Blurb

When Christmas day turns from the light and bright day it
is for an exuberant and bright 8 year old to a dark and
scary day in just a moment, that moment remains a stuck
Christmas Phobia.

Noel Sanders is a 22 year old woman who has almost

everything and is perfect. Well, not quite.

She hates Christmas for a reason she has never told a soul.

Then, a few days before Christmas this year, She meets

Shawn Wright. An Oh-So-Bright Man without
inhibitions.

At first meeting, She knew immediately that he's someone

she should avoid for just a reason.
He was draped in elf clothes and bumped into her. His
face is to die for and good manners but he loves
Christmas.

They could never match. Even if tried, She could never

have a relationship with someone who found Christmas to
be perfect.

And when everything is still not going well, there comes a

flash from the past. Not a very good past that is
threatening her future...

Set in few months before Christmas, Noel Sanders lost

her home to her cheating boyfriend and gets thrown out.
The same day, she meets Shawn Wright, the Oh So Fine
man who takes her in.
Noel hates everything about Christmas but it's quite the
opposite for Shawn.

And talking of opposites, Shawn is Noel's complete

opposite. And when she steps into his life, everything
about her starts to change.

And amidst all the chaos, she discovers his secret and he
gets called back home.
And Home is a PALACE.
Chapter 1

Ugh.
Passing by the streets weeks before Christmas while the
hustle and bustle just begins is the most annoying thing
for Noel.
It's tragic that someone with such a festive name turns out
to be someone who despises festivities.
Festivities, namely Christmas.
Noel deftly avoids the men bearing Christmas trees and
women carrying the decorations meant for those trees.
So much, that she found out easy to weave her way out of
the crowds without even touching or bumping into any
Christmas decorations or trees or anything brightly
colored.
Her phone rings and she picks it up.
Turns out to be her boyfriend for a few months now.
"Hey Harvey" She shouts into the phone as she passes a
noisy family bearing everything she's avoiding.
"Yes. I'm on my way home." She pauses for a second and
stops short in the middle of the street.
"What? You're breaking up with me? For?" She visibly
trembling
"Not liking Christmas? Do you think I don't have a reason
for that?" She whispers into the phone with a solemn
face"
"Bye then. Don't forget to pack your decorations along
with you. I'll give you enough time before I'm back so
you can leave comfortably. I think I gave more into this
relationship than you did anyway." She shouts into the
phone and clicks the call off.
She stands there in the same spot for a few minutes
looking as though she'll burst into tears anytime soon.
But she adjusts her bag and walks into a coffee shop and
takes a seat.
A waiter approaches her and takes her order.
Soon after, she has a steaming hot mug of tea in front of
her.
She sips her tea silently and watches the individuals and
families pass her by.
A couple holding hands catches her eyes and she watches
till they round the corner.
She stands up and heads to the cashier. After payment,
she steps out of the cafe right into the hands of a man
loaded down with elf clothes and props.
She immediately brushes herself down and apologizes.
She looks carefully at his face and see he is breathtaking.
Her face turns red and she blames it on the cold weather
while she wraps the coat around her closer just a bit more
and helps the man up and picks up his things scattered all
over the floor for him.
She apologizes again and leaves him watching her as she
leaves.
Leaving the unknown man behind and left him staring at
her till she went out of sight.
He adjusted his loads and went on his way.
He kept glancing at the corner she went down the street
till he can't see it again.
Few minutes of walking later, he arrives at the place
where the props and elf costumes he is carrying are
needed.
"Shawn. You're so late. They've been waiting for half an
hour"
"I'm sorry Mr Woods. I had a little accident." Shawn
apologizes not very sincerely
"Your acting got way better" Mr Woods says with a laugh
and takes the costumes from him.
"It should." Shawn says and laughs too
"You should settle down. You do this every year without
even taking payments."
"It happens to fall into my free time every year and I just
help out. My Job doesn't do much around Christmas.
Settling down is not as easy as you put it to be you
know?" Shawn replies while gathering the fallen elf ears.
"But you have to start somewhere."
"Don't you get tired of it? You say this same thing every
single year."
"Christmas is a time for family and loved ones. Christmas
is no fun without someone to bake for, cook for, decorate
trees with and get gifts from."
"I have my Mum for that" Shawn says and laughs
"You also say that every year. I hope this year will be
different." He says with a wink and takes the costumes in
for the elves to dress up in.
Shawn smiles and turns to leave. As he turns around, he
sights a woman who is being pushed away by someone he
couldn't see.
He walks over just like a few other people and he
recognizes the woman to be the one who bumped into him
earlier.
He can faintly hear the words being said. More like, the
words the man was saying.
"Don't come back here. We break up and I take the
apartment." He says and pushes her down the stairs.
Along with her belongings.
"I own this apartment not you nor your new girlfriend.
Get out instead, you filthy man." She gets up and makes
to push him away
"I'm filthy? Says the woman who hates Christmas for a
reason that is just an excuse to not be happy." He shouts
back
Shawn walks forward and pulls the woman up from
where she lay on the floor.
She looks up at him and leans on him with her face buried
in his suit.
Shawn looks up and says to the man
"You're a disgrace to Men."
He helps her up and leaves with her.
Her Clothes are rumpled and dirty so he gives her his
jacket to cover the patches of dirt.
They leave together and walk to a nearby cafe with
Shawn's hands around her shoulder.
After they sit, He orders for a cup of tea while she just
asks for water.
She takes off the jacket and gives it back to Shawn.
"I appreciate the help but I can't help you with anything
Mr?"
"Oh, my bad. I'm Shawn. Shawn Wright."
"Oh. I'm Noel Sanders. Thanks for the other time and I'm
sorry for the bumping earlier too." She apologizes
"Are you okay? Do you have where to go? I can call
someone to pick up your things."
"No thank you. I'll be fine on my own. You've done more
than enough. I can't be indebted to you anymore." She
replies.
"So, if you don't mind me asking, what are you going to
do about your apartment? I heard you say you owned it."
Shawn asks
She looks at the cup of water in front of her for a few
seconds before replying
"I'm going to take legal action against him. I own the
apartment and it's in my name. I won't leave it to a
cheating jerk like that" She voices out.
Shawn looks at her, sighs and looks outside while trying
to mask the look on his face.
He sees laughing families and bustling people with the
Christmas spirit and smiles. He looks back inside and
notices she has her eyes on him.
"What?"
"You seem to like the aura around." She states.
"Yes. Christmas is my favorite time of the year."
"Really?"
"Yes. Countless good things happen to me during
Christmas."
He notices her face fall for a second and her defense are
back.
She drinks out of her water and sets it back down.
She gets up and dusts her clothes.
"Thanks a lot for today. It was fun meeting you. Please
don't mind me for not paying my bills but I think I lost my
purse. Thanks again."
Shawn is taken aback by her abruptness. He wonders if
it's something he said.
He lets her go anyway.
"My pleasure." Shawn replies and gets up too.
She doesn't wait for anything else and strolls out of the
cafe into the street and down to a corner that leads God
knows where.
Noel is left to her thoughts as soon as she leaves Shawn.
She begins to wonder where she'll stay for the night.

Chapter 2

As she rounds the corner, she remembers that her things

were thrown out along with her so she turns back around
and take the other route back to where she came from.
As she gets there, there's a man standing by the door and
pressing the doorbell.
Noel will recognize her Dad's back anyday. She rushes
over and picks up her things, as she does, the door swings
open and at the doorway stands Carla.
Her boyfriend Harvey, no. Ex boyfriend's new girlfriend
stands at the door looking down at her Dad like he's a
pest.
From inside, Harvey asks who's at the door and Carla
answers with unmistakable disdain in her voice.
"It's an old man."
Harvey comes out and recognizes Noel's Dad and looks
him down as well.
Her Dad doesn't take the hint and still talks quite politely.
"Harvey. It's been a long time since I heard from you.
How've you been? How's Noel?" He asks with a smile on
his face.
To avoid further disgrace, Noel climbs the short flight of
stairs and musters the most scary she look she can give to
Carla and steers her Dad away from the door.
As they both descend the stairs, her Dad turns and smiles
to Harvey, while he goes back inside with his girlfriend
and shuts the door.
"What are you doing here?" Noel asks her Dad
"I came to give you a visit this Christmas" Noel's Dad
harmlessly replies with a smile that's very disarming for
an old man.
"I told you to forget you have a daughter and not to visit
me at all. Not at Christmas, not at anytime." Noel shout-
whispers to her Dad while trying to hide the fact that his
presence every year disarms her and weakens her resolve
to never celebrate Christmas with any so called family
anymore.
"You're still my daughter whatever you say."
"..." Noel sighs and goes about picking up her things
scattered around
Her Dad looks on with an hint of sadness on his bright
face.
Noel is done picking up her belongings from the sidewalk
and drags her Dad along with her away from the house.
As Noel and her Dad leaves the house, through the
window, Carla watches on with an undefinable expression
on her petite face.
Few silent minutes between Noel and her Dad becomes
awkward as her Dad keeps offering to help out with the
things she's carrying while she keeps refusing.
They finally sit on a park bench and Noel sighs again.
"What happened? Why were your things in the open?"
Her Dad finally asks the question that has been bothering
him since they left the house.
The apartment he bought for her during her school years
and one she reluctantly took from him.
Noel sighs again and drops everything she's holding and
looks the other side, away from her Dad and to the
direction they had just come from.
"We broke up. He cheated." Noel says and still doesn't
look at her Dad, like she's trying to hide her tears at that
moment.
There's silence for a few seconds until she wipes her face
and turns to face her Dad.
"You need to leave now."
"I only just arrived."
"There's no place I can keep you with me at. You have to
go back home." Noel insists
"Fine. Where will you stay?"
Noel stays silent for a few seconds and looks away again
before she replies
"I'll be fine. You have to go." She packs her bags beneath
the chair and pulls her Dad up.
She has refused to acknowledge the fact that the man in
front of her is her Dad for years now.
Seeing him getting frailer and older is pulling those heart
strings she vowed to keep buried till he dies or until she
has no family left.
He looks up at her and tries again.
"Please come home with me. I'll leave you to your ways
as soon as Christmas is over or until you get your place.
Hm?" He pleads with his fatherly instincts tugging at his
heart.
"No. And it's final. If there's any place I'll spend my
Christmas, it's not at that place." She spat out, her
resolution iron gripped now.
Noel looks away as her father left her alone and walked
down the street towards the bus station.
She sits back down on the chair and let the world pass her
by for a while before she stands up again.
She checks the things under the bench and vows to come
back for them.
She goes the way her Dad went and walked behind him
until he finds a bus and leaves.
As she turns to go back for her things, the clouds let go
and an unexpected rainfall begins.
She stands rooted to a spot and sighs while thinking that
nothing is going her way.
This once more reminds her of the reasons she hates
Christmas to this day.
She turns and runs to the bench just in time to see all her
clothes and few belongings in the water, soaked to the
thinnest fibre.
Looking on in despair as the rain sweeps them away, she
seats on the chair and let out the tears she has been with
holding since her day started going wrong.
A few meters away, standing under an umbrella is Shawn
who looks on her with a heavy heart.
Torn between to just turn around and leave or cover her
with his umbrella while she lets it all out.
***
While Noel cries her heart out on the bench and Shawn
stands above her with his red and white umbrella, Carla,
Harvey's new girlfriend is unable to keep quiet anymore
about something that has been bothering for a while now.
"Hey Harvey?"
"Yeah baby" Harvey answers with his back turned and
typing away on his writer.
"You once said Noel hated Christmas."
"Yeah. She hates it totally."
"Did you ever ask her why?"
"No."
"Not even once while you were in a relationship with
her?" Carla asks again looking stupified.
"No. Why do you ask?" Harvey turns to face her this time
Carla stands by the window looking into the street,
precisely into the corner where Noel and her Dad went.
She sighs and turns to see Harvey looking at her.
"What?"
"You've been asking about Noel. Why?"
"You said you didn't ask why she hated Christmas. Not
even once."
"Yes. Why do you keep asking though?"
"Look what we did to her at Christmas."
Chapter 3

Carla turns to fully look at Harvey with a guilty look on

her face and sadness etched in it.
"We should have probably waited till new year or before
Christmas at least before we threw her out. At least she
has a credible reason to hate this year's Christmas now."
Carla whispers to Harvey like she doesn't want to be
heard.
Maybe she didn't want to.
"I did it all for you Carla. You should not even think of
my ex girlfriend right now. You have a deadline for the
winter compilation do you know that?" Harvey says and
turns back to his laptop.
Carla says nothing after that and turns back to the
window, looks through the heavy rain and keeps looking
outside the window at precisely that street corner and
sighs from time to time.
***
Back to where Noel is letting go of her tears and Shawn
standing over her with his festive coloured umbrella and
in the rain.
Few hard minutes later, Noel finally wipes off the last few
drops of her tears, with a red and very unclear eyes, she
notes she's not getting drenched by the rain and looks up
to see a red and white umbrella over her head.
She's surprised and turns around to see who's holding the
umbrella over her head and she's more surprised when she
sees Shawn in the rain.
Their eyes meet and she registers faintly that Shawn looks
very handsome in that rain.
Not meaning to be selfish, she has to agree that the rain
looks good on him with his earlier packed hair now
scattered and let down and dripping with water.
He smiles at her and she registers that he has a dimple on
both sides of his face.
She almost smiles back but for the cough that takes her at
that moment. She coughs lightly twice and Shawn takes
off his jacket one more time and covers her shoulders
with it.
He looks around and makes to pick her clothes off the
floor, now very wet and dirty.
He hesitates and looks at Noel. He leaves the clothes and
holds Noel's hands and they leave together.
Along the way to where only Shawn knows, Noel doesn't
struggle, just coughs from time to time and seems like
someone who is going to drop from the cold anytime
soon.
They take a cab and in the cab...
"Please go to East Gardens"
"Yes sir." The driver says and turns to drive.
"And please can you turn on the heater?"
"It will increase your fare."
"I'm aware. Please make it a little bit high. She needs as
much warmth as possible." Shawn says and adjusts the
jacket around Noel again.
By this time of the day, it's rush hour and everybody is
heading back home. It's around 7pm already.
When the car stops, Shawn pays and helps Noel down.
She said nothing throughout the ride and keeps shivering.
Shawn doesn't look much better, considering the fact that
he also got caught in the rain, and his former dripping hair
now looks clumped with one side of his hair raised like
bear ears.
When Noel sees this and registers what it looks like, she
laughs to herself.
Shawn doesn't see her smile while he fumbles with the
door.
He finally opens it and says to Noel.
"Welcome to my humble abode" Shawn shouts to be
heard above the rain and smiles a very charming smile at
Noel.
His home? He brought me to his home?
Were the thoughts that went through Noel's head when
she heard him call it his humble abode.
She hesitated for a second before looking up at him, not
sure what to do or say.
"It's fine Noel. I'm a gentleman."
"So they all say." Noel replies and steps into the
apartment.
The house looks very cool with it's wallpaper. It's a
flowery pattern on a side with a mixture of purple and
gold on the other.
Noel prefers the colors and looks on it for a little longer.
The house smells manly.
It's obviously just him who lives in the apartment.
Noel hears Shawn clear his throat behind her.
"I live alone in case it makes you uncomfortable."
Noel turns to face him, her face white and tired.
"Don't you think I'll be much more uncomfortable seeing
you live alone?" Noel teases
Shawn laughs out loud for a little bit and stops while
looking at her.
He walks close to her and pulls her to the chair at the
center of the room.
"You should rest. You look as pale as a ghost. I'll get you
some tea. Which do you like?"
"I'll take what you have. Thanks a lot Shawn"
"It's fine. It's nothing anyway" Shawn says and turns to
leave
"Not just the tea now. Everything. You just met me today
and you're already helping me. You helped me out in two
major moments today."
"Hating Christmas does not open anybody to that kind of
mistreatment." Shawn says and leaves into a door on the
left side which Noel guesses is the kitchen.
Noel looks around again and takes off her jacket as she
does so. She spots a picture on the side table and walks
towards it.
On the table lies a few picture frames and Noel picks one
up and looks at it.
There are three people in the frame. An obviously
younger Shawn and people who seem to be his parents.
"They are my parents. My foster parents." Shawn says
while he drops the tea
"If you don't mind, what of your real parents?"
Shawn keeps quiet for a second and has a faraway look in
his eyes.
"They died in an accident when I was 6."
"I'm so sorry. I lost my mum when I was 8."
"I'm sorry."
There's an awkward silence for a few seconds until Shawn
breaks it.
"The tea might get cold. I made ginger tea. If you don't
mind?"
"Beggars are not choosers. I'm practically a beggar. I
appreciate it a lot." Noel walks over, sits down and sips
the tea in silent slurps.
Shawn says nothing and looks on at her, lost in thought.
***
While Noel and Shawn were at Shawn's place, Noel's Dad
gets down from the bus he took back home and walked
the short distance to his house.
He sighs continually and when he gets to the front porch.
He rings the doorbell and a woman came to open the door
for him.
"Welcome back darling. How did your journey go? And
why are you back so soon?" She asks all at once while
taking his coat.
"Please get me a cup of tea first. I wonder how she's
doing. Rain isn't supposed to fall around this time of the
year. Winter is here already."
"Where did rain fall?"
"While I was pulling out of Noel's place, the rain started."
"I'll be back. Let me get you a cup of tea"
"Sure." He says and leans on the sofa.
He looks around and his eyes fall on a picture frame. He
stands up and walks over to it, his thoughts far away in
the past. He thought back to the day the picture was taken
with his late wife and daughter, Noel.
**Flashback**
Chapter 5

**Flashback**
Years ago, when Noel was still 7 years old and as sharp as
a girl of 7 can be, the Sanders went on a trip to the
amusement park.
While in the park, the little Noel whined and whined
about riding a ferris wheel. 
Her Dad, smiling while looking at her whine to her mum
decided to oblige her demands.
"Fine Noe. We will. On one condition, you won't be
shouting to get off later ok?" He said with a side smile
"Ok. I won't shout to get off."
"Fine then. I leave you to your Dad. I'm not one for ferris
wheel drives anyway so I'll wait down here with ice
creams for us all." Noel's Mum says.
Noel's Mum must have been a beauty in her time with the
moderate splatter of freckles on both sides of her cheeks
and a one sided dimples. She sported a new haircut at the
moment, an wine and bordering on red bob.
She smiles at Noel and her Dad and heads for the ice
cream stand while Noel and her Dad head for the ferris
wheel.
In a few minutes, anyone within 50 yards could hear
Noel's screaming to get off the ride.
Just when they are at the peak, she bursts into tears while
hiding in her father's suit.
The ride is rushed because of her screams and when she is
let down from the ride, she runs over to her mum amongst
the smiles and chuckles of everyone around who
witnessed the scene.
While she's running towards her mum, Her Mum gives a
passerby her phone and tells the person to help with
taking a picture.
When Noel runs over and she's safely in her mum's hands,
still with whimpering, her Dad behind her, the picture is
taken.
"I'm n-n-never getting on that ride again." Noel stutters
while trying to stop whimpering
"You won't darling" Her Mum says to her and kisses her
hair
"At least you take after your mum." Her father says with a
laugh while pulling Noel up into his arms and holding his
wife with the other.
**Present**
"I guess it's the same story" Noel's Dad's new wife,
Eunice says behind him.
He turns around and go back to the chair for the tea.
"How long have you been there?"
"For about five minutes."
"Hm." He says and sips his tea
"She still refused to see you didn't she?"
He didn't say anything and looked again at that picture
frame and at Noel's scrunched up face while in her mum's
hands.
"Yes."
"You can always keep trying. She'll come around
someday dear." Eunice says and takes his coat in.
*Shawn's*
"Thanks for the tea." Noel says and puts the cup down.
Shawn doesn't say anything and looks afar off in thought.
Noel notices and says nothing too. After a while, Shawn
snaps out of it.
"Oh. You're done?" As he picks the cup
"Yes. For a while now. I even said thanks." 
"Oh. I didn't hear. It's fine anyway. I'll be right back."
Shawn says and goes back into the door in the left side.
When he's back, he smiles at Noel.
"Follow me, I have a spare room in the house you can
stay in."
Noel says nothing and follows him to see the room. He
opens a door and in there is the room.
Small but very cozy with a just right bed in one corner
and piles of books in the other.
"Do you read?" Noel asks curiously
"Yes. I write too."
"Ooh. I envy you. Anything I might have read?"
"Uhm... I wrote The Fairytale."
"The Fairytale? When did you start writing?"
"It's been a long time. Maybe around twelve or thirteen, I
published my first book."
"The Fairytale sounds very familiar."
They both say nothing as they look at the pile of books.
"Thanks for the room. You have done a lot for me today.
And nice to meet you, if it's not too late." Noel says with a
smile.
"It's never too late. You're welcome anyway. You should
rest now so you don't tire yourself out and catch a cold."
"I can't be a nuisance anymore so I'll just go to bed.
Uhm... Where's the bathroom?"
"Oh, just down the hallway."
"Thanks. Have a goodnight." Noel says and steps into the
room
"Thanks and to you too." Shawn says and steps out.
***
The night passes in a rush and it's the next morning.
Shawn comes to Noel's door and knocks.
"Good morning Noel. Are you awake yet?"
"Yes I am. I'll be out in a minute." Noel answers with a
muffled voice
"Are you okay?"
"I'm okay."
Shawn hesitates at the door and leaves at the end.
Few minutes later, Noel is out of the room into the smell
of toast bread and tea.
She steps into the living room in the previous night's
clothes, only dried and sees Shawn settling the table at the
end.
She stands there saying nothing for a moment, while
admiring his features which include the fact that he's
setting up a table quite professionally.
In the process, she also reminds herself that she can't get
involved with him. She has to leave his house today.
She tries to smile and walks over to where Shawn was
standing.
"It smells good. Good morning, did you have a good
night?"
"Yes I did. Did you?" Shawn asks back with a smile while
absentmindedly arranging the table.
Noel notices this and looks puzzled for a second. Shawn
sees her look and smiles again.
"I was a waiter for a few summers in high school."
"Oh. That explains a lot more than you think"
"I know right?" Shawn says while laughing
Shawn notices she's in last night's clothes and thinks for a
second.
"I'm free today. Would you like to go with me to get a
few clothes later today?"
Noel says nothing and looks away for a second, her face
expressionless, she turns back and smiles a forced smile at
Shawn.
"No thanks. I'll be fine."
"Please have a seat then." Shawn continues and pulls out a
chair for her.
She unconsciously registers that he also has good
manners. It is going to be tough to just let him go like she
never knew him.
Not liking Christmas is something that is going to give
her a lot of disadvantages and ske knows it.
Disadvantages like Shawn.
She looks up and smile her thanks as she takes her seat.
On the table lays three full sandwiches and a two cups.
One with hot water and the other with two tea bags.
"Two tea bags?"
"Yes. I'm not sure if you're a coffee person or a tea
person. So I prepared the two."
"Wow. I actually prefer coffee in the morning."
Shawn leans over and picks out the coffee bag and puts it
in her cup of hot water.
"Thanks." She picks up a sandwich and takes a bite.
"This is very good. It's better than the one my ex
boyfriend makes actually." Noel says sounding genuinely
excited
"That reminds me of your house. I have a lawyer if you're
interested." Shawn says harmlessly
Noel stops mid bite and looks up at Shawn. Her face
unreadable.
Shawn does not notice and keeps stirring his cup of tea.
Suddenly, Noel's chair slides back and she drops the
sandwich, grabs her bag off the chair and gets up.
"I appreciate every single thing you did for me since
yesterday, and the one you've done just now. I appreciate
it all but I'm not a needy woman. I can handle what I need
myself, clothes, lawyers, getting my house back and every
other thing."
Shawn is taken aback and slowly drops the sandwich he's
holding to his mouth
Chapter 5

Shawn is taking aback by her abruptness and slowly and

surprisedly drops the sandwich he's holding to his mouth.
He keeps his eyes on Noel and has no idea what it is that
his offence is.
"I appreciate every single thing you did for me since
yesterday, and the one you've done just now. I appreciate
it all but I'm not a needy woman. I can handle what I need
myself, clothes, lawyers, getting my house back and every
other thing." 
Noel makes her point and turns to leave. Shawn stands up
hurriedly from his seat and grabs her hands
Noel stops and turns around slightly, just enough to let
Shawn know that he should let go of her hands.
Shawn holds on a few seconds more and resigns. He let
go of her hands.
"As you like it then. It was nice, really nice to meet you."
Shawn replies and turns back to his breakfast.
Noel pauses, a look of sadness and regret crossing her
face for a second. She ends up turning her back on Shawn
and leaves.
Shawn keeps his head down and pretends to eat until he
heard the front door close. He looks up, sadness etched
into the corners of his face. Sadness that he ended up
letting her go.
No other woman got to him so much as Noel does since
his first wife. 
"..." Shawn sighs and takes all the plates to the sink and
drops it all in, not in the mood to wash them yet. 
He leaves the kitchen and walks over to the sofa and
collapsed into it, not tired but lost in thought while trying
to figure out what he did or said wrong.
Noel closes the door behind her and stands at the porch,
looking as people pass her by.
"They all have places to go or things to do..." Noel
mutters to herself.
She regrets storming out of Shawn's place and leaving
him thinking she's an ingrate.
She grips her hair hard and thought back to everything
Shawn did for her. The least she could've done was deny
the offer quietly like she denied the offer for new clothes.
He was so nice, so nice that she found fault in it. He
reminded her in a way of her Mum. Her Mum who was
always nice to people until she died from being so nice.
She leaves the shadow of the porch and walks into the
street while looking out for a lawyer sign or ad.
She pulls out her bag, and from the bag, she pulls out her
phone. Dry but with a low battery, she dials a number.
"Hello Avery?"
"NOEL, Gosh. You finally called me. Where have you
been? I dropped in your place yesterday evening and
Harvey and that witch all but threw me out. I was so
worried and I also couldn't reach you. Where are you?"
"Slow down. I'm by East gardens."
"What are you doing that far away?"
"It's a long story. Wanna meet over a cup of coffee?"
"Sure. We'll meet at that small one near your place. Your
old place rather." Avery quickly corrects herself.
"It's fine. See you in an hour" Noel says into the phone
and clicks the call off.
Noel stands by the road and hails a taxi.
***
Carla takes a tray of tea and bread to Harvey on the chair
he's reclining on that morning. She leans down and drops
the tray on the chair beside him and straightens up to
leave when Harvey grabs her hands and slam his lips on
hers.
Shocked, Carla tries to pull away.
She hasn't been exactly been feeling comfortable around
Harvey, seeing how he threw his ex girlfriend, Noel, out
of her own house when they broke up. Or rather, when he
broke up with her.
Carla isn't trying to exonerate herself from it all but she
was kept in the dark up to an extent. Like she didn't know
the house actually belonged to Noel, she thought it was
Harvey's since he and Noel lived together while they were
in a relationship.
Harvey slams his lips on Carla's and reaches for her bra
strap. Carla shuffles out of his grip with a bruise forming
on her upper lip.
Harvey is surprised and looks at her as she straightens her
clothes.
"What was that?"
"What was what?" Carla asks back
"You just pulled out."
"Yes I did. You didn't even ask if I was willing" Carla
shoots back
"When did i start to need your permission for a romantic
time with you?" Harvey asks starting to look pissed
"You can't just start something like that so early in the
morning. Do something productive." Carla shouts back
and heads for the door.
"Where are you going? You're walking out on me?"
Harvey asks looking angry now
"Yes. I'm going out to do something productive, unlike
someone who starts and ends the day with sex." Carla
says without turning around to face him.
Harvey stays in the chair and watched as his girlfriend
slammed the door and left the house.
Outside the door, Carla goes down the short stairway and
sighs.
"What's wrong with you? You were always happy when
he does that." She mutters to herself as she stops at the
end of the stairs.
"I'm supposed to go out to do something productive. What
should I do?" 
She spies an advert and checks it out. It's an ad for a
winter sales girl. She tears it off the wall and leaves with
it, heading down the road.
***
Noel gets off the taxi and pays the driver. She enters the
cafe and takes a seat by the window. Accidentally, the one
she sat with Shawn the previous day. She remembers
leaving him in there and ends up meeting him again.
Now that she has the time to think, she discovered she
met him four times in just one day.
Boston is not exactly that big but meeting someone for
four times in a day is not a coincidence is it?
As she was lost in thought, her childhood friend, Avery
entered the cafe and sat opposite Noel.
Avery is a woman of moderate height, thin and has a
tanned complexion. She is a brunette with back-of-neck
length hair. She is quirky and quick to say her mind, even
if it is considered a bad habit sometimes.
"Don't ever go out of touch like that ever again ok?"
Avery says as she settles down
"I'll try my best." Noel replies with a smile
"What exactly happened? Tell me everything in detail."
Noel recounts the event of the previous day to Avery,
deliberately leaving out her Shawn moments.
Mentioning Shawn is unavoidable anyway so she leaves it
for the last part.
"So where did you stay overnight?"
"At Shawn's place."
"Shawn? Who is Shawn?"
Noel tells Avery all the Shawn moments and Avery, She
never disappoints.
Avery giggles while bursting to say what she wants to say
"Gosh. I'm so happy for you. Where is he now? I mean
Shawn?" Avery looks around the cafe, trying to spot any
one looking like Shawn as Noel described.
"I left his house this morning, more like I stormed out."
"You what???!" Avery shouts
"I know I know and I regret it already." Noel says and
facepalms.

Chapter 6
"I know I know and I regret it already." Noel says and
facepalms

Avery says nothing for a second and studies Noel.

"It's a good thing you regret it already. So did you

apologize?"

"I haven't seen him since I left his place."

"Anyway, if things are really going to work out for you

both, you'll meet just like you kept meeting yesterday."
Avery teases while trying to bring Noel out of her mood.

Avery sighs and looks outside the cafe. Her eyes suddenly
sharpen and she looks like she's about to explode.

"Isn't that the bitch who your ex is dating now?"

Noel is lost for a second and then replies

"Carla?" She says while looking out the cafe window as

well.

Both Avery and Noel see Carla with a paper in hand,

walking towards the cafe they are staying in right then.

Noel turns and looks at Avery with wide eyes.

"Turn around. She's headed this way, Don't let it look like
we have seen her or been spying on her." Noel whispers
to Avery

"Good." Avery turns around and pretends to make small

talk with Noel
Noel can't take her eyes off Carla, she hears the bell jingle
as Carla comes in.

Carla walks up to the counter and her words can faintly be

heard by both Noel and Avery.

"Please I'm here because of this ad." Carla holds up the

paper she picked up earlier

"Oh. Please give me a minute." The girl at the counter

says and enters a door behind her.

Carla nods and turns to survey the cafe.

In doing so, she saw Noel and Avery by the window,
surprised and furious with herself, she turns around as fast
as she can so they don't see her face.

She hears the chairs scrape behind her but doesn't turn.

"Shit. I shouldn't have left the apartment. Now see what I

got myself into." Carla mutters to herself.

Behind Carla comes a sound of a throat being cleared. It

is Avery.

"Excuse me please. I want to pay so I and my friend over

there, who recently got her house taken by her ex
boyfriend and new slutty girlfriend can get out of here
before the already infected air infects us too. I totally
forgot to take my nose mask along and so did she." Avery
shouts, just loud enough for Carla to hear every word
clearly.

Carla has no choice to turn around now. She turns around

and looks at Avery.

"Sorry but I don't work here." Carla makes her point and
makes to turn around

"Oh. If it isn't Carla the slutty girlfriend. What are you

doing here? Oh. I see. You came for a job? After
successfully stealing another woman's man and house?
You're so shameless."

Noel gets up and tries to pull the starting to get really

angry Avery from there before they are both further
embarrassed.

Carla turns around and makes to defend herself when

Avery spots the bruise above Carla's upper lip.
"YOU CAME OUT WITH A HICKEY?!" Avery screams
and yanks her hands off Noel.

Noel hears the word hickey and stops to look. She looks
over Avery's shoulders and sure enough, there is a slightly
red bruise, obviously a bite bruise above Carla's upper lip.
The few other people in the small cafe had to strain their
necks to actually believe it.

"She actually has a hickey." One woman says and turns

around to face the man she is seated across from.

"Yes yes. Look above her upper lip. Just about an inch
above it. Did you see it?" Another person says
"Mommy, what's a hickey?" A child asks and a few of the
customers smile at their table waiting to hear how the
mom is going to answer.

"Oh darling. It's a bite wound. Just a bite wound." She

answers and pats the little girl's head.

Carla turns around in embarrassment and smiles at the

lady at the counter. She drops the ad and walks out, while
looking down.

Avery still seems like she wants to continue but Noel

holds her back. She turns around and looks at Noel
squarely in the face.

"She stole your man and you're here holding me back?!

You should be pulling her hair out of its roots right now."
Noel smiles slightly and faces Avery after the bell stops
jingling at the door.

"I lived with Harvey for over a year. It's about time she
starts seeing for herself what I bore when I started to stay
with him."

"What do you mean?"

"Those little annoying things he does like dropping

unclean tea cups in the drain and leaving them for me to
clean up. It's so annoying. I actually pity her more than I
hate her. I'm not even sure that's an actual hickey."

"What makes a kiss bite wound actual?"

Noel sighs and pushes Avery towards the counter.

"Pay and let's leave. You ask way too much questions."

Avery looks like she wants to retort but does not. She
walks back to the table to pick her purse and walks back
to the counter to pay.

As they leave the cafe, Avery looks at Noel and wants to

say something but Noel beats her to it.

"It's fine. I'll pay for the next meeting, I actually lost my
purse yesterday."

Avery and Noel walk out of the cafe and down the street
while chatting.
Meanwhile, Carla is looking at a car side mirror to
actually see if there really is a hickey.

She confirms the fact and tries to rub it off to no avail.

She rubs the part of her skin till it turns red. She's
frustrated and walks back the way home.

Carla is embarrassed so much that she determines she is

going to make her and Harvey's relationship work out.

"I'll go back to that apartment and get an actual hickey.

Not just on my lips now, all over my body so much that
I'll be very stuffed when next I step out because I'll be
covered in bite marks." Carla determines among all her
feelings to make her current relationship work.

On her walk back to the apartment, she looks around at

the festivities going all around and decides to get some
Christmas designs and a mistletoe and start Christmas
decorations early.
She decides to remind Harvey to get a Christmas tree so
they can decorate it together. 

"Since Noel doesn't like Christmas, he would've missed

decorating for Christmas while he was with her. I'll show
him that I'm much better and that I can be very festive
when it comes to Christmas." Carla mutters to herself as
she enters a decorations shop.

While Avery and Noel walk around, they arrive at an

amusement park, filled to the brim with bright colours and
laughing families. Dad and Mum's holding the hands of
their children.

Noel turns around and looks at the ferris wheel drive

longingly.
Avery, noticing her friends averted attention, she looks to
that direction and sees the ferris wheel.

"Wanna ride? We are not too old after all."

"What?"

"The ferris wheel. Wanna ride?"

"No. I'm scared of heights."

"You're sure it's just heights?"

"Yes. I'm sure it is just heights."

Avery drops the topic and walks on, dragging Noel along
with her.

"Yeah. It's just heights I'm scared of." Noel mutters under
her breath and at the same time try to convince herself
that she's right.
Chapter 7

Avery and Noel end up in front of the cafe after a lot of

minutes while walking around and catching up.

Avery stops and faces Noel.

"You have to go back to apologize to that Shawn guy."

"I know. I have to."

"But where will you stay tonight? The sun is starting to

set."

Noel looks disgruntled for a second and turns so she can

fully face Avery.
"I can't stay with you? Please? For a night? I'll go see a
lawyer tomorrow to help me out with my apartment."

"It's just for a night ok? My family is coming over

because of Christmas." Avery realizes what she said and
turns her face away so Noel won't see her knocking her
own head.

Noel smiles.

"It's fine. It's just for tonight. Tomorrow will sort itself
out." Noel resigns and signs

Avery nods and pulls Noel along with her as she flags
down a taxi.
Meanwhile, Shawn turns every alley and corner while
trying to remember where he left his car the day before.

"If I remember correctly, I left it before carrying the props

to Mr Woods. But where did I park it?" Shawn mutters to
himself while racking his brain.

His face lights up, remembering something.

"I must have left it not far from that cafe because that was
where I bumped into Noel for the first time."

Shawn smiles to himself and decides to walk the distance

to the cafe. While walking, his mind travels back to Noel.

He wonders how she is doing since she left his place in

the morning.
He sights the cafe up ahead and two ladies laughing and
gisting at it's entrance.

As he passes by, he overhears their conversation.

"Today has to have been the most interesting day here

since I started here." The red haired lady laughs

"What happened?"

"In the morning, few minutes before you came for your
shift, a woman came in with a hickey"

"Really? I can't believe I missed it"

"That's not all, the one with the hickey's current boyfriend
is another woman's ex boyfriend who was also in the cafe
at the time. Turns out the girlfriend was kicked out of her
own house by that hickey woman and the cheating
boyfriend."
"Gosh. I missed all these because of a two dollar ice
cream." The other one stomps her feet regret

"There was another woman with the ex girlfriend, she

caused a scene. I wish I have a friend..."

Shawn walks out of earshot as staying will make it

obvious he's listening in on their conversation.

He doesn't need any further information. The ex girlfriend

is obviously Noel. 

Thinking further, he thinks it could just be someone in a

similar situation.
A few steps ahead, his blue car. He smiles and runs the
few steps left. He holds the car like it is a new born and
kisses it's head while fishing out his key from his pocket.

Right beside him, a taxi passes by with two women

chatting away at the back seat, lost in their conversation.
With one of them being Noel.
Carla climbs the short stairs and steps into the house, her
hands filled with bags which are also filled with
Christmas decorations and the mistletoe she has decided
she wanted since less than an a day ago when she left the
cafe.

She dumps the bags and loads on the sofa and collapsed
into another sofa, breathing out loud. 

Harvey hears the door and comes out of the room in just
boxers and socks.

Carla sizes him up and doesn't say anything. She stands

up and starts unpacking the things she brought home.
"We'll need a Christmas tree." She says and still has her
back turned to Harvey.

Harvey walks over to Carla, pauses for a second and

finally wraps his hands over her waist while giving her a
back hug.

"Can I hug you at least without asking for permission?"

Carla smiles and turns to Harvey without removing his

hands. 

"I'm sorry I said that in the morning. I wasn't feeling very

well so I got angry with you for no reason at all. I'm sorry
babe. Do you forgive me?"

"Of course. I shouldn't have taken you by surprise like

that either. Do you forgive me?"
"I wasn't annoyed with you anyway." Carla forces a smile
while trying to keep to her determination to make her
relationship work.

"What's with all the decorations by the way?"

"I thought you might want to celebrate our first Christmas

with each other. Or not?"

"Of course I want to. What did you get that might interest
me?"

"Something quite special that comes with a all time

known tradition. Guess?"

"What's the tradition?"

Carla smiles and turns back to face the bags and picks a
particular bag with flowery patters up.
"You must always kiss if you meet your partner under it."

"A mistletoe. Perfect idea. Where should we hang it?"

"The entrance of the bedroom to make it easier or in the

living room?"

"You should have gotten two."

"You naughty man." Carla laughs out loud

"I definitely don't need a mistletoe before I can kiss you."

"Just kiss?"
Harvey smiles a side smile and whips Carla to face him.
He picks her up by the waist and wraps her legs around
his waist and places a long kiss on her lips.

Carla closes her eyes and resigns to fate as she moves

with the kiss. 

Harvey moves quite fast, he removes Carla's top and

unclasps her bra and fondles her breasts whils he still has
his lips on hers.

Carla doesn't fight as she grasps tightly to Harvey's hair

and pulling his face closer than it already is.

Just then, the doorbell rings. Harvey and Carla suddenly

stops like a pause button was pressed. They both went in
reverse as Carla jumped off Harvey and simply pulled her
top over her head and went for the bags and motioning
Harvey to the door.
Harvey, bare chested and already hating the person at the
door, he opens the door and sees a stranger.

"Who are you?" He asks with a scrunched up face

"Oh. Delivery for a Ms Noel Sanders."

"She doesn't live here anymore." Harvey spits out and

moves to close the door.

"This was the provided address. You have to sign as

well." The deliveryman drops the parcel and gives Harvey
the pen.
Harvey signs reluctantly with his mind far away from the
door and somewhere else in the house with Carla doing
manly things.

He picks up the parcel with a look of disdain on his face

and dumps the parcel on the floor by the door.

Carla, now well dressed comes out of the room and asks.

"Who was it?"

"A mother fucking delivery man."

Carla laughs and straightens her skirt, her mouth swollen

and her makeup is off.

"They have such horrible timing." Harvey notes while

trying to restart what they had going on before.
"I'll go put the decorations in place untile we get the tree
and I'll leave the hanging of the mistletoe to you." Carla
says without giving Harvey a chance to touch her. She
hurriedly picks up the bags and goes into another part of
the house with a very red face.

Chapter 8

Noel gets to Avery's house and collapses on the chair

exhausted. As she's been there a lot of times already, She
feels comfortable to go anywhere in the house as she
wants to.

Avery comes in also and locks the door.

"Isn't it too early to lock the door? Are you sure you won't
sell me while I'm asleep?" Noel teases 

"How much would you make for me even I sell you?

Would you make up to a thousand dollars?"
"To think you're my friend." Noel comments and laughs

"It's been a long time since I heard you laugh like that."
Avery points out while avoiding Noel's face.

Noel looks around the rooms and ends with her eyes on
the unlit Christmas tree in the corner.

"Everything has just been going wrong this month."

"What do you mean?" Avery turns to face her now

"It's only about two weeks before Christmas starts in full

bloom and it has all gone wrong for me. This year's
Christmas takes the second worst one in my life."

"You should not let everything get to you. It's all

inevitable." Avery tries to console her
"I know. I lost my boyfriend to another woman, lost my
only apartment, lost my purse and everything inside and
my Dad..." Noel pauses like she has said too much.

"You can't keep hating him. He's getting older by the

year. You can't hate him forever for something that
happened 14 years ago. I can't say he is totally blameless
but he has been trying to redeem for it since then. He even
visits you every year, including this one. You really need
to forgive him and start comfortably calling him Dad
again." Avery chides all the same while consoling Noel.

Noel smiles at Avery and says nothing to induce a

positive or negative response.

"I'm so famished. Aren't you hungry?" Avery asks while

trying to change the subject.

"I am too. I know your cooking is terrible so I'll cook for

us both."
"Sure the best chef I know" Avery smiles and sucks up to
Noel

"By the way, please help me plug my phone. It'll be dead

already."

"Aye Aye." Avery answers and heads for the bedroom

while Noel heads for the kitchen.

...
Shawn is back home and standing by the door,
occasionally looking outside the window for any sign of
Noel's return.
"You idiot. You didn't even ask for her phone number.
Now you can't even reach her."

Shawn chides himself and facepalms. He stands at the

same spot for a few more minutes.

Finally, he sighs, looks in the window for one more time

and walks slowly over to the sofa in the middle of the
room. He lays down and positions his head so it's not far
from the window.

If he strains his neck for just a little painful stretch, he

will be able to look out the window.

He stays in that uncomfortable position for a few more

minutes until he sleeps off and doesn't hear the door open.

The door to the house opens and into the dim light steps
in a man in black shirt, grey pants and sneakers. He had a
face mask on and a dark coloured cap, blocking the upper
part of his face in shadows and the mask covering the
other half.

Under the cap though, there are sifts of honey blonde hair
peeking out under the cap.

He closes the door very silently behind him and walks up

to the Shawn on the chair, he stands there for a second
while he seems to be thinking what to do to Shawn who is
fast asleep.

After deliberating for a minute, he decides to leave Shawn

as long as he doesn't wake up when he is in the house. 

With the way he makes his way around the house, he

seems to know the house quite well. He walks straight to
the room where Noel stayed overnight and opened the
door. He goes in and closes the door behind him.
Few minutes after the man goes in, he opens the door and
steps out as silently as he went in. He walks back to the
living room and checks on Shawn again.

This time, he seems to be looking at Shawn in a belittling

way. Like he feels better and confident compared to
Shawn. Or that he has a secret known only to him. The
you're-smaller-than-i-am kind of smile. 

He treads carefully up to the door and grips the handle.

He pulls it down to open the door. Just then, Shawn shifts
in his chair and almost falls to the ground. 

For a second, it seems like Shawn opens his eyes, he

adjusts himself on the chair and goes back to sleep.

The man in the cap stays in that position for about three
minutes until he was fairly sure that Shawn wouldn't be
getting up from the chair while he was still by the door.
He grips the handle down again and slinks out as silent as
a cat just as he came in.
...

"Avery. You're always the sleepyhead. I thought you

would have changed since all this while." Noel calls out
from the living room as she sets the cup of coffee on the
dining table.

Avery is still sprawled out on the bed opposite the dining

room where Noel can see her clearly. Her hair all around
the pillow and body turned the other way from the side
her right hand and right leg are faced.

Noel looks at Avery saying nothing and bursts out

laughing. She goes into the room and shakes Avery
awake.
"Wake up sleepyhead."

"Oh Noe. Good morning." Noel isn't sure if Avery said

Oh No or called her by the short form given to her by
Avery years back but she doesn't question and pretty
much drags Avery out of bed.

"I have to leave soon. I have a lawyer appointment."

"Today?" Avery asks half asleep

"Yes. I called him yesterday evening before we went to

bed."

"Fine then. The faster the better."

"You should get up and wash up. I already had breakfast

and there's a cup of coffee on the table for you."
"Why don't you just marry me?" Avery asks playfully

"I see you're awake now. I'll give you a call as soon as I'm
done there."

"Do you even have transport fare?" Avery asks, slightly

making jest of Noel

"Do you have to hurt me like that?"

"I'm serious actually. I have some change left if you're

interested?"

"It's fine. I still have my card. It was the only thing I

didn't lose. I also have to get some clothes."

"Where will you stay tonight?"

"Tonight will settle itself when it comes to it's time. See
you." Noel finalizes the conversation and heads for the
door.

"Thanks for letting me stay over. I love you." Noel says

playfully and quickly shuts the door behind her before
Avery replies in her usual cynical way.

"Love you too." Avery says into the air and stands up and
heads to the bathroom and shuts the door behind her.

Chapter 9
Noel flags down a taxi and gets in.
"Smithson Law Firm please." She says to the driver and
settles in her chair and looks outside the window as
everything and everyone passes her by.

Few minutes later, she arrives at the front of her

destination and pays with her card. She turns and faces
the building. It looks like an office and still looks homely
at the same time. She smiles and heads in.

The reception is painted in cream and the doors are made

of wood. Probably mahogany or oak. The place smells
nice, quite a contrast to the bald smell she just stepped in
from. She walks up to the lady sitting behind the table and
smiles.

"Excuse me. I'm here to see Attorney Smithson."

"Do you have an appointment?" She asks casually, like

she asks every other person that walks through the door.
"I called him yesterday evening. He asked me to come
over."

"Give me a minute let me dial his office." She reaches out

and picks up the receiver on the land phone beside her.

"Excuse me Sir. There's a ?" She looks at Noel asking for

her name with her ocean blue eyes

"Noel. Noel Sanders." Noel voices out

"A miss Noel Sanders asking to meet you... Yes. She said
she called yesterday evening and you asked her to come...
Okay Sir." She finally says and drops the receiver. 

"Please have a seat. He'll be with you in a minute."

"Sure." Noel smiles and goes to have a seat on the chair
not far away from the door on the right side of the
reception table.

Noel fishes out her phone and checks for anything she
missed. Her phone pings just then and a message comes
in. The sender is said to be Harvey. She pauses for a
second and then clicks on the message.

It reads "You got a parcel. Come pick it up. It won't wait

forever." Noel snickers and drops her phone back in her
laps.

Just then, a man in his mid forties and a woman walks out
of the door beside Noel.

Noel recognizes the man to be the Lawyer she came to

see.

"Make sure to get him to sign the document. Ok?"

"Yes sir. I'll make sure. Thank you very much." The
woman gives the lawyer a wide smile and leaves through
the door Noel came in.

The Lawyer turns to face Noel and gives her a very wide
smile

"Noel. It's been a very long time. How have you been?
How is your Dad? It's been very long indeed." He rumbles
on in his baritone voice.

Noel waits for him to finish before replying.

"Yes sir. It's been long since I last saw you. How's your
wife and Ariel?"

"They are all fine. Let's go into the office while you brief
me on what brings you to a law firm." He smiles and turns
to the lady by the reception
"If anyone else comes in, have them wait for me to be
done here." He states to her and leads Noel into the office.

***

Shawn shifts on the chair and falls to the floor. He is

jerked awake and he sits up. He has his head in his hands,
still half asleep until he realizes that Noel wasn't back.

He stares into space for a full minute.

"You idiot. You should have taken her number whatever

chance you got. Now you don't have even know where
she is or how she is doing." Shawn mutters to himself and
ruffles his hair.
In so doing, he turns toward the door and see shoe prints.
He gets up and goes towards the prints. He looks down
puzzledly and scrunchs up his head in thought.

His mind goes back to that moment he woke up briefly at

night and there was a weird smell in the air but he had
been too lazy to check it out.

He thinks for a minute and decides to dismiss it as wishful

thinking.

***
Noel takes a seat as the attorney asks her to.

"So what brings you to a law firm?"

"I'm not sure of how to phrase it."

"Just put it bluntly."

"Okay. My ex boyfriend pushed me out of my house and

it is even in my name legally."

"What? The piece of shit." He looks up realizing what he

said and they both burst into laughter

"So what do you want to do? To sue?"

"Is there any other simpler way?"

"For someone who is crafty, there is." 

"By hook or by crook" He continues and smiles a sly

smile and Noel smiles back, not knowing what he means.
**

Shawn is very restless while he drove to work. He kept

glancing out the window from time to time to see if he
can glimpse Noel anywhere. He even looks through shop
windows.

Frustrated, when he gets to work, he is already in a sour

mood. He stays in the car for a minute, trying to revert to
his always smiling face so his colleagues would not
suspect anything is wrong.

Even hearing Shawn is involved with a woman won't let

him have a peaceful work day. 

Finally, he gets down, his face is obviously twisted into a

forced smile.
"Even if she is angry, she should have at least let me
know she is okay." His previous anger dissipates into
longing.

Shawn stops shocked.

"What am I doing. You just helped a woman in need. She

doesn't mean anything to you." He mutters to himself
while smiling to people who pass him by in the corridor.

"Do you know that of you think too much for someone,
it's more than helping the needy?" Someone says into
Shawn's ears.

Shawn jumps and turns around and faces Hailey. Hailey is

Shawn's work colleague and good friend.
"I didn't see you at all through the weekend. You just said
it out loud. Who is she?"

"Who is who?" Shawn feigns ignorance

Hailey let's out a light laughter and looks Shawn squarely

in the face.

"There's a woman isn't there?" Hailey asks while peering

into his face, Shawn can't handle the gaze and turns his
face

"Just give me a name..." Hailey whines

"Name of who?" Someone else joins in the conversation

"Good morning Collins. You're early to work today"

Hailey teases
"I'm always early to work. What were you two talking
about? And why is Shawn's face so red? Hailey? Don't
tell me you were making him uncomfortable again? You
know how reserved my friend is."

"Reserved? Ah. He was muttering to himself about a

wo..."

Shawn who is starting to be very uncomfortable speaks

out immediately without letting Hailey finish her sentence

"We will be late soon let's go." Shawn pulls Collins by the
forearm and heads for the office.

Collins throws Hailey a puzzled glance like to ask what is

going on. Hailey shrugs her shoulders and makes a face.

Collins makes a face right back and let's himself be

dragged by Shawn into the office room they both share.
"So... Shawn?" 

Shawn turns around and looks at Collins, like he is

expecting a bomb to drop.

"What was that about? I mean with Hailey?"

"You know Hailey. Just regularly fooling around with

me."

"If you say so then." 

Shawn thinks for a second and turns back to Collins.

"Collins?"

"Yes?"
"This is a situation my friend is in and he asked me for
advice..."

Collins smiles a knowing smile and turns to face Shawn

attentively.
Chapter 10
Noel stands up from the chair and puts it back in place.
She faces the Attorney and smiles at him.

"I'll do my best to make it work."

"You have to. Or you would have to do it the hard way."

"I'll keep it in mind. Thanks again"

"It's nothing. My regards to your Dad."

Noel says nothing and nods out of the office. When she
gets to the reception, she smiles at the lady behind the
table.

The lady smiles back and picks up her phone. Noel turns
and walks out the door.

Once outside the door, she holds the papers she's holding
up to her face and looks through a few words. 

She smiles to herself and hails a cab.

Few minutes later, Noel gets down at her apartment front.
She straightens the papers again and picks up her phone.

She calls Harvey even though she is at the front of the

building.

"I'm out front. You asked me to pick up a parcel? And we

have some unfinished business."

"Hold on a second." Harvey says into the phone and

clicks the call off.

Noel climbs the short flight of stairs and waits outside the
door. Few seconds later, shuffling of feet is heard behind
the door and the door is unlocked.

"Here's your parcel." Harvey holds it out to her without

any other words of greetings said.
"You won't even invite me in?" Noel says disgusted and
pushes her way in.

"What?!" 

"You won't let me see what your new girlfriend did with
the..." Noel sees all the decorations, the packed ones and
the unpacked ones. The already hanging ones and the
ones still waiting to be hung.

She scrunchs up her nose at all the decor and sits on the
sofa in the middle of the room . Purposely pushing away
all the wrappers beside her to one side.

"What do you want for you to barge into my house like

this?"

"Your house?" Noel snickers and looks up at Harvey.

Harvey with his face contorted in anger stands over Noel
like he his going to chuck her out of the door in any
second.

"Anyway, I can't blame you. I found a new apartment. Or

you don't want this one legally?" Noel looks away and
pushes the wrappers away from her again.

Harvey is surprised for a second and doesn't exactly

register Noel's words.

"You got a new apartment?"

"Yes. I don't want anything to do with you anymore.

Including your girlfriend."

"So?"
"So? I'm giving it over. I can't deal with all your house
problems anymore. I won't take any bills in my name or
number."

Harvey says nothing and sits opposite Noel, eyeing her

for any sign of misconduct.

Noel returns the gaze with crystal clear eyes showing no

emotion nor any sign of deceit.

"What should I do then?"

"Just sign here. I have the papers already."

Harvey turns the papers to himself and just glances at it's

heading. He didn't further read the clauses beneath it.

"Do you have a pen?"

"No. It's your house. Shouldn't you have one?" Noel says
cynically

"Fine. Give me a minute." Harvey gets up and walks

inside the room he and Noel shared when they were still
in a relationship.

From inside came muffled voices. Noel figured Harvey is

telling Carla about the purpose of her visit. There were
raised voices for a while. Carla's voice to be precise.

Noel guesses she is not feeling very good about her visit.
But the man who desperately wants the house that isn't his
will always convince the woman. 
Just like Noel guesses, after a little while, Hervey comes
out with a pen. He sits back down and signs the place
where Noel points out to him.

"Now can you leave? You're making my girl... Carla

uncomfortable with your visit."

"Won't you at least make sure I sign first?" Noel teases as

she takes the pen from him

Noel signs on the other side and smiles slyly to herself.

Harvey doesn't see the smile and takes the pen from her as
soon as she is done signing.

"Fine. Now get out of my house."

"Sure I will." Noel smiles and gets up. She bends back
down to pick up her parcel and the papers and moves
towards the door.
"It was nice knowing you Carla." Noel says out loud and
bursts into laughter as she opens the door and leaves.

***
Collins smiles at Shawn as he finishes asking his
question.

"So this friend does not know how to contact her? Or

what is the emergency exactly?" Collins remarks

Shawn is silent for a few seconds. He doesn't know what

the emergency is either. Just that he is very worried about
her. A woman with no house nor money and who seems
alienated from her family.

"Hm? What is the problem? She is just someone he met

briefly. It shouldn't worry him unless he likes her. Or do
you?"

"No. No I..." Shawn backtracks and looks at Collins

"It's my friend. It's not me. I don't know if he likes her or
not." Shawn continues while not being able to hold eye
contact with Collins which gives Collins further
conviction.

"If he doesn't like her, then there is no problem." Collins

concludes

Shawn nods and walks back to his own table

"Ah. I have to pick up the new toner from Hagrid."

Collins informs Shawn and leaves the office, leaving
Shawn to his thoughts.

Collins walks out of the office and makes a beeline for

Hailey's office.

He gets there and walks first to Hailey.

"Hailey. I think it's time you stopped bothering Shawn
with your feelings." Collins states

"What do you mean?"

"He asked me the its-my-friend-situation question that

involves a woman."

Hailey's eyes rounds in shock and she looks sad for a

second. The sad look disappears just as soon as it comes.

"What was the question exactly?"

"It involves the friend meeting a woman in need and

helping her. Then she leaves without a way to trace her."

"She's practically gone then. What's the big fuss?"

"The friend is very worried about her."

"But what if it's really a friend's situation?"

"You really don't believe that when it comes to Shawn do

you?"

"Forget it. She's out of his life already."

"Do you know that the first time they met, they met four
different times that same day and he helped her thrice out
of those four?"

Hailey looks back at Collins.

"You can't exactly guess they won't meet again." Collins

continues, oblivious to Hailey's faraway looks.

"Let them then. I have work to do." Hailey says and pick
up a few random items on the table and walks out.
Collins watches her leave and sighs.

He heads for Hagrid's office.

Hagrid, originally named Roland is a huge guy which

earned him the name Hagrid. The giant guy in the Harry
Potter series.

"You still haven't been gotten over her yet?" Hagrid asks
Collins

"What do you mean?"

"It's obvious you like Hailey. Anyone with eyes can tell." 

"Whatever. I need a new toner."

"It's over there. You need to man up and tell her how you
feel."

Collins says nothing and picks up a toner from the stash

and heads back to his own office.

***

Noel walks down the stairs with a smile on her face which
makes her glow.

She stops at the foot of the stairs and looks back up to the
door of the apartment.

"You'll be mine again soon" She says to the house.

She holds up the papers and looks through the clauses.

She smiles again and remembers the parcel as well.
She looks at the top of the box and the sender is not
notified. She shrugs and tears open the box.

As soon as she sees the contents, she freezes and drops

the box. Her eyes glazing over in tears and fear.

Chapter 11
After close of work, Shawn is still restless and now on
edge. He keeps talking to himself and sighing. This
catches the attention of a few people who know Shawn as
a smiling man. Part of these few people are Collins and
Hailey.
They walk behind him slowly, occasionally glancing at
each other when they catch a few words when talking to
himself.
"... Number..." Shawn says inaudibly.
The Managing Director of the company gets down from
his car and smiles at Shawn expecting him to smile back
like he always does, but he was met with a side glance.
He looks confused for a moment and spreads his palm
towards Hailey and Collins behind him.
Collins comes over and smiles
"Don't mind him. He is having some problems right now."
"What kind of problems? Maybe I can help?"
"I'm sure he will appreciate that but it's not that kind of
problem. It's woman problems." Collins voices with his
face contorted in laughter
"Woman problem? Shawn?" The MD, Justin Cooke says
almost on the verge of laughter himself
"I never pictured him to be that kind. I guess we are all
the same no matter what. Men will always have women
problems" Justin states and bursts into laughter along with
Collins.
Hailey smiles at what she heard but she still has her eyes
on Shawn who is by his car and fumbling with his keys.
She goes over and pulls Collins from where he is chatting
with Justin and pulls him over to Shawn.
"Hey Shawn."
Shawn snaps out of it and turns to Hailey.
"Oh Hailey. You haven't left yet?"
"I might have a solution to that your friends question. I'm
a woman after all."
"Oh really? I'll... He will appreciate it a lot" Shawn
immediately corrects himself thinking they haven't
figured it out yet
"Well. My advice is that he should forget her."
Shawn looks alarmed and Collins looks taken aback.
Collins pulls Hailey aside just as Shawn looks away
"What are you doing?" Collins shout-whispers to her
"Telling him the truth. He met her for a day and he ruined
his day because of her."
"Then you should be able to tell that he is really worried
about her. Don't dissuade him from what he likes."
Collins tells Hailey.
While Fifty percent of his words are for Shawn's sake, the
other fifty is for his own sake. He wants Hailey to stop
chasing after Shawn.
"He is a grown up man. He knows what he wants and
what he doesn't. Don't tell him to forget her. And you
know, once Shawn likes someone, he fully likes someone.
Think about Ella." Collins continues
At the mention of Ella, Hailey's head snaps up and her
face becomes steely.
"What about her?!"
Collins is unprepared for that reaction and let's go of her
arm. He takes a step back but still continues
"You should really let Shawn be." Collins finalizes and
leaves Hailey.
He turns to Shawn and waves him bye.
Shawn waves back and gets back into his car. He takes a
glance at Hailey, whose head is down and he can't see her
facial expressions. He shrugs and drives out.

***
Noel looks at the top of the box and the sender is not
notified. She shrugs and tears open the box.
As soon as she sees the contents, she freezes and drops
the box. Her eyes glazing over in tears and fear.
Almost immediately, she bends down and pick out the
contents of the box. A note and a sealed transparent nylon
containing what she recognizes as her hair. She opens the
note and an handwriting she will never forget jumps out at
her.
Trembling, she reads the note. As soon as she's done, it
falls to the ground.
She picks up the hair and walks off. Leaving the parcel
and it's note on the floor.
She walks absent mindedly and stubs her right foot on the
curb. This brings her back to reality. She drops the hair in
her bag and hails a cab.
She gets in and tells the driver to take her to Smithson
Law Firm. He obliges and he takes off.
***
Shawn hasn't given up on finding Noel so he decides to
take the road where he saw her first. He drives past the
Cafe and hamwads towards her house. He parks his car a
few meters away and walks the rest of the way. He vows
to leave if she seems to be doing fine.
He notices a parcel on the floor and walks past it. He
walks up the stairs and knocks the door. He hears
footsteps and takes a step back. The door opens angrily to
reveal Harvey. When he sees Shawn, his face becomes
unreadable.
"Yes?"
"Is Noel home?"
"Who do y'all keep coming here?? The parcel man and
now you?"
"Is she?"
"No. Wait a minute. You look familiar."
Shawn says nothing and raises his eyebrows at him.
Shawn knows that he knows him but wants him to
remember himself.
"Ah yes. You're the guy who helped her up that time. I'm
a disgrace to Men?"
"Anyone who takes a woman's house is a disgrace to
Men." Shawn finishes and leaves Harvey staring at him.
Shawn gets to the bottom of the stairs and hears the door
close. He overhears Harvey saying something inside the
apartment.
"That bitch even left the carton of that god damned parcel
beneath the stairs. Who will go clean it up for her? It's a
goodness the house don't belong to her anymore."
The house doesn't belong to her anymore? What has
happened?
As Shawn makes to leave, his right foot hits the parcel
and the box moves away revealing the note beneath it.
He picks up the note out of curiosity and reads it. It says;
" Noel. Pretty Noel.
I found you again.
Think you can run from me?
It's not possible.
Here's the keepsake you left me those years ago
I kept it since then.
Hoping to find you again someday
I guess the deities are on my side
Did you dye your hair by the way? It looks darker than
the one I had."
What?
It was not signed by any name. Shawn picks up the box
and checks for a sender to no avail.
By now, Shawn is very worried and seems flustered. The
box being here means Noel has being here not long ago.
Shawn immediately gets inside his car and drives off in
the opposite way.

About 30 minutes later, Shawn spies a woman in a law

firm through the glass doors. He drives closer and gets
down from the car.
He rushes over before she's fully out and opens the door.
There in front of him, She stood.
Noel stood.

Chapter 12.
Shawn... Finally found Noel again but he was too out of
breath and flustered to actually say something.
Noel also seems speechless when he bursts through the
door.
Noel snaps out of it first and smiles to the man beside her,
Mr Smithson.
"I'll be back again tomorrow. Thanks a lot"Noel says
"Okay dear but do you know that man? He is staring at
you? Quite openly."
Noel takes a glance at him and turns back
"Yes. I know him. He's here for me I guess." Noel smiles
slightly
"Okay then. See you tomorrow and my regards to your
dad?"
"Alright sir. Have a nice day too."
"Ah. I'll act on the papers today so you'll get it back
before the day after tomorrow ok?"
"It's good to know I have you sir. If you don't mind" Noel
motions towards the door politely
"Oh. Bye then."
"Bye."
Noel walks towards the door and takes Shawn along with
her.
Shawn snaps out of his reverie and removes his hands
from Noel's.
He whips over and turns her.
"Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?"
"What?"
"Where is the jerk?"
"Who?"
"The parcel person. He wasn't with you?"
Noel's face falls for a second and is back to normal in the
next
"No. It was just a parcel."
"Really?" Shawn calms down
"Yes."
"How did he know your hair color then?"
"I don't know about that. He must have seen me recently."
"Then he is someone you know?"
Noel almost answers. Then pauses.
"How did you know about all these?"
"What? Huh..." Shawn didn't want to make it obvious that
he was after her and found the parcel in front of her
house.
"I passed by your house and stepped on the parcel. I was
worried I stepped on something important so I got down
to check. The rest is history."
"So... You passed here too not deliberatly?"
"No. Like I said, it's a coincidence I met you."
"Then you entering the firm was a coincidence too?"
"I didn't say that" By now, Shawn is flustered and his ears
are red by the tips.

Shawn hurries over to his car and motions her to come

over.
"Let me drop you off."
"Thanks." Noel smiles and gets in the car.
In the car, Shawn kept silent and kept taking side glances
at Noel.
Noel tries to ignore it for a little while until she can't bear
it anymore.
"Why do you keep glancing at me?"
"What?" Shawn is thrown off guard at the question
"Why?"
"Nothing." Shawn answers shakily
Noel takes a glance at him and faces the road.
"Where are you going by the way?"
"My friend's place is in that street."
"A friend?" Shawn's face creases slightly and his hands
tighten on the wheels
Noel notices and suppresses the urge to burst into laughter
"Yes. A female friend" Noel clarifies
Noel does not have to look to tell that his body relaxed at
the word female.
"Is that where you stayed after you left?"
"Yes." Noel simply answers.
After a few seconds of silence, Noel speaks up.
"You know, you only meant well the other day. I
shouldn't have laid my frustrations on you. I'm sorry."
Noel apologizes
Shawn does not know what to say so he answers simply.
"It's fine. It was my fault too."
Truthfully, Shawn still does not know what his offence
was that day. He is used to being the one helping people.
Noel does not bother clarifying or pursuing the issue
further so she doesn't make any mention of it anymore
during the ride.
Noel's face sharpens and she points towards a building on
the right side of the road.
"There."
"The one with the flowers outside?"
"Yes."
Shawn swerves to the said side and stops the engine. He
does not want to say goodbye, knowing how much she
worries him but he has to.
Noel is hesitant at first and considers just asking if she
can stay at his place but her pride does not allow her.
She smiles and looks over at Shawn who's trying to avoid
eye contact.
"Thanks for the ride. Thanks for everything all along. I
hope we meet on good terms again."
"Yeah. Be safe." Shawn replies and smiles half heartedly
at Noel who opens the door and steps out.
Shawn waves her bye and restarts the engine.
Noel waves back and makes to go inside.

For some reason, Shawn does not feel okay leaving her
there. After the first corner, he turns the car back and goes
back to where he dropped Noel.
On getting there, he knocks on the flower gate and a
woman came to the door.
"Good evening ma'am."
"Good evening. How may I help you?"
"I came to see Noel."
"Noel?" The woman looks confused
"Yes. I dropped her less than five minutes ago."
"This is a flower shop. And there's no one named Noel
here."
"Oh. Thanks." Shawn hurriedly ends the conversation and
runs to the side.
On the other side, he spies Noel a couple of steps away.
"Noel." Shawn calls out
Noel hears her name and turns around to know the caller.
"Shawn?"
Noel walks back towards Shawn with a face mixed with
guilt and surprise.
Shawn says nothing at first but as she approaches, he can't
stay quiet.
"If you don't have a place to stay, I'm offering you one yet
why are you going away?"
Noel looks fully guilty and apologizes.
"I'm sorry. I just can't stay just anywhere. You're pretty
much a stranger."
"I'm a stranger? Do you think I consider you a stranger?"
"What?"
"How many strangers do I tell about having foster
parents?!"
"I'm not that free with people. Especially after just being
betrayed by another man. Should I just jump into your life
as soon as my ex jumped from mine?"
"You should understand what I'm saying here. No
stranger would help a woman four times in one day."
"I'm sorry but you're still a stranger to me. You might as
well just go to your home while I find somewhere to stay
tonight."
"Let me drop you at that place at least." Shawn resigns
and sighs
Noel considers for a moment and then nods in the
affirmative.

They both walk to Shawn's car and get in.

"Please drop me at any nearby hotel."
Shawn looks at her, meaning to say something but
doesn't.
He puts on the car GPS and the next hotel is about five
minutes away.
During the ride, no word is shared between them.

They arrive at the hotel in a little less than 5 minutes.

Shawn is stubborn this time and decides to see her enter
her room before leaving.
Noel doesn't argue and just nods.

At the reception...
"One person room please." Noel says to the receptionist
"It's available. How many nights?"
Noel looks at Shawn before answering.
"A week please."
"Please hand me your card so I can pay for tonight. It's
just a formality to pay for the first night." The nice
looking make receptionist states
"Cash or card?" He continues
"Card please "
Noel fishes out her card from her bag and hands it over.
The receptionist brings out the machine and swipes the
card.
It beeps.
He tries it again.
The card beeps again.
"I'm sorry but your card is blocked."

Chapter 13

Noel fishes out her card from her bag and hands it over.
The receptionist brings out the machine and swipes the
card.
It beeps.
He tries it again.
The card beeps again.
"I'm sorry but your card is blocked."
"What?" Noel looks shocked.
Shawn is taken aback too but registers that she honestly
looks shocked.
"Your card is locked. Do you have another card or would
you like to pay by cash instead?"
"No. I don't have any other card"
Shawn fishes around in his pocket for his wallet but it is
nowhere to be found.
"Ah. I left my wallet in the car. Let me get it." Shawn
hastily states and dashes out of the lobby.
Noel is flustered and follows him out.
She gets to the car just as he is pulling his head out from
the car door.
"You don't have to."
"What?"
"Really."
"Are you being stubborn about this too? There's a limit to
pride. Please let me help you this last time then." Shawn
emphasizes while trying to appeal to her to at least accept
him for who he is.
"I'll let you help me but not at the hotel. I weighed my
choices and I feel like I'll be better at your place."
It takes a few seconds for her words to register on him.
"My..my place?"
Noel doesn't answer but just nods in the affirmative.
"Well... Get in then."
****
While in the car, Noel kept smiling to herself amidst
thoughts of why her card is blocked.
At a point, she mentally facepalms and shakes her head at
what's she is thinking.
Yeah.
Shawn is handsome, seems to be very caring and a very
okay person but they have their differences.
Shawn vaguely notes the frequent changes in her
expressions but keeps quiet at first. It continues until he
can't hold his curiosity anymore.
"Why do you keep doing that?"
"Doing what?" Noel asks
"Changing your faces like that?"
"Oh. It's my serious face."
"Oh. You look good even being serious as well." Shawn
mutters under his breath
"Did you say something?"
"No. No, I didn't." Shawn denies vigorously leaving Noel
almost laughing beside him.
They get back to the apartment and they both get in.
Noel admires the colors again and seats on the same
couch she sat the last time she came.
"You seem to like colours."
"Yes. I'm an interior designer."
"Little wonder. You designed your own apartment didn't
you?"
"Yes."
"That's why it looked unique."
"You've been there?"
"Oh. That was when I found the parcel..." Mentioning the
parcel and the note brought back thoughts Noel thought
she has suppressed.
"Oh. The parcel..." Noel mutters and visibly slumps into
the couch
Shawn feels guilty for bringing the issue up again and
tries to change the subject.
"So... You can stay here for now."
"Thanks a lot. I'll probably get my apartment back soon
anyway but it's good to know that I have somewhere to
crash at." Noel smiles sincerely at Shawn bringing out her
one sided dimple. Shawn notices the dimple and visibly
gulps.
"My pleasure." He forces out, his eyes still on her dimple
but not making a comment on it
"But I won't be staying for free." Noel states as a matter
of fact.
"What?"
"Yes. I'll pay rent."
"..."
Noel takes his lack of words for agreement and continues
"How much would you charge for one room?"
"No. I'm not letting you pay when I invited you. It's not
even your first time here." Shawn kicks against it. Noel
registers the determined look on his face and falters.
"Fine then. But I won't stay for free. Kitchen duties?"
"No. That's my favorite place in the house."
Noel bursts into laughter and it takes a while for her to
stop. Shawn smiles as well.
"Fine then. Cleaning duties?"
"Deal. Welcome to our apartment."
Hearing Shawn call it their apartment reminded Noel of
when she said the exact same words to Harvey months
ago.
She buries the thought.
"I'll be staying in the same room as the last time right?"
"Yes."
"Then I have to clear it out. Give me about an hour or
two." Noel says and gets up from the sofa.
"Okay. I'll have something prepared by then. Take your
time."
Noel smiles in response and goes to the room.

After about two hours after, Noel hauls out the last pack
of books and spreads the bedspeard back on the bed. She
collapses on the bed with her face facing the roof. She
sighs and wonders what her life is going to be like by the
time it's Christmas.
"Thank goodness for Shawn at least, I have a place to stay
and a place assuring me I will not be hungry but won't I
have to leave in the long run?" She mutters to herself
She sighs again and closes her eyes.
In a few minutes, Shawn comes to the door and knocks
slightly. Noel opens one eye and sits up, stretching.
"Dinner's done." Shawn states and smiles slightly at her
"I'll be right there." She replies and gets up from the bed.
Shawn leaves ahead still with that slight smile on his face.
Noel is not in so much as a bad mood either so she's
neither smiling nor having an actual expression on her
face. Just the British upper lip she calls it.
She gets to the dining table and her eyes widen.
"Whaaaaaaaaa..." She trails off looking at the plates of
food on the table.
Shawn says nothing and starts laughing.
"Welcome to your home Noel. It's a welcome feast."
Shawn says amidst laughter
"Don't you think this is too much?"
"No it isn't. As long as it's for you."
"I see you're straightforward. I'm sure even the Palace
does not have this much on their table every morning or
eating time."
"Are you sure about that?" Shawn asks with an eye raised
in playfulness
Noel does not answer and just sits opposite Shawn.
"I'm getting Deja Vu from the last time you sat there..."
Shawn says playfully
"...I remember a sandwich in my hand and then nobody in
front of me in the next second" He continues
"..." Noel does not say a word and just looks at him,
considering whether to apologize again or just laugh it
off. She decides on the latter.
"It must have been funny. I wonder if you even knew
what your offense was?" Noel says and bursts into
laughter
Shawn chuckles but refuses to admit he had no idea what
he did.
Noel stops laughing while looking at Shawn straight in
the eyes and Shawn doing the same, his eyes glittering in
the dim lightedness of the room. They seem to be lost in
each other until the phone suddenly rang.
That jerked them both out of their reverie.
Noel gets up to pick it up but Shawn waves her down. He
goes to the phone and picks up.
"Hello?"
Noel can't hear what the call is about but as soon as the
person replies in his or her identity, Shawn's face has
gone cold.
Deathly Cold.

Chapter 14

Shawn picks his phone up and picks the call.

"Hello?" He says into the receiver
Noel can faintly hear a voice replying to Shawn but can
not figure out what the voice is saying.
As soon as the person stops talking, Shawn's face has
gone cold.
Very cold.
Noel is kind of surprised at the change in his face.
From the bright and ever smiling good guy to someone
who looks so scary.
She unconsciously flinches on her seat.

She turns back to her food and starts eating while

unconsciously listening in.
"No, I won't." Shawn replies
More tiny voices on the phone.
"You can't force me to do what I don't want to. Don't call
me again." Shawn hangs up on the caller and switches off
his phone.
He comes back to the table with a slightly relaxed face.
"I'm sorry about that. I got worked up on the call."
Noel does not say anything nor ask who it was. She just
kept on eating.

Shawn does not say anything either and starts eating. Noel
takes a glance at Shawn and saw that he was looking
uncomfortable. She clears her throat and drops her fork.
"Did you go to a culinary school?" She asks with her
mouth full
Shawn looks up at her and his face goes back to the one
before the call.
He also drops his fork.
"Why don't you swallow first? Then I'll answer."
"I don't want to swallow and lose the taste just yet." Noel
shrugs like an overfed toddler.
Shawn finally bursts into laughter.
"I c-can always make another one for y-you." He stutters
amidst his laughter
Noel notices the obvious change in mood and swallows
the food in her mouth.
Shawn finally relaxes.
"But honestly, it's so good. That's why the kitchen is your
favorite place in the entire apartment isn't it? You love
cooking?"
"Yes. It's been my hobby for as long as I can remember."
"Wow. I can cook as well but mine can't put a fork to
yours.." Noel and Shawn both burst into laughter at the
use of word
"I totally understand your pun..." Shawn laughs
After the laughter dies down, they both don't say anything
and just focus on their food.
Noel has one eyes on Shawn all through and notices that
he is quite the gentleman. Does not make noise even
when he's taking a bite of his food. Ever so silent, even
dropping his spoon and picking a fork is noiseless. She
keeps her observations to herself and eats too.
On Shawn's side of the table as well, he is enamored by
her eating manners. And she makes sure not to spill a
thing. Not a drop on herself or the table. He is very
impressed but does not say a thing either.
A little while later, they are both done eating.
"This must have been the best meal I've eaten for a while
seeing that I cleared my side of the table" Noel remarks
"I thought you said it was too much at first."
"It wasn't too much for stomach I guess."
Shawn chuckles and starts to pack up the just used dishes.
"Uh uh." Noel holds his wrist and lays them off the table
"Cleaning duty is my job and I'll do it faithfully. And it
starts by cleaning up the table before the dishes."
"Your mum taught you well." Shawn remarks and settles
into the chair he just stood from and sighs contentedly.
Noel laughs slightly and packs up the plates to the kitchen
sink. She puts on the apron by the sink and wears the
gloves on the tap and sets to work on the plates.
Behind her, Shawn has his hands supporting his chin on
the table and his eyes trained on Noel who is oblivious to
him for the main time.
"How was it growing up before you lost your mum?"
Shawn asks curiously
"It's being a very long time now. I was just eight years old
when it happened."
"You were so young. How did you bear it?"
"I loved my mum so much. Hell. I loved both my parents
so much."
"That didn't seem to be the case the other time with your
Dad."
"You saw all that?" Noel asks and half turns to face him,
their eyes meet so she hurriedly turns back forward
"It was hard not to. I was on my way home that evening."
"Oh. I see. I came to not be on good terms with him since
then."
"Since you were eight? You must keep deep grudges
against him then."
"I honestly don't keep grudges a lot but when it comes to
betrayals by loved ones, I can get pretty heated up..."
"...Just like Harvey." They both say
They look at each other and burst into laughter at the
same time.
"What was that?" Noel says amidst laughter
"Telepathy I guess." Shawn replies and bursts into
laughter again
The laughter die down and a comfortable silence ensue
between them both lost in their worlds.
She seems so engrossed in what she is doing that she does
not hear Shawn stand from his chair and walk up to her
from behind. He seems to hesitate going close for a
minute until he musters courage to touch her.
He reaches out and pulls out a piece of fabric from her
light brown hair. Noel is startled and unconsciously takes
a step back. She trips on soapy water and almost falls. Her
eyes widen as she goes down.
Shawn is fast on his feet and hurriedly catches her by the
waist. More water from the gloves in her hand drip to the
ground making the area more wet and slippery but they
both don't notice as they are once again lost in each
other's eyes.
Shawn is stuck looking at her hazel eyes that seem to
have seen every pain the world. He fights his own manly
urges to just drag her up and make love to her.
But his other parts disagree as he promised to be a
gentleman. Slowly, he leaned down until Noel could feel
his warm breath fanning her face, half of her was waiting
to be kissed but then the other half felt it was too early for
her to get attaches to another man.
Shawn leaned down and ever so slowly pressed his lips to
her forehead.
The kiss seemed to have lasted forever as when Noel
came to herself, She was standing straight on her feet.
With Shawn standing right in front of her.

Chapter 15

Shawn kisses Noel on her forehead and that leaves Noel

flustered.
For a minute, she was so surprised that she didn't know
that Shawn had pulled her up from falling. And for
another minute, they stood opposite one another, saying
nothing.
Shawn is also really flustered and keeps running his hands
through his hair. At the end, he doesn't say anything and
just leaves for his room after a hastily said goodnight.
Noel acknowledges the greeting with an absent nod of her
head and heads back to washing the dishes with a clear
but full mind.
She finally finishes what she is doing and heads for her
own room. She lays on the bed and slightly touches her
forehead from time to time until she falls asleep.
In Shawn's room, he just can't seem to sleep. His mind is
occupied with thoughts of Noel.
He suddenly sat up in bed and pulled his hair.
"Why did you have to do that?" He chided himself
"Geez. Now I've ruined it." He continues.
He goes silent and lays back on the bed.
After some time, he starts to hear groans.
He sits up and listens harder.
He stands from his bed and goes outside his room and the
groans are clearer as they are coming from Noel's room.
He goes to the door and knocks but no answer from
within but the groaning continues.
He opens the door just a little bit and peeks inside to see
Noel tossing and turning in her sleep alongside the
groaning. He is worried and opens the door fully. He goes
inside the room and steadies her on the bed.
He pulls up a stool near her bed and sits down beside her.
He holds her hands and she stops moving and groaning.
Shawn stretches out his hands to clear the tangle of hair
on her face but stops midway. He withdraws his hands
and put them in his laps.
In that position, Shawn falls asleep.

***
Next morning, Noel wakes up and turns to see Shawn
asleep right by her bed. She is startled for a second but
regains her composure.
She places the back of her palms under her chin and
watches him sleep. She stretches out her hands to part the
hair dripping down his forehead. She touches the hair and
pulls her hand back, chuckling to herself.
Time passes and she is still in the same position. Shawn
stirs and that brings her back to reality. She hurriedly gets
up and pretends she's just waking up. She gets off the bed
carefully so as to not wake Shawn up. She packs the
clothes she has and toiletries and goes to wash up. She
gets into the bathroom and sighs in relief.
Back in the room, Shawn wakes up after Noel stood up
from the bed. He stands up from there and makes
breakfast.
They both sit at breakfast later and nothing was said
through the entire meal until Noel breaks the silence.
"Aren't you going to work?"
"I am. As soon as I'm done here. I never asked about your
work.".
"I'm sure you did." Noel says and chuckles
"Did I? I don't remember then. What work do you do?"
"I'm an Interior Designer."
"Now I remember. I then mentioned how you seemed to
admire the colours on your visit here."
"Yes. But I'm off work for the main time. I have to get my
house back first." Noel admits and Shawn's face falls for a
second.
The look is gone as fast as it came.
"What will you be doing today then?" Shawn asks just as
a matter of fact question
"I'll be going back to the law firm. I have a piece of
document to give back to Mr Smithson." Noel says and
smiles
Shawn catches the smile and asks
"Why that one sided smile? That's scary" Shawn asks
offhandedly
"It's nothing. I'll tell you as I move back home..." Noel
starts and Shawn nods following her words
"...Talking of home, I have no clothes so I would go
shopping for clothes as soon as I'm done at the law firm."
"But..." Shawn starts and stops, thinking of how he should
put it without sounding weird
"My card is blocked?" Noel finishes for him and laughs
"Yes." Shawn admits and turns red with withheld laughter
"Your laughter is refreshing. Did I ever say that?" Shawn
suddenly says
Noel is caught off guard and chokes on her bread and
starts coughing
Shawn flies up and gets her a cup of water.
"I'll be going now. I don't want to have to wait when I get
there." Noel says in a flurry of words and rushes off the
table with her dishes in the sink and literally flies out of
the house.
Shawn laughs at her clumsiness and goes to get ready for
work too.
***
Noel arrives at the firm as the first of the day as she had
hoped for. She was called in and she went in with the
document Harvey signed the day before.
"Good morning Noel. Nice night?" Mr Smithson asks her
"Fine." She replied simply but deep in her, she knows it
was more on the neutral side
"Where's the document? Let's hurry. My first client will
be here soon." He states while checking his watch
"Here it is." Noel hands over the document
Mr Smithson peruses through it and nods at the end.
"You did well. How did you let him sign it? By force?"
Mr Smithson asks with a curious face
"Not at all. I gave him to sign on a platter of gold."
"What do you mean?"
"He taught I was handing over the house to him and his
girlfriend." Noel reveals and bursts into laughter
"You learnt from the best I see" Mr Smithson joins her
laughter
He puts his seal on it and places the document right
beside him.
"I'll forward to the appropriate quarters." He finalizes and
stands up from his chair
Giving Noel the cue.
She stands up as well and takes his hand in an handshake.
"Thanks again Mr Smith. I hope for good news."
"And you'll get it. Now shoo." He says as his telephone
rings
Noel nods and leaves the office with a smile on her face.

Chapter 16.

Shawn is all dressed and leaves for work. He seems to be

in a good mood as he keeps humming to himself in the car
and occasionally shaking his head.
He gets to the office and practically bounces off the car
and hops to his office.
His colleagues notice his demeanor and are happy
especially after seeing his mood the last time.
Amongst all these colleagues is Collins and Hailey with a
little bit of Hagrid too.
Shawn gets to his desk and gasps at the mess on his table.
He simply wipes them all into an empty box near his
sitting place.
He finally has his seat and just then, his phone rings.
He looks at the number and his entire expression of
happiness downplays. He simply drops the phone like it's
a plague and leans back in his chair without picking the
call.
Just then, Collins and Hailey come over bickering like
kids.
"Hey my friend" Collins says to Shawn as a matter of
greeting.
"Hey." He replies, somewhat cold.
Totally unlike the gay expression he came with.
"What's with your expression again?" Hailey asks
Shawn simply looks at her without saying a word
"I mean, you were so happy when you came in this
morning. What suddenly soured your mood now?" She
continues
Collins keeps signalling to her to stop talking or she
should at least filter her words to no avail.
Shawn lets her finish her ranting before replying to her
questions.
"I'm fine. Nothing's wrong. Don't we all have mood
swings?"
"Are you a lady on her period?" She counterattacks
"Seriously Hailey." Collins chides
"What?" She snaps back at Collins
"What? Don't you think you've gone too far?"
"How have I gone to far? Explain it to me."
"Take your bickering somewhere else. I would like to be
alone right now."
They stop bickering and look at him. He has never for
once told them to leave him alone no matter how noisy
they get.
"But seriously Shawn, we are only worried. Are you
alright?"
"I'm fine..."
He was in the middle of a statement when his phone rang.
He took a look at the screen and his mood obviously
became worse. His eyes slant and his lip gets curved
upwards in one side.
"Almost like a psychopath..." Hailey comments and dives
for his phone
She picks the call and shouts into the receiver
"Who are you and why do you keep disturbing him? If he
does not want to pick..."
Her sentence was cut off when Shawn grabs the phone
from her with a really angry face.
He hangs up on the caller and practically throws the
phone on the table before turning to face Hailey.
"What is your problem? I'm not picking it and it's my call
then you leave it alone. Why are you bothering with me
today? Just leave me alone." He berates her while barely
raising his voice
"You're still just a gentleman even when you're berating
someone. I wish to be you." Collins says to Shawn with a
somewhat disappointed face
"Let's go. He says he wants to be alone." Collins says to
Hailey who is speechless after hearing a piece of Shawn's
mind.
Hailey and Collins leave together like Shawn is the one at
fault which obviously makes him sad and angry at the
same time.
"Fuck it. I'm leaving early." He says and grabs his phone
and keys and leaves the office.
Everybody in the vicinity look at themselves in shock.
"Did he...?"
"Yes. You heard right. Shawn the do gooder said the
word fuck." A secretary in the office tells another on her
phone and the whole office seems to have paused for a
minute and in an uproar in the next minute after Shawn's
leave.

Outside the building, Shawn sits in the car and the phone
rings again. He looks at it angrily and finally picks it up.
"Hello." He says coldly into the receiver
"Your Highness..."
"What is it? Why have you been calling me these past few
days?"
"Your..."
"Can't you just leave me and my life alone just like you
all did then?”. He literally shouts into the receiver.
"Your Highness. Your Father is sick and he wants all his
children back home..." The caller reports
"His Highness is sick and now the Palace remembers me?
That's quite a coincidence."
"Your Highness, you have been ordered to come
personally by the Queen. Ordered my Prince."
"Well, my answer is No. Do your worst."
He proceeds to hang up but didn't because he wanted to
hear what the caller was saying.
"Also Your Highness, the Lady living with you is ordered
to come along as well."
"What?" He shouts into the phone but the line is dead.
Shawn is taken aback by the last words and calls back but
the line is not available anymore.
"What am I going to do? I can't possibly throw her out
just because I don't want the Queen to know her." Shawn
is stuck between thoughts of what to do with Noel.
He calms down and fires up his engine.
He drives out of the building trying to clear his head as he
is driving.
After some driving minutes, he ends up in front of the law
firm.
When he comes to, he is surpihe drove there.
"Well, it's all for the best."
He gets down from the car and walks to the doors of the
firm.
At the reception, he asks the lady in charge about Noel.
"Miss Noel Sanders? She left about five minutes ago."
She reports
"Thank you very much." Shawn thanks her and runs out
He gets back into his car and tries to trace her movement
from the firm.
He finds her just about to call a taxi and quickly presses
down on the horn to get her attention.
She walks over and bends by the window.
"Come in, you're not a visitor" Shawn tells her almost
laughing
She chuckles as well and gets in the car.
"What are you doing here?"
"I can't be here?" He replies
"You understand what I mean. You should be at work
right?"
"Yes I should but I skimped for the day."
"What are you? A high school student skimping school?"
Noel comments amidst laughter.
"Well, I'm just your Prince charming saving you transport
fare. Can't you think of it like that?" Shawn jokes
Chapter 17

"You lost me at Prince charming" Noel bursts into

laughter.
"So to where?"
"Any good boutique around. I need clothes. All my other
ones got drenched in the rain that day and was littered
across the street ground. I can't possibly wear them all
again."
"There should be a legal action you can take against just
that particular act don't you think?"
"Now that I think of it, there should be one. But I have no
idea all the same." Noel laughs lightly
"Ask in with the lawyer you've been visiting. He might be
able to help you in that regards."
"I will." She says and faces front.
For the next few minutes, there is a comfortable silence in
the car between the two of them, both lost in their worlds.
"Thank you again." Noel says to Shawn
"I think we have to have some rules. And I'll make sure
the first one is the use or rather, the disuse of Thanks or
Thank you between us." Shawn discloses
Noel simply smiles without saying anything else
"There's a boutique there. Let's check it out." Shawn
points out the building on the right.
"Let's?" Noel asks to be sure she heard right
"Yes. Let's. And let's go." Shawn parks the car by the
roadside and alights along with Noel on the other side.
About ten minutes after the two of them go into the
building, a black sedan parks outside the same building
Shawn and Noel went into and nobody gets off of the
sedan.
Nobody goes into the car and nobody steps out either.
In the mall, Shawn sits on a waiting chair while Noel does
the shopping. He has his eyes on her more than half the
time and keeps admiring her choices of clothes and other
things she buys.
After some time, she signals to Shawn that she is done
and they walk to the counter together.
The cashier at the reception smiles politely at them as
Noel places all she chose on the cashier counter.
She runs the bought things through the sale machine.
"It all adds up to $244."
Noel and Shawn reach for their purse and wallet at the
same time. They notice and look at each other and burst
into laughter once again.
"We seem to laugh a lot these days."
"Let me do the honors?" Shawn pleads with his eyes
"Really? You're pulling that stunt?" Noel asks while
chuckling
The cashier lady just keeps smiling at them both while
watching them banter.
"..." Shawn does nor teply but keeps doing the eye which
makes Noel keep laughing
"You know, we have free matching varieties for
couples..." The cashier lady starts
"...you both will definitely get one pair for free. You look
so good together." She concludes with a bright smile on
her face.
Looking at Shawn and Noel, things suddenly get a bit
awkward between them and they start smiling one
sidedly.
"We are not together." Noel reveals to her as a matter of
fact statement.
"Oh, I see." She corrects herself awkwardly with a smile
"Do you have a QR I can scan?" Noel asks
"Yes." She leans down and brings out a little poster with a
QR code on it.
"Okay thanks. Give me a minute to do a transfer." Noel
says
Shawn simply stands there behind Noel doing nothing.
While Noel is busy with paying for all her goods, Shawn
wanders off.
Few racks into the building, Shawn stops and admires all
the pair of varieties around. Matching rings, matching
head bands, matching watches and even matching socks.
Shawn runs his hands through the matching watches and
smiles to himself. He faces the lady standing there who's
watching him and in charge.
"How much do the watches cost?" He asks her
"It's for couples. It's on free sale for the next one week."
"Oh."
Shawn takes one last look and turns to go.
"I saw you laughing with the lady at the counter. Why
don't you surprise her with a matching watch?"
"Huh?"
"I assure you, ladies love things like that. And what do
you have to lose? It's free."
Shawn thinks a bit, turns back to look at Noel.
He turns to the lady and smiles.
"I'll take the watch with the gold band. Thank you."
She packs both watches in a small shopping bag and gives
Shawn.
"Thanks for stopping by Sephore."
Shawn simply smiles and goes back to meet Noel who
didn't even notice his absence.
About ten minutes later, both Shawn and Noel walk out of
the building both bearing full shopping bags.
Shawn takes a simple glance around while fishing for car
keys and he sights the sedan but does not pay much
attention to it.
Both of them get in the car and they sigh at the same time
after dropping the bags in the back seat.
"Thanks for bringing me. I don't know how I would have
borne all those bags home if you weren't here. It's a little
bit scary."
"I thought we banned thanks?"
"We did?" She teases while pretending to forget
"Rule number two, anytime you say thanks, you get to do
something you get asked to by the other person."
"What?" Noel says amidst laughter
"And since you just said thanks, my order for you is to sit
back and enjoy the ride home."
"Will you always be so nice to me?" Noel says absent
mindedly
"Hm?" As he starts up the car
"I want to see your bad side. That side of you that very
few people know of."
"Why would you want to see that?"
"I want to know more about you. What you like and what
you don't. What you do in your free time and what you
like to eat the most... And every other thing." Noel admits
without actually looking Shawn in the eye.
Right behind them, the black sedan speeds up and catches
up to them.
As Shawn is about to reply Noel, the car slams into the
from the side and the car slams on Shawn's side into a dug
up canal.
For a split second, Noel's eyes widen in fear and Shawn
seemed...gone.

Chapter 18

For a few minutes, all Noel can hear after regaining

consciousness is ringing in her ears.
She moves just a little and winces in pain. She musters
courage again and moves her arm from under her body.
The pain doubles and she screams out.
She looks to her side and checks on Shawn and her eyes
widen.
Shawn's side of the car is smashed and that part is the one
on the ground the most because it has become almost one
line with the top part of the car that's directly faced to the
ground in the canal.
"Sh...S...Shawn" She manages to call out weakly before
she starts to hear sirens.
She tries to move again but the pain only worsens so she
stays still until she hears a creak by the door. She weakly
looks there and sees a man in an EMT uniform pulling the
door.
Then she passes out.

*Noel*
As I open my eyes, it's all white.
Blinding white.
I close it back and try to refocus. Things start to come into
place. Although still white coloured, they start to have
shapes.
I hear a call in the distance. Feels both near and far at the
same time.
After what seems like minutes later, someone prods my
eyes open and switch on some white light in my eyes.
I turn my eyes away from the light. It's already blinding
enough.
I hear voices near me. I can't make out what they are
saying but I know there are people beside me.
I try to sit up but I can't move the lower parts of my body.
Like, it's numb.

*Mr Sanders*
Few days ago.

"Will be bringing out the tree this year?"

I wonder about what answer to give Eunice.
"Let's bring it out. I have a good feeling about Christmas
this year." I tell her smiling slightly
"Sure then. I'll get it out of the garage. Good thing it's
small sized." She jokes
As she heads out, the telephone rings.
"Don't worry I'll get it." Eunice says and picks the call.
"Is this the Sanders? Family of Miss Noel?"
"Yes. Who's speaking?" Eunice asks into the receiver
"This is Herton Hospital. Miss Noel was admitted about
two hours ago."
"What?!" Eunice shouts into the phone startling me on the
chair
"What is it?" I mouth at her
She is almost in tears and quickly mutters a quick answer
to the caller before hanging up the call.
"It's Noel." She mutters
"What's wrong with her?" I notice the look of sadness and
urgency on her face and I'm suddenly angry she is
keeping quiet.
"What's wrong with Noel?!" I bellow at her
"She was admitted to Herton Hospital today."
"What's wrong with her?"
"I didn't ask. Let's go immediately."
No slacking. I grab my coat off the hook by the door and
rush out of the house with Eunice close behind me.
Lucky for us, we get a bus early and pretty soon we are
already at the hospital.
We rush in with the same urgency we used to leave the
house and found her with the help of the nurse who called
us.
"She's right here. It's past visiting hours but because she
was recently brought in from a car accident, and she's in
the ICU where the patients should not be disturbed, I'm
still letting you see her. But please let's keep it a little
quiet."
I went through the curtain to see my only daughter
I could not register anything after Eunice still said thank
you to the nurse.
And there she was. Her lower parts covered but I could
see through the blankets that they were bandaged up. Her
face was full of scratches and cuts and she does not
exactly look my Noel anymore. She looked so fragile.
Like when I lost her years ago. Like when she left by her
little self to take care of herself. And I left her.
"I promise not to leave again" I say with a tear ridden
voice and kneel right beside her bed.
Thinking of all my past deeds to this girl, my daughter
who looks so grown up now, and seeing her so broken
now makes me hurt.
Makes me cry in a way I haven't ever.
The things I did to her.
Just then, the curtain was swept back and the nurse came
into the cubicle.
"Sorry to disturb you but she came in with someone."
At hearing this, I wipe my dripping eyes and stand up.
"Who did she come in with?" I asked while Eunice just
stood there shocked looking at Noel.
"We've been having problems identifying him actually.
He didn't have any identity card on him at the scene of the
accident."
"Really?"
"Yes. He's in the male ICU right now. I came to ask you
to see him just incase you might recognize him."
"Sure. Lead the way." I say to her while taking a last look
at Eunice.
She'll be fine on her own.
Thinking of it, it might just be Harvey. I can't associate
her with a lot of men, it's only Harvey that's coming to
mind.
But they broke up. So who might he be?
We leave the room where Noel is entirely and go to
another room full of male patients. I had been too grief
stricken to notice it was full of women in the other room.
She leads me to a bed at the right corner of the room and
pull the curtains.
On the bed was a man.
His face was hardly affected but his head was bandaged. I
could see even the lump through the thick bandage on his
head.
I take one look at his face and it seems familiar at first.
Like something you've seen but can't recall since it has
been a really long time.
"I am not sure..." I face the nurse who stands there
expectantly waiting for my response
"...if I know him but he does seem familiar." I finish
"We don't know what else to do to find his loved ones or
how to contact any of his family members, if he has them
that is." She says while looking at him
I take one more look at him also and make my decision.
"I'll consider them both my children. I'll be the guardian
for both of them." I conclude.
Chapter 9
"You're going to be the guardian for them both?" She
whips her face at me with a mixture of shock and
admiration on her face
"Yes. They came in together which means they were
together in the car and had the accident together. I can't
just take care of my daughter alone." I finalize
"Fine then. Come sign the papers for their guardians." She
says and turns to leave
I take one more look at him. I wonder where his family is,
and like the nurse said, if he has them at least.
I follow her close behind.
Moments later, the papers were signed and I was
officially their guardian in the hospital.
Why the man's face seems familiar is still a puzzle to me.
Another nurse walks up to me and asks me to follow her
to the Doctor for consultation on both of them's
admission.
As I get to the door of the doctor's office, I stop for a
moment and take a deep breath.
I've never actually been a religious person but right now, I
want someone I can pray to or believe in. They always
says God answers those who comes to him.
I subconsciously look up and take a deep breath again.
Then I open the door and go in.
In there, the Doctor's face is as expressionless as a face
can be.
He's smiling at me but nothing about his face gives away
whatever news I'm about to hear.
"I heard from the head nurse that you're the guardian of
Miss Noel Sanders and Mr Shawn Wright?" He asks me
while looking at the records given to him by the nurse
standing right beside him
"Yes. I thought the hospital didn't have his identity?"I ask
puzzedly
"Originally, we didn't. But we found a bank card under
the car debris. It had that name on it but we still could not
link any family members." He explains
Shawn Wright.
Does not ring a bell, not even one.
"So whose situation do you want to know about first?"
"Noel. She's my daughter."
"Ah, that's right."
The doctor pauses for a moment and peruses through the
chart in front of him. He puts it down and turns to me
"Miss Noel is momentarily okay. Mentally at least but
about her lower parts..." He trails on while looking at me
like he's trying to figure out my reaction to whatever news
I was about to hear
"Well...?" I ask impatiently
"Her lower part is what we cannot determine for the main
time."
"What do you mean by cannot determine?"
"As you must have seen earlier, her lower parts are
bandaged up. It's going to determine solely on her if she
will walk again."
"My Noel? You're sure you don't have the wrong chart?!"
I don't even know how I'm feeling after the news.
"No sir. It's the right one."
My Noel... Might never walk again? That's too hard to
bear. I keep silent for a moment and let the news sink in. I
breathe in hard and look back at the doctor who was silent
all the while.
"What of Mr Shawn?"
"Him... is is much more complicated than Miss Noel I
fear."
"Just say it already." I almost shout at him
"Mr Shawn is physically fine but about his mental state is
the soft ground."
"Carry on."
"He was the main victim of the crash. He was on the
landing side which made his head have a hard impact on
the ground after his window shattered..."
Hearing this is not exactly worse than knowing about my
Noel but it's really sad in it's own
"...Apart from the shards of glass that were removed from
his head in the surgery operated immediately they were
brought in, he also had internal haemorrhage."
"What?"
"It means Internal bleeding and in his case, in his skull.
We managed to stop the bleeding and stop whatever
implications it could have caused. Now, if he doesn't
wake up in twenty four hours, it will be left to only
assumptions and speculations."
"And if he does wake up?"
"That should be good news I guess but there is a risk also.
The operation could have affected something in his brain.
Only his waking up will tell now."
"Thank you. I have to check on my daughter now."
"Sure sir." He smiles lightly and signals the nurse to help
me out.
Outside the office, the smell of the hospital is dominant
again.
I trudge down to Noel's ward with a heavy heart.
She might not walk again and he might have brain
damage.
Why? Suddenly why?
I almost break down in tears again until I spy Eunice
down the room, crying by Noel's bed.
I stop there and watch them both.
I'm not going to shed any tears. She will do it all for us
both.
I muster my courage and walk up to her.
"I'll be back. I have to get us some things from home. You
stay with her."
"Be careful." She manages to croak at me. Her voice
hoarse from all the crying.
By the time I get outside, it's nighttime and only a few
vehicles are still going back and forth.
I look at the sky and it's full of stars.

*Carla*
It's going to be a long night.
For me and Harvey.
It's been a romantic past few days and it's been really
quiet.
Harvey seems a little more satisfied with the world at
least and that makes me content too.
Speak of the devil.
Harvey shows up behind me and kisses my neck from
behind.
"What are you doing babe?" He asks with him still
breathing down my neck
"Just about to watch some Television. I feel bored down
to the bone these days."
"You have me to make you less bored at least..." He slurs
And obviously, we are gradually heading down the horny
couples lane
AGAIN.
I pick up the TV remote and switch it on. Some news is
going on.
Boring.
Harvey slips over the sofa and lands behind me.
He pulls me to his laps and kisses my neck again.
No use denying it, I just have to follow his lead.
AGAIN.
I turn to face him and plant a kiss on his warm lips. He
reacts by responding to my own kiss with his own full
enthusiasm. I push him back and lay on him as I can feel
his hard on beneath my thin night fabric.
The newsman continues muttering his supposed gibberish
while I have fun with my boyfriend.
The TV newscaster seems to have gotten really loud and
is starting to get on my nerves. I get up from Harvey to
find the remote to switch the damn TV off until I saw the
wreckage on the screen.
Oh God.