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Childhood Friends by Lotsip
| Title: Childhood Friends Rating: G Summary: A birthday for Noah Characters: Luke, Noah, Emma Genre:Drama, Romance Warnings: Disclaimer: This site is no way associated with "As the World Turns", CBS, P&G, or Van Hansis and Jake Silbermann. This is not for profit. No copyright infringement is intended. Authors submit and write their own work. |
Luke was sitting up waiting for Noah to get home when he suddenly came storming through the door. He threw down the newspaper with force at the table right in front of Luke.
Luke on his hand almost spilled out the coffee he was just about to take a sip from. “Hey, watch it!” He dried off some coffee that had landed on his chin with the back of his hand. “This thing is warm you know” He said and hold up the cup in front of Noah.
Noah gave away an irritated 'sorry'. Luke could hear that he didn't really mean it as he went up to get himself a towel after discovering that the coffee had not only landed on his chin but also on his new tee.
“Great” he mumbled as he tried to remove the stain, although he in fact just made it worse.
Noah blushed a bit and started to feel guilty, he knew that it was a new tee as Luke had so proudly announced this morning while getting dressed. “Here” Noah reached for the towel. “Let me”
“Just leave it” Luke snatched the towel out of Noah's hand and threw it on the kitchen counter. He went back to the table to finish his cup.
Noah sighed and went over to Luke, he bent over him and wrapped his arms round his shoulders. He leaned in to Luke's ear and whispered “I'm sorry” with a regretful tone.
Luke grumped a bit but soon enough decided that there was nothing to really be mad about. He tilted his head back and met Noah's eyes. He narrowed his eyes at him. “Only if you kiss me” he said with a cheeky grin and a sparkle in his eyes.
Noah, without hesitation, did as he was told, he kissed Luke from up side down; Spiderman style. By now he had composed himself and sat down next to Luke.
Luke looked at him thoroughly as he sat down. He could probably count on one hand how many times he had seen Noah sulky. It definitely belonged in the category of 'unusual occurrences'. Normally it would be him who would oscillate between ecstatic and melancholy like a ping-pong ball. But this time it was Noah that had been sulky for the last couple of days. Luke had his suspicions on what it was that had brought it on but he knew better than to say it out loud. Tomorrow was Noah's birthday. Even though Noah would never admit it, Luke had more than just a feeling that this essentially was about his father. Just a few days ago he had found Noah holding his father's Dog tag, which he quickly hid when Luke had caught him off guard. He had looked so lonely at that moment.
They never talked about Winston any longer. The subject was far too painful to resume. Tomorrow would be Noah's first birthday without anyone of his parents alive. No one would see their son get older, see him grow up to the wonderful man that he loved.
Luke shivered at the thought. He couldn't even begin to understand what it must feel like to be an orphan. Even if one of your parents was named Winston Mayer, he was still Noah's father and he had never wished that Noah would lose him for good. Luke knew that Noah had been feeling lonely lately. Maybe it was so that reality became so much clearer around ones birthday. He hated the thought of Noah ever having to feel alone on his birthday. In actuality he and Emma had been planning the day the last couple of weeks. It hadn't been long since Noah had moved back to the farm and there was nothing they wouldn't do to make him feel at home there.
Noah sat quietly and stared down at the newspaper in front of him. Luke couldn't resist to run his fingers through Noah's small curls at the back of his neck that were more visibly when he was leaning forward. Soft, smooth curls that were getting longer due to a put off trip to the hairdresser. Not really like Noah, but between school and the late night work at Java there just wasn't time. Luke lightly shook Noah's head. “Hey...” he said with a soft voice.
Noah glanced over at him. “Sorry for storming in like that, I just had a shitty day at work, and...” He pushed the paper towards Luke. “and now this, it just bums me out.” Noah put his arms on the table and let his chin rest on his closed fist like a sad puppy.
Luke arched a brow. “What's this?” He picked up the paper and started to read, hoping that he would find the clue to what had made Noah so down. “'Cat rescued from a tree'....what about it?”
Noah rolled his eyes. “Not that” He flipped the paper over for Luke and pointed at the headline that had contributed to his indignance. “That!” he said with a decisive tone.
Luke read it again. “'Cinema Rialto will be closed for good'” He shot a quick glance over at Noah before continuing. “'Due to decreased movie goers the Rialto in Oakdale is forced to close down and is facing an upcoming demolition...'” Luke's eyes wandered from the paper to his boyfriend who still looked disgruntled. His grandma Lucinda had mentioned the closure of Rialto but he had avoided to say anything to Noah in hopes that it wouldn't be brought up before his birthday. He didn't need more occurrences that could put a black cloud over his birthday. Luke put down the newspaper and tried with an encouraging voice to explain that it wasn't the only cinema in town, even though he knew what the answer would be.
Noah snorted at him. “You just don't get it. It's the Rialto! Heavy red velvet drapes with gold tassels and the smell of old wood from the back of the chairs and the carved wooden rail up at the balcony. That's the way a real movie theater should be like” He threw out his arms and sighed deeply. “Not cup holders and the musty smell of old food” Another deep sigh. “I'm already missing the place. And they won't do a last show either. This blows” he said and pushed away the paper in contempt.
Luke stared at his boyfriend, that was more than he had said in the last couple of days. He grabbed hold of Noah's hands, which Noah reluctantly lifted from the table. Luke placed them around his own waist at the same time as he sat himself down on Noah's lap, face to face. He placed his own hands around his neck. “Please try and put this aside, at least for now. For me?” Luke asked, hoping his plea would work.
Noah sullenly twitched his mouth into a half smile, no signs of wanting to let this go so easily.
Time to change the subject. “So, what do you wanna do on your birthday tomorrow?”
Noah arched a brow. “Oh yeah, just like you and Emma haven't planned it for weeks. You see, I know the two of you” he explained with a twinkle in his eye.
Luke pursed his lips. “Yeah, yeah. So that might be true”
“Ha! I knew it” Noah laughed and poked Luke in the side.
And suddenly, there it was, that Noah smile that could melt ice to water and that turned Luke into a puddle on the floor every time it fired off in his direction. Mischievous, heartfelt, honest, god he loved Noah's smile.
Luke smiled at him. “Well, we are still taking up requests.”
“Interesting” Noah said and twitched his eyebrows in an far too exaggerated flirtatious way for it to ever be sincere.
Luke shook his head and just laughed. Who could ever resist his playful flirting? “Oh shut up” Luke teased and hushed him with his lips.
He let himself linger at Noah's neck and took in the smell of him. An intoxicated smell of grind coffee, detergent and somewhere in there was that Versace perfume he had given him last Christmas. It wasn't something Noah would buy on his own but Luke hadn't been able to resist it when he had discovered it in the store. He had had a feeling that it would fit Noah perfectly. He had been right. The fragrance of musk, cedar and apple trees were now carefully piercing its way out from Noah's own scent.
Noah noticed his boyfriend that didn't seem to have any ambition to get up. “Luke? Are you smelling me again?” This wasn't the first time he had had Luke clinging to his neck. He always pretended to be a bit irritated at him but the truth was that he in fact found it kinda cute.
“Uhm..maybe” Luke mumbled, his face still buried in Noah's neck.
Noah let out a small laugh, ruffled Luke's hair a bit and lightly pushed his head back. “I know what I wish for now” he said.
“What's that then?”
Noah bit on his upper lip. “I wish for a calm day with you, just you. Just to lay in bed and be lazy all day”
Luke started to twitch a bit. To his relieve Noah continued. “But since I know that you and Emma probably have some enormous dinner planned with the whole big family , which I by the way love you for, I will settle with half an hour of alone time with you”
Luke pursed his lips and looked from under his bangs. “Are we really that predictable?”
“Yep. But don't worry. It's cute”
“Cute huh?” Luke narrowed his eyes at him and pretended to be offended. He got up from Noah's lap. He grabbed his hand and tugged on his arm to get him out of his chair. “Come on, let's get to bed and I'll show you that I am certainly not as cute as you think Mayer”
Noah got up and faked a gasp. “Now what is this I'm hearing? You're not gonna make us break Emma's rules are you?”
Luke shook his head and pulled them towards the stair. “Just like we haven't done that already”
Noah wrapped his arms around him and embraced Luke from behind. “You are making my fantasies run wild Snyder”
--
The following morning Noah woke up by whispers outside the bedroom door. He looked over at Luke that was out like a light. He could sleep through most things, unlike Noah that would wake up by a needle falling, so this was certainly no match for him.
“We have to wait until he wakes up” he could hear Emma whisper to someone out there, probably Nat.
Thank god he had had the presence of mind to remember to lock the door the night before. The voices were still outside. He poked Luke in the side to wake him up. The cover had slid off and covered now only half of his boyfriends naked body. He let two fingers slide gently along Luke’s soft skin. As soon as he noticed that Luke started to stir he whispered carefully “Wake up. I think we got visitors”
Luke blinked a few times in an attempt to wake up when he suddenly became fully aware of the voices outside the door. “What the hell? I told them to wait”. He sighed deeply and irritated before he looked over at Noah, then it dawned on him. “Happy birthday” he smiled and gave him a long kiss.
They let themselves get lost in the moment for a brief minute before they once again got abruptly aware of the voices outside that by now had seemed to increase in volume.
Luke slowly pulled away from Noah’s soft lips with a sigh. “I’m sorry” he said and frowned his forehead while he said a silent prayer for Noah’s forgiveness.
Noah looked puzzled at him. “For what?” he wondered and let out a slight chuckle.
“For…” Luke started getting out of bed and as he did he lifted the cover to look at Noah. “You better put something on. Quick” Luke managed to tear himself from the bed and grabbed his own robe. He threw Noah’s pajamas bottom and tee at him, he never really used them, they were mostly there for show.
Noah started to get a slight expression of panic in his face when he began to realize what was about to happen. This was not something he was used to. “They’re not coming in here, are they?”
Luke looked at him and silently nodded. “Snyder tradition. You’re a part of the family now, so you better get used to it”
At the same time as he felt a bit uncomfortable over the whole situation he couldn’t help but to smile inside over the fact that they consider him to be a part of the family. Luke and he had celebrated his birthday once before but this would be the first time with Luke’s family.
Noah hurried to put on his pants and tee when Luke started to survey the room. He shoved some clothes under the bed and hoped that any odour that could still linger from the night’s adventures would go unnoticed. Luke hesitated for a moment, tossed a last glance at Noah that now had his clothes on and so he unlocked the door. “I’m sorry about this” he said with a teasing glimpse in his eye and at the same time tried to hold back a suffocated laughter. Luke snuck out through the door and left Noah on his lonesome.
The voices outside got louder and seemed to have multiplied as he heard footsteps approaching. He thought he caught Luke’s voice; “You weren’t suppose to stand outside the door” while grandma Emma answered. “Luke, it’s eleven, we do have better things to do than to wait around for you two late risers to wake up. So I sent up the girls to wake you”
Noah smiled at the thought that they had done all of this for him. For a moment he contemplated if he would pretend to be asleep or not. Right then the door opened and in marched the whole Snyder family. They had a tray with breakfast, candles and presents, all singing “Happy Birthday”. No one had ever before done something like this for him on his birthday.
--
After a day of breakfast in bed, opening of presents, birthday dinner – Emma had prepared all of Noah’s favorite dishes of course – and now laying lazy in front of the tv, Luke still had an ace up his sleeve. Noah had already received all of his gifts – among other things a bunch of black and white movies that he had gone ecstatic over – but Luke still had one surprise left.
They sat crawled up on the couch, snuggled together and were already watching one of the presents, 'Rope'. Luke didn’t really care much for the old movies but even he had to admit that he was a bit impressed over how the movie seemed to be filmed in one single take.
Luke patted Noah on the leg and got up from the couch. “Come on. Get up”
“What? Why? But we’re watching” he said and did a gesture towards the TV.
“Yeah, yeah, we can finish it later”
“You can’t just stop in the middle of a movie” Noah argued.
“Come on now” Luke ordered and tugged in his arms to get him up. “No discussion. And put on your jacket”
“Yes mother”
“Wait, isn’t that from an other Hitchcock movie?” Luke joked.
“Wow, I’m impressed. So, is there any point in asking where we’re going?”
“Nope” Luke explained happily.
“Thought so” Noah narrowed his eyes and stared at Luke, trying to read his thoughts. “I wonder what mischief you’re up to mister”
Luke winked at him “You never know. Oh, and that’s right” Luke pulled out a scarf from his jack pocket. “You've got to wear this”
--
“Ok, no peeking now. Close your eyes ‘cause I’m removing the blindfold now. Are they closed?”
“They’re closed, they’re closed”
“Good”. Luke removed the blindfold and instead he covered Noah’s eyes with his hands. He moved behind him and pushed him forward when Noah suddenly stopped.
Noah raised his head, sniffing the air. “Wait a second. I know this smell”
Luke tried to play it casually. “Really? That’s odd”
“Hmm...”
“Just move will you. There’s only a few steps more”
“What are you up to?” It was more a question to himself than to Luke.
Luke came to a stop. “So are you ready? I’m removing my hands but keep the eyes shut ok?”
“Ok”
Luke removed his hands and placed them around Noah’s waist instead. He reached up on his toes, gave Noah a butterfly kiss at the neck and whispered in his ear “Now you can look”
Noah carefully opened his eyes to stretch out the moment and be able to enjoy it as long as possible. When he finally saw where Luke had taken him he couldn’t hold back the broad smile that was spreading across his face. “Rialto…”
Luke stood smiling and looked on as he watched Noah’s glance search all of the auditorium’s little corners.
“But how? When did you? How did you manage to get in here?”
“Well…” Luke walked around to face him. “As I said yesterday Lucinda told me about the demolition a couple of weeks ago. And I didn’t wanna say anything ‘cause I knew you would be upset. I wanted to do something special..and as it happens that grandma owns the building...well, here we are. Sometimes it’s good to have connections I guess”
Noah was still in a daze, his jaw dropped at the fact that Luke had managed to get them in here. “Yeah...” was all he could answer.
Luke gave him a quick peck on his mouth that still wasn’t closed properly. “Wait here” he said and hurried out from the salon.
Noah heard footsteps hurry up the stair, he tried to see if he could spot Luke on the balcony but he wasn’t to be seen. Suddenly a bright light lit up the whole auditorium which made Noah see reflections since he had almost looked directly at the strong lamp. The melody from the all too familiar Warner Brothers intro started to roar around him. Noah closed his eyes and allowed the feelings to take over. So many memories lay in these sounds, Universal’s powerful drums, MGM’s roaring lion and 20th century Fox’s incredible brass band. On numerous occasions he had let himself get lost in their magical world to escape reality. They were the childhood friends he never had.
He didn’t need to turn around to know which film was being displayed on the screen behind him. He had seen ‘Rebel without a cause’ more times than he could recall. Every word, every melody, he knew like the back of his hand. He turned around and found himself staring right into the eyes of James Dean. He had always identified himself with Jim Stark. The feeling of being alone, unloved and not wanted, the feeling of being uncomfortable in your own skin was something they both shared. This was the first time he saw it since he had met Luke. So much had happen since then and for each day that passed more and more disappeared of that boy that identified himself with James Dean’s character.
Luke snuck up behind Noah and once again wrapped his arms around him which caused Noah to snap back from his memories. “It’s your favorite, right?”
“Always” he smiled. Noah turned around. “Thank you” he said with an emphasis of deep gratitude. His eyes started to well up and he couldn’t stop smiling at Luke.
“Hey…” Luke gently stroke his thumb over Noah’s cheek where a tear had found its way down.
Noah put his arms around Luke and pressed him tight to his body. “Wish we could stay here forever” he whispered in a hoarse voice.
Luke started to squirm and let go of Noah. “There’s something I haven’t told you yet, something that’s really the present”
Noah watched suspiciously as Luke started to dig in his pocket..
“We can’t stay here forever. The place still needs to be destroyed. But…I managed to persuade grandma to push up the date, so it’s still a month left before this building hits the ground. So…” he stretched out the last word and got out a key from his pocket which he held up before Noah’s curious eyes. “…the place is yours during the next month. Admittedly the film roll thingy doesn’t work but we had them install a DVD player, hence this little viewing…”
Noah had stopped paying attention before Luke stopped talking. Allof his words seemed to melt together into one big rush of joy. He threw his arms around him and if possibly hugged him even tighter than before.
“I take it you like it then?” Luke managed to ask although he was almost being crushed of Noah’s embrace.
“Are you kidding? I freaking love it!” He let go of Luke. “And I love you” he said with a bit more calmness.
“I love you too. Happy Birthday Noah”
Noah looked into Luke’s eyes and saw everything he had ever wanted for his birthday, to be loved and have someone to love. “Luke…” He looked around in the big room, still shocked that the place would be his to occupy for the next month. Once again he met Luke’s kind brown eyes. “I don’t know where to begin. I’m lost for words here. This is the best birthday I have ever had – and it’s not just because you got me my own cinema” he added and laughed at the surreal situation. “But god knows no one have never done anything like this for me before” he whispered barely audible. “It’s ‘cause. It’s because I’ve, both from you and your family, received more love today than on my other birthdays combined” He looked down at the ground for a second before he could continue. “I don’t know how to thank you” he whispered with the tears stuck in his throat. This day had meant more to him than he ever could explain or fully understand himself.
“You don’t have to thank us. It’s your birthday. That’s what you do when you love someone” Luke smiled at him and studied Noah that was trying to find his words.
Noah remained quiet, instead he embraced Luke once again. In the background he could hear James Dean’s voice; “You’re tearing me apart!”. At that moment he knew that he would never have to feel as miserable and lonely as Jim Stark ever again.
THE END
Lotsip |
Latest page update: made by Lotsip
, Sep 17 2008, 6:48 PM EDT
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| Started By | Thread Subject | Replies | Last Post | |
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| Lotsip | my contribution for the challenge (page: 1 2) | 22 | Sep 19 2008, 11:46 AM EDT by Rathnakumar | |
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Thread started: Sep 17 2008, 6:51 PM EDT
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well i figured it was all right for me to contribute since i had nothing to do with the subject for the challenge this time.
i also realized i hadn't written anything for 2 months! what's up with me? hehe anyway, hope you will enjoy this little story and sorry if it's a bit long |
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| stardiva | now there you go lots | 1 | Sep 18 2008, 12:53 PM EDT by Lotsip | |
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Thread started: Sep 18 2008, 11:17 AM EDT
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thats the type of story that melts the butter on the diva's popcorn
you write stuff like this and i will read them sigh love it little lottie |
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