuse to rope Noah into helping to cover their tracks.

“Does anyone else need a top-up on their drink?” he inquired, playing the ever-gracious host as he stood, making it known he was going back indoors for a few moments. “And can I borrow my baby brother for a moment? I need some assistance in the kitchen.”

Aspen made a note to bring out another case after Kai, Micah, and Aspen all indicated they were running low, while Elodie and Jade had planned ahead and snuck a couple of bottles of wine into the cooler along with the beers.

Noah knew the intent of his brother’s request, having anticipated that Aspen would get to it sooner or later as the get-together was starting to wind down. Of course, he made sure to be properly out of earshot before his cheerful demeanor shifted to something more serious, Aspen hating that he could predict the answer to the question he was steeling himself to ask of his younger brother.

“Are you going to tell me who did that to you?” he inquired gently.

Noah didn’t answer, his silence confirming what Aspen already knew.

Aspen closed his eyes and huffed frustratedly, pushing down a flash of anger and indignation.

“What happened?” he asked, once he’d recomposed himself, knowing it would do Noah no favors for him to lose his temper.

“We got into a fight….”

“Yeah, I can see that, Noah, but what did she do to you?”

Noah hesitated to respond, swallowing the lump in his throat that formed as his emotions swelled.

“She threw a perfume bottle....”

“Jesus Christ....” Aspen groaned, horrified by the answer he gave.

“It was an accident.”

“No, Noah. It wasn't. You know that, right?”

“It was my fault. She was drunk and found out I changed classes, and-.”

“Noah, stop,” Aspen interrupted, moving to face Noah, resting his hands on his brother’s shoulders. “It is not your fault. Don’t make excuses for her. I don’t care if Ruby was drunk or upset or anything like that because throwing a perfume bottle at someone you’re supposed to be in love with is not an accidental act, do you hear me? You don't need to protect her. Not in my house.”

He didn’t know how to get through to his brother any more clearly, but gods did Aspen know that he had to try and keep trying until Noah got out of the shitty situation he was in with that awful excuse of a woman who dared call herself his girlfriend.

“Look at what she did to you. She could have blinded you, Noah. That’s not okay. It is never okay, whether you love them or not.”

Neither of them knew that after Aspen had established the pretense of Noah helping him in the kitchen, Kai had also left the table to use the bathroom. As he returned from there, he passed close to the open kitchen door, pausing when he overheard Aspen discussing Noah’s facial injury.

Kai didn’t mean to eavesdrop on the conversation.

Still, the evident concern in Aspen’s tone and his statements trying to make Noah see that his getting hurt wasn’t right only confirmed Kai’s earlier suspicion that someone had deliberately injured Noah. That Aspen mentioned being in love with that person also provided Kai with the information that the person responsible was Noah’s girlfriend.

Kai remained quiet about what he’d overheard, debating whether he should even bother to bring it up as Kai still didn’t think he knew Noah well enough for his opinion to matter. However, after they left Aspen’s to skate home, he thought to let Noah know he could talk to him if he ever needed to.

“You know, I used to tell people I walked into a door, too,” Kai stated quietly, revealing he had some personal experience making excuses for getting hurt.

“What?” Noah replied, looking confused for a moment before remembering he'd used that excuse with Kai earlier in class. “Oh…”

“It’s okay. Just wanted you to know that if you ever need someone to talk to about stuff, I’ll listen, no judgment.”

Noah was quiet for a moment, almost arguing that Kai had gotten the wrong idea, but in all honesty, he was too tired to lie, and if Kai would be hanging around with him at Aspen’s more frequently, he’d probably hear about Ruby sooner or later anyway.

“Okay,” he replied instead, acknowledging the offer. “Thanks.”

They let the silence hang between them for the rest of the skate back to Kai’s dormitory. Noah wanted to say more, but he was too emotionally fried to as he said goodnight to Kai.

He hesitated outside for a long moment after Kai disappeared out of sight, thinking about what Kai had said about him having used that excuse too, and it got him wondering who had been the reason for Kai to do so.

Noah found himself feeling upset by that, hating the thought that anyone had hurt Kai, as he set off back toward his apartment, hoping that Ruby had gone out again.

© 2025 BitemarksAfterDark

[bitemarksafterdark]

Heart of Glass - Chapter 7

Noah was surprised that it didn’t take as long as he anticipated to find out whether his request to change classes had been successful. Still, the nearly two weeks’ worth of work he put into getting everything done paid off as he got accepted into both the music program and the film studies course.

It had been a nail-biting wait regardless, though, even after he’d gotten all his paperwork and transcripts in order.

Passing his prescreening audition had been a breeze, though getting into the music program had been his biggest concern due to it being almost as competitive as the arts program. His luck was in, however, when a spot opened up after another student transferred to Julliard, Noah finding the irony that the person was heading to New York while he had just recently come from there.

Noah had taken Christine’s advice about submitting any existing pieces he had as his creative writing sample.

He used an excerpt from a story he had written earlier in the year and cleaned it up a little so that it was up to the required submission standard.

As for Ruby, Noah had managed to keep the move under wraps by still showing up to his Business and Economics classes with her but utilizing the time to draft his essays so that, to Ruby’s passing gaze, he looked as though he was taking notes as he should have been.

Typing everything up and submitting it had been as straightforward as just waiting until Ruby wasn’t around to see it.

Ruby only noticed that Noah had been quieter during that timeframe, but it still irked her that he continued to avoid being around her friends as much as he could physically get away with doing so.

However, as Noah had not gone out at night at any time in those two weeks, nor had he appeared to have gotten drunk or high again, she assumed that he was either sulking still or making an effort to earn her trust again after she had told him she needed some time and space to herself.

How Noah had managed to pull all of this off without her discovering it, he didn’t know, but he counted himself extraordinarily lucky to have done so.

On the first day of his new schedule, Noah was pleased to find that he only had two sessions to attend that day. They were both in the afternoon, with about an hour’s break between them. That gave him a relaxed morning to prepare and enough time to pop back home after film studies to pick up his guitar for music later without needing to carry it around all afternoon.

On his way to film studies, he spotted a familiar figure coming across the courtyard outside the building.

“Micah!” Noah called out, quickening his step to catch up, though Micah stopped anyway when he saw who had shouted his name.

“Noah, what’s up?” he replied brightly, looking slightly puzzled to see him there. “I’m heading into class, so I gotta make it quick, whatever it is?”

“So am I.”

“I thought you said you were doing Business?”

“I was, but it turns out it’s kinda boring, and I remembered I hate math, so I changed all my classes.”

Micah's eyebrows raised in surprise, though he seemed a little impressed that Noah would make such a ballsy move in a ridiculously tight amount of turnaround time.

“All your classes? Well, shit, it must have been really boring. How’d your girlfriend take it? Is she changing too, or sticking with the pencil-pushing stuff?”

“Uh, yeah, she doesn’t know yet, actually.”

Micah made a low whistling sound before breaking into a grin, looking amused.

“You changed all your classes without telling your girlfriend? Fuck, dude, you’re a braver man than I am, that’s for damn sure. Think she’ll be cool with it?”

“Wanted to make sure I got in first,” Noah explained with a shrug, aware that Micah had potentially witnessed Ruby giving him shit at the party at Aspen’s place. “Knowing her, probably not, but I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it.”

“Good luck with that. If she’s got a problem with it, though, fuck it. What can she do?”

“Nothing. At least, not for another year, anyway.”

“Well, may whatever cosmic entities that are paying attention smile in your favor, my friend,” Micah encouraged, genuinely wishing Noah the best of luck in telling Ruby what he’d done since Micah had indeed seen the furious look in Ruby’s eyes at the party. However, he didn’t know the extent of what she had said to Noah after that point.

“Thanks, I’m probably going to need it,” Noah replied, heaving a faint sigh of apprehension as they entered the building and followed the hallway down to where they needed to be.

Noah noticed that the auditorium for this class was much smaller than the ones he had been in previously, meaning there were fewer people in the room overall, and the seating was in a curved layout that made the room feel all the smaller.

That settled some of Noah’s nervousness about being new, as did Micah introducing him to a couple of other students he’d had already met at the beginning of the semester.

Second, the room’s atmosphere felt much more relaxed and far less formal; the room dimmed slightly instead of the harsh glare of overhead track lighting that always felt jarringly too bright to Noah.

As the class filled up and everyone took their seats, one of the students who walked in caught Noah’s eye as he was wearing a t-shirt for a band Noah liked and was also carrying a skateboard.

The boy crossed to the opposite side of the room, taking an empty seat at the other end of the same row Noah and Micah were sitting on.

Noah noted that he didn’t greet anyone as he sat down, thinking that to be a little odd if the boy had been in the class since the start of the semester, but he considered the possibility that the other might also be a transfer, or maybe just the shy, introverted type. Before he could ask Micah, though, the class started.

“Alright, everyone, today we will be discussing intent when conveying a message within the story being told, the audience’s interpretation of the piece of media in question, and whether or not the audience accurately understood that message,” the instructor informed the class. “Who can give me an example of a movie where some people have missed the point the narrative is trying to convey?”

Several hands went up around the room at once, with the instructor pointing to each person individually for their answer.

Of course, there were some obvious responses, including Fight Club and American Psycho being a commentary on capitalism, the marketing of toxic masculinity, and its contribution to misogyny, violence, and radicalized ideologies among specific demographics.

A girl named Starla brought up (500) Days of Summer, citing that although it appears to be your run-of-the-mill romantic comedy, it’s actually about the male main character’s fixation on a girl who is not interested in him and onto whom he projects his fantasies.

“A fine example there, and not one many pick up on,” the instructor agreed before turning her attention to Micah to hear his response.

“Starship Troopers,” Micah answered confidently with a smirk, raising a small ripple of laughter from a few people before the instructor quietened them down again to allow him to proceed with explaining his choice.

“It’s a commentary on the military-industrial complex and how they dress up imperialist fascism as patriotism to sell it to the masses.”

“Excellent, Micah. I’m pleased to see a fellow Verhoeven fan in my class. And how about your friend here?” the instructor queried, noticing she had a new face in her class, though Noah hadn’t raised his hand yet as he’d still been thinking of a good answer to give.

“Uh…” Noah stalled, feeling put on the spot for a moment before one came to him. “Natural Born Killers? It’s a satirical critique of the tabloid media’s exploitation of violence and tragedy for views and gives killers celebrity status for their crimes. Most people think the movie does that by being violent for violence’s sake, thereby becoming the thing it is critiquing, which is a critique in itself.”

Noah held his breath.

“It is indeed,” the instructor nodded, seemingly impressed. “…Noah, right?”

“Yes.”

“Welcome to my class, Noah. I have a feeling you’re going to fit right in if you keep giving me answers like that.”

Noah breathed a sigh of relief as the instructor moved on from him.

“Would anyone else like to provide an example?”

The boy at the other end of the row tentatively raised his hand.

“Yes?”

“Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.”

That answer immediately had Noah’s attention, as it was one of his favorite movies, and he wondered what the boy thought the audience had misinterpreted.

“Interesting choice. Care to elaborate?” the instructor asked, also intrigued.

The boy fidgeted slightly before answering, giving Noah a clue that he was of a shy disposition.

“Well, on the surface, most people see it as if two people are meant to be together, that they will find their way back to each other, no matter what. The ending is deliberately ambiguous, though,” the boy stated, fingers nervously picking at the corner of a page of his notebook. “Neither Joel nor Clementine were happy, and that’s why they broke up. Them both erasing their memories of what caused their relationship to fail arguably dooms them when they meet again to make the same mistakes as before because editing out the parts that hurt locks them into repeating the cycle that caused them that pain in the first place.”

“That is a very good point, Kai,” the instructor acknowledged, having not had anyone give her that as an answer previously. “Well done.”

Noah blinked, stunned, and not just because he had not considered the implication that the alternate interpretation of the ambiguousness of the ending held such a possibility.

It had also struck a chord with him on a more personal level, as Noah related it to his present circumstances with Ruby. Especially with Noah having convinced himself some time ago that if they could start over, it would be like the beginning of their relationship again, but that had yet to happen.

Noah was still pondering it even after the class finished, and he’d gone home to collect his guitar for his last class of the afternoon.

Thankfully, Ruby wasn’t home, but as Noah knew her schedule due to it having been his too before he transferred classes, he was painfully aware that she would have noticed by now that he was a no-show, and that meant Noah would have to face explaining why sooner rather than later.

He was already a little on edge at the realization he didn’t know anyone taking music, so he didn’t have Micah or any of his other friends to act as a social buffer for him. Knowing he’d probably be coming home to confrontation only fuelled that anxiety as Noah reached the music department and found his next class in one of the studios.

Setting foot inside, he looked for an available seat, as Noah had been one of the last to arrive after he’d gotten a little turned around looking for the correct room number.

Noah felt a small stab of panic until he spotted an empty seat, making a beeline for it before he registered the person sitting next to him, only realizing it was the boy from film studies when he got within a couple of paces and looked up.

“Oh, uh, is… is anyone sitting here?” Noah asked, shouldering the strap on his guitar case awkwardly, unsure if the other recognized him.

Brown eyes stared up at him in brief surprise at suddenly being spoken to, a little startled before the boy shook his head, sending his jaw-length hair splaying out slightly with the momentum, and gestured that the seat was unoccupied.

“Thanks,” Noah muttered, sitting down and dropping his gear at his feet, careful not to leave it so that someone might trip over it.

There was a long and awkward pause while Noah tried to settle, but his anxiety was starting to get the better of him as he restlessly drummed his fingers on the table for a moment.

“Hey, um, this… might be a weird question but were you in film studies earlier?” he asked, trying to break the ice and dissipate some awkwardness. “Eternal Sunshine?”

“Oh! Yeah…” the boy replied as he suddenly recognized Noah in return. “You’re the new guy, right?”

“Noah.”

“Kai.”

“Nice to meet you,” Noah smiled, forcing himself to relax so he wouldn’t seem so self-conscious, though, from the way Kai had startled when spoken to, Noah figured he wasn’t the only one. “Cool shirt, by the way.”

“Thanks,” Kai replied, returning a smile, albeit shy. “I got it from a show back home in New York last year.”

“You’re from New York?”

“Uh-huh.”

“No way. Where?” Noah asked, his face lighting up at the coincidence.

“Upstate. Syracuse,” Kai answered, looking slightly confused by Noah's surprisingly enthusiastic reaction.

“My parents live in Manhattan.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. I just moved here at the end of the summer for school.”

“Yeah, same. Are you staying in dorms or off-campus?” Kai asked, having not seen Noah around the dormitory hall his room was in, but there were dozens of them around campus.

“Got an apartment off-campus,” Noah confirmed, neglecting to mention that he was living with his girlfriend as he got the impression that Kai was of the kind of disposition that was best being kept out of Ruby’s crosshairs if possible.

“Cool.”

There was a brief lull in the conversation as they momentarily ran out of things to say until Noah broke the silence again when he remembered that he’d seen Kai with a skateboard earlier.

“Hey, you skate, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Do you know any good places around here?”

“Yeah. There are a couple of malls close by with some okay spots, but if you’re looking for an actual skate park, the nearest one is about a forty-five-minute skate out toward the coast, and then you’ve got the whole stretch from Santa Monica to Venice Beach that’s pretty skate-friendly too.”

“Could you show me sometime? Still getting to know where everything is, so I have no idea where I’m going, and if I’m honest, I haven’t made too many friends yet, either. Aside from my brother’s housemates, mostly,” Noah admitted, figuring that since he and Kai seemed to have a few things in common, that might help matters on that front.

“Sure,” Kai nodded, smiling shyly again. “Yeah, me too. I don’t know if you’ve noticed yet, but I’m kinda not great at socializing. Mostly just keep to myself.”

“Well, then, I guess we can both be not great at socializing together,” Noah joked with a soft laugh, agreeing. “I have like one other friend who’s a freshman, and he’s in film studies with us too.”

“You mean Micah?”

“Yeah. You know him already?”

“Kinda? I mean, not really. We’ve spoken a couple of times in class, but that’s about it,” Kai replied, shrugging.

“Yeah, I’ve actually only met him a few times myself, but he’s cool and super easygoing, from what I can tell. His sister is also one of my brother’s housemates, so there’ll probably be plenty of chances to hang out and get to know people that way."

Noah, paused, realizing he'd started rambling on like he and Kai were suddenly agreeing to be friends, and he had to reel his excitement back in againt, not wanting to scare Kai off.

"I mean, if you want to? No pressure or anythin'....”

“Okay,” Kai nodded after the faintest flicker of cautious hesitation. “I’ve got some stuff to do over the next couple of days, but I can let you know when I’m available, if that’s cool?”

“Yeah, definitely,” Noah replied, nodding enthusiastically as he opened his notebook and wrote down his phone number before tearing the corner off the page and handing it over.

“Just in case you wanna hang out before then? You know, whatever?”

"Cool. Thanks."

© 2025 BitemarksAfterDark

[bitemarksafterdark]

Heart of Glass - Chapter 6

The first step to changing classes was for Noah to make an appointment to speak to his academic advisor and figure out what he needed to begin the process.

Waiting on a chair in the hallway outside of the office, a sense of apprehension had set deep in the pit of his stomach, the setup reminiscent of sitting outside the principal’s office when he was younger and had gotten into trouble for something.

However, he had to consciously remind himself that he wasn’t in trouble now. That he was doing something to hopefully steer himself clear of meeting any that Noah might face if he stayed on a course that wasn’t in his best interests, both academically and personally.

He still hadn’t informed Ruby of his intentions.

Noah decided that it was wiser to say nothing until he knew whether his request was successful so that he could minimize the number of opportunities for things between them to descend into a fight.

He knew, at the very least, that if he got all the necessary paperwork filled out and submitted, it would still be anywhere up to a few weeks after the deadline before he would hear back. Still, if Noah could hold out until then and fly under the radar without Ruby getting suspicious and his transfer was successful, she wouldn’t be able to try to talk him out of it as it would be set in stone at least until the following academic year.

“Noah Glass?”

Hearing his name shouldn’t have startled him. Still, Noah had gotten so wrapped up in worrying about Ruby finding out or being told no that he’d stopped paying attention for a moment, disappearing into his head until he was pulled back into the present with a faint jump.

Gathering up his things, Noah got up and entered the advisor’s office, evidently nervous from the awkward tension in his frame, though the woman inside the office greeted him with a friendly smile.

“Hello, Noah. I’m Christine. What can I do for you today?” she asked as she gestured for him to take a seat before moving to the other side of her desk to sit opposite him.

“I, uh… I want to change classes,” Noah answered, dropping his backpack between his feet as he sat down.

“Alright, and which classes do you want to change?”

“All of them?”

“I see,” Christine replied with a single, slow nod. “Okay, Noah, let me take a quick peek at your file and then see what we can do to make that happen, shall we?”

“Sounds good.”

Christine smiled again and turned to her computer, typing frenetically on the keyboard.

“Noah Flynn Glass, right?” she asked, double-checking she had the records for the correct Noah Glass pulled up. “Have you got an older brother who also goes here?”

“Yes. Aspen.”

“Bleached hair, got a couple of piercings, and a little bit of a scruffy beard? Geophysics major, if I remember correctly?”

“Yeah, that’s him.”

“Ah, yes. He’s quite the character, I must say.”

“Mhm.”

Before proceeding further, Christine paused to read Noah’s records and check which classes he was already registered for.

“Okay, so you’re currently on the preparation track for majoring in Business Economics, is that correct?” she asked, turning the monitor so that Noah could look at his records for himself and see if there was anything on the screen that was incorrect.

“Yeah, that’s right,” he confirmed after scooting his chair a little closer to get a better view.

“And are you looking to transfer to something in the same vein, or have you got something else in mind?”

“Something else. I decided that wasn’t really what I want to do. That’s not a problem, is it?” Noah asked, unsure that wanting to start entirely from scratch was even an option at this point.

“So you’ve had a rethink about potential career goals then, yes?” Christine inquired, though she seemed unsurprised that he wanted to make such a drastic change. “No problem at all. In fact, I think you’d be surprised how many students come here intending to follow one path, only to get a taste of it and realize it’s not for them, so you’re in good company, I assure you.”

“Really?” Noah replied, surprise and tentative relief morphing his features as he visibly relaxed at the revelation.

“Absolutely. It’s also common for students to take classes in several areas of interest for at least a year without declaring their major until they know what they want to pursue.”

“I can do that?”

“Yes, of course. Was that not something you were aware of?”

“No, honestly.”

“Let me guess; you’ve had someone pushing you to commit to a career path without properly explaining your options to you?”

“Something like that.”

“Okay. Well then, let’s look at what options you have available to you, shall we? What classes were you interested in taking instead of the ones for business and economics?”

“I’m not sure. Something creative, maybe?”

“Creative as in art?” Christine asked, taking note of Noah’s tattoos. “I like your ink, by the way. Your own work?”

“Actually, yeah,” Noah replied, suddenly feeling a touch bashful. “The designs, I mean. Someone else did the actual tattooing.”

“Fair enough. Is it just art that you’re interested in, or do you have other creative outlets we can look into for you?”

“Oh, uh, I also like music, movies, and writing.”

“Okay, so we can take a look at the full spectrum of visual and performing arts and try to narrow things down from there if that helps?”

“Yeah.”

“Now, let’s see….” Christine murmured, going back to her computer and pulling up the details for every class and course under the umbrella of subjects Noah was interested in exploring. “Do you have any interest in theater? That can be acting, set, sound and lighting design, production, writing, or directing. Anything like that?”

“Maybe more the production, direction, and writing part? I’m not really interested in the acting side, to be honest.”

“Alright then,” Christine nodded, still clicking the mouse around her screen. “And would that be more in a stage production capacity or more something involving filmmaking?”

“Film making sounds cool. Oh, and I have a friend doing film studies, so I guess it would be nice to be in classes where I already know people.”

“Okay, noted.”

Christine paused, reading over the requirements for the art program and comparing them to what Noah had already submitted in his original college application.

“I see here that your GPA is well above the minimum requirement for all of the classes you are interested in, so that’s good. One less hurdle to clear is helpful as all your prospective subjects have some additional application criteria you’ll need to fulfill before the deadline closes.”

“My brother said that would probably be the case, honestly, so I’m prepared to do whatever it is I need to do,” Noah replied, nodding, though he looked a little nervous again at what other obstacles stood in his way.

“Very well then, but I shall advise you that you’ll face stiff competition in getting into the classes you’re interested in, so it might be tricky to get you into your first choice. It depends on getting all your application paperwork and incidentals in on time and then whether there is a place available for you on that course.”

“I understand. Do you know which ones I would have the best chance of getting into, or do I have to apply to them all and just wait and see?”

“I’ll be honest, art is probably going to be the toughest due to the sheer number of applicants, as there is already a waiting list, so you may find that you’ll have to wait until next year to try to get onto that course.”

“Okay, and what would I need to submit for that anyway, so that I know?”

“On top of the supplemental application, you’ll need to provide a portfolio of work. It’s also recommended, but not a requirement, that you provide evidence of having completed several courses relating to art theory and practice. Can you put together a portfolio by the end of next week?”

“No, I don’t think so. Not unless my mom can send stuff from back home, but she’s in New York.”

 “Alright, how about we focus on music and film then? For music, you’ll need to have evidence of at least one year of comprehensive music theory and two years of studio instruction of a primary instrument, as well as participation in a performance group.”

“I had piano lessons since I was eight, guitar and drums since I was fifteen, and I took music in high school, as well as being part of a couple of bands in that time. Does that count?”

“It certainly does, and you being a multi-instrumentalist may also work in your favor. How are you at singing?”

“I’m alright, I guess?”

“Okay, good. Singing isn’t hugely important as long as you can play at least one instrument with the proficiency required to get on the course. You will also need to submit some extra paperwork, including transcripts and a performance resume, and you might need to pass an audition or send a prescreening video if that is okay with you, but you’ll be contacted beforehand if that is necessary.”

“Yeah, no, that’s not a problem. I can do all that,” Noah nodded emphatically, having half expected there would be some sort of audition involved.

“Excellent,” Christine replied encouragingly, already printing off a comprehensive list of everything Noah would need to submit his application. “Would you also like the requirements for Film Studies or not?”

“Please. Probably best to apply for both in case I don’t get into one of them, right?”

“Right.”

Christine added the film course requirements onto the print queue first before reading them off to Noah.

“Okay, so, for your application to Film Studies, you’ll need the same basic paperwork for music in terms of the supplemental application pack. I’m sure, though, that you’ll be pleased to hear that you won’t need to provide any evidence of previous experience as none is required,” she explained. “However, you will need to provide a sample of your creative writing, two letters of recommendation, and there are some essays you’ll need to complete. The details for the essays are listed on the sheet I just printed that tells you everything you need to have in your application. The good news is that you can submit all of that online, so you’ll probably find that you hear back about that one the fastest after everything has been reviewed. How does that suit you?”

“How many essays do I need to write?” Noah inquired, hoping it wasn’t too many as he was already in a time crunch to get everything in before the deadline.

“Just three. One personal, one critical, and a life-challenge one. They only need to be a maximum of two pages each, so it shouldn’t be too difficult to get them in on time. The creative writing sample can be three to five pages, so if you’ve got any stories, poems, plays, or anything along those lines that you’ve already been working on, you can submit a portion of those to save you some time, if you’d like?” Christine elaborated as she got up to fetch the paperwork she had printed for him.

“That doesn’t sound too bad, actually. I’m pretty sure I can manage all of that,” Noah stated, more to reassure himself that he could handle the workload required to put his application in on time. “Is there anything else I need to know?”

“Everything you’ll need is explained in detail here,” Christine explained as she handed over the print outs to Noah, gesturing to the parts that listed every document and piece of evidence, along with which format it all needed to be in as she did so. “Do you have any other questions or anything else I can help you with today?”

“No, I think I got it, thanks.”

“Okay, then. It’s been good talking to you, Noah, and if you think of any more questions later or need me to walk you through anything on your application, call the same number you made your appointment on, and I will help you, alright?”

“I will. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome, and good luck.”

The conversation with Christine left Noah feeling more hopeful than he had expected and certainly more sure of his choices than before he’d walked into her office. Despite the knowledge that he had to buckle down over the next ten days to get everything submitted with a day or two to spare before his window closed, he was confident that he could get everything done, even if it meant roping in a bit of help from Aspen. Noah had no doubt his brother would gladly give him a hand, though, as he’d been the one to suggest the whole thing in the first place.

Noah went over to his brother’s house immediately after leaving Christine’s office to inform him that he’d taken his advice.

Getting over to the house and seeing it in daylight hours was a peculiar contrast to the last time he’d been there, the building standing quiet and unassuming on the street without music blasting or the chase of disco lights flashing through the windows.

Noah pressed the doorbell and waited, hoping he hadn’t shown up while Aspen was still in class, as his nerves had started to creep back in a little, and he needed some reassurance that he could pull all of this off without Ruby discovering what he was up to.

After a moment, Noah heard movement behind the closed front door, telling him that someone was thankfully home.

Aria was the one who answered, however, throwing Noah slightly for a second.

“Hey, Noah. You here to see Aspen?” Aria greeted with a soft grin that suggested he might have had a smoke recently.

“Yeah. Is he home?”

“Yeah, yeah. He’s upstairs. Come on in.”

Waving Noah into the house, Aria stepped out of the way to let him pass before closing the door behind them and following Noah toward the living room, which now had all the furniture back where it was usually situated.

“Aspen!” Aria called up the stairs, waiting a moment for a response. “Noah’s here.”

“Hang on, I’ll be down in a sec,” Aspen called back from wherever he was on the floor above them.

Another thirty seconds or so and Aspen finally came bounding down the stairs, his laptop tucked under his arm, implying he’d been working on something when Noah arrived.

“Heeey, baby bro,” he hailed, passing his laptop over to Aria to put on the coffee table as Aspen gave Noah a brief but firm hug. “To what do I owe the pleasure? Ruby’s not giving you shit again, is she?”

“Actually, I came by to let you know I took you up on your advice about changing my classes,” Noah informed him, sidestepping the question regarding Ruby and whether she’d subjected Noah to any more mistreatment since the party.

“You did? Hey, good. I’m happy for you,” Aspen congratulated proudly, glad that Noah had taken steps toward prioritizing his happiness over whatever idea Ruby had spoonfed him. “What did you end up choosing?”

“I’m applying for music and film studies,” Noah replied, still clutching the folder with all the paperwork Christine had given him. “I thought about doing art, but my advisor said I might not have the best chance of getting onto that this year because there’s already a waiting list.”

“Cool. Did you get all the info you needed for sorting that out?”

“Yeah. She printed everything off for me and said I could call if I had any more questions or needed help filling out the forms. I also have to submit some essays and stuff, but they’re only short ones, so I should be okay if I get my head down. I might need a little help putting together an audition tape for music, though. It might not be necessary, but I want to make one anyway, just in case they ask. Can you help me with that?”

“Of course, I can. I’ll give you any help you need. Can it be shot on your phone, or do you need a video camera? Because I’ve got one if you want to borrow it. I can edit the video too for you if you want?”

“Yeah, that would be great,” Noah affirmed, relief blooming behind his smile.

“I’ll grab it from upstairs in a bit for you.”

“You might want to remember to swap out the memory card first,” Aria interrupted from over on the couch.

A flicker of confusion creased Aspen’s brow before he realized what Aria was alluding to, his expression shifting to a faintly awkward smirk that gave away that the memory card contained things he didn’t want his little brother to find on there.

“Ah, yes, good point. I will be sure to do that,” Aspen chuckled, blushing slightly as the awkward smirk shifted to a shameless grin.

However, Noah blushed the hardest when he caught on to what the exchange between Aspen and his boyfriend meant. A look of mild horror and embarrassment fell over his features as he got way more information about his brother’s sex life than he ever needed in just those few short sentences.

“Did you want me to go over the stuff your advisor gave you while you’re here?” Aspen inquired, quickly changing the subject to spare his brother and further emotional scarring.

“Uh, yeah, please,” Noah nodded, readjusting to focus back on getting his applications in on time. “And if you can keep it quiet from Ruby until I know if I got in, that would also be a big help.”

“Of course,” Aspen assured, patting his brother’s shoulder. “I’ll tell you what, I’ll even go so far as to ban her from setting foot in this house if needs be, so consider this a Ruby exclusion zone and safe space whenever you need it, alright? Whatever goes on within these walls stays within these walls. Especially where she is concerned because I am not letting her get in the way of you doing something that makes you happy for once.”

“Thanks, bro.”

“Any time, Noah. Bro’s before… well, I won’t call her a that because that is disrespectful to sex workers, but you get what I mean.”

“Dude....” Noah pouted, slightly offended at Aspen's insinuated insult toward his girlfriend.

“Sorry,” Aspen conceded, holding his hands up in apology. “I can’t pretend I like her after what she said to you the other night, but if you want me to keep my opinions to myself, I shall try my best.”

Noah nodded, though his expression gave away that he couldn’t exactly argue with Aspen on that front.

“Let me take a look at those forms,” Aspen diverted, holding his hand out for the folder Noah had before nudging him toward the couch to sit down.

© 2025 BitemarksAfterDark

[bitemarksafterdark]

Heart of Glass - Chapter 5

Noah had plenty to think about on the way home, his mind occupied by the advice Aspen had given him about making room for his own happiness alongside Ruby’s if he had any hope of sticking things out long-term, though he still wasn’t sure if changing his classes was the right move.

Not when he was painfully aware of the friction it would cause between him and Ruby to do so, especially without talking to her about it first. Noah decided that the best course of action would be to get some sleep so he could think more about it in the morning once he was sober and then figure out how to talk to Ruby about it without things descending into an argument.

Still, at least what Aspen had said had gotten through to his younger brother.

Noah was half expecting Ruby to have already gone to bed by the time he got home, but he was wrong. He found her sitting up, waiting for him as she nursed a mug of tea at the breakfast bar side of the island counter, her face set in an unreadable expression, but it certainly wasn’t happy.

“That took an awfully long time for you to say goodbye,” she stated quietly, not bothering to look up at Noah as she addressed him upon his entering the apartment.

“Aspen wanted to talk to me about something before I left,” Noah answered honestly as he shrugged off his jacket and hung it up, though he didn’t say what the conversation was about.

“About what?”

“Nothing important. Just wanted to see how I was settling in.”

Ruby scoffed, shaking her head, the look in her eyes saying she didn’t believe him.

“And I suppose you told him all about how much of a jerk you were to Arden earlier, right?”

“No, why would I?”

“Oh, I don’t know. How about because you’ve been acting out again since you got here.”

“Ruby, I just got here.”

“And yet, in that time, you’ve managed to make me look stupid in front of our friends and gone off partying with your brother when you said you were coming home.”

“I said I was sorry.”

“It’s not good enough,” Ruby admonished. “We were supposed to be doing all this together, but lately, it feels like that’s the last thing you want to do. What has gotten into you, Noah?”

“Nothing,” Noah replied defensively, not wanting to fight, but it looked like that was where things were heading. “I still want all of that. I just didn’t like being made fun of by your friends.”

“They weren’t making fun of you! How many times do I have to tell you before you get that? You took it way too personally.”

“They were, Ruby! They were fucking laughing at me!”

“Nobody is laughing at you! Noah, it’s all in your head!”

Ruby paused, reeling in her anger for a moment.

“Are you off your meds again?” she asked quietly, taking a measured breath to calm herself.

“No.”

“Babe, please don’t lie to me….”

“I’m not. I swear,” Noah promised, upset that he even had to be asked that.

“I can’t trust you right now,” Ruby muttered in evident disappointment at Noah’s recent actions.

“Ruby…”

“No, Noah! You embarrassed me, and then you lied to me!”

“I didn’t mean to!”

“No, but whether you meant to or not, you still did it. What about that is not getting through to you?”

“What do you want me to do? Please, tell me how to fix this, and I will.”

“I don’t know.”

“Please? Whatever you want, I’ll do it….”

“I said I don’t know right now, Noah! Just… give me some space. I need to think.”

“Babe, don’t be like that,” Noah pleaded, feeling helpless.

“Like what? Upset with you for ruining everything? What else am I supposed to be like?”

Noah went silent; guilt etched all over his face.

“Well? How else am I supposed to feel when you do this shit, Noah? Especially when it seems pretty clear that you’re just doing it to spite me because you’ve got some stupid idea in your head that people think the worst of you. Have you considered that maybe you behaving like that is why people do that?”

That wounded him, Noah’s insecurities taking Ruby’s words to heart that his own behavior reflected poorly on him, and now, by extension, her, because of course, it would look bad if Ruby had sung his praises to her friends, only for them to witness him make a fool of himself because he misconstrued something and let it get to him.

Noah felt like such an idiot.

He was still too drunk to think straight and see that Ruby was doing precisely what Aspen had pointed out to him earlier, and too blinded by his love and his crippling fear of abandonment to see that Ruby had systematically eroded his sense of self-worth.

“I’m sorry…” was all Noah could muster in response, sounding exhausted and heartbroken, convinced all over again that it was his fault.

“You’re always sorry, but that never stops you from screwing up over and over and over again.”

“What else do you want me to say?”

“Nothing, Noah. That’s the point. I don’t want you to say anything. I just want you to sort your shit out and stop fucking up for once in your goddamn life. Is that too much to ask?”

“No…” Noah sniffled, shaking his head.

“Then, please, for me, try harder,” Ruby sighed, sliding off the bar stool she’d been perched on for the duration since Noah had returned home.

“Okay.”

Noah took Ruby’s movement as a signal to offer her comfort to back up his words, closing the space between them and wrapping his arms around her, though he found that she tensed up immediately, her hands raised in front of her as Ruby pushed him away.

“No, Noah. I can’t be around you right now. Especially when I can still smell beer and weed smoke on you,” she stated frustratedly, rejecting his attempts at apologetic affection.

Noah backed off dejectedly, holding his arms out wide in a gesture of compliance to her request not to touch her as Ruby diverted around him toward the bedroom, making a point to close the door behind her, shutting him out physically as well as emotionally.

The message was clear but painful, Noah biting his lip to fight back his emotions at having had yet another fight.

With Ruby gone to bed without him, Noah thought it might buy him a few points back into Ruby’s good graces if he at least tidied up before she woke up in the morning, picking up the empty mug from the counter and carrying it to the sink to wash it.

Noah set the cup aside for a moment to run the water and do a couple of plates that he noticed in the sink when he got there, though when Noah turned back to grab it, he misjudged the distance and accidentally knocked it off, the mug shattering on impact with the floor.

“Fuck…” he muttered under his breath, crouching down to pick up the broken pieces, hoping that Ruby hadn’t heard in case she thought he’d broken it on purpose.

As he did so, one of the sharp edges caught the pad of his thumb, slicing it.

Immediately, he brought his thumb to his mouth to stem the bleeding, but that was it, Noah’s emotional state buckling under that one last bit of pain, like kicking a house made of cards as the whole thing came down.

He couldn’t stop the tears from coming as he cleaned up the remaining pieces of the broken mug, wrapped the shards in paper towels, and threw them out.

Casting a lingering look back toward the bedroom, Noah felt like a dog left in the rain, sniffling as he turned off all the lights and headed to the couch.

Taking one of the cushions and fluffing it slightly to use as a pillow, he tugged the throw over from the back of the sofa before kicking off his shoes and curling up, letting out a whimper as he finally broke down, sobbing quietly to himself until he fell asleep.

It felt like the night vanished in a matter of minutes.

Stress-induced nightmares plagued Noah and had him tossing and turning fitfully throughout it, while the discomfort of the couch didn’t aid a restful sleep any.

He awoke to Ruby moving around the apartment, making no effort to be quiet as though Noah wasn’t even there as she made herself breakfast and gathered everything she needed for class, making it difficult for him to gauge her mood.

Noah moved to sit up, a throbbing ache behind his eyes greeting him as reward for drinking the night before, along with his poor sleep quality.

“Good morning,” he called out, hoping to get a better read on how mad Ruby still was.

She didn’t reply, a piece of toast hanging out of her mouth as she grabbed things to put into her bag.

Noah begrudgingly accepted the silent treatment and checked the time, his phone informing him that he had less than half an hour to get up, get his shit together and get to his first class if he wanted to be on time.

“Why didn’t you wake me?” he asked his girlfriend, looking confused.

“Because you’re an adult, and you should be capable of managing your own time by now,” Ruby replied offhandedly, the curtness of her response telling Noah she wasn’t going to waste any patience on him until he earned it back.

“Okay?”

“Is it?”

“I guess not," Noah muttered, understanding that he was still firmly in the doghouse.

Ruby looked put out by his reply, rolling her eyes.

“I don’t have time for arguing or your bullshit this morning,” she grumbled, trying to bite back her annoyance and focus on getting ready. “Can you at least get yourself into the shower and try to be on time for class, or am I asking too much again?”

Noah resisted the urge to be a smartass and say something that would only dig the hole he was in even bigger.

“Yeah,” he answered instead, nodding as he got up and folded the throw before setting it over the back of the couch. “I’ll be there on time, I promise.”

“Don’t promise. Just do it.”

“Fine.”

Ruby fixed him with a pointed stare before huffing a sigh through her nose as she picked up her bag and slung it over her shoulder, then headed out of the door, not bothering to wait for Noah as she didn’t want him to make her run late for class if he took longer than necessary.

The apartment door closed hard behind Ruby, not quite a full-on slam, but hard enough of one to make Noah flinch at the sound, leaving him standing there in the vacuum of silence it left behind.

He stood there for a moment longer, swallowing the fresh wave of upset that washed over him.

Noah didn’t take long to shower quickly, change into a clean pair of jeans and a slightly oversized t-shirt, and promptly shove everything he needed for the classes he had that day into his backpack. However, it left him no time to eat if he had any chance of fulfilling his promise to show up on time. Still, Noah figured he could hold out until lunch as he didn’t feel much like eating right now anyway.

As much as he’d hurried to get ready, he’d still be cutting it extremely fine for making it to class before it started if he walked there, as Noah still didn’t know the exact location where his first class was on campus.

Reaching the apartment door, catching sight of one of the last remaining boxes he still hadn’t gotten around to unpacking had him pausing suddenly, an idea coming to him.

Grabbing the box, he pulled away the tape that sealed the top and opened it.

Inside, he found exactly what he was looking for; his skateboard, more than a little battered and beaten from several years worth of heavy use. Noah had packed and brought it with him, intending to find a local skatepark he could visit with his brother somewhere near the university once he’d gotten to know the place better.

It would buy him a few extra minutes that could mean the world of difference if it meant that he didn’t give Ruby any more ammunition to use against him or add fuel to the fire that would spark another fight.

Skating across campus instead of walking proved to be the better plan, as Noah correctly guessed that those few minutes would give him wiggle room to find the right place and show up just as everyone else was heading into the lecture hall.

Noah nervously scanned the rows of seating as he entered the hall, looking for Ruby as he assumed she was already there after leaving earlier than he did.

He found her sitting about halfway back with Lowell, Tori, and Evie, the sight of them only adding to Noah’s nerves as he made his way up to them, skateboard in one hand and his backpack over the opposite shoulder.

He caught Evie’s attention first, waving slightly in response to the wave and smile she gave him.

Of the whole group, Evie seemed to be of a shyer disposition than the rest of them, as Noah had noticed she didn’t say much the last time he’d seen her at the bar. He wondered if perhaps she only hung out with them because of Angie and because she had some of the same classes as Ruby and the others, but he didn’t get a chance to ask as Ruby turned around and saw him dressed in jeans that had holes in the knees, carrying his tatty old skateboard.

However, the middle of a packed lecture hall during class was hardly the place to voice her displeasure so openly. Instead, she waited until Noah had skirted past Evie and Tori to reach the seat next to her before quietly asking him if he couldn’t have worn something a little more presentable.

Noah shrugged the comment off, saying the clothes were the first thing he had to hand that were clean in such a time crunch and that he wanted to be comfortable for class.

Ruby’s mouth moved to respond, but the lecturer’s voice cut her off as the class began.

Noah still had a headache from his hangover, but he did his best to concentrate regardless, taking notes during the first half of the class. Still, as the hour wore on and he started to get hungry, his attention began to drift.

Soon, the page that had begun with notes started to fill up with drawings instead as Noah doodled a few ideas for possible future tattoos to add to his existing work.

He had designed most of them himself with only a few tweaks and additions from the artist he’d previously visited back home. However, Noah knew he would have to seek out someone local for any new ones he decided to get while there instead of waiting until school was on break to get them when he was home again, so Noah made a mental note to ask Aspen later for some recommendations.

As Noah scribbled away at his artwork, Ruby glanced over as his pen still moved when everyone else’s wasn’t.

Seeing that he’d abandoned paying attention in favor of doodling, she nudged Noah sharply in the ribs. The jolt was hard enough to make his arm jump, disrupting his flow and sending the line from the pen arcing across the image, marring it with a scribble but not enough to ruin it entirely.

Noah shot her a look of confusion and upset, only to be greeted by a glare.

“Really, Noah?” Ruby hissed under her breath, just loud enough for him to hear without drawing attention from anyone else.

Noah said nothing in reply, realizing he had let his attention slip enough that he’d missed some of the information the lecturer had given since he started drawing.

Turning to a clean page, Noah fidgeted in his seat and returned his focus to the front of the class, scribbling the odd note here and there to keep Ruby from jabbing him again.

Between his headache, the hollow feeling in his stomach from having not eaten yet, and the fact that Noah was already bored, it was a struggle for him to maintain the concentration he needed to get through the rest of the lecture. Still, he put on enough of a performance to convince Ruby he was paying sufficient attention, at least.

By two-thirds of the way through, however, it was clear to Noah that Aspen was right when he said that sticking with a course he had no interest in would only make him miserable in the long run, and after giving Aspen’s suggestion about changing his classes some serious thought for the rest of the lecture, Noah came to a decision.

© 2025 BitemarksAfterDark

[bitemarksafterdark]

Heart of Glass - Chapter 4

Ruby got home a little after midnight, Lowell dropping her outside her and Noah’s apartment on the way to take Evie and Angie home.

Kicking off her shoes as soon as she was through the front door, Ruby dropped her purse on the island counter that divided the kitchen from the living room, only then realizing that the apartment was quiet, as the tv wasn’t on. Still, the lights were, leading her to think that Noah had left them on before going to bed.

It didn’t strike her as odd until she walked into the bedroom, expecting to find him there.

“Babe, you don’t need to leave the...”

Ruby halted in her tracks when she saw that Noah wasn’t there.

“Noah?”

The only thing Ruby got in reply was silence.

Realizing that Noah wasn’t home sent a flicker of annoyance, mixed with upset, coursing through her as she took out her phone and called him to find out where he was since Noah had told her he was going home after he left the bar.

“Come on, babe, pick up…” Ruby muttered to herself as the call rang out, eventually going to voice mail, so she left a message.

“Babe, where are you? You said you were coming home. I’m worried. Call me back.”

Hanging up, she felt too antsy to wait for a reply, dialing again in case Noah hadn’t heard it ring the first time.

Still no answer.

A flurry of text messages followed before a third attempt after Ruby hadn’t heard back in over fifteen minutes.

It wasn’t like Noah to ignore her calls. He couldn’t have been that upset about earlier, could he?

Too impatient to wait any longer and starting to worry that something had happened, Ruby grabbed Noah’s laptop and booted it up. She knew that Noah had the find his phone feature turned on in case he misplaced it, which he did from time to time, and Ruby knew his phone had to be on because it had rung out first instead of going straight to voice mail.

Pulling up the tethered app on his laptop, Ruby clicked the find button and waited. A few seconds later, the app pinged Noah’s cell phone just a few blocks from the apartment.

Ruby took down the address and put it into her own phone to find the place as she went looking for her boyfriend, hoping he had a damn good explanation for why Noah wasn’t home when he said he would be.

Her stomach dropped when she finally located the address Noah’s phone was supposedly at and found a house party in full swing taking place. Still, she tried to contain her dismay as she entered the property in search of him, apprehensive about what state she would find him in, given his prior history before they’d met.

Eventually, she found him in the backyard with his brother and a handful of others Ruby didn’t recognize, but it was evident that Noah had been drinking.

“Ruby!” Noah excitedly exclaimed when he saw her, intoxicated enough that he’d momentarily forgotten about their earlier spat.

Ruby looked like a deer in headlights for a few seconds as she crept up to the group and asked Noah if she could talk to him privately, not wanting everyone else in the group to overhear them. Noah nodded and got up, slightly stumbling before he regained his balance and trailed after her down the deck steps and into the backyard proper.

“You lied to me,” Ruby accused as soon as she thought they were out of earshot. However, she hadn’t noticed Aspen excuse himself from the group to stand at the edge of the deck. He wanted to ensure everything was alright as he’d caught the look on Ruby’s face when she saw that Noah was drunk and would accept responsibility for that if it was a problem.

“No, I didn’t,” Noah replied, looking confused as he didn’t know what she was referring to by that.

“Yes, you did! You said you were going home.”

“I did go home, and then I came here.”

“You didn’t tell me you were coming here.”

“I know, but what does it matter when you were out with your friends anyway?”

“Because I came home, and you weren’t there, Noah! I thought something had happened to you.”

“Babe, I’m sorry….”

“Are you?”

“Yeah, of course, I am. I didn’t mean to make you worry.”

“You never mean to, Noah. That’s the problem. And look at you, you’re drunk,” Ruby chastised angrily. “You’re high too, aren’t you? Don’t think I couldn’t smell it when I walked over to you.”

“Maybe a little, but it’s fine. I-.”

“Noah, we have class tomorrow, or did you forget?”

Noah fell quiet, acknowledging that perhaps it wasn’t the best idea for him to have been drinking and smoking when he had his first class in the morning, but he figured that since it still wasn’t that late, it wouldn’t be much of an issue as he’d still get enough sleep.

“Look, babe, we’ve been through this,” Ruby sighed, changing to a softer tone. “Going out and partying, it’s not good for you. Don’t you remember how it used to make you paranoid and angry all the time?”

Noah frowned, remembering things a little differently, almost sure that his anger issues and other difficulties had been why he’d started doing it, not the other way around. Still, in his present state of intoxication, Noah had to concede that his impaired judgment might be affecting his memory of it.

“…’m sorry.”

“Why did you come here?” Ruby quizzed, sounding hurt by his behavior. “Was it because of what happened earlier? You didn’t have to do this just because you don’t like hanging out with my friends, Noah.”

“No, that’s-” Noah faltered, although if he was honest, it was at least part of the reason.

“Okay, yeah. I needed some space away from that, so I came here to have some fun, alright?” he snapped defensively, the alcohol in Noah’s system making him quick to anger. “What’s wrong about that when you’re out ingratiating yourself with a bunch of stuck-up assholes who think I’m beneath them, huh?”

“Stuck up? Noah, I am trying to help you. We had a plan, remember? So that we can have the life we want together. You and me. You still want that, right?” Ruby asked, her eyes glossy with tears.

Noah deflated in a heartbeat, hanging his head and nodding as he rested against one of the support posts holding up the decking.

“Yeah…”

Ruby stepped closer, cuddling up to him and leaning up to kiss the edge of Noah’s jaw as he reciprocated and wrapped his arms around her.

“Then get your shit together. We’re not in high school anymore,” Ruby murmured, turning his face to look at her. “I’m doing this for us, Noah, but I need you to meet me in the middle, and that’s not going to happen if you’re going out getting wasted every time someone says something that you don’t like, is it?”

Noah swallowed thickly and shook his head, guilt painted all over his face.

“I’m going home. Are you coming?”

“Can I go say goodbye to my brother and his friends first? I promise I’ll come home right after,” Noah swore, asking for just that one small favor.

“Alright, but make sure you do,” Ruby replied, untangling herself from Noah’s arms and stepping away to leave, but not before giving him one last warning. “I’ll be waiting.”

As Ruby came back up the stairs to the deck to walk back through the house, Aspen feigned ignorance of the conversation he had just witnessed, flashing her a fake smile and waving until she was out of sight, then let the smile drop as he turned his attention to his brother.

He found Noah at the bottom of the stairs, about to ascend them as Aspen came down, catching his brother by the shoulder and turning him back around in the direction he’d just come.

“Come, sit,” Aspen instructed, steering Noah toward a bench further away from the deck.

He waited until Noah did as he was told and sat down, the younger brother wearing an upset and confused expression.

“You wanna tell me what all that was about?” Aspen inquired, sitting down next to Noah, concern creasing his brow as he fought to contain his anger at witnessing Ruby berate Noah for having fun.

“I shouldn’t have come,” Noah muttered quietly, avoiding eye contact.

“Says who? Ruby? Last time I checked, you were perfectly capable of making decisions for yourself.”

“I upset her.”

Aspen bit his tongue, holding back the urge to say, “So what?” when Noah was clearly upset himself. Instead, he breathed to calm himself before broaching the subject as delicately as he could manage.

“Noah, does she talk to you like that a lot?”

“Like what?”

“Like you’re a puppy that pissed in her Louboutins.”

“No. No, it’s fine. We’re just… We’re both just stressed out with everything that’s going on right now,” Noah answered, trying to make excuses for why he and Ruby seemed so at odds. “It’s not like it’s all the time.”

“Then how often does it happen?”

“I don’t know.”

“Was it happening before either of you came here?” Aspen asked, trying to gauge just how long it had been occurring.

“Sometimes…” Noah admitted, hating having to do so in front of his brother.

“And does she usually bring up things from your past or stuff you’ve done?”

Noah didn’t answer, the muscle in his jaw tensing up as he ground his teeth and tried to force away the sudden sting of tears in his eyes.

It hurt Aspen’s heart to hear Noah confess that Ruby had used that kind of emotional blackmail on him before. Worse, it had been happening for some time, and he’d been entirely unaware of it as he’d been away from home, only seeing Noah here and there when he returned to New York during holiday breaks.

If he’d known sooner, Aspen sure as hell would have stopped it long before Ruby had gotten the chance to wear Noah down until he behaved like an obedient pet for her to yank his leash on a whim to make him jump through hoops to please her.

The whole thing made him feel sick to his stomach.

“You know that’s not normal, don’t you?” Aspen murmured, hoping that Noah was aware enough that he was in what looked alarmingly like a toxic and emotionally abusive relationship to his older brother. “She shouldn’t be treating you like that. It’s not right.”

“It’s not all the time,” Noah argued, sniffling.

“Noah, it shouldn’t be any of the time.”

Aspen knew better than to try to push too hard in a situation like this. He knew it could do more harm than good if it inadvertently caused Noah to dig his heels in and bury his head even further in the sand to ignore the reality of his relationship. Still, he couldn’t ignore it either.

“Nobody should be weaponizing your past or your feelings against you, especially not your girlfriend,” he pointed out with a sigh, trying to think of a way to talk Noah around without putting pressure on him that would only make the matter worse.

“Do you know what happens when tectonic plates move apart?” he inquired, a somewhat awkward analogy coming to mind, but the more Aspen thought on it, it didn’t seem too far from apt.

“What’s that got to do with anything?” Noah asked, looking utterly baffled by the seemingly unrelated question.

“Hear me out,” Aspen advised, holding one hand up in a pacifying gesture while fishing another joint and his lighter out of his back pocket and taking a sizeable hit from the joint before embarking on what might be the strangest bit of relationship advice he’d given in his life to date.

“So, tectonic plates, right? When they drift apart, you get earthquakes ‘cause shit’s moving around. Everything’s shaky, and nothing is stable. You know what else you get?”

“No, what?”

“A metric fuck ton of magma,” Aspen answered, running with it now he’d hit his stride, gesturing as he talked. “The earth cracks open like an egg, and all that shit comes rushing up to the surface and erupts, right? Just… BOOM!”

“Right…?” Noah replied, looking baffled by the tangent his brother had gone off on.

“What I’m trying to say is, this thing you’ve got going on with Ruby right now? It’s like the spreading of divergent tectonic boundaries. Like, when you two first got together, everything was good, yeah? Hunky-fucking-dory and all that good shit, but now? Now you guys are drifting away from each other, and all this friction and heat and other shit that’s been building up have hit breaking point, and now it’s erupting and pushing you further apart. Am I making any sense?”

“Barely.”

“But you get it, right?”

“I think so.”

“Okay, good,” Aspen replied, relieved that Noah had gotten at least some of the gist of what he was getting at, as confusing as it might be. “So, what can I do to help you figure out how to not end up with the relationship equivalent of a volcano up your ass?”

“I don’t know, honestly,” Noah shrugged, the mindbogglingly weird segue into the question having been enough of a surprise to pull him out of an emotional tailspin, at least for a moment. “Everything just feels so messed up right now, and I don’t know why when we had this whole thing planned out.”

“What exactly did you have planned out?” Aspen inquired, remembering Ruby mentioning a plan when she was guilt-tripping his brother.

“That we’d go to the same school, do the same course together, and then after we graduate, have a business and get married and all that shit,” Noah answered, sounding exhausted by the prospect as he said it aloud, though Aspen wasn’t sure Noah even noticed.

“Is that what both of you want, or did Ruby do most of the planning for you?”

Noah went quiet, his silence answering his brother’s question loud and clear.

“Noah…”

Aspen held out the joint to his brother, but Noah refused it this time, not wanting to give Ruby any more reason to be pissed off with him when he got home.

“You said you were doing Business, right? Is that really what you want to do, or did Ruby choose that?”

“Ruby chose it,” Noah confirmed, fidgeting uncomfortably with the admission.

“Look, bro, it seems to me like what she wants and what you want are vastly different things, but you’ve been going along with what she wants because you’ve been busting your ass trying to make her happy, so she doesn’t go off at you, am I right?” Aspen asked, reasonably sure that he was correctly assessing the situation.

Noah nodded, starting to feel hopeless again as Aspen spelled out everything that was wrong with his present circumstances.

“So, what do you want to do? Because I can tell you from experience that doing something you’re not interested in is a fast track to dropping out. Not that it’s bad if all you want to do is go back home.”

“I don’t want to drop out.”

“Okay, so what do you want to do then?”

“I don’t know.”

“Well, what about starting with what interests you? Do something you’re already good at, like art or music, and build from there. You know Mom and Dad won’t mind you changing classes if it’s what makes you happy.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. Although, if you do decide to change all your classes, you’d be wise to get a move on ‘cause I’m pretty sure the deadline to change or declare your major for the Fall window closes in a couple of weeks. If you’ve got to reapply for stuff, you’ll need to get everything done before then, or you’ll have to wait until next year.”

“Ruby’ll be pissed at me if I change classes,” Noah murmured, afraid to push any more buttons that would make his already rocky situation blow up further.

“So what if she is? Think about it this way; if she wants you to be happy, she’ll respect your decision to do what will achieve that, right? But if she’s got a problem with you not doing what she wants, that is her problem, not yours.”

Aspen had a point, as reluctant as Noah was to admit it, but it gave him something to consider.

“Okay. I’ll think about it,” Noah acknowledged, getting up as he realized it had been longer than he said he would and should be on his way home by now.

“Good, but as I said, don’t take too long, okay?” Aspen replied, following suit, though he paused momentarily, not wanting to send his brother back home to a toxic situation that had a high chance of resulting in another argument when he got there.

“Noah, don’t go home. Stay here tonight. Please?” he asked, giving him an out if he wanted it.

“I can’t. I gotta go. Got to get up for class tomorrow,” Noah answered, shaking his head, as regretful as he was to have to refuse.

“Okay,” Aspen conceded, pulling Noah into a hug. “But if she starts on you again, call me. I’ll get someone to pick you up and bring you back, alright?”

Noah nodded in agreement, but only so Aspen would let him go, leaving his older brother standing in the garden as he took the path around the side of the house rather than go through it to get back out onto the street and make his way home.

© 2025 BitemarksAfterDark

[bitemarksafterdark]

Heart of Glass - Chapter 3

The walk back from the bar hadn’t done much to help Noah’s low mood.

If anything, the time it took to cover that distance did was allow him to dwell on it all the more, and by the time he’d gotten back to the apartment, Noah’s anxiety had spiked significantly, leaving him feeling agitated and unsure of how to alleviate the feeling.

Part of him still didn’t think he was in the wrong for standing up for himself, but he hated upsetting Ruby. Especially when, any time they argued, it triggered a sense of insecurity that he wasn’t good enough for her; the same fear that had plagued him from the first time they’d met and been almost enough to stop them from becoming a thing in the first place.

Feeling as though her new friends had talked down to him like that had only deepened that insecurity.

Noah realized that he was probably being oversensitive. He knew that Ruby would tell him that he was overthinking things again and getting too up in his head about it, and she was right, of course.

She was always right.

Or, at least, Noah believed that because he felt like she’d made him a better person despite all his faults and how difficult he could be at times. He knew he wasn’t the easiest person to be around sometimes, but Ruby was still there somehow, and Noah was grateful for that.

It was why he was doing all this for her, giving back the effort she had put into him.

Sitting down on the floor in the living room to go through one of the remaining boxes, he found it contained all the framed photos he had kept in his room back home and were, of course, dear enough to him to want to bring them here.

More than half of them were the usual collection of family snapshots; pictures of Noah through the years with his parents and siblings, some taken on vacation, others during the holidays or birthdays. He looked so happy in the ones from when he was a kid.

The few of him and Ruby were more recent, though; the two of them in their senior year of high school, along with some of their friends who had gone on to other colleges or gotten jobs and moved elsewhere over the summer, everyone drifting apart to start living their own lives. Ruby was the only person who wasn’t family that remained a constant presence, and the knowledge that so few others Noah had been close to growing up had remained in his life made him feel a little lonely.

Especially now he was so far from home.

Setting the box aside for a moment, he rested his head against the wall behind him, closing his eyes and trying to swallow back the swell of emotion that caught up with him at that moment.

Just a few days ago, everything felt like it was going exactly how it was supposed to, but now? Between the fight with Ruby and feeling like he didn’t fit in with the friends she’d made, Noah seemed to have lost his footing and had no idea what he was doing anymore.

He reached out to pull the box toward him again but stopped just as his fingers hooked on the edge of it, instead taking his phone out of his pocket, checking to see if he had any messages. Noah thought Ruby might have texted him to check he was okay, but she hadn’t. He did have one from his mom, though.

Instead of replying to the message, Noah hit call, needing to hear a reassuring voice.

It rang out a couple of times before Adelaide Glass picked up, filling Noah with more anxiety until the call connected.

“Hey, Mom.”

“Hi, sweetheart. How are you settling in?”

“Good, good. I’m okay. Got here in one piece and everything,” Noah replied, trying to sound cheerful by masking his feelings with a laugh.

“Baby, are you sure? You sound a little down?” Adelaide asked, immediately picking up on something off in his tone of voice, recognizing the sound of her son trying to scoot around something from the way he didn’t get straight to the point like he usually would have otherwise.

“Yeah, I’m fine… Just feeling a little stressed out about starting classes, I think. Or I’m still tired? Is Dad there?”

“No, honey, he’s at work.”

Noah frowned and checked his watch, suddenly reminded he was on the opposite coast.

“Shit. I forgot about the time difference. Sorry,” he sighed right before another thought occurred to him. “I didn’t wake you, did I?”

“No, no, baby, you didn’t,” Adelaide replied reassuringly, having figured Noah hadn’t adjusted to another time zone just yet. “Actually, I’m still at the office too. Working on a big case right now, but I can take a break if you want to talk?”

“Nah, it’s okay. Just wanted to call and check in, is all,” Noah lied, knowing that if he admitted he was struggling already, his mom would start to worry, and he’d never hear the end of it.

“Okay, sweetheart,” Adelaide replied gently. “Did you call your new therapist yet?”

“Not yet. I’ve been a little busy with unpacking and everything, but I promise I’ll call the office tomorrow and make an appointment for whenever they can fit me in.”

“Alright. Just don’t leave it too long if there are things you need to talk about, okay, baby?” Addy coaxed, knowing that if her son didn’t want to tell her over the phone what was bothering him, he might feel more comfortable discussing it with his therapist.

“I know, and I will call tomorrow, I promise.”

“You’re a good boy, Noah, and I’m proud of you. You know that, right? You’re my baby, and I want you to be happy.”

“Mom, I am happy.”

“Okay, but if you really need to talk to me or your dad, call us. The time difference doesn’t matter, understand?”

“Yeah.”

“Good, and don’t forget you’ve got your brother there too. We’re all here for you if you need us. You don’t have to deal with things on your own if something isn’t right. You know that, right?”

“I know. I got this, okay? I’m fine.”

“Promise?”

“I promise.”

“Alright, sweetheart. I love you, Noah.”

“Love you too, Momma,” Noah murmured, reverting to what he called his mom when speaking from the heart. “I’m gonna go, okay?”

“Okay, baby. Take care of yourself.”

“I will.”

With that, Noah ended the call, feeling a little better for having spoken to his mom, but also the reminder that Aspen was close by had him remembering that his brother was throwing a party tonight and had invited him to come.

Noah went back through his phone to find the address Aspen had given him and checked to see how far away the place was. Initially, he was in two minds about going without Ruby, but since she wasn’t there to ask if she wanted to come, he threw caution to the wind and decided he could use some fun to take his mind off it, even if it was just for an hour or two.

Before he had gotten within sight of the place, Noah could hear the music’s low, thudding pulse-like bassline emanating from the house. It reminded him of how it often sounded when he hung out in the apartment above the club his dad had back in New York, muffled but driving as everything around him shuddered with the vibration like it was alive.

Gods, did it remind him of home.

Double-checking the map app on his phone and glancing around, Noah knew he had the right place when he saw his brother’s car in the small residential parking lot directly opposite. Still, he was nervous as he walked up to the house and past a handful of people hanging around outside to the open front door.

As to be expected, many of the partygoers were older than Noah since Aspen was in his twenties, so most of the people there also were.

Noah had been to house parties before, but it struck him immediately that this one was hardly your average high school kegger, as there seemed to be a DJ and a professional lighting rig set up in the largest room apparently designated as the dancefloor.

The place was so packed it made navigating around it a little tricky. Noah carefully picked his way through the ground floor in search of Aspen, hoping his brother was around, so he didn’t feel quite so awkward about being a freshman crashing a party full of older students.

Not that anyone seemed to mind his presence; the most attention Noah seemed to get was just a passing glance as he squeezed past on his way through the house.

Out toward the back of the house, Noah found his way to the kitchen, finding the countertops covered in pizza boxes and bottles of soda, beer, and liquor and the air thick with the scent of weed smoke.

“There he is. Noah!”

Noah’s head whipped around in the direction he heard his name called from, greeted by Aspen standing out on the back deck, shirtless, a joint perched precariously between his lips and a bottle of bourbon in one hand, gesturing for him to come over and join him with the other.

For a split second, the relief of seeing his brother distracted Noah briefly from realizing that Aspen wasn’t alone.

“Everyone, I’d like you all to meet my baby brother,” Aspen proudly declared when Noah stepped outside onto the deck. “Noah, this is everybody.”

Six voices greeted Noah in unison as Aspen poured a drink and promptly handed it to him with a smirk that told Noah his brother had had a few himself already, though Noah looked slightly puzzled at being handed alcohol, at which Aspen simply patted him on the shoulder in response and grinned.

“Relax, I won’t tell if you don’t,” he laughed conspiratorially with a wink to his younger brother, shooing Noah toward an empty spot on one of the patio sofas arranged around the table on the deck. Aspen sat down next to another male with a mass of dark, messy curls and big, pretty eyes, whom Aspen immediately passed the joint to as he casually draped his arm around the other’s shoulders before catching a raised eyebrow from his sibling.

“Oh,” Aspen exclaimed, realizing he hadn’t actually made any proper introductions. “Noah, this is Aria, my boyfriend.”

“Hi,” Noah replied, giving a small wave and laughing, having already been told by his brother that he was seeing someone, but Noah had not yet met them until this moment.

“Hey, how’s it going?” Aria greeted, also laughing. “Aspen’s told me so much about you.”

“Uh-oh, all good, I hope?”

“Of course,” Aspen interjected, pouting and feigning offense that Noah would even think he’d do such a thing. “When have I ever had a bad word to say about you, hm?”

“Um, I don’t know. Maybe that time I broke the arm off one of your ninja turtles when we were kids?” Noah shot back teasingly, slipping so easily into annoying baby brother mode that he barely noticed himself starting to relax.

“Oh yeah, I remember that, you little shit!”

Compared to the incident earlier with Ruby’s friends, the atmosphere here at the party was like night and day to Noah.

Suddenly he no longer felt awkward or like anyone was looking at him and waiting for him to screw up. They were just hanging out and existing without any expectations or talk of classes or career plans, and Noah realized this was what he had been missing in the last twenty-four hours.

With that realization, Noah finally took a sip of the drink Aspen gave him, the taste of the bourbon beneath the cola warm in the back of his throat. It had been a while since he’d last had a drink as that was something he’d stopped doing for Ruby, but if Noah were honest with himself, he wouldn’t mind getting a little buzzed.

It was a party, after all.

As Noah got comfortable and settled back in his seat, he was happy to let the conversation go on around him and give him time to learn everyone else’s name in the process, as Aspen periodically pointed everyone out individually.

Noah quickly learned that aside from Aspen and Aria, most of the rest of the group also shared the house, including Jade, a black girl in cut-off denim shorts with matching stargazer lily tattoos on both her thighs, a pink-haired girl named Elodie, who was apparently Jade’s girlfriend from the way they were cuddled up together, and a Latina goth named Inez. The group’s final member, a vaguely punk-looking kid sitting beside Noah on the same couch in an oversized striped sweater with holes in it despite the warm weather, introduced himself as Micah.

Like Noah, Micah was also a freshman and happened to be Elodie’s younger brother, taking the pressure off Noah for feeling like the only kid at the adult’s table.

“So, what are you studying?” Micah asked casually, making conversation as another joint made the rounds.

“Business,” Noah answered, bristling slightly at the thought of the confrontation he’d had earlier over the same topic of conversation, half expecting history to repeat itself.

“Cool,” Micah acknowledged with a nod, seemingly completely unfazed by the answer, hobbling Noah’s defensiveness the moment it arose.

Taking another sip of his drink, Noah made a conscious adjustment, reminding himself that he was in the company of people much more like himself.

“What about you?” he asked, relaxing again.

“Performing Arts and Production,” Micah replied with a smirk that said he was a theater kid through and through. “Doing film studies on the side for the screenwriting course.”

“Acting or directing?” Noah inquired, figuring that Micah had his sights set on the tv and movie industry with a choice like that.

“Both, maybe? Or, at the very least, get on as a writer or showrunner with a studio.”

“Go big or go home, right?” Noah nodded, holding his drink up in a small toasting gesture as he admired the other's ambition.

“Hell yeah,” Micah replied, knocking his cup against Noah’s.

He was starting to feel the alcohol, a soft hazy feeling settling in Noah's head that made him forget his earlier upset and anxiety. The people presently around him talked languidly and openly, including him in the conversation and laughing with him, not at him as he’d felt Ruby’s friends do, and discussing things Noah was actually interested in, like music and movies.

Noah felt like he belonged there for the first time since just after he’d arrived. He was so caught up in that feeling that Aspen had to nudge his knee to get his attention, the younger Glass brother turning to see Aspen holding a joint out to him with the same look on his face that he had when he’d poured Noah that first drink.

There was only a tiny pause before Noah accepted the joint and took a hit, breathing in a deep lungful of smoke and holding it for a few seconds before exhaling.

The last time they smoked together was the summer before Noah met Ruby, back when Noah was still being a tearaway and Aspen thought it better to be the one supervising his brother than letting him go out with god knows who and get into real trouble again. Especially as their parents were more relaxed than most, so neither Aspen nor Noah had ever felt the need to hide it from them.

Of course, Noah considered that Ruby might not be too pleased with him for doing so, but he figured he could sober up enough before going home for it not to be an issue.

“How you doing, bro?” Aspen asked, leaning in closer to his brother. “Having a good time?”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m doing great,” Noah answered hazily, feeling the weed starting to kick in, making the comfortable buzz from the alcohol an even cozier feeling of relaxation as all his troubles seemed to melt away instantly.

“Good,” Aspen acknowledged with a lazy nod. “You certainly look like you’re having fun.”

“That’s because I am.”

And he was. Noah hadn’t had this much fun in…? He wasn’t quite sure he could remember, but that hardly seemed to matter. He was in his element, without a care in the world, and Noah wanted to hold onto that feeling for as long as he could before his anxiety took hold again.

© 2025 BitemarksAfterDark

[bitemarksafterdark]

Heart of Glass - Chapter 2

Noah slept late, finally waking around one in the afternoon as he sleepily rolled over in bed, expecting to find Ruby beside him, but the bed was conspicuously empty. However, it had at least been slept in, telling Noah that his girlfriend must have returned home after he had crashed out for the night and gotten up without bothering to wake him, letting him sleep off his long journey since he so clearly needed it.

Picking his phone up off the nightstand, Noah swore under his breath when he saw the time.

Thankfully, he didn’t have anywhere he needed to be, so sleeping in wasn’t an issue, but Noah recalled having told Ruby that he’d take her out for breakfast to make up for not accompanying her the previous night to dinner with her friends.

“Ruby?” he called out, wondering if she was in the other room since he couldn’t hear the tv on or her moving around.

No answer.

Had she already gone out without him?

Getting up, Noah wandered through the apartment, checking every room but to no avail. Ruby wasn’t home and hadn’t left a note or anything telling him where she’d gone, so Noah sent her a text message.

It took a few minutes to get a response, but when Ruby texted him back, she informed him that she had gone out for lunch and some last-minute shopping with one of her friends for things she needed for class.

The casualness in her response felt odd to Noah since before they started college, they were either almost constantly spending time together or messaging each other when they were apart. However, he had to remind himself that this wasn’t high school anymore, and they were both adults, so it was only natural that Ruby would also want to spend time with the new people she had met.

Still, he couldn’t help feeling left out all of a sudden after how things had been previously.

He messaged her back to ask when she was coming home or if he should come and meet her somewhere, hoping to ease the anxious feeling like he was being abandoned and discarded in favor of others.

In the meantime, Noah turned his attention to unpacking more of his things, using that as a distraction to get through both suitcases that contained his clothes, hanging everything up that needed to go into the closet, and folding and putting away everything else. He also emptied several more of the boxes he’d brought and set up his guitar, needing to retune it after it had gotten knocked around a bit in the car.

While Noah was preoccupied, he didn’t notice that it took more than another two hours before Ruby got back to him, as it seemed she was just as busy as he was and lost track of time.

It was well into the late afternoon when he realized he was starting to feel hungry. Rechecking his phone, Noah suggested meeting up somewhere to eat, as it would give him a chance to get his bearings around the place and make up for missing out on his promise of breakfast. Ruby agreed, telling Noah to meet her at a bar across campus that served coffee and food before 9PM, and hosted live music in the evenings, so it acted as a casual hangout for students throughout the day and into the night.

The bar sounded much more relaxed to Noah than the restaurant Ruby had gone to the previous night and, therefore, more to Noah’s preference, given that he disliked places that felt too formal, especially when he was in unfamiliar surroundings.

Noah was grateful that Ruby had taken the liberty of leaving his set of keys for the apartment on the coffee table in the living room so that they were easy to find when he got up.

Grabbing his jacket and snatching the keys up from the table, Noah slipped them into his pocket before heading out the door, phone in hand so that he could use it to locate the bar Ruby had told him to meet her at, as he still wasn’t at all familiar with where everything was on campus, so it would be easy for him to get lost otherwise.

After forty-five minutes of walking along streets and making a few wrong turns at places where the map had incorrectly told him there was a path through, Noah finally found the place.

To him, it was surprisingly busy for a very early evening. Still, he figured that it was just another thing about college life he had yet to get used to since thousands of students were living in the immediate area on and around campus. Hence, most places were probably as lively as this, no matter the time of day.

Noah had to navigate his way past the entire length of the bar, already lined with patrons, two rows deep, making orders, to find Ruby sitting in a booth at the other end with three other girls and two boys of similar age to him and Ruby.

He hadn’t anticipated that so many of Ruby’s friends would also be there, if any at all.

Still, he probably should have, so although their unexpected presence initially jarred him, Noah shrugged it off and greeted his girlfriend with a smile and as welcoming a demeanor as he could muster in the company of people he didn’t yet know.

Noah tried to ignore the creeping nervousness that rose in him as several pairs of unfamiliar eyes fixed on him as Ruby returned the greeting and began reeling off introductions.

“Noah, this is Angie, Evie, Tori, and Arden,” Ruby began, going around the group and gesturing to each person in turn before the remaining unnamed male in the group got up to let Noah in to sit beside his girlfriend. However, he spoke before getting out of Noah’s way.

“Lowell Beck,” he stated, introducing himself while holding out his hand before Ruby got the chance to speak for him.

Lowell had that certain unnervingly polished quality about him. That kind of all-American, clean-cut, could-be-president-one-day vibe that didn’t sit right with Noah in a Stepford Wives sort of way.

“Noah. Noah Glass,” he replied, tentatively shaking Lowell’s hand, slightly put off by the other getting in his personal space, as innocent as it may be. Thankfully the handshake didn’t last long before he was allowed to pass and sit next to Ruby, taking his jacket off as he did so.

“Glass? Interesting name,” Lowell commented, grabbing a spare chair and pulling it up to the end of the table since Noah had taken up the last seat in the booth Lowell had formerly occupied.

“A name’s a name,” Noah replied with a shrug, immediately feeling Ruby squeeze his hand in response to the retort as if a silent warning to be nice.

“That it is,” Lowell replied, apparently unfazed as he quickly pivoted the conversation. “I can’t quite place your accent. Where are you from?”

“I was born in London, but I grew up going back and forth between there and New York, so that might be why it sounds funny to you.”

“Ah yes, I hear the inflection of it now.”

Noah felt like he was under interrogation, but he forced himself to try to relax, having already noticed that Ruby had tensed up, probably worried that he would say something to either embarrass her or offend her friends.

He was glad when a waitress interrupted the conversation to check everything was okay and to ask if anyone needed anything, as she’d noticed Noah join them only moments ago.

Another round of drinks was ordered, along with a few sharing platters of food. That seemed a better option than everyone having individual meals on an already crowded and cramped table where elbow room was at a premium, and it would make dividing up the check later a much simpler affair.

Noah let the rest of the group control the conversation for a while after Angie (or maybe it was Evie? Noah couldn’t remember which was which) changed the subject away from their newcomer for a bit.

Ruby also seemed to relax while Noah was quiet, scooting close enough to him that he could comfortably tuck his arm around her waist and lean against her, the physical contact between them reassuring and calming Noah’s nerves.

Soon enough, however, the conversation swung back around in Noah’s direction as talk of everyone’s intended career paths arose.

“So, Ruby tells us you’re a freshman too. Have you decided on your major yet, or are you just trying out a few options before committing to something more solid?”

“Actually, I’m planning on majoring in Business, same as Ruby,” Noah informed him confidently, cracking a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes.

“Business? I would never have guessed. You don’t strike me as the type to choose that.”

“Oh? And why is that?” Noah asked curiously, expression carefully blank, but there was just enough defensiveness in the question to challenge the group's preconceived notions about him. “Because I have tattoos, or some other reason?”

“Noah…” Ruby growled under her breath, digging her nails into his arm, which Noah still had draped around her waist.

“I didn’t say that,” Lowell countered, frostiness creeping into his tone as he rose to the challenge.

“You didn’t have to, but it’s fine. You can admit that it was what you were thinking.” Noah replied casually, shrugging off the assumptions made about him as he had so often had to do in the past.

“I’m sure that wasn’t what Lowell meant, Noah,” Ruby interrupted, trying to defuse the tension that had settled over the table. “Was it, Lowell?”

“No, no, Noah makes a great point,” Lowell conceded, nodding and holding his hands up in a pacifying gesture. “I’m sure plenty of people with tattoos run successful businesses.”

“Maybe tattoo shops and dive bars….” Arden, the other male in their party, muttered with a smirk, seemingly amused by the apparent friction between Noah and Lowell.

“And what’s wrong with running a bar?” Noah snapped back, the comment touching a nerve and rendering him no longer in the mood to be polite to anyone who wanted to look down their nose at him. “Not good enough for you? Well, how about this? My dad has one of the sharpest minds for business I know of, and he’s been running bars and nightclubs his entire life. He’s been so successful, in fact, that he was a millionaire before hitting thirty, and he now has over twenty-five bars and clubs, both here in the US and Europe. And yes, he also has tattoos, so have you got anything else you want to say on the matter, mate, or are we good?”

“No. Nothing at all.” Arden replied, looking a little gobsmacked at the response.

There was a fiery, almost-triumphant look in Noah’s eyes as he shot down Arden’s comment with cold, hard facts about his personal experience contrary to such assumptions, and it felt good to stand up to them.

Ruby, however, was far less pleased with the display, her face pale with a restrained fury that Noah had chosen to open his mouth instead of taking a calmer, more diplomatic approach.

Noah recognized that look, immediately feeling like an ass for not keeping his temper in check, so he excused himself from the table, heading to the bathroom to take a moment by himself to calm down.

Checking all the stalls to ensure he was alone, Noah rested his hands on the edge of the countertop, taking several deep breaths before looking at his reflection in the mirror above the basin and heaving a frustrated sigh.

It had been a while since Noah had gotten mad enough to snap like that, but he honestly couldn’t say he felt he was in the wrong for doing so. Still, he felt guilty for the fact that he’d behaved inappropriately and upset Ruby with his outburst nonetheless.

Noah hadn’t meant to react that way, but he had never liked anyone treating him with disrespect or looking down on him, and it pushed his buttons something fierce when they did.

Washing and drying his face, he took a few more seconds to regain his composure before he left to return to the table.

As he rounded the corner of the hallway that connected the space between the bar, the bathrooms, and the kitchen, Noah was surprised to see Ruby and Lowell talking to each other at the other end.

Before either of them noticed him, Noah ducked back behind the corner, peeking out from cover, and saw that Lowell had his hand on Ruby’s arm as they talked, his thumb stroking against her skin. An uneasy feeling settled into the pit of Noah’s stomach as an uncomfortable prickling sensation crept up the back of his neck and spread through his head like static. He tried to tell himself not to read too much into what he saw, as it wasn’t really anything, but a pinch of uncertainty reared its head regardless.

Stuffing the feeling down, Noah walked back out of his hiding place as though he hadn’t seen anything, making just enough noise to draw attention to himself to see how Lowell reacted.

Lowell barely flinched, daring to go so far as to hug Ruby before he walked away, casting a backward glance at Noah that only fuelled Noah’s discomfort.

“What was that about?” he asked as he approached Ruby, a cautious but confused expression on Noah’s face.

“He was just asking if everything was alright,” Ruby answered, still indignant. “What the fuck was all that back at the table, Noah? How could you show me up like that?”

“That prick insulted me,” Noah argued, his confusion only etching deeper.

“Oh, grow up, Noah! He didn’t mean it. You just took it too personally,” Ruby countered, looking like she was about to burst into tears, which immediately dampened the sharpness of Noah’s defensiveness. “Babe, I thought we were past this shit….”

Noah hung his head in shame, his jaw setting tight.

“I’m sorry,” he murmured, staring at the floor and wishing it would open up to swallow him right there and then. “I didn’t mean to upset you. He just…. No, you’re right. I should have just kept my mouth shut. I promise it won’t happen again.”

Noah felt embarrassed by the whole thing now, believing he’d made just about the worst first impression possible with the friend group that wasn’t just Ruby’s but was supposed to be his too, since that was the whole point of him being there.

“Are you going to apologize to everyone else?” Ruby asked, hands on her hips as she looked him over. “Because the last thing I want is to feel like I’m playing referee between you and our friends.”

“They’re your friends, Ruby. Not mine.”

“Noah…”

“What? It’s true, and it’s pretty obvious they don’t like me anyway.”

“You haven’t given them a chance to like you,” Ruby retorted, folding her arms in irritation.

“Look, I’m not arguing, okay? But I think it’s probably best I just go back to the apartment and try all this again another day because I’ve fucked things up enough for tonight.”

“You’re being childish.”

“No, I’m removing myself from the situation because I don’t want to make things worse.” Noah sighed, doing what he had learned in therapy when he felt he was doing more harm than good. “And I still haven’t finished unpacking, so the sooner I get that done, that’ll be one less thing for me to be stressed about, won’t it?”

“Fine…” Ruby ground out, unhappy about Noah's choice, but his not being there would save her from further embarrassment if he took exception to another misunderstanding. “But you’re going to apologize to everyone before you go, right?”

Noah was reluctant to agree since he still didn’t think he was totally at fault for what had happened, but he’d do whatever was necessary to get him out of the doghouse with Ruby, and if that meant taking responsibility for being argumentative, then so be it.

“Alright, I’ll apologize, okay?” he replied with a nod as they both strode back into the main bar area.

When they got back to the table, the others were engaged in conversation with each other, Noah getting the impression he knew exactly what they were discussing as everyone fell quiet when they saw him approach.

“Everything alright?” Lowell asked, addressing Noah more than Ruby since he’d apparently already checked up on her while Noah was in the bathroom.

“Yeah,” Noah acknowledged with a nod, picking up his jacket as Ruby shot him a look, prompting him to make good on his word.

“Look, sorry about…. I guess I’m still a little tired from the long drive over, and I didn’t mean to go off like that, so I’m going to call it a night. No hard feelings, though?” he added, addressing the whole group, but Arden in particular.

“Yeah, man, whatever,” Arden answered with a shrug, casually waving off the apology as if he hadn’t been all that bothered about the incident in the first place.

“Cool. I’ll see you all around then,” Noah replied, giving a slight, awkward wave before turning to Ruby, giving her a short hug and pressing a kiss to her cheek, then made his way out of the bar.

© 2025 BitemarksAfterDark