Closed Unanswered Knocks

[Noelle Maxwell]

Noelle had sent word, out of excitement, to Ava about his accepted position to teach at Hogwarts. He thought she would be happy for him and that be excited that they would be closer now. The opposite happened. Like somewhere along with the words of 'haunted house' and 'ghoul'. With this, Noelle did not hesitate anymore. He left a note to Caelan, explaining the situation and why he had to leave earlier than expected. The man would understand. Noelle would just have to ask them to send his stuff once he got settled. With a peace offering for the woman and some toys for the twins, he stood in front of the bookstore where @Avaria Lockwood lived with Vader. He knocked on the door and called out at the same time. "Ava? It's me. Are you home?" Of course, she was. Except if she was visiting her family.

 

[Avaria Lockwood]

Ava had been... emotional since she'd gotten word from Noelle that he'd been accepted as a Professor at the school. That was a good thing, of course it was a good thing. The bitter disappointment that twisted her gut was petty and selfish, and she knew it. Noelle should be allowed to better his life. The kids at the school would be lucky to have him there. Especially in place of Styx. That man had never intimidated Ava, but he had been terrifying.

The twins were with her father for the afternoon, and she was taking the time to try and work on a new painting. It was driving her mad, and nothing looked right. Aggravated, she threw down her brush and scrubbed her hand over her face, not noticing the smear of green paint it left on her cheek. She heard the knock on the door then, from downstairs. Her front door was open so she could listen in on the bookshop while Emily ran an errand. Her sister was due back any minute now, and for a very brief moment Ava moved to answer it. Then he called out, and her jaw clenched.

"Go away, Noelle!" She shouted back, snapping a bit and whirling around to stalk back to her painting. Ava knew she wasn't actually mad at him, exactly, and she knew it wasn't fair, but she didn't want to see him. She was trying to cut him off now, before he left her behind. Like her father that never needed her. Like Phillip. Like Elio. Like Elsie. Ava's eyes teared up at the last thought, and she ran her fingers gently over the tattoos on her shoulder. Vader was the only one that would never leave her behind. Sighing, Ava wiped at the tears in her eyes.

 

[Noelle Maxwell]

Noelle was shifting on his feet, looking around, just in case, he would see Ava coming home with the twins or Vader or just anybody. He wondered if nobody was home. Even the bookstore was closed, probably the keeper was out for some errands. Last he recalled, it was her sister managing the business. He looked upstairs and saw a window open. Maybe she was home. Or forgot to close it. The man thought to call out again and if there was no answer, he would discreetly close the window for safety reasons and just come back later in the day. He would never sleep tonight until he saw her.

He opened his mouth, about to call, when a snappy shout sounded. He almost jumped and looked around to see where it came from when he realized the voice. Ava. Inside. The tone was evident. Clearly, she was pissed. About his position, for sure, but he could not point out the reason why. "Ava, please. Talk to me.", he pleaded, leaving out the fact that he brought presents. He was taking a page from Sapphire's book. He should deal with the woman upstairs in the most sincere way he could, present or no present. She might just feel she was bribed to forgive him. "Can we just talk? Talk to me. Anything you want to say. You can say it to me.", he added. He meant it, she could come to him for anything.

 

[Avaria Lockwood]

Ava let out a frustrated sigh at his persistence. She grabbed one of the blankets he'd brought and stalked to the window, throwing it out and hoping it covered his big head. "I don't want to talk to you!" She yelled at him. "We both know you're going to go to that castle and forget I exist, so why don't you just piss off now and save us both the hassle?" She barked, slamming the window shut and locking it before turning and storming back to her painting.

 

[Noelle Maxwell]

Noelle patiently waited as he hoped to all who could hear him that Ava would open the door. His eyes remained on the door as his ears perked for whatever sound they could catch. The next thing he knew, a heavy fabric dropped on his head causing him to almost lose his balance. He quickly disentangled himself and upon closer inspection, it was the blanket that he got her. He backed up a few steps to look up as she shouted some stuff. He sighed. "Can you just let me in and let's talk? You don't want us shouting our conversation here for everyone to hear, do you?", he answered back. He wanted to reassure her but not like this.

 

[Avaria Lockwood]

Ava heard Noelle yell back up at her, though it was faint. She clenched her jaw and ignored him. There was no conversation to be yelling. She knew if she engaged him it would just delay the inevitable. He was leaving. Sure, it was starting out small, but Ava was very familiar with the process. It was small at first. Letters. Promises. Then time and distance just kept growing and growing until she was left behind, barely a blip in their memory.

Her mind turned to Elio again and she had to brush back the tears. She missed him, dearly, and it hurt her to think all of his pretty words had meant nothing. She wished she knew if he was alright. It was with that in mind that she ignored Noelle. He had never even mentioned wanting to be a teacher. Or that he was applying for a Professor. She wasn't sure if she was more upset that he was leaving or that he hadn't deemed her important enough for a discussion about such a life-changing decision. If he had just come over and talked to her first, maybe she might have been prepared, maybe she wouldn't feel so betrayed. She slashed at her canvas with her paintbrush, a streak of glaring red on her canvas.

 

[Noelle Maxwell]

Noelle strained his ears to hear if Ava would answer back. There was silence. He was worried about her. He could not just leave, it would make things. However, he could not barge in and stormed upstairs. It would make her upset or scared and it was disrespectful. Looking both ways to see if there were people, Noelle discreetly snapped his fingers and the blanket disappeared sending it back to where it should be, neatly folded. Another snap and a piece of paper appeared in his hand. he crouched down and quickly wrote a note. Ava, let's talk. I'm not going anywhere. He folded it and stuck it in the gift box he brought. He made them disappear, willing them to settle on her bed. He then got himself comfortable in the footsteps by the door. He would wait, however long it took.

 

[Avaria Lockwood]

-godmod/time lapse approved-

Ava was trying her best to ignore Noelle, and spent the next few hours trying to finish her painting. Eventually, frustrated and upset, she threw her paintbrushes down and walked to her room, meaning to change out of her painting clothes. She was startled to see the blanket there again, with a gift basket and a note. Anger shot through her and she stomped towards them, meaning to throw them right back out the window. Still, something made her read the note. It cooled her anger a bit, but annoyed her all the same.

Agitated, and sure he would be gone, Ava stomped downstairs. She crossed to the door and jerked it open. She yelped, surprised as the man tumbled back and fell onto her feet. She jumped back herself, startled. Her cheeks red, she threw the crumpled note into the mans face. "A little late to talk, isn't it?" She snapped. "Go. Away." She turned and tried to storm off back to her flat without him.

 

[Noelle Maxwell]

One.


Two.


Three.


Three hours had passed before Noelle decided to stop counting. He watched as people pass by, some even threw weird looks his way. His back already complained but he was not giving up, instead, he leaned against the door before stretching his legs. He wondered if he should call out Ava's name again. Maybe, he shouldn't. He would not want to rush her. Eventually, this door would open or she would look out the window. He wondered if she already found them by now. He was so deep in thought that he missed the stomping inside and coming his way. The next thing he knew, Noelle was on his back staring up at Ava and her burning cheeks. He was not able to get a closer look as she chuck the paper down his face. He scrambled to his feet, relieved that she did not close the door. He followed her inside back to her flat. "Ava, wait.", he called, hurrying after her. "Ava, can we talk?", he pleaded, torn between grabbing hold of her hand or stepping in front of her. He waited until they got inside before rounding up to face her. "Talk to me. Please.", he softly said.

 

[Avaria Lockwood]

Ava had stormed back up to her flat, frustrated and unsure what to do as Noelle stepped in front of her again. "Oh, sure, now you want to talk," She snapped at him, taking a few steps back. "Why don't you just spare us both the trouble and bugger off," She tried to shoulder past him, not wanting him to see the tears welling up in her eyes. They were tears of anger, but still. "I'm not waiting around another seven years for a Maxwell thats never coming back," She stormed further away, just wanting to put some distance between them.

 

[Noelle Maxwell]

Noelle looked flabbergasted at Ava's reaction. Sure, he was hurt but he had to set aside his feelings because he wanted to reassure her that whatever she was feeling right now was valid and important at that moment. She pushed past him again and this time he let her, knowing fully that she wanted to vent out. The last sentence got his attention. Philip, he gritted his teeth. That prick really knew how to leave a woman scorned. He slowly approached her until he was standing behind her. "Ava...", he whispered. "I thought you would be happy... That you would be excited. I chose to accept the offer because it will mean moving back here. And moving back here means being closer to you.", he softly said. "I can see you all the time, anytime I want, anytime you want, that is if you want to.", he added, lifting a hand and wanting to touch her by the shoulder and pull her into a hug. He hesitated, worried she might pull away. He took a deep breath and placed both hands on her arms, lightly touching her there. "Ava...", he said her name once more.

 

[Avaria Lockwood]

Ava was tense, frustrated. She almost jerked away from him but managed to hold still. "Stop," she snapped, shaking her head. "Just stop. You can't sweet talk your way out of this." She wrapped her arms around her torso. "You made a major, major, huge life changing decision, and you didn't even bother mentioning it. Zephyr didn't tell me he wanted to drop out and take off either, and I haven't gotten so much as a post card since he left."

Ava shrugged his hands off and moved to the kitchen. She needed a martini or something. Something strong. "I'm done with people pretending I matter only to cut me out at their earliest convenience." Ava took out a glass and started to peruse her cupboards.

 

[Noelle Maxwell]

Noelle's hands felt empty when Ava moved away. He sighed, defeated. "I only wanted it to be a surprise." was all he could say. He let her say everything she needed to say. He was in shock and hurt that she would think he was the type of person to cut her off. He followed her to the kitchen. "But I'm not cutting you off.", he began. "If it's anything, I move here because I want to be closer. I want to see you more.", he reasoned out. "I'm not taking off anywhere.", saying as he approached her once more, grabbing her hands gently to stop her from whatever she was doing. He had been warned about this by Sapphire and he was ready to take on the challenge. He just did not realize how deep the wounds scarred her and he hurt even more just thinking about it.

 

[Avaria Lockwood]

Ava was trying to ignore Noelle. She heard what she was saying, but she didn't want to believe it. He was starting to get under her skin, and she hated it. She wasn't ready to trust him. She only trusted Vader and Alice, and the twins. She didn't need anyone else. She jumped a little as he took her hands. She didn't look at him, her eyes welling up with tears. "Elio said the same thing." She spoke quietly, gently pulling her hands away and just turning around so he couldn't see her all teary-eyed. "I trusted him so much we went and got tattoos together. My first. And I haven't heard a word from him since he left at the beginning of seventh year."

Ava shook her head, biting her lip and wrapping her arms around her torso. "I don't... I can't..." She sighed, bringing a hand up to swipe at her eyes. "Just go away, Noelle. I already know how this ends and I just... I can't." She bit her lip, fully expecting him to walk out.

 

[Noelle Maxwell]

Noelle's heart went out to Ava. Despite the argument they were having, he got to know her little by little, making him understand her on a deeper level. He came up behind her and put his hands on her shoulders this time. "I'm not Elio. I'm Noelle.", he gave a small chuckle. "I may be a Maxwell but can I at least try?", he asked gently before he slowly turned her to face him. "May I?", he asked although he already raised a hand to brush a lone tear away. There she went again, pushing him away. He took a small step back, giving the woman a playful smile. "How about I cook for you?", he suggested, already taking off his suit and rolling his sleeves before making his way to the kitchen.

 

[Avaria Lockwood]

Ava wasn't prepared, wasn't ready for him to actually stay. She was shocked when she felt his hands on her shoulders. She was stammering, unsure of what to say. Her breath caught as his knuckle traced her cheek, and for a brief moment she had the strongest urge to lean in and kiss him. Before she could move, he had walked away and taken off his jacket, talking about food. She opened her mouth to kick him out again, but her stomach growled at the thought of eating. Sighing in defeat, she padded after him. "I want pasta," she pouted, sitting down at the table and pouting, refusing to look at Noelle.

 

[Noelle Maxwell]

Noelle grinned as he looked around, getting himself acquainted with the kitchen arrangement before setting to work. He snapped his fingers, a pot full of water sailed to the oven and started boiling. The rest, he did it the muggle way. He occasionally glanced at the woman seated, silently chuckling at the pouting expression on her face.

After a short wait, he whisked two plates of pasta to the table. One was white, the other tomato. He took the seat across from her after placing two forks on a cloth napkin. "I kinda forgot asking you how you like it, so I made two.", he said with a sheepish smile. "Take your pick and I'll have the unchosen one.", he jokingly said.

 

[Avaria Lockwood]

Ava watched Noelle in the kitchen, lost in thought as he worked. She was staring a bit without meaning to. His dark hair was very curly, bouncy... it looked thick, soft to the touch. She was almost tempted to play with it. If she was trying to be negative, she could say his ears were a bit big and his face a bit narrow, but her eyes were too busy tracing that stubborn tuft of curls that kept falling into his eyes and down his pronounced cheekbones. She wasn't sure why she found him so attractive, but it annoyed her.

Not willing to admit that she was admiring him, she quickly reached over, grabbing the red sauce plate and pulling it over to her. "I prefer tomatoes to alfredo," She told him a bit smarmily, as if it was something he should have known, summoning over a bit of cheese and sprinkling it on her plate. She tried to focus on her food, taking a tentative bite. She almost immediately melted. "I didn't know you could cook," She murmured, all the heat gone from her tone as she took another bite.

She hummed, smiling gently. She and Vader traded off the cooking, and as much as she loved him, Vader was hardly a chef. His food wasn't bad, she was just the better cook between them. Thinking back on it, Ava wasn't sure the last time she'd had someone cook something this good for her. She practically melted into her chair, shutting her eyes and just enjoying her food.

 

[Noelle Maxwell]

Noelle chuckled as he watched Ava pull the tomato pasta close to her. He pulled the other one before digging in. He snapped his fingers and cheese appeared being sprinkled over his dish. Another snap and a bottle of wine with two glasses appeared at the center. He twirled the noodle with his fork as he sneaked glances at the woman, checking whether she liked it or not. He smirked as she took her second bite. "There are many things you don't know about me, Ava. Things that I love to show you.", he said, honesty in the tone. "I can cook for you anytime you want.", he added before they continue eating.

 

[Avaria Lockwood]

Ava was quick to pick up the wine, sipping it and smiling at the flavor. It went well with the pasta. She couldn't help but smile at him. A genuine, warm smile. "Careful, Noelle, I might hold you to that," She teased him. Feeling oddly vulnerable, she reached over and took his hand, not saying anything about it but continuing to eat her food.

 

[Noelle Maxwell]

Noelle's heart swelled at the smile that appeared on Ava's face. Small wins. Baby steps. He chuckled at Ava's joke. "Hey, better hold to it. Now that I already have one recipe down that you like, I'm going to cook more for you.", he said, a promise all the same. They went on eating until he felt her take his hand. He almost choked on his food, covering it with a small cough. He turned his hand so he could hold hers, giving it a gentle squeeze.

 

[Avaria Lockwood]

Ava smiled to herself, shaking her head. "Maybe I'll just make you a cookbook," she teased, considering what recipes she might put into a book like that. Soups, of all kinds, Ava loved soups, veggie heavy dishes, fried rice, various breads. Generally things she tried to make herself that she enjoyed. Scones were wonderful. She lost herself in thought, squeezing his hand back automatically and rubbing her thumb over his knuckles.

 

[Noelle Maxwell]

Noelle nodded, smiling. "Yes, a cookbook. Make it colorful.", he suggested. He knew how much Ava loved drawing and he had always been proud of her works. They continued eating, his hand was absently playing with her hand. He did not even notice that he entwined her fingers through his like it was second nature.

 

[Avaria Lockwood]

Ava chuckled and shook her head, knowing she'd send him the finished book by weeks end. Drawing at the table would be easier than trying to set up her easel with the twins around. She ran her thumb gently over his hand, enjoying her meal. She was too preoccupied thinking about her latest project to really register he still had hold of her hand. "I got a job," She told him, almost as a second thought, "I'm a bartender at the Hogs Head. Part time, but still." She took a sip of her wine. "And I'm putting together a portfolio so I can approach a parlor about an apprenticeship."

 

[Noelle Maxwell]

Noelle chuckled along with Ava, his heart at ease. They almost finished their meal when Ava spoke again. He looked up and smiled proudly. "That's great! I'll be seeing you on Brightstone weekends. Also, one more reason for me to frequent there.", he winked playfully. They finally finished and Noelle unwillingly let go of her hand to bring their plates to the sink. He went back and refill their glasses before pulling his chair closer to hers.