He again didn’t answer.
I did not leave a message. But I did struggle to keep the panic at bay while trying to decide whether or not to send a text.
I decided I should do all to be open about what had occurred so I sent a text.
It read:
Darling, I’ve had a conversation I need to share with you. Please call me.
This went unanswered as well.
And hours later, when Noc should have picked me up from Valentine’s as he normally did when I was not already at his home after he was finished with work, he did not do that either.
Which meant I knew I should have heeded his warning.
A warning the love I felt for him dictated I could not heed.
And as I purloined the keys to Valentine’s car and went out to nick the actual vehicle, I knew I had to go to him immediately.
And face the consequences.
* * * * *
Noc’s Suburban at the curb in front of his house, it took me seven (yes, seven) tries to maneuver Valentine’s car in a spot two houses up from his, the only spot open on his street.
In the end, my parking efforts weren’t exactly perfect. The back wheel was up on the pavement when I decided the deed was well and truly done. I left it at that, simply relieved I’d made it there in one piece, and doing my best to ignore my dread, I got out of the car and walked to Noc’s home.
The door was barred against me, however I didn’t knock.
I also didn’t bother to dig out my key.
Magically, I turned the lock.
And then I walked in.
I saw immediately Noc leaning against the side of his island, an open bottle of whiskey on the counter, his fingers wrapped around a glass.
Oddly, he appeared to be waiting for me.
I drew in breath and made him wait no longer.
Tossing my bag to the couch as I passed, I approached him.
When I made the very edge of the kitchen area, I stopped because he spoke.
“How’d you get here?”
“I helped myself to Valentine’s car,” I shared carefully.
This, I found instantly, was not careful enough for his face grew tight.
“You drove yourself?” he asked.
“I did, my love,” I answered.
“Thought you’d spirit yourself,” he remarked in a manner I could tell was deceptively casually.
“As you know, I’ve not learned how to do that,” I reminded him.
“You haven’t learned how to drive a car by yourself but you did that,” he pointed out.
“I—”
“You’re here safe now, but swear to fuck, Franka, you do that again, shit will happen.”
I knew immediately whatever “shit” he was referring to I did not want to happen.
I allowed that to pass and tried to begin again.
“Noc, we need—”
He pushed from the island but moved no further as he interrupted, “For a woman who’s made an art of being attuned to every nuance of someone she’s meaning to play, seems you’re not cluing in real well on how to play me.”
I suffered that blow and forced my voice to conciliatory when I replied, “You must know I have no wish to play you, Noc.”
“No? So you called my dad just to say hi?”
“I didn’t mean—” I began to explain.
But Noc wanted different explanations.
“What’d you do, babe? Sneak out of our bed when I was sleeping and copy his digits from my phone?”
“Of course not,” I whispered.
“Magic,” he stated.
I didn’t confirm.
Instead I again attempted to explain.
“It wasn’t my intention—”
“Right. Let’s be clear about that. I don’t give a fuck what your intention was. You weren’t gettin’ what you wanted so you called my fuckin’ dad. A man you have not met. A man you don’t fuckin’ know. A man you got no business talkin’ to until the time I thought it was right to give him to you. That was not cool and I’m thinkin’ I don’t gotta tell you that. I’m thinkin’ that’s the same in your world or mine. So I’m thinkin’ you fuckin’ know it.”
I tried to take the situation in hand.
“There are a variety of things we need to discuss, darling.”
“No there aren’t and think I made that clear already.”
I took a step toward him and the pain slashed deep when his expression shared unmistakably an approach was far from welcome.
Therefore I stopped.
But I didn’t stop myself from speaking.
“Valentine warned me that I needed to control my emotion in regard to my magic,” I shared. “And what’s been going on between us was weighing heavily on my mind. So as I sat beside my crystal ball, fretting over this, your father’s number appeared in it. I didn’t ask for it to appear. It just appeared. And I swear to you that’s the truth.”
“So you called it.”
“I called it not knowing who I was calling.”
“But you called it. Found out who it was and talked to him. And Sue, I’ll fuckin’ add.”
“Yes, but Noc, once I knew who it was, I could hardly hang up.”
“Maybe not but you could also have just said hey, introduced yourself and not fuckin’ brought up your gig with me and the shit you’re tryin’ to insinuate yourself into.”
I bore that blow too and endured.
“I can assert that you’ve made your feelings clear on this subject, my darling, however I’m uncertain I’ve done the same. There are things that are concerning me.”
“I’m gettin’ that, seein’ as you were totally okay with bringing them up with my dad.”