Carl Evans reveals goals of psychopathy study, and the last one might shock you.
Pre-law students at Falville University are set to continue onto Ivy League universities like Harvard and Yale.
Noah took Aiden on a tour of the house because the baby never got tired of walking from room to room and flipping all the light switches. Noah headed upstairs and went down the hall, almost skipping Camille's room before his curiosity overcame his logic. He opened the door and let Aiden play with the light switches as he looked around the room.
It was neat, almost freakishly so. There was barely a hint that someone was living in it. The bed was made like it was in a hotel, and a pair of pajamas sat folded perfectly on the corner. It looked like the bedroom had been cleaned and arranged by a maid.
Noah had grown up with a bipolar mother, which was to say that he grew up in chaos. He had half-expected Camille's room to be a disaster, despite the medication muting the inevitable cycle of mania and depression. Part of him had known Camille was a neat person. Maybe it was the pristine designer clothes Noah had gotten from his apartment. Or even the state of said apartment despite Camille not living there for multiple weeks before Noah went there.
Feeling like he was trespassing, even though it was his house, Noah flicked the lights off and left the room, much to Aiden's dismay. He padded downstairs, making sure to take each step carefully so he did not accidentally slip and hurt Rowan's precious baby son. He stopped short when his eyes met Camille's. "Hi," he managed to get out. "Feeling better?"
Camille did not reply for one horribly long moment, but then he nodded.
Noah came closer, holding Aiden so Camille could clearly see the baby. "We've got company for the afternoon."
To Noah's surprise, Camille's lips softened into a gentle smile and his hands came up in a clear desire to hold Aiden. "He's so big now."
Noah blinked, not remembering a single time he had seen Camille and Rowan together since that day at the hospital when Camille had dropped Rowan off to save Darius' life. "You've seen Aiden before?"
Camille nodded, his eyes bright as they stayed fixed on Aiden. "I visited on a day off. I went to their apartment."
Ah, that explained it.
Camille held out his hands further and gave Noah such a pleading expression that Noah caved instantly. His whole being seemed to light up as he set Aiden in his lap, and Aiden was suddenly more smiley than he had ever been with Noah. "Hello," Camille cooed, his tone so perfect that anyone might have mistaken him for the father. "Are we going to have so much fun today?" He stood up, tossing Aiden into the air just enough for the baby to start giggling riotously.
Noah crossed his arms. "No fair. How come he likes you so much?"
"Are you pouting?" Camille glanced over his shoulder with a grin.
"No," Noah muttered.
Camille laughed, the beautiful sound tearing through the webs of anxiety that had wrapped around Noah for weeks. "Then keep not pouting. It's cute." As if he had not just fucked up Noah's entire world for the second time today, he returned his attention to Aiden and walked away with the baby, chatting happily the entire time.
Noah stared after him, jaw slack as his brain tried to process but kept sending him an error message. He seemed physically incapable of understanding Camille's motives now that the omega had said outright that he was waiting for Noah to show that he actually loved Camille. His whole existence felt like a trap that he was sure to keep stepping into since he was a foolish idiot who did not recognize a net until his foot got tangled in it.
Despite Noah's worries, however, the afternoon went smoothly. Aiden happily attached himself to Camille, who showered him with adoration and attention, and afternoon slipped into evening before Noah knew it.
Camille had returned to the couch half an hour ago with a sleepy Aiden in his arms, and he had been humming under his breath for a while now.
When Noah came over to look over Camille's shoulder, he saw Aiden was sound asleep. "I don't know what's taking them so long," Noah said quietly. "The interview was at 3. It's almost 7 now."
Camille made a soft sound of acknowledgment. "Maybe they needed some time and space to work some things out. Couples often do. And Rowan's not the type to fight in front of his kid. He probably needs this time to scream at Darius for a little bit. He'll apologize afterwards, of course, but he represses a lot, especially around Aiden, and he's always around Aiden."
"That…was actually really insightful."
Camille smiled faintly. "I'm good at reading people, Dr. Callahan. Insight comes naturally at this point."
Noah hated it when Camille made any sort of reference to his past employment, especially when it was demeaning. It was not exactly demeaning this time per se, but it sounded like Camille was trying to find another reason to get Noah to reject him. "We're long past you calling me Dr. Callahan." Noah leaned on the back of the couch. "You know that. Are you…trying to get me to go away?"
Hurt instantly bloomed in Camille's eyes. "No," he replied softly. "I don't want you to go away. But at the same time, I don't know what to do with you so close."
Noah resisted the urge to run his fingers through Camille's perfect hair. He wanted to see how Camille looked when messed up by loving hands, but he knew touch was not a boundary he should cross without explicit consent since Camille would probably let him push and pull however he wanted as soon as they made physical contact. "Honestly, I don't either," he admitted. "You kinda do this thing to my brain where all my thoughts short-circuit and nothing sensible comes to mind."
Camille smiled ever so slightly. "Is this a love confession, Dr. Callahan?"
Noah raised an eyebrow.
Camille laughed under his breath. "Fine, Noah."
"Why would I attempt a love confession the day you told me to prove that I wanted you before we talked like this again?" Noah dropped his eyes down to Aiden just to check that the baby was still asleep before looking back up at Camille. "Do you think I'm that insensitive?"
Shaking his head, Camille glanced out the window at the darkening sky. "No. You're the nicest person I've met beside Rowan."
Noah came around the arm of the couch and sat down next to Camille. "Rowan's got some pretty sharp teeth, you know."
A small smile crept up Camille's lips. "Oh, I know. You forget that we met when he threatened to shoot someone who was bothering me."
Noah had forgotten that. "Oh, yeah."
"But he was so gentle to me. He always has been. We took care of each other for a month, and I didn't want to let him go back to the man who hurt him so badly." Camille shook his head, his expression almost vacant as he seemed to be reliving the past. "We argued for hours, you know. I thought he'd just be selling himself back into pain."
"But you came with him anyways," Noah pointed out quietly.
"I couldn't leave him without an escape if he needed it."
"You're really a cynic, aren't you?"
Camille turned to look at Noah, his eyes glimmering in the soft lamplight. "You'd be a cynic if you'd lived my life."
"I don't doubt it." Noah carefully leaned a little closer. "I wasn't trying to invalidate your experiences at all. I was just pointing out what I saw."
Camille's expression did not change. "I know I'm cynical. I usually hide it. It's not appealing to most people."
"It might not be appealing, but I want you to feel safe enough to be honest with me," Noah said, meaning every word.
"How honest?" Camille asked the question like it was dynamite and Noah's answer was a giant flame.
"As honest as you feel I deserve," Noah replied. He hoped it was enough to keep Camille comfortable, though he had a suspicion that he was about to be on the receiving end of an emotional dump.
Camille looked down at Aiden, one of his fragile pale hands caressing the baby's red curls. "I've wanted a baby for as long as I can remember. Ever since I was told what I was, I knew that I wanted a baby of my own, a child that I could raise without terror."
That was deeper than Noah had been anticipating. Way deeper. "Did your parents…?"
Camille nodded without making eye contact. "They punished me for what I am. I lived in constant fear of them deciding I had done something wrong." His fingers slipped through Aden's curls softly. "No child should ever have to grow up like that."
"Is that why you think you deserve the blame for setting their house on fire? Because you hate them so much that you need to feel that you've taken some kind of revenge?" That was what Noah would have done. He had almost gotten to that point himself with his birth parents.
Camille's shoulders curved inward. "I don't know." That seemed like a pretty clear indicator that he was done being honest, at least for tonight. But then he spoke again. "I just know I'm hated and not wanted except as entertainment."
Noah's heart broke. "Do you think that everyone thinks of you that way?"
Finally, Camille glanced up through his almost invisible eyelashes. "You don't."
Those two words stopped Noah's heart altogether. Before he could fully process, there was a knock on the door. He quickly got up. "Must be Darius and Rowan." He hurried to the front door and opened it. "Hey." He could see immediately that Camille was right about what they had been doing.
Rowan's eyes were rimmed with red in a way Noah had only seen once before: when Noah, Darius, and Marlowe arrived to rescue him from Tyler's claws.
Darius' hair was messy, like he had run his hands back and forth through it one too many times during a tense conversation. Or argument. Or whatever had happened. "Sorry for being so late," Darius apologized as they stepped inside.
"It's totally fine," Noah reassured them. "Camille said that you guys probably needed some space and time alone to sort some things out."
Rowan stiffened and walked past Noah into the living room.
Noah raised an eyebrow at Darius. "Can you fill me in? Or is it still private info at this point?"
Darius' shoulders slumped. "It was a long conversation. I think we fought at least five times during it. But we did get things sorted out. He's just tired and emotionally exhausted at this point, and so am I. Thanks for watching Aiden for so long."
Noah nodded. "Of course. Any time. And I mean it."
Rowan came back with Aiden draped over his arm and shoulder. "Thanks," he managed in a hoarse voice before walking out to their car.
Darius gave Noah a tired smile before following his fiancé out.
Noah shut the door and locked it before returning to the living room, surprised to see Camille still sitting there. He carefully resumed his seat by Camille on the couch. "You doing okay?"
Camille sighed, his fingernails tracing along embroidery on one of the throw pillows. "I'm a little depressed now."
Noah smiled. "Missing Aiden already?"
Camille nodded. After a few moments of silence hanging on the thread stretched between them, he said, "I don't think I'll ever have my own."
Noah tipped his head. "What do you mean?" He had looked over Camille's bloodwork, and he had not seen the marker that indicated that an omega was infertile. Camille had to mean something else.
"I went off contraceptives more than a year ago," Camille replied quietly. "I don't think I can have a baby."
"There's no reason you shouldn't be able to." Noah wanted Camille to stop being sad, and he would do anything to bring smiles back to that beautiful face. "You're not genetically inhibited."
Camille looked over his shoulder, tears shining in his eyes. "Then why?"
Noah tried to stay calm, but it was hard to maintain control over himself with Camille looking at him like that. "We live in a world where mates can factor very heavily into the equation. Your body could be refusing to carry the child of anyone who isn't your mate. Scientifically, that would be the most probable explanation."
Camille turned and sat sideways on the couch facing Noah. "You're saying that it's trial and error until I find my mate, if I even have one?"
Noah sighed heavily. "Yeah, I guess I am."
Camille cocked his head with a sad smile pulling at his lips. "Then I guess you're going to get what you want a lot sooner than either of us were intending."