Come Back, Noelle

05 | The Endangered Innocent

Note: AAI - American Alpha Initiative [fictional terrorist group profiting out of man-made disasters]

    

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    Dearest Noelle,

    Today, I had roasted garlic lemon broccoli, and it reminded me of you. Scratch that, the point is, everything reminds me of you.

    Do you remember how we first met? Your grandmother had hosted a dinner party for Juliet's birthday, and that's when I saw your seven year old self. You were so innocent and adorable, and then you did something mischievous.  You were tossing the baked broccoli from your plate to my plate.

    It should have annoyed me, but you made me smile. 

    You were so tiny, I started calling you 'little Noelle' just for fun. 

    Your cousin Lyssa saw you what you were doing that on the table, and immediately tattled it to your aunt Jane. I still remember the icy glare she gave you and pinched you hard. That's when I—twelve year old kid—decided to protect you from everything because you were so precious to me. You were always going to be my little Noelle, and I promised that I was always going to protect you.

    But I failed miserably in that, didn't I?

    Ever yours,

    Aiden

― Aiden Summers to Noelle Montcliff after twenty weeks of her disappearance.

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    "Aiden." 

He loved the way she said his name, her voice husky over the rain, a soft lilt on the middle syllable like she was chanting a refrain.

    "Aiden."

    That hint of urgency, as though he mattered, as though she loved him too. As though any moment now she would scoop him up into her arms and hold him tight and never let her go.

    "Aiden?"

    A confused note too. Worried even. He did not like her to be worried. Even a dream could wound his heart, so he opened his eyes to dispel it. 

    It was not a dream.

    Noelle come back and she was here and he was here. She had come back and Juliet was dead and Noelle was Noelle Frostine now and she was not married. He was still in love with her, hopelessly and desperately and had blamed Juliet's death on her. She was mad at him and had been calling him Mr. Summers but then she was mad at the whole world. She was also cold and she had Cecily and Nicholas and five hundred million dollars. She told she did not need him and she was always running away from him, and then she had kissed him and if there was no hope for them, he was never letting her go.