Exit Wounds | Noah Sebastian

E I G H T

When I open my eyes the next morning it's to a banging.  I think it's Noah upstairs, maybe jumping rope in his living room, because I don't put it past him.  I lay there a few more moments and I realize someone is knocking on my door.  I groan and pull myself out of bed, wondering who is knocking on my door.  Only two people know I'm living here, and I don't know why either of them would be bothering me this early on a Saturday.

When I open the door Noah is standing there, dressed for a workout.  "Good morning," he chirps, obnoxiously awake for the hour, "get dressed."

"What? No, I'm going back to bed," I say, trying to shut the door in his face. He grabs the door and forces his way inside. I throw my hands up and a manner that suggests I don't care what he does and I go back and snuggle under the covers.

"Delaney, you can't sleep your life away," he tells me, sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Don't you have company to entertain?"

"Nope, sent her home last night."

"You are an asshole, you didn't even let her stay all night?"

"No one stays all night," Noah shrugs.

"Asshole," I reiterate.

"Yeah, yeah, get up and get dressed. I will buy you breakfast," he tells me before shutting my bedroom door behind him. I let out a groan and begrudgingly pull leggings and a long T-shirt. I shuffle out to the bathroom to brush my teeth and pull my hair into a ponytail.

"I can tell you put a lot of thought into your outfit," Noah smirks, eyeing my clothes.

"Fuck off," I retort throwing an orange at him.

He catches the orange out of the air and challenges me with his stare, peeling the fruit slowly and taking a slice in his mouth.  He grins at me watching him, his dark eyes twinkling, before offering me a slice of the orange.  My orange. 

He makes me stand there while he finishes his orange, my orange, before beckoning me to follow him. He slides in his SUV and I have to climb up into it.

"Where are you taking me?" I ask him as I settle into the passenger seat.

"Kickboxing," he says simply before pulling out of the driveway. His hands tap in beat to the radio.

"I thought you were feeding me," I huff and turn the station.

"Later, and don't touch my radio," he looks sharply over at me and changes it back.

I'm unable to resist the urge to annoy him. I change the station again, not even looking to see what I've put it on and gospel music plays through the speaker.

"This is my favorite song," Noah tells me, belting out the chords to Amazing Grace.

"Stop, please," I tell him changing the radio again.

"There's no pleasing you is there?"

"Not when I'm with you," I gripe, folding my hands over my chest.

"I dunno, I've never left a woman unsatisfied," he grins mischievously and I am stunned into silence by his words.  Why would he say that to me?

The ride to the gym is short, and before long we are pulling up.  As soon as we step inside we are greeted by men and women grunting and breathing through their teeth, followed by dull thuds as they land punches on each other and on the heavy bags.  A large man, shorter than Noah, but still taking up a lot of space makes his way over to us.

"Noah!" The man calls out and pulls Noah into a hug. "Who's this?"

"Dan, this is my friend Delaney, she has a lot of aggression she needs to work out," Noah explains to the man, winking at me.  I have to fight an eyeroll.