Chapter 7

5' 8"-5' 9"

Something, which Noah was terrified of, had finally happened: his doubtful reputation affected the other person (who wasn't one of his close circle). A new bulletin appeared in TalkPanik anonymous chat on Thursday morning: 'A hammerhead guy: is he a new client or a therapy buddy?' Under the intriguing headline, there was a blurred picture from the cafeteria. Noah and Ethan were photographed sitting in front of each other. Morgan could be even more glad that they were together in this picture if the circumstances were different.

Noah was down in the dumps the whole day; he didn't know whether he should apologize to Ethan, believe that they could continue their communication, or just pretend like they had never met. People do that all the time—they can become strangers in a split second. Considering that Ethan and Noah had met only twice, it was easy to wipe these blurred memories and reboot their relationship from the status of 'acquaintances' back to 'the one doesn't know that the other exists'. Well, Noah didn't want things to end before they actually began.

Anyway, he had to text Ethan and clear up this point personally and not overthink things. Noah regretted that he didn't give Ethan his own number in return for his. Then, Thomson would've probably either calmed him down with a simple message or he would've put the last nail in the coffin.

Noah had the guts to text Ethan only in the evening, after he had had dinner, and then cried for twenty minutes straight, covering his nose in Peanut's fur. For some reason, he felt sad when thinking about the end of their relationship with Ethan. Noah had no idea what he wanted. He just wanted to chat with him for a little longer. Was it too much to ask?

Noah Morgan: 'Hi. I know my message might seem inappropriate, but I couldn't help but ask about your plans for tomorrow.'

The message flew to its receiver, and Noah started nervously walking back and forth around his studio. Considering the small floor area, too many inhabitants and other stuff lived there. Some were Noah's treasures, and others, like, for example, Fluffy and Peanut, he inherited from his grandma.

Ethan answered almost instantly.

Ethan Thomson: 'Hi. Plans didn't change. Why is it inappropriate?'

Noah frowned, trying to understand what was behind Ethan's 'plans didn't change'—was it that he was still going to go to Andrea's gig in 'I want you deadly', or was it that he had other plans in the first place, and they didn't change?

Noah Morgan: 'It's inappropriate considering the position I've put you in. Please, I'm sorry. I didn't think it would turn out that way.'

Ethan Thomson: 'What position did you put me in?'

Noah froze. Ethan didn't know about the rumors. If it was that, should Noah be the person to tell him? Of course, he should. Sooner or later, Ethan would find out about everything. It would definitely be unfair to hide that.

Noah Morgan: 'Don't you follow the university's anonymous chat?' Noah finally decided to make sure.

Ethan Thomson: 'I don't. Why?'

Noah Morgan: 'There's a new rumor there, where you're one of the main characters.'

Noah's fingers were shaking while he was typing that message. He finished it, sent it, and then threw his phone away on the bed and stared into space. His apathy didn't last long, though, right until the next notification sound.

Ethan Thomson: 'What's the deal about this rumor?'

Noah swallowed.

Noah Morgan: 'It says that you bought me. Nothing new.'

Noah tried to write that message in a casual way, like it was cool for him and didn't offend him at all.

Ethan Thomson: 'Ha-ha. Cool. And they said, how much did it cost?'

Noah stared into the screen, trying to process his 'Ha-ha.' with the dot at the end. It didn't sound fun. On the other hand, Morgan hoped that Ethan would get mad and text something like 'I'm not gay!' or 'I don't need to buy anyone to sleep with them!' or something less disappointing. Noah didn't expect to get 'Ha-ha. Cool. And they said, how much did it cost?' as the answer.

Noah Morgan: 'There was no price tag. Probably for a large french-fries.'

Ethan Thomson: 'Isn't it a little too expensive?'

Noah Morgan: 'I'm not cheap. You need to thank me for a discount; I didn't ask for barbecue sauce.'

Ethan Thomson: 'Ha-ha-ha. And what is the discount for?'

Noah Morgan: 'For your beautiful eyes!'

Ethan Thomson: 'Finally, there's some profit in my eyes. However, I have enough money to afford it. Hopefully, you're sitting down because you'll be blown away after I tell you that I can buy not one but two barbecue sauces.'

Noah couldn't handle it, so he laughed out loud. Who could've thought that grumpy Ethan had a great sense of humor in his arsenal?

Noah Morgan: 'Wow. Are you rich or smth?'

Ethan Thomson: 'Noah Morgan isn't cheap, so I need to dip into my pocket, right? I'm down for that.'

Noah laughed again at first, but then he got confused. It was a sore subject, but it wasn't fun to laugh about it with Ethan. Morgan couldn't tell why exactly, but, during their conversation, he suddenly got a feeling that he shouldn't be bothered by that crap that's been going on in that anonymous chat. He shouldn't be bothered at all. But then he remembered the consequences.

Noah Morgan: 'Let's get serious. It's a dumb rumor, and you're right. But it can screw up your reputation. The reputation's everything for a lawyer, isn't it? Am I right?'

Noah should've shut up and left the conversation on a funny note. But he was too worried about Ethan.

Ethan Thomson: 'Knowledge, contacts, and personality are everything for a lawyer. I have plenty of all of that. The reputation in university costs nothing. These losers can think of anything they want. I'll see them in court in ten years, and they won't like it.'

He's so confident about his future! Noah didn't have much to boast of.

Ethan Thomson: 'So, are we going to that bar with a weird name, or not?'

Noah smiled while getting unusually happy that Ethan didn't care about these rumors and didn't start ignoring him.

Noah Morgan: 'Sure! If you don't mind!'

Ethan Thomson: 'I don't mind.'

Noah fell on his bed, threw his phone aside, and buried his nose in a pillow. He just couldn't believe that everything was going so smoothly and easily. He needed a minute to calm down his frantic heartbeat. The person was casually talking to him, and he was ready to flip out.

When he turned back to his phone, it was already buried under Peanut's furry belly. Noah had to put in some effort to take the phone out from underneath his grumpy cat, and he frowned out that the cat had already managed to send Ethan a message:

Noah Morgan: 'hfpoig'

Ethan Thomson: '?'

Noah Morgan: 'Sorry. That was my cat.'

Ethan Thomson: 'Oh, do you have a pet?'

Noah swore off to stop showing pictures of his cats to other people. It was because Andrea thought he looked like a crazy cat lady when doing that. The problem was that Noah was indeed a crazy cat lady. That's why he couldn't resist and texted:

Noah Morgan: 'Even better! I have two pets! Do you want me to show you the pictures?!'

'Ethan doesn't want to hear about your cats, idiot!' Noah scolded himself.

Ethan Thomson: 'Go ahead.'

'He's just being polite. Just send one picture and get over it!'

Ethan Thomson: 'Wow, it's so huge.'

Fluffy, that was the cat picture of which Noah had sent first, was indeed huge because of the thick fur. When he would walk around the flat, it looked like a huge black cloud of evil was flying around. Fluffy, unlike his name, had quite a character. You couldn't pick him up whenever you wanted. If he didn't like something, he would immediately push out his claws and bite. If he laid down on Noah's lap, it was almost impossible to push him down because the cat was hissing and scratching Noah. Fluffy loved it when everyone played by his rules. You could pet him only if he wished so. Combing the mats out was... Every procedure felt like a nightmare, by the end of which Noah would gain more new scars and wounds.

Peanut, on the contrary, was the heart and the soul of the party. He loved attention and never refused pets from his owner, the delivery guy, his mailman, or the neighborhood kids. If Peanut could, he would lay on Noah day and night, completely unbothered. He wasn't as furry as Fluffy, but he looked almost as huge because Grandma overfed him back in the day. Noah tried to put him on a diet, but the cat always found a way to get his treats, for example, by stealing a sausage from Noah's plate or by tearing a grocery bag and biting on a fresh bread loaf.

Noah sent a picture of Peanut and begged himself to stop.

Ethan Thomson: 'This one is definitely yours.'

Noah blinked in surprise. Peanut was around a year younger than Fluffy. Noah rescued him from the street when he was a kitten. Since his mother was against any domestic animals at home because she considered them a plague spot, he took him to his grandma. At first, Noah was trying to find a new home for Peanut, so a kitten was supposed to stay at his grandma's for a little bit. But there were none wishing to take home a rootless kitten with a broken tail and a torn ear. Granny didn't insist on taking the kitten away. She kept him.

Noah Morgan: 'They're both mine!'

Ethan Thomson: 'People say that pets pick up owners' character traits. The first one is definitely bad-tempered. He's not yours.'

Noah Morgan: 'Hey! Did you just call me spineless?'

Ethan Thomson: 'No. I've just called you sweet.'

Noah shivered and dropped his phone. Luckily, on the bed. He swallowed before reading the next message.

Ethan Thomson: 'The other one is definitely a rescue cat; he had had enough. It feels like he's still not used to having a home; that's why he's so clingy. He probably even follows you when you go to the restroom.'

To the restroom. And to the shower.

Noah Morgan: 'Do you think that I'll follow anyone who treats me nice?'

Ethan Thomson: 'No. I think that you're underloved.'

While Noah was hypnotizing the phone screen and thinking about what he should say, Peanut climbed onto his stomach and stretched fully, almost completely covering the owner's upper body.

Noah was deeply embarrassed by this conversation for some reason. He wasn't tensed by this conversation; he was embarrassed or even confused. Ethan wasn't flirting with him. There wasn't any undertone, either. What the hell then?

Noah Morgan: 'I will neither confirm nor deny what you said. I can tell you, though, what Peanut and I have in common.'

Ethan Thomson: '?'

Noah Morgan: 'We both have a huge appetite, and we eat like crazy. There's one difference, though: Peanut's getting bigger, and I'm not! At least for now.'

Ethan didn't say anything, but Noah neither wanted to end their conversation nor continue a casual chat about tomorrow's event.

Noah Morgan: 'Do you have any pets?'

Ethan Thomson: 'My mom had a cat. It died, though.'

The conversation definitely didn't go the way it should've.

Ethan Thomson: 'What about tomorrow?'

Noah Morgan: 'Well, the guys need to get ready before the gig, tune the instruments, and stuff. I was thinking of getting there by seven. You can also come at that time if you want!'

Ethan Thomson: 'Ok.'

Noah Morgan: 'And thank you.'

Ethan Thomson: 'For what?'

Noah Morgan: 'For not hammering me like the others.'

Ethan Thomson: 'So, you're thanking me for not being an idiot? You're always welcome.'

Noah suddenly chuckled. He was getting more and more into Ethan.

5' 3"

"Wow, going out at night for the second time in one and a half weeks? Who are you, and where's my son?!" Father laughed looking at how Ethan was putting on a dark-red and black hoodie. They bumped into each other in the kitchen. His father was getting ready for a late-night board of directors, and Ethan was hurrying to 'I want you deadly'. Due to the coming event, the parent broke upon his son wearing a crisp white shirt, a tie, a Dolce & Gabbana suit jacket, and Calvin Klein underwear.

"I think you're missing something, aren't you?" Ethan asked, hinting at the trousers.

"The meeting is online. They'll see me only at waist-high," father said blithely.

"You still need some pants, though. There are tons of videos online where people who forget that they don't have any pants on stand up and demonstrate their underwear. It's the best-case scenario."

"So, I have to put them on, right?" His father frowned.

"Exactly," Ethan nodded.

His father sighed dramatically and sipped from his coffee mug.

"I'll put them on if you tell me the name of the hero who's taking you out tonight."

"Well…"-Ethan shrugged his shoulders indefinitely-"Nothing special."

"Only something really special can drag you out of the house in your free time due to no important reason," father noticed and winked, "Or, actually, someone special."

"No one dragged me to that party. I went there because of Audrey," Ethan declared, taking the mug from his father's hands, took his mask off, and took a sip.

"I'm still trying to reach her. Still no result," Mr. Thomson sighed. Every time Audrey was the topic of the conversation, his positivity would immediately vanish.

Ethan and Audrey found out that they had different fathers only five years ago and were not in a proper environment. They had been sure before that Audrey took after their distant family. She was supposed to find out the truth on her twenty-first birthday, but some unexpected family emergencies revealed skeletons in the closet way earlier. Audrey took the news really hard against the background of a common grief.

Michael Thomson – Ethan's father, met the future mother of his children when she was already four months pregnant. Audrey's father was one of those guys who would go out to buy some cigarettes after getting the news of a pregnancy and then disappear. Michael didn't care about that. He was Audrey's father, according to the papers. He didn't care about sharing mutual genes. Audrey had always been his sweet little daughter, even when she grew up. Unfortunately, one letter screwed up years-long family bonds. Audrey became really reserved and beat into her head that she wasn't a part of the family. She should've been brought around and shown that she was loved. However, Ethan was a troublemaker at that time, so the father was deep into solving this problem. Michael couldn't be in two places at the same time; he couldn't grieve, solve problems with his son, and rethink his daughter's life purpose all at the same time. Something would get lost in that equation sooner or later. It was Audrey. When Michael suddenly recollected everything, it was too late. She left their home, certain that she would never keep in touch, neither with her father nor with her brother. Ethan felt his guilt. Only if he hadn't...

But when it's gone, it's gone. And fixing it... Ethan tried his best, but nothing worked. Just when he found her new address, she would immediately move away. Just as he got her number, she would change it. Every conversation looked like the one at Hughes' party. She didn't want to listen.

"Yeah, me too," Ethan nodded, "I don't see her around the campus, and even her friends don't know her address. Our last conversation ended with another fight."

"God, I miss her so much," Mr. Thomson sighed deeply.

Ethan felt sick in his stomach. At least he had the opportunity to see Audrey once in a while, while the last time his father had seen her in person was three years ago. And it was really upsetting.

"You're right, there's someone I like," Ethan suddenly stated, changing the subject so fast it was crystal clear to anyone. Mr. Thomson pretended he hadn't noticed that.

"I knew it!" he screamed in triumph.

"Once again, it's nothing special. This interest is no different from the previous ones," Ethan assured his father.

"And who's the initiator of the meeting?" Mr. Thomson asked curiously.

"He is," Ethan answered vaguely.

"Then it's different!" the man returned. "Usually your objects of sympathy hide from you, not ask you out," father noticed with a laugh. "Do you remember... how was it?" the man started clicking his fingers, trying to recall the name.

"Do you mean Greg?" Ethan guessed easily. It was the most pathetic love interest, which Mr. Thomson remembered annoyingly often.

"Yeah, that guy who came here and started complaining about you."

"God, please, don't start."

"Mr. Thomson, please tell your son not to come to me anymore! He's scaring me!" his father mimicked the high-pitched voice and then laughed. "Goodness, what did you find in this sissy?"

"His voice," Ethan answered without missing a beat.

"The nineteen-year-old guy is almost 6' 2" and comes to your father complaining about you. Sorry, but I'm glad that things didn't work out."

"Me too," Ethan decided not to fight about it since he didn't plan on doing anything serious. He fell for it only once and...took Greg's arm into his and told about his feelings. That was, actually, everything he had done. He was still surprised that the guy had run to complain to his father. Was it really that frightening?

Ethan looked at his palm. Yes, it was definitely frightening. He would never make the same mistake again, and he would never touch anyone else. Neither he would talk about his feelings.

"I'm sorry that I scared Greg. I didn't think that I could make such an impression. I'm weird, aren't I?"

"No, you're not,"-his father said, shaking his head-"Your only imperfection, Ethan, is that you're extremely rude. But you've got charisma! Even though you're a bargee. You're a charismatic bargee!"

"You're telling me that only because you're my father," Ethan grunted.

"Not at all! But try to be softer with that guy you have a crush on, okay?"

"Don't worry, this guy won't come here and complain," Ethan promised.

"Sure, he won't," Mr. Thomson said positively, "Because he's someone special," he said and smirked.

"No, he's not; he just won't have a reason to complain. Stop mocking me," Ethan frowned.

"I didn't even think about it," his father waved off, then looked at his watch. "Oh, shoot, the meeting's in ten minutes, and I'm still not wearing pants!" he jumped from his spot and ran into his room, and Ethan started to get going.

He wasn't lying and did hope that Noah would stop attracting him before the feelings got too big not to tell about them. However, the hope was fading fast.