Noelle Montcliff,
You are not here, and I hate you. If this is your idea of punishment for my mistakes, I hate you. I hate you so much.
Aiden
― Aiden Summers to Noelle Montcliff after sixty weeks of her disappearance.
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It was a recurring nightmare.
Noelle saw Douglas Ainsley in the dinner party where she went: smiling, laughing and being his charming self. Whenever he was not there, it was still tolerable with Aiden's presence. She visited Nicholas twice after that to inspect their next plan of action. The way he teased her about Aiden was deplorable. She did not love Aiden. Cared for him? Yes. But, love? No.
"Let's go to the Church today?" Aiden suggested, plopped on the sofa like an emperor, his hands playing with a smiley ball.
Noelle looked up from her book which she wanted to memorize next: The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger. It was about a man who could travel in time, and she wished she had such a wonderful gift. Any time before six years would do.
"I need a new book to memorize. This is almost getting over."
"You exploit your photographic memory too much, Noe."
"You know, during my time in juvie, I used to write down books which I had memorized too well for Cecily to read out."
"That's great," Aiden remarked exasperatedly. "Why don't we go to the Church today?"
"I have stopped visiting the Church." She replied cuttingly. The words left a tense atmosphere in the house. Aiden didn't prod, and Noelle was thankful. The last thing she wanted to talk about was she had killed a man and the reason why she killed the man. "We could go to the Cherry Hills Royal Library today, you know? I miss the place." She added thoughtfully, to ease the biting tension.
She would never admit it to herself but Noelle Frostine did like the company of Aiden Summers these forty eight hours. Very much.
Nothing untoward happened during their time together. No stolen kisses, no revisiting the hidden skeletons behind the closet, no talk about the future. They just enjoyed each other's company in the present, talking of the worldly things in an unworldly manner.
"I would like that," he agreed in the twinkling of an eye. "I'll put on some warm clothes. The Old Library is a cold place."
Noelle was in agreement with Aiden about the temperature of the place because there were several original manuscripts in the place which needed a cooler temperature. She dragged herself across the room to put on a sweat shirt and then an overcoat over her white bodice and trousers. She tried to braid her hair, but then decided against it, leaving them open.
When she was ready, she rubbed her cheeks in a caressing motion and pinched them because they had turned too pale, and decided against wearing blush because that meant the tedious process of wearing two coats of make-up. She heard Aiden calling out her name when she took a final glance at her reflection in the mirror.
For a moment, she felt like a normal girl leading a normal life.
Smiling to herself, she traipsed down the stairs with her car keys in her hand. When she reached the hall, Aiden quirked his lips. "Pretty as usual." He spoke in a bored tone, that made her chuckle which she hid with a cough.
YOU ARE READING
Come Back, Noelle
Romance"When she comes back home, she becomes the eye of the storm." It has been eight years, since Noelle had banished herself from her little town and the Montcliffs. Now she has come back-with an injured pride and has only one thing in her mind: reveng...
