Runaway Pt. 03

"Well, why don't you come in, Noah? We can show you to your room, let you guys get cleaned up a bit. Must've been a long day."

The tension and anger that had consumed me throughout the conversation with Mom and Sean melted as Noah stepped back in through the door. Just the sight of him gave me a sense of relief and contentment that I couldn't explain. He still smiled tensely, but seemed to have gotten a bit more comfortable.

That little shred of comfort disappeared from his eyes when my mom looked at him with a harrowingly stiff stare.

"Sean, why don't you put Lacey in the room I'm in? Noah can take the basement room and I'll sleep on the sofa."

She didn't have to spell out her expectations. Noah and I were not to share a room.

I bit back what I wanted to say, which was that the sleeping arrangements were not up to her, in an attempt to keep the fragile peace we had just established.

"Of course not. I'll take the couch," I said.

Noah shook his head. "It's fine. I'm good with couches."

"No one is sleeping on the couch," Sean insisted. "My office has a futon."

"Perfect. I'll take the futon," I said.

"Well, the downstairs room has Lacey's things in it," Mom said.

"My things?" I asked before remembering what she had said about packing some of my belongings up. "Oh! Well, I'll just bring them upstairs."

She nodded tersely.

So that was how Noah ended up in the basement guest room while Mom ended up on one side of the upper floor, and I ended up in the room next to Sean and Rick's.

Sean pointed out the office I'd be sleeping in before showing Noah and I down to the guest room.

"Sorry," he said quietly. "I mean, I probably should have asked if you were okay in the same room. I assumed—"

"Can we not right now?" I asked, blushing.

He stifled a laugh. "Jesus, Lacey. Fine. Anyway, I forgot Mom might have an issue with it. Sorry."

I forgot all awkwardness as soon as he opened the guest room door and I caught sight of the stack of boxes my mom had brought.

I had expected a bag or two with some essentials, maybe some mementos that couldn't be replaced. The boxes that were there looked like they held most of what I owned, likely more things than what my mom had brought herself, given the limited space in her car.

Nearly crying, I rushed to the boxes and opened the first one.

Clothes. Clean clothes. And underwear. Actual, real, fresh panties that hadn't been washed in the bathroom sink of a moving train.

Noah and Sean both laughed as I clutched an armful of fabric to my chest.

"You can leave whatever you want down here," Sean said. "We almost never use this guest room. Till you've got everything sorted out and you're settled, I'll store whatever you need, okay?"

"You're not staying here?" Noah asked, confused.

"Oh, she can!" Sean shifted awkwardly. "I mean, of course, our door is always open. Mom's staying here while she gets back on her feet. We just weren't sure what the next step was for you, Lacey."

"I don't really know either," I mumbled.

"We'll figure it out tomorrow. No rush." Sean stepped back out of the room. "Anyway, you saw where the bathrooms are. Dinner should be about a half hour. Rick always forgets potatoes take longer than he thinks they will."

For the first time since we got off the train, Noah and I were thankfully and gloriously alone.

"You okay?" he asked immediately.

I nodded.

"You've been crying. Your eyes are red."

I sighed miserably, abandoning the boxes to sit on the edge of the bed.

"They don't like me, eh?"

"They don't know you."

He smiled tightly. "What'd'ja tell them about me?"

"That you helped me and took care of me. They know about th-the car in Hinton. Not about... your friends or what happened. Just that it w-was... borrowed. Mom noticed I didn't have my necklace."

He sat next to me on the bed. "Don't lie to them for my sake."

"I didn't lie. I said I didn't want to talk about it, and I don't."

"I'm making things worse by being here."

"No." I grabbed his hand roughly. "Don't leave me here." I swallowed hard, willing myself not to tear up again. "Please."

His lips found my cheek, warm and comforting against the dried tears.

"You want me here, I'm here. We'll figure it out tomorrow."

I turned my head, catching his lips with my own. For a moment, we just stayed like that, innocent and chaste in our contact, comforted and revived by our closeness.

When we parted, I told him about the conversation with Mom and Sean. Noah listened quietly as I explained everything, tiredly reliving the emotions and frustrations and sadness. When I finished, he didn't say anything, just wrapped his arms around me and held me close.

We only moved away from each other when the sound of footsteps coming downstairs echoed through the basement.

"Lacey?" my mom called. "Noah. Dinner is just about ready."

I kissed Noah quickly and grabbed the armful of clothes I had pulled out of the box before exiting the room. Mom stood at the bottom of the stairs, warily disapproving as I exited.

"What were you—"

I dropped the clothes and cut her off with a tight hug that shocked her.

"Thank you," I said. "For my stuff."

I pretended not to notice the tears in her eyes when we parted.

"Of course, sweetie. Any time."

**