I don’t have to look long as he goes to walk into the kitchen just as I’m walking out.
I gasp as I look up at him. There’s blood on his face, his brow is cut, and there’s definitely a blackeye forming. “What the hell happened?” I demand as my eyes continue sailing over him, taking in the ripped shirt and bloodied knuckles.
“Nothing,” he says giving me the side-eye as he walks past me to get a glass of water. “I’m fine. Just forget it, ok.”
I distantly realize he’s used the exact word that I’d used this afternoon and resist kicking his ass as it seems someone else has already done it for me.
I cross my arms over my chest as I watch him fill his glass before swirling a mouthful of blood around and spitting it into the sink. “Noah,” I say, demanding his attention. “Don’t even think about giving me the ‘I fell’ bullshit. What the fuck happened to you?”
He looks over at me with that sharp glare but it quickly fades away. “I’m fine,” he tells me softly. “Just a little misunderstanding.”
“A misunderstanding usually doesn’t involve a good ass kicking.”
“Hey, I was the one who did the ass kicking,” he informs me before indicating to his face. “This is nothing. You should see the other guy.”
I walk forward to get a closer look, deciding his scolding can wait until tomorrow. I’ve already dealt with too much today and I’m fucking exhausted. Noah wraps his arms around me as I try to study his face. “You need ice,” I say, trying to figure out if his brow needs stitches.
“It’s fine, babe.”
“It’s not fine,” I say, squeezing out of his arms and darting to the freezer. I rifle round and find the packet of frozen peas and toss them to him before pulling out the box that gets kept in the cupboard exactly for this reason. I walk over to the dining table and pull out a chair, letting him know this is non-negotiable. “Sit down and let me clean you up.”
Noah rolls his eyes but I’m relieved to see him moving. He takes the seat before me and instantly takes my hips, pulling me in. “What happened?” I murmur, removing one of his hands and forcing him to hold the frozen peas to his face.
I get started with his brow as he lets out a sigh. “I honestly don’t really know,” he tells me. “One minute I’m standing in front of this guy, demanding payment and the next, my fist is slamming into his face.”
I resist reminding him how much I hate that he works for Anton and concentrate on today’s events. “He didn’t say anything to provoke you?”
“Apart from the usual, ‘I’ll pay him next week’ bullshit– nope. He was a fucking douche though and gave me lip, but they all do. They don’t exactly like that some kid is coming ‘round demanding shit from them. He had this bad attitude and the second I saw him, I felt like teaching him a fucking lesson.”
“This is because of River, isn’t it?”
He glances away and shrugs his shoulders. “Add that to you not telling me whatever the fuck’s been on your mind for the past few weeks, and yeah, I might have needed an outlet,” he explains. “Usually, Rivers is around and we take our shit out on each other.”
I curl my hand around the back of his neck and give a light squeeze, remembering how not that long ago, the boys had beat the shit out of each other in the living room, putting one hell of a hole in the wall. “I know you’re angry with him,” I murmur. “But it’s ok to miss him too.”
Noah drops the peas and pulls me in even tighter before pressing his head into my stomach. I hold him there, giving him what he needs as my thumb gently rubs over the back of his neck. “Don’t you think that could be a sign that things need to change, you know, with Anton?”
His fingers tighten on my waist. “Don’t start this again,” he groans.
“I’m serious,” I tell him. “Working for Anton is dangerous but doing it without Rivers is just asking for trouble. He’s not coming back and I’m terrified that you’re going to run into the wrong guy and end up in trouble, or hurt.”
“Babe, you know I can’t.”
“I know,” I sigh. “Because of Lily.”
“Yeah, but it’s more than that now.”
I grab his head and pull him back up, needing to see his face. “What the hell are you talking about?”
“Tell me,” he says. “What did Tully’s face look like when she went to Broken Hill University with you?”
My brows pull down, wondering where the hell he’s going with this. “She was in awe.”
“Exactly. She’ll never admit it, but she needs to be there, getting a business degree for that flower thingy she wants to do after school.”