Noah

The sound of the doorbell wakes me.

I push my covers off and rise from the bed. Then, I throw my hair up in a mess of tangles before venturing out of my bedroom to see who is at the door.

I check through the peephole before answering, and then I blush.

I hate to jump to conclusions, but when I see the man standing outside, holding flowers, my immediate thought is that Brazen has done something sweet. I throw open the door, thankful that he would do something like this.

“I have a flower delivery. Just sign here,” the guy on my porch announces while pushing a clipboard at me.

I happily sign on the dotted line and then take the bundle of beautiful roses. My fingers can’t open the card fast enough.

SUNDAY,

YOU WILL ALWAYS BE MINE, NO MATTER WHAT.

LOVE, MATT

“You bitch! I want to wake up to a hot guy sending me flowers.” There is laughter in Madison’s voice as she steps around the corner, rubbing her eyes.

“Me, too, but these aren’t for me.” I hold the card out to Madison as I set the flowers on the coffee table. What I really want to do is throw them into the garbage.

She opens it and explodes. “Fuck him! He won’t let her fucking live. He won’t even let her fucking breathe. He’s slowly suffocating her.” She rips the card to pieces and throws it at the horrible red clusters of blooms.

“What’s going on?” Benson steps into the living room. Despite the early morning, his eyes are wide, and they flick between the two of us and the bouquet. “I’m guessing those aren’t from Brazen?”

Madison lip curls up in disgust when she utters Matt’s name while we all stare at the flowers as if they are going to attack at any moment. The left side of Benson’s face twitches as the energy in the room turns ugly.

“I want breakfast,” Benson says simply, sounding less stressed than I feel, before he turns and walks into the kitchen.

“Matt is such a coward. He knew he couldn’t send the delivery to Brazen’s, so he sent them here. He constantly has to keep reminding Sunday that he’s never far from her. We can’t tell her about this.”

Madison storms off toward the kitchen behind Benson.

I grab the flowers and pieces of the ripped up card, and then I walk outside to throw them into the garbage can.

Why couldn’t they have just been from Brazen?

When I join my roommates in the kitchen, Benson is cooking, and Madison is at the table, stewing in her contempt for Matt.

“I’m sick and tired of that psycho!” Madison slams her fist on the table.

Benson jumps and then throws her a scathing look.

“Sorry, Benny, but he’s just so infuriating.”

Without a word, Benson turns back to the stove.

Madison kicks back her chair and abruptly stands. “I’m going to take a shower. I need to wash the anger from my skin.”

Benson sets down three plates of eggs and toast—one for me, one for him, and the last for Madison’s now empty seat. He looks down at his food and quietly digs in.

“You okay?” I ask him.

“I don’t like that word,” he tells me. “I know Matt is a bad guy, and he probably is a psycho, but Madison knows I don’t like that word. People think I’m weird, and they’ve called me names my whole life. I’m not crazy, and I’m not a psycho. I just don’t want to be caught off guard.”

“Madison didn’t mean to upset you. You know neither of us would ever call you names. Matt just has everyone all shaken up.”

“I would never hurt anyone,” he defends, admittedly rather brashly.

“I know you wouldn’t, Benson.”

He sets down his fork and looks at me like I have all the answers. Maybe I can help with a few.

“Where is this coming from?”

“Are you happy, Noah?” He folds his hands neatly in his lap.

Benson has a habit of seemingly ignoring my questions, but I think he’s working his way up to getting to them.

“I always try to be. At least in the moment, but for the first time, I think I am overall. Are you?” The question makes me nervous, but I really want my friend to be happy.

“Did you know I’m on probation? Did Madison tell you?” he answers my question with a few of his own.

“No. Do you want to tell me?” I can’t say I’m not curious about his admission.

“I got arrested about six months before you moved in. I think the judge showed me leniency because he knew I couldn’t handle jail.”

“What did you do?”

I didn’t expect that Benson had problems with the law, but I keep my tone free from judgment. He deserves my understanding since he didn’t judge me when I first got here. Sure, he thought I was a spy, but once we cleared that up, he was free of judgment.

“I had a rather bad episode. Sometimes, these thoughts get in my head, and I just can’t escape them.” He literally shakes his head, like the thoughts will fly out.

“Bad episode?”

“I thought someone was following me. They had trailed behind my car for miles and taken every turn that I did. I pulled off into a gas station and bunkered down inside after locking the door. There were other customers inside though, and I guess one of the women was really scared.”

“Oh no, Benson.”

“The lady called the police, and she told them I had a gun. Noah, I swear I didn’t, but she was just so frightened and thought I was robbing the store or something. The cops showed up, thinking they had a hostage crisis. It was all a big misunderstanding, I promise.”

“I believe you.” I can even see it unfolding in my mind.

“Things mostly got cleared up, but I still got stuck with a small charge. In a way, I’m kind of glad it happened because I think the experience and the consequence have been good for me.”

“Well, that’s good, Benny.”

“You asked me if I was happy though. I explained that because I just wanted you to understand more. It’s hard for me to know if I’m happy. My mind moves so fast, and certain things are on a continuous loop that it makes it hard for me to actively process my emotions. My brain is on overdrive so much that the only thing I can concentrate on are the intense messages.”

“That makes sense.”

The boy always looks like he has the weight of the world on his shoulders.

“I want you to be happy though.”

“Before my probation is over, I’ve been ordered to complete some therapy. I’ve been emailing with a therapist who specializes in people with obsessive tendencies in hopes that I can find someone who will truly understand my issues.”

Counselors came in and out of Golden Heights. I’ve seen a lot of them in my lifetime. Frankly, I hope I never have to see one again, but I can freely admit that the right doctor can make a world of difference in someone’s life. If Benson finds the right person for him, it could be helpful for whatever he wants to improve.

“I think that’s a great idea!”

“You do?”

“I really do.”

“Good. Then, it’s settled.”

My morning has been a lot more eventful since my head left the pillow than I anticipated. Matt is using our home to continue to get at Sunday, and Benson has a mug shot out there somewhere. I’m quickly growing tired of a man I’ve never met, but as for Benson, I’m grateful every time he shares with me. I know it’s hard for him to trust people, and his open heart means he’s comfortable in our friendship. Things like that are what I was missing in my life before I came to Bay Town.

Now, I’d like to continue my day with a hot shower and a daily dose of Brazen.

He’s the best part about my new life here.