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"Hey."
Noah looked over to the couch at the sound of Camille's voice, but then he saw Camille's phone pressed to his ear. He smiled to himself and continued unloading the dishwasher.
"Yeah, yeah, I know it's been forever, Zay."
Zay? Who was that? How did he have Camille's number?
"Nooooo," Camille whined playfully, drawing out the word. Then he giggled. "Zay, stop!" Holy shit, Camille was laughing. He was laughing his head off at whatever this Zay was saying on the other end of the call. Suddenly Camille cut a sharp glance at Noah before his face flushed crimson. "Zay," he said, his voice taking on a pleading – but still playful – tone, "it's not like that."
Noah quietly shut the cabinet and moved onto the silverware drawer, unashamedly listening in on the side of the conversation he could hear.
Camille's voice abruptly dropped a few decibels. "I know he went to my apartment to get my stuff. It doesn't mean that–"
Zay apparently cut Camille off, and Noah was left wondering what his going to Camille's old apartment did not mean.
Then Camille was talking again, spitting rapid-fire French with a smirk on his lips that said Zay did not understand a word of it. He stopped with a grin while Zay probably protested and then said in English, "Don't stick your perfect little button nose into my love life." He went a bright shade of red when Zay replied. "N-no," he stuttered, sounding entirely unconvincing. "It's got nothing to do with that."
What had nothing to do with what? Noah was getting a headache from trying to figure out the conversation's topic.
Camille huffed. "Fine, Zay, you win. But that's still no reason to stick your nose into my sex life."
Noah nearly choked on his next breath but remembered that he was pretending not to eavesdrop and hid it with a cough tucked into his elbow as he bent to reorganize the cleaning materials under the sink.
"Nuh-uh!" Camille protested to whatever Zay had said next. When Noah peeked above the counter, Camille was sitting up, pouting like his expression would be transmitted through the phone call. "Zay, you little diable! If you tell anyone–!" He was cut off again and scowled for a moment before falling back with a barely audible giggle.
What about this Zay made Camille so playful?
"Yeah, uh-huh. See you soon, lovely." Camille blew a kiss into the phone's speaker and then hung up the call. He looked up and grinned when he saw Noah's expression. "Hey, Mr. Eavesdropper."
Noah put his hands on his hips. "I was putting the dishes away, thank you very much."
Camille slid his phone onto the coffee table and snuggled under the weighted blanket. "You look like you swallowed a jealousy pill or something."
"That's not a thing," Noah retorted.
Camille snorted. "It's metaphorical, Noah. Why are you jealous of one of my former coworkers?"
Noah felt his face get set on fire by hot blood. "This Zay…he's an omega?"
"Duh," Camille replied. "He's the one who gave you the key to get into my old apartment."
Noah could have slapped himself. "I feel so stupid right now." He frowned as he recalled the omega who had led him up the stairs to Camille's apartment. "I thought his name was Xavier."
"Yeah, but everybody calls him Zay. His name's spelled Z-A-Y-V-I-E-R if that clears anything up."
"That's…original."
Camille laughed and turned onto his side. "Let's just say his birth name is far less original. Zayvier is the name he picked for himself." He closed his eyes and burrowed deeper under his blanket, a clear sign that he needed a nap.
"Cami?"
Camille perked up. "Did you just call me Cami?"
Noah froze, unsure whether he should backpedal and apologize. "Yes?"
Camille smiled. "That's cute. I approve. Now what were you going to say?"
Noah bit his lip to focus himself. "Just reminding you that I'm going to work tonight, so I'm dropping you off at the Holt house, since that's where Darius and Rowan are staying until the newest Holt baby is born."
Camille's smile deepened. "I'm so glad they're staying there," he murmured as he lay down again. "Rowan really needs the break from taking care of Aiden. Now he's got time and space to take care of himself. Maybe we'll get to have a nice conversation again." With that, he turned his face into the pillow and fell asleep.
Noah let him sleep as he continued putting the kitchen in order and then went upstairs to get ready for work. When he came back downstairs, he shook Camille's shoulder gently. "Nap time's over," he said coaxingly. "C'mon, let's get up. You can sleep more on the way to Darius' house."
Camille groaned and tried to roll over.
Noah laughed under his breath at his adorable boyfriend and peeled the weighted blanket back, folding it and laying it over the back of the couch. "Let's go, Cami."
Camille's eyes opened in slits. "Are you manipulating me with that nickname?"
With a smile, Noah replied, "Maybe. Whatever gets you up and in the car." He slid his hand under Camille's shoulder and lifted him up into a sitting position.
Camille made a noise of displeasure but let Noah pull him to his feet and out the door. Once in Noah's car, he leaned his head against the window and closed his eyes again.
Noah double-checked to make sure he had Camille's medication and headphones just in case and then started the car, pulling out of the driveway and heading to the Holt mansion. When they pulled into the drive, Noah shook Camille awake again. "I'm sorry, angel," he apologized when Camille whimpered unhappily like a kicked puppy. "Let's get inside, okay?"
Camille got out of the car, looking half-asleep, and followed Noah inside, barely even registering when Gabriela Holt took his jacket to hang up in the closet. He accepted his headphones and meds from Noah and headed upstairs at Gabriela's gentle direction.
Gabriela gave Noah a smile and a look that said she had everything under control.
Noah nodded and left, driving through the light snow to the hospital. His shift was so abominably slow that he actually agreed to submit to Chloe questioning him about his love life. While in the middle of explaining Camille's way of cocooning himself against the world with headphones and the weighted blanket, his phone buzzed with a text message. He quickly pulled it out and opened the message from Rowan.
Just for your peace of mind. Attached was a picture of Camille sleeping on a bed with Aiden also curled up in sleep next to him.
Noah smiled, his heart warming.
Chloe pounced on it immediately, grabbing his phone and sliding the brightness up. She squealed and half the ER rushed over to see what she was so excited about. She showed the picture to everyone as if it was her own boyfriend she was showing off. "Look, isn't he so cute?"
Noah rolled his eyes but admitted to himself that he liked it when other people appreciated Camille. He held out his hand for his phone. "Give it back, Chloe."
Chloe showed a few more nurses before handing the device back with a very fake pout. "But he is!"
"I never said he wasn't," Noah returned, admiring the peaceful picture for a few moments before texting a thank you to Rowan and stowing his phone back in his pocket. Throughout the rest of the shift, he thought back to that picture, but all joy fled his system when two police officers were brought in with substantial injuries. After stabilizing them, he noted that the injuries were not lethal, just temporarily crippling. And they had been administered with bone-chilling precision. He questioned the paramedics and the other officers who had been there, an uncomfortable feeling in his gut.
The paramedics had only arrived at the scene afterward and only knew what the end result had been, but the pair of officers who had been the other officers' patrol partners both told him in no uncertain terms that it had been the work of one guy in a black trench coat and mask.
It was so cliché that Noah would have laughed if not for the damage and the expressions on the officers' faces. "I assume you've got a warrant out for this guy?"
The younger of the two officers nodded. "Yeah, but we never saw his face, and any criminal would be smart enough to change their appearance after attacking the police."
Noah frowned, a sudden horrible anxiety rising in his chest. "And where did you say you were patrolling again?"
The two officers glanced at each other, and the older one replied, "The Cruces neighborhood. You know, where all the millionaire CEOs live."
Noah did know. Because that was where Camille was right now.