Happy Birthday Belen!

"Where are we going, Noah?" Belen excitedly looks back and forth from the window of her private jet to Noah, who is sitting across, "A private island," he casually answers.

"It sucks we're leaving tonight. I won't be able to see it," Belen childishly pouts.

He stifles a laugh, "I'm afraid if you see the island, it might make you think we're at Jurassic park or something."

"STOP!" she shouts frightenedly, "don't make jokes like that, Noah," she tries to calm her composure.

Noah immediately regrets saying so because, for a second, it slipped his mind that Belen is afraid of reptiles, and dinosaurs are one of her worst fears. She can watch horror movies just as quickly as watching a thriller. But when it came to dinosaur movies like Jurassic, they completely terrified her that she can't sleep at night right after watching it.

Noah can't even count how many nights she spends him besides just because of a dinosaur nightmare or right after watching a movie about one. But he still found that little fact about Belen extremely cute and couldn't help but tease her at times.

He notices Belen yawn continuously looking out the window, but he curiously trails her eyes to see that everything is completely dark outside. He wonders, "what is she looking at? Is there something I can't see from here?"

Belen speaks out, "what kind of activities do they have on the island? What can we do?"

He gently responds, "we can do anything you want. If you want to sleep all day, we can do that too," he laughs.

"Nah, it'll be a waste of a day. I want to hang glide or discover a cave! Ooh! Or! BUNGEE JUMP!" her eyes glisten excitedly. Noah slightly chuckles at her cute reaction when handing her a brochure.

All kinds of activities are shown on the brochure as Belen flipped through it with such mesmerizing eyes. Seeing her genuine excitement allows Noah to relax a bit more because it's the first time in four years that they're spending together.

Their birthdays are always the busiest time of the year. Noah's is at the end of February, which is around the start of Spring. In comparison, Belen's is always around the week of Thanksgiving and Black Friday.

Over the years, they both never got a chance to celebrate their birthdays with a simple vacation. Fortunately, they'd celebrate their birthdays together with a dinner date and cake.

This year, Noah could book a private island on time for Belen's birthday since last year. And luckily, she agreed to go.

"But Noah, will you be able to do these activities too? You're not afraid of heights, are you?" she cautiously asks.

"I'm not, and I don't mind the activities. It'll be something new," he softly smiles.

"Yes!" Belen celebrates, "that's great!" she giggles.

In reality, nothing matters to Noah right now other than Belen and the happiness he can give her.

"Why don't you sleep? I'll wake you up once we've arrived," he comments nicely.

She yawns, smacking her lips together, "yeah, maybe I will."

Right then, she's fallen asleep.

Noah, curious, leans over to feel her breathing because, unlike others, Belen does not snore. It's pretty rare, he couldn't believe it at first, but the more he found himself next to her sleeping face. He finally accepted that Belen truly does not snore, and it's quite lovely but frightening at the same time.

"Goodnight, Belen. I hope you have great dreams," Noah whispers underneath his breath.

***

"Belen, you are so beautiful!" "She is so adorable!" "Belen is a genius!"

"She is adorable and polite! I'd love to have her as my daughter!"

Belen always heard these kinds of compliments over and over during her elementary school years. And she loved this kind of attention because she represented her father, Edilberto Astares, CEO of A Star Is mall.

But that spotlight was soon shattered as soon as Belen entered her house. She was treated less than what the press would expect a princess like her to be.

It wasn't that Belen acted differently when she was in front of the cameras, but everyone in her home treated her indifferently. There was nothing special about Belen in their eyes. Mabel barely spends time in the house, Iris was always locked in her room, and her mother spends nearly her whole day with her little brother and making food.

No one ever turned to her. No one cared.

It wasn't until her cousin from her mother's side moved in with them that Belen was often bullied. It was not until he started living under the same roof as Belen that her mother, Ernestina, and cousin Alberto began making fun of her.

Saying all kinds of rude, toxic comments like, "Ugh! Belen, you are so fat!" "She's ugly. I don't see anything special about her." "If only they knew that she was actually a pig."

"She's stupid too!" "hahaha! She's as dumb as her dad!" "So what? Her dad isn't going to say anything to me!" "Eww! She stinks!"

This was the first time and the beginning of her family bullying her with snarky comments about her weight, appearance, talents, and her whole existence. Her aunt and uncles from her mother's side never missed a chance to manipulate and bully Belen from thereon.

It was different every day because, from the outside, Belen was vibrant, beautiful, and talented. Whereas once she entered her house, her biggest bullies stomped on the effects of allowing her to feel special.

She was never once fat. But because of their comments, she got an eating disorder at an early age. It wasn't until her parent's divorce that Belen started getting better because her father cut off all ties with her mother's side of the family.

But she never complained to her father about their bullying because her father never believed her when she did.

There was a time when her father got so angry with Alberto and told him to leave. But Alberto went to Ernestina, and she spread the news to her daughters that 'because of Belen' Alberto now has to leave.

Mabel and Iris somehow got angry at Belen and began giving her cold shoulder or disgusted expressions, blaming her, "ugh, how can you be so mean? Because of you, our cousin Alberto is leaving!"

"I can't believe my dad told him to leave because of you!"

"What if something happens to him? Huh! It's going to be your fault!"

Since then, she felt guilt from every family member, and just as she was about to tell her dad. She overheard her father talking to Ernestina about Alberto, and she somehow convinced him to let Alberto stay.

Belen's pupils shrank. She couldn't believe her mother. At that moment, she hated everyone.

As time went on, Belen became used and accustomed to their bullying. She knew nothing about it to her father because either way, he wouldn't do anything. When she looked to her mother, only anger always ensued within her small, fragile heart.

As years went by, Belen's heart filled with bitterness, rage, and hatred. She vowed to herself that one day she'll make it big and will see every one of them beg on their knees in front of her.

That was the only thing pushing her to become the best. Words hurt. In this case, Belen would often see herself within their toxic comments and cry. She'd always cry each night. That was the only time she was able to pour out her feelings and emotions that'd been stuffed up from just that day.

The memory she recalls the most is her sweet 15 birthday celebration. One of the worst days of her entire life, "the day all discovered my mom's affair…"

"I-I never wanted a party. I-I just want to be accepted. All I want is a sincere 'Happy Birthday' from them…"

At that moment, Belen woke up from her sleep, slowly rubbing her eyelids to see a different ceiling?

"Hmm? Where am I?" her vision clears up, noticing the grand suite and, most notably, the king-sized bed frame, "it looks like royalty."

She overhears someone enter, "Noah!" her eyes widen happily to see him.

He shockingly freezes, "y-you're awake!" he gently approaches her bed, but in that instant, Belen runs out of her bed to hurriedly embrace him, leaving him speechless.

"Auk! B-Belen?" he cautiously asks, not knowing what to do with his hands, but before he can do anything, he feels her body tremble.

He gently pats her back, "it's okay," he says reassuringly.

As she heard his gentle, low voice, Belen nuzzled her face in his chest, feeling a sense of calmness, "…Noah, I missed you."

Gulp!

He unknowingly gulps, almost biting his tongue to keep him from blushing but too late because the corners of his lips rose in an instant hearing Belen say she missed him.

"D-Did you have a bad dream?" he carefully tries to meet her puppy-like eyes when she cutely looks up, biting the corner of her lips, "it wasn't a dream," she admits.

He carefully sighs, "are you feeling better now?"

She tightens her embrace around his chest, being able to hear his heartbeat, "a little," she sighs after breathing in his scent, slowly relaxing her tensed shoulders with a smile.

***

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!" Belen crazily screams from the top of her lungs as she bungee jumped with Noah.

He, on the other hand, is laughing hysterically, "I thought you weren't afraid!"

Belen quickly turns to him, furrowing her brows, "What if a freaking dinosaur appears and EATS ME!!"

Her ridiculous claim only continues to makes Noah laugh, "h-how can you think of something so scary before jumping?"

"I DON'T KNOW ALRIGHT! IT JUST FLASHED IN MY HEAD!" she irritably yells, annoyed by his laugh.

"Buahahaha! I'm not even sorry! Ahahah!" he continues laughing, trying to dry his tears from laughing too much.

Sure, Belen felt annoyed, but at the same time, she couldn't pull her eyes away from his laugh. It was genuine but exciting.

"It's been a while since I last saw you laughing like that," she inwardly says.

Once they finished going from activity to activity Belen notices something strange, "Hey, Noah," she quietly nudges him waiting for their food, "why are their only employees?"

He plainly glances around, "because I reserved this island for today."

She gasps, dropping her jaw.

Noah chuckles, "were you listening at all on the jet?"

He calmly sighs, "I reserved the island to not allow anyone from seeing you. I thought that was the only way you'd be able to have a relaxing birthday."

"…Wow," she slowly touches her heart, "you did this for me?"

The atmosphere shifted, making Noah a bit worried, "w-well, you gotta admit, we both need a break."

She smiles, "you're right. Thank you, Noah," her cheeks somehow redden, making Noah blush as he turned around to retrieve the food.

Once they sat down, Belen happily starts humming as Noah placed her food down, "eeee~!" she squeals, "I'm so hungry!"

Noah starts eating as well, "no matter where we go. You love eating the same thing huh," he lifts his chin.

Belen looks at her food and Noah's, "I love hamburgers and fries~!" she cutely admits. Then she asks, "I bet you miss food from back home."

He slightly tilts his head observing his food, "a little. There's a difference between eating food in Koreatown and food in Korea," he laughs.

Soon after, they went on a walk near the beach, "what time is it?" Belen asks, feeling the sunlight on her face, "Noah?"

"It's…2 pm."

She's wearing light clothes, walking barefooted on the sand, staring at the water in tranquility. Seeing the waves come close to her feet gives her feel a sense of reality and beauty.

The soft texture of the wind enveloping her whole body energizes her like a battery charger. Alone there, she stood for a while staring at the distance of the never-ending sea, her blank expression relaxed.

From afar, Noah detected her emotionless eyes. Something about her made him want to give her everything. Sadness, like if this was all a dream. That's what Noah felt. Maybe it's so quiet that Belen can sort out her thoughts at a steady pace.

He always wondered about Belen ever since he first met her in high school. She was strange, to say the least, like a fire that engulfed the whole school. It nearly burned everyone who came to her, but those she came to, she was like a warm light.

"My light…" he utters in silence, "I want you to be happy, forever, Belen," he says sullenly.

***

Afterward, the two went on to do more activities like treasure hunting in a cave, cable gliding, and, lastly, hang gliding.

It was already 8 pm by the time they had dinner. Belen was physically exhausted, and for once, so was Noah. They both secretly did not have an appetite for dinner, but they ate half of their food either way.

"I've always wanted to try that cable gliding stunt!" Belen excitedly reenacts, waving her hand to the sky, "WOOOHOO!" she shouts, giggling near the poolside.

"Ugh! I'm so full!" she groans, rubbing her stomach, "I shouldn't have overeaten," she whispers.

"I did not expect to eat that much as well," Noah gently interferes walking beside her. Belen turns to look at Noah, somehow realizing, "he's so tall, and his shoulders look broader than before…or were they always like that?" she observes his physique a little closer now since he's finally not wearing a shirt.

Noah is very shy and usually hides any part of his skin from his collar to his wrist, like a pope. He's never liked the idea of others touching him or seeing his bare body, which explains why Everest caught him off guard that one night his body was seen and by a man no less.

That is the reason why Belen can examine his muscular, slim physique now since he's shirtless, wearing only shorts revealing his bare pale legs. She couldn't help but admire the muscles in his calf's as he walked. It was the first for Belen because usually, Noah loves hiding every inch of his body, even to her. Fortunately, he does not mind her touch, but she has noticed that he hates when others try to lay their hands on him.

Especially, women, in female's eyes, Noah is beautiful, and perhaps if he were to cross-dress, he'd even look prettier than Belen. But because of his slim muscular physique, Noah in female clothes isn't possible since his sharp jawline allures every woman.

Thinking about it now makes Belen wonder that if Noah were to pursue an acting career, he'd most likely get casted since his handsome face is on the same level as that of a Kdrama actor. From afar, he may seem kind, but when someone really gets to know him the way she does, they probably wouldn't be able to handle his darkness.

That is a secret only Belen knows, and Noah has yet to realize it himself. It's as if he possesses two different faces, one that everyone in the world wants to see and the face that only I get to see, his raw form.

"Belen?" he calls out, gently patting the floor next to him, which he placed a towel for her to sit on.

"OH!" she flusters, getting embarrassed for zoning out, and rushes to sit next to him. But as she sat down on the towel, she glances around, "why aren't you sitting on the towel."

"I don't need it," he merely smiles, making Belen think, "there he goes again, always thinking about others."

Noah has a feeling that's probably how Belen is thinking, but he kindly smiles, seeing her fidgeting between the towel, "I only think about you. Others don't matter to me."

"Belen, I want to clear something that you might have misunderstood," he says cautiously.

"Hmm?" she tilts her head to the side, "misunderstood what?"

He inwardly prepares himself to hear her cold words, "about your sister, Mabel and I," he notices her blank expression giving him the signal to continue, "I don't know where you got the idea of me liking her. I want to clarify to you that I don't see Mabel in any form of love. To me, she is part of your family. I." He sighs because he does not know if this topic will ruin everything, and Belen will most likely furiously leave.

The last thing he wants is to ruin Belen's birthday, but he has to let her know now before it progresses in her mind any further.

"Noah, I've been thinking hard ever since you got closer to Mabel. Why do I get so angry knowing you are with her instead of me? It finally made me realize," she lightly pats her chest, making Noah nervous.

"Could it be?" Noah wonders, feeling a bit flustered.

She continues, "I don't want her to take you away. I'm afraid she'll somehow influence you to see me in a bad light as the villain, and that way, you'd leave me."

Noah's shoulders somehow slump unhappily from expecting something else but a little relieved at the same time to hear Belen's true feelings.

"You see, Noah, I've lost too many people. To be honest, I'm lonely, and having you around makes me feel normal," she softly smiles, hugging her knees making Noah's heart flutter.

"You will always be my best friend, Noah, and I'm glad I met you that day," she chuckles.

This claim hit Noah harder than an iron pan. He was friend-zoned already. There is no chance of Belen ever seeing him as nothing more than a friend. At that moment, fireworks went off, shocking the two when a handful of employees pop out of the dark corners holding a birthday cake and singing to Belen.

The two stood up so quickly, Belen froze on the spot, rendered speechless the closer the cake came to her. A sincere smile formed on her face.

Noah stood beside her, wishing to hug her but instead moved a step away and leaned in to whisper in his deep husky voice, "Happy Birthday, Belen."

It tickled her ear when she turned to meet his earnest eyes, forming into a smile, "mm, thanks a lot, Noah," she flashes her pearl white smile.

Minutes later, the employees disappeared as Noah placed the cake on a nearby table, "do you want a piece?" he tries his best to smile despite the huge blow he just received.

"Nah, I'm good. It's a little late," Belen happily laughs.

He returns to sit right beside her when she hugs her knees, staring at the lit-up blue pool.

"Something on your mind?" he trails her gaze to the pool.

Her tone shifts, "it just reminded me of something."

"What did?" he gently swifts her long ebony wavy hair away from her shoulders.

"When I was little, my parents often celebrated my birthday. That was the only time my dad actually came home," she sighs, "Noah, I believe you."

"Huh," he flinches, confused.

"If you say you don't see Mabel in that way, then I'll believe it. Honestly," she sighs, turning to meet his widened eyes, "I don't get what it is about my family that it interests you?"

His voice lightens, "You called them "your family" does that mean you accept-"

"I acknowledge them as my family. That does not mean I accept them at all. There is too much to unpack when it comes to wanting to be a family. Mabel has her own problems, Iris is living a lie, and my brother…is hidden from my family."

Noah sadly lowers his tone, "your family is the only one who knows of your brother's death but chooses to hide it."

"Yeah, I hate that about them. My brother was adorable, dumb, but very crafty. I don't know why but he'd always listen to my voice. Thanks to him, I am still here today. But I miss him too much" she nuzzles her head into her knees.

"Belen, do you have something against your birthday?"

She surprisingly lifts her head, "I do," she says earnestly, surprising Noah with silence.

"Sometimes I wish I were never born. I even wonder why am I still alive now," she scoffs, "my birthday just reminds me of my solitude in the world. I don't feel special."

Noah carefully asks, "what do you really want?"

"Huh?" she surprisingly reacts, "what do I want?" she asks herself. Belen can't help but feel a little emotional talking about what she wants, the truth bursting to come out of her heart.

"I, I want to be loved," she quietly confesses, "I want my parents…" she grits her teeth as her voice cracked, "I want them to hug me, and" she sniffs, unable to control the tears streaming down her pitiful face, "and tell me just how glad they are to have me alive, happy I was born and needed."

Noah slumps his shoulders. Seeing Belen cry about her existence reminds him of his feelings as well. He used to feel this way strongly, but thanks to Belen and Mi-sun, he's somehow come to like his birthdays. That still does not change the fact that Noah still wonders about why he was left alone, abandoned.

He was meant to die if he continued living like a street cat, feeding off the trash. The more he thought about it, the more it hurts his heart after learning the truth behind Belen's existence.

Belen admits, "I wish I were never born in the first place. Why do I have to live a life that I don't want? Everything is for others and never for myself. When I want something, I'm greedy…" She silently cries, "I bet if I were gone one day, my so-called family wouldn't care!"

Noah briefly pictured Belen out of his life. It only frightened him as his light disappeared, leaving him alone in the darkness. A pit so dark with no way out, Belen was the only thing keeping him sane. Imagining Belen leaving him to fend for his life alone in the world sent a cold chill down his spine, "no…no, NO!" he shouted, surprising Belen when he rushed to embrace her fragile body with the firmness of his arms.

"Please," he begs, resting his head against her caramel nape, "please Belen, don't go," he says in a broken husky tone.

"Don't say that! I don't want to lose you!" he pulls himself away to cup her face in his large palms. But as he did, his heart weakened, seeing her puppy-like bright eyes slowly diminishing, "Do whatever you want to do. If you want to run away, I'll follow you! I promise you, Belen, I won't ever leave you!"

The corners of her lips softly rise into a smile easing Noah's heart, "got it," she says, feeling the warmth of his hands.

She smiled, closing her eyes when something overcame Noah as he leaned forward. He is slowly approaching her lips, but he feels her tingling breathing, it makes him flinch at the quick realization that he was nearly a centimeter away from tasting her lips.

"I think I'm still a child," she embarrassingly reveals, waking Noah up from his action. He froze on the spot lowering his head to hide his flushed expression. He realizes how close he's to her lips when she slowly flutters her eyes open. His heart nervously thumps, ready to come out of his mouth when Belen notices his face close to hers.

He inwardly sighs. Feeling a bit relieved that he snapped out of that trance and caressed her forehead with his. It wasn't a kiss, but the warmth they shared between their foreheads was enough to leave Noah satisfied. She merely giggles, gently bumping her forehead against him. His eyes widened.

"I can't win against you, Belen. You're just too cute. I want you all to myself," Noah inwardly declares, booping his nose against hers. The two couldn't help but laugh like children who just got away with something they'd soon get in trouble.

***

That night, Noah couldn't sleep the more he twisted and turned in his bed.

He kept staring at the ceiling in disbelief while touching his forehead. Sadly the warmth of Belen's touch disappeared with the wind.

"If only a touch would last a lifetime," he closes his eyes, visualizing Belen's beautiful crying face, most notably her marshmallow pink-like lips that looked sweet enough to bite.

His urges got the best of him when he realizes just how close he was to completely lose his friendship with Belen had he gone any further. Maybe he could've gotten away with the kiss if he were to make an excuse like "I was going to kiss your cheek," he snorts.

"As if," he turns to his side, relaxing his head on his right arm, "You're afraid of someone else taking me away from you?" He grins, "I want your heart, your body, and your attention. I won't let anyone else take you from me, Belen…Is that selfish of me too?"

***

"Eleven…" Belen somberly announces after coming out of the shower drying her hair with a towel.

"Today was really unexpected. I did everything I wanted," she chuckles, putting the towel away. "I have a feeling Noah had fun as well, he really wasn't afraid of heights, but that last activity sure made him nauseous," she bursts out laughing.

On her birthdays, Belen usually turns off all of her devices. This time around, she did the same, but she felt in a good mood to turn it on for some reason.

"Why isn't it turning on? Could it be out of batter?" she sits on the ground rummaging through her suitcase to look for the charger.

At that moment, she gets taken back into memory lane when she overhears the happy birthday song in Spanish blast so loudly it made her turn in surprise.

Her expression widens as she heard slow yet small footsteps approach her but what surprised Belen the most was seeing an illusion of her younger self turn her back with a sleepy look on her cute chubby cheek self.

Belen couldn't utter a single word as the Spanish birthday song loudly resounded in her ears. What shocked her the most came next when she leaned on her right shoulder to see why her younger self simply stood there, looking clueless.

"Mami?" the younger Belen yawns, rubbing her eyes awake while holding a pink blanket as if it were her everything.

The first thing the two Belen saw was a rectangular table in the center of the living room with a pink barbie mantel covering it and a barbie centerpiece. Ernestina popped out from the side wearing a happy smile and holding a spatula, "Feliz Cumpleanos, Mi Baby!!" This was the first time Ernestina ever looked genuinely delighted in Belen's eyes.

Her birthday, a precious memory she's kept locked within a valse of prohibited happiness she felt in that exact moment. Nothing in the world mattered, as long as her mother genuinely loved Belen, even if it were for a short time. She hoped that moment of happiness carved itself in her naïve little heart.

The younger Belen clumsily stares at the whole living room, astonished by the pretty pink decorations. A smile slowly formed on her child-like face, "Mami, what is this?"

Ernestina squats to meet Belen's eyes and simply smiles while patting her head, "It's your birthday, baby!" she spreads her arms, wrapping them around Belen.

Feeling her mother's warmth made the younger Belen excited as her smile curled up to her ears. She quickly hugged her mother back before losing that warmth forever.

Belen stood up, gently staring at that illusion starting to fade within every second. Something tugged at her heart, stirring her emotions to erupt. She fell to her knees in disbelief, amazed but disheartened to see that illusion disappear along with her mother's smile.

Ungraspable, that is what Belen is feeling. That warm tickling memory lived within her heart but seeing it come to life only saddened Belen when she lifts her head, noticing her surroundings.

"I'm not home, this, this is a hotel…" she says lifelessly. The shine in her eyes suddenly disappears, returning her to that cold, bitter isolation. When she stared at her weak, fragile hands shaking from a strange feeling, she felt her cold tears trickle down her eyes, onto the palms of her trembling hands.

A sad wave of anguish overcame her heart, "m-mami," she bitterly utters in a whisper, "d-dad," she clenches the urge to admit, "I, I MISS YOU…"

She drops to the floor, completely letting go of herself, wailing, crying as a newborn child birthed into the world from their mother's womb. Belen was exposed to the cold because her parents' love, warmth, and attention didn't last long, which resulted in freezing her heart, making it numb to others' pain but her own.

The only thing she could handle was backstabbing herself. She was her own villain, her tormentor, and a nightmare. She didn't mean to but remembering that unforgettable memory that she's so longed for today on her birthday appeared before her eyes.

And it nearly crumbled her to a fragile little girl who only longs for affection from her parents. The tighter she curled up into a ball on the floor, the more it pained her heart to endure.

This pain felt different than what she usually feels when remembering her little brother's death. It's a sadness that evolved from her parents. Throughout the years, she claimed to hate them. Right now, she knew that was a lie.

Nothing else crossed her mind. All she could wallow up at that moment was the coldness creeping into the darkness of her heart, diminishing that pure small candle of light.

She sniffs, hugging herself, "I'm scared…I don't want to be alone. It's scary, I don't want to live like this. Why…this is so unfair. Why," she asks in a crippled high pitched voice, "Why was I born! Why did you choose them to be my parents?"

"Y-You said, 'respect and honor your parents'" she bites the corner of her lip. "Why should I respect them when they can't do that to me! Why! Answer me! God! You're real, aren't you? Then come take me! Please!" she begs, pounding her chest in agony, "I just want to be with my little brother again! No one needs me here!" she continues hitting her chest, "please, just end this," she stares at the ceiling with hopeless, mad eyes.

"…It hurts. It hurts a lot, God," she silently claims with trembling lips, "please, save me" she clenches her chest.

She overhears the illusion of her younger self say in her child high pitched voice, "thank you, mami~" she chuckles, wearing a silly smile, nuzzling her relaxed head into her mother's neck. Hearing those words nearly shattered her to pieces.

That night Belen fell asleep crying, curled up on the ground. Noah secretly entered her room to check on her. He wasn't aware of what happened when he saw Belen on the floor, he panicked, but he could guess thanks to Belen's unconscious mumbling.

He carefully lay Belen on the bed, thoroughly tucking her in to prevent her from catching a cold. But when he turned around, he noticed her phone on the ground and a cable charger. He picks it up, whispering to himself, "was she looking to charge her phone?" he turns to see her sleeping face, impressed, "she usually never turns it on until the morning of the next day."

He hopelessly sighs, plugging her phone to charge, but as he was about to exit her room. The phone loudly rings, making him rush to put her phone on silent, luckily. As he did, Belen did not wake at all.

"Who's calling her at this time?" Noah curiously checks but is not surprised to see the usual messages of acquaintances wishing her a happy birthday.

Noah scrolled through her contacts, noticing almost every single one of them wished her a happy birthday. Oddly, all but her family.

He disappointedly sighs, "I thought it'd be different this year, but to think. The nerve of them to really not congratulate their little sister? I'm not surprised about her parents but," he hesitates, "I expected better from Mabel and Iris."

Noah cautiously lays her phone down, "sorry, Belen," he apologizes, sitting beside her and leans in closer to her ear, "Happy Birthday," he whispers in a firm yet silent husky voice, "I love you," he handsomely smiles.