Nervous beyond what she thought reasonable, Noble steadied herself before knocking on the apartment door. She had only been to Fort's place once before when he was running late and asked her to meet him here. He had come out so fast that Noble hadn't even gotten a good look inside.
That was part of what had her suspicious, actually.
Fort was happy to go wherever Noble wanted and had even met her mother a few times. The two liked each other so much that they planned to attend a concert together by a musician they both enjoyed.
But apart from a couple of work colleagues and a rather eccentric friend, Noble hadn't met much of Fort's social circle, and she had never been invited into his home.
Maybe she was making a big deal out of nothing. Or maybe her instincts were right and there was something huge she was missing. Either way, it was better to clear the air sooner rather than later.
'It is worse being in the dark,' Noble assured herself. Holding her breath, the slender Awakened knocked on the door. The sound rang like cannons in her ears. Or perhaps that was her heartbeat.
The silence felt interminable, but eventually the bolt on the door slid away and the doorknob turned.
Noble gasped as an unfamiliar face of a boy appeared in the doorway. He was a little shorter than Noble and quite lanky, and the quizzical look on his face reminded the woman of a puppy.
"Can I help you?" he asked, his voice on the precipice between the high timber of a child and the lower resonance of youth.
Startled, Noble brought her hand to her chest. "I am sorry. I think I may have the wrong address." Her eyes flicked up to look at the number beside the door. "I don't suppose you could tell me where Fort lives?"
The door swung open, and the man in question smiled apologetically. "Noble," he said. "Did we have a date and I forgot?"
Noble flushed. "No, I just needed to discuss something but it can wait. Sorry for interrupting your evening..." The woman had no desire to talk about things in front of the boy, especially if there was a mother inside who went along with him.
"Noble, please wait." Fort caught the lady's hand before she could turn to leave. The action was not lost on the child watching.
"Noble?! This is the girl you are dating?! She's cute!" A smile split the boy's face.
"Seb, it isn't polite to comment on women's looks like that! Anyway, the words you were looking for were 'stunningly beautiful'." Fort also smiled tentatively.
Despite their difference in age, the two males definitely resembled one another.
"And it also isn't polite to leave the woman you love on your front doorstep," Seb returned Fort's scolding.
Duly chastised, the man grimaced and rubbed the back of his neck. "Would you like to come in?"
Noble hesitated. However, she had come this far and based on the child's reactions, Seb had at least heard of her even though the reverse was not true. 'If I leave now, I'll just spend all night worrying about it anyway.'
"Thank you," Noble entered the apartment and removed her sandals.
The apartment was homey but bland. It was very clear the two males living there had no mind for decor. Seb led Noble over to the well-loved couch and sat down right next to her. He opened his mouth to speak but was quickly cut off by his elder.
"Seb, I know you have a lot of questions, but could you give us just a few moments? Please?" Fort's last word was to stall the objection already forming on the boy's lips.
Seb pushed down his frustration and gave a terse nod. "I'll listen to music in my room." He looked at Noble with a pleading gaze. "Please don't leave without saying goodbye at least."
"I won't," Noble could not refuse the boy's request. No matter what happened between herself and Fort, the child had been nothing but kind to her.
Seb reluctantly went to his room and shut the door. Music began to waft from the bedroom.
"Bee, I can explain," Fort began.
"Don't you 'Bee' me right now. I have been feeling like something was off for a while now. I just didn't expect this!" Noble rubbed her forehead. Fort was hiding a child from her!
"I understand this is a lot. I will answer any questions you have." Fort sat down beside her but refrained from taking her hand like he wished.
'Where do I even begin?' Noble's head was too full of questions to pick just one. "How old is he?" she managed at last.
"Eleven. He will be twelve in September." Fort answered easily.
Noble's eyes opened wide. "I am just now doing the math. Either you lied about your age or you were a teen parent! Where is his mother? Is she in the picture at all? Is there any possibility of you getting back together?"
"You are mistaken," the handsome man took a deep breath. "I am not Seb's father. I am his uncle."
"What?" Noble looked towards the door where the music was playing. "But he lives here."
"He has since he was eight. Cain, my older brother, has always been a bit…problematic. He disappeared when I was still a teen and only showed up on my doorstep with a child when I got my government job. When he realized I wouldn't support him and his habits, he left and didn't come back. That was almost four years ago."
"That's terrible!" Noble had not expected that explanation at all. The anger and hurt she had been feeling began to evaporate, replaced with compassion for both Seb and his caretaker.
"I should have told you, I know. It is hard. I promise I wasn't trying to hide Seb from you. He never knew his mother, and his dad just up and left. I hadn't introduced you because I wanted to protect Seb from the possibility of someone else walking out on him." Fort hung his head. "I'm so sorry, Bee."
Noble could feel the genuine remorse of the man before him. It was mixed with concern and love. She sighed. "You did what you thought was best for Seb. I respect you for it."
"I don't blame you if you want to break things off. A child changes things." Fort wanted what was best for the woman before him.
She was young and had so much life yet to live. It was unfair to ask her to jump into caring for a boy that wasn't hers.
Without hesitation, Noble took Fort's hands and squeezed them. "Seb isn't just any child. He is your nephew. You are important to me. If you love him, as I can feel you do, then I want to get to know him better. If that is alright with both you and him, I mean."
The expression of trepidation quickly changed to relief as Fort brought Noble's hands to his lips and kissed them. "Seb was right about one thing, you know. I do love you."
"I love you too," Noble knew in her heart she meant the words. "I just hope Seb feels the same way."