For once, Noctis ignored it. He wasn’t in the mood to be berated. Instead, he looked out the tinted window. No one was headed towards him. As he sat in the back of his black car, leaning back on soft leather, he wondered whether this meet-up would be worth it. The good life was over now. The past had been a black diamond; it had sparkled, but its darkness still pervaded everything. One night stands. Dropping cash on extravagances that weren’t worth it. Nights where he had more liquor flowing in his veins than blood. But his youth had ended. Not with a bang, but with the settling of dust, the disappearance of thrill-seeking. His father had been right. There was no time for meaningless games in this world. Noctis aimed to win, and to do that, he had to work.
The window separating Noctis from the chauffeur slid down. “Mr. Caelum? Your phone’s been ringing non-stop. Aren’t you going to take the call?”
Noctis shook his head slightly, tightening his grip on his wine glass.
“Mr. Caelum? What if it’s your father?”
“There’s no need to be hypothetical.” Noctis didn’t know why he bothered answering. “I know it’s him.” No one else has my number.
“In that case…” The chauffeur held out his cell phone. “You should answer it.”
“Well, aren’t you impudent? The young ones always are.”
The phone continued ringing.
“Mr. Caelum…” The chauffeur’s voice was earnest. “I know you told me not to speak unless spoken to, but this must be urgent. Your father never calls you otherwise. You told me that once. You’re not a bad son. Don’t pretend to be.”
Noctis stared at him coolly. “It’s interesting how you know so much about me.”
He leaned over and pressed the phone into Noctis’s free hand. “Please.”
Noctis accepted it, feeling uneasy. He slowly pressed the phone to his ear.
“Damn you! I’ve been trying to reach my son and all I get is voicemail.”
“Is there a problem with the company?” Noctis asked. “What’s all that noise?”
A long pause followed by a shaky exhalation. “It’s your mother. We’re in an ambulance.”
“I see.” Noctis stared into the chaffeur’s curious eyes. “And is she—”
“They say she won’t make it. They say she’ll…”
Blood pounded in his ears. “We all knew it was coming. I send my condolences.”
Noctis turned off his phone before his father could answer. He took a sip of wine, but it tasted like gasoline. All the while, the chauffeur gawked at him, eyes wide. Noctis tried to settle himself into a more comfortable position, but found it impossible. He really had to get a new car. What kind of person owned the same vehicle for more than a year? Change was long overdue.
“What happened?” the chauffeur blurted out. “You look like…”
Noctis hated him at that moment. The rage was so intense it nearly blinded him. But just as quickly, it faded. The chauffeur was only a kid, after all. Noctis was an adult. He couldn’t just drag him out of the car and beat him half to death. That had never been his style, anyway. Other people did his dirty work.
“My mother’s dying,” Noctis said. “Maybe I should pick up some flowers. Suggestions?”
“Oh.” The chauffeur turned around quickly, as if he had seen something he didn’t like. “I’m sorry.”
Noctis smiled and slugged back the rest of his wine. “No great loss.”
And then a tap came on the window. They had come after all.
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Behave yourself, now. ;)