Chapter 18 Noelle

~ Next Morning ~

Oh my goodness. It's such a refreshing morning! Well, as of the weather, it's raining outside but last night's experience leaves me tranquil. I have such a shire state of mind!

Audum and I played chess for hours together accompanied with his silly mocks at me. I lost five times to him but in the last hour I finally had a win. ONE DAMNED HOLY WIN! Oh my smart brain, all hail to you!

It's for the first time that Audum laughed along so much. After I DEFEATED him finally, he asked me to go to sleep and left. I wonder where he went but anyways, I got to go to the café.

As I enter the café, I witness Zeroni, Reece and Audum together. Why Lucifer?

I wanna walk upto them and maybe just casually greet them and by "them" I know my nerves mean "Audum". But then I am so insecure about not getting a reply back. Like that would ruin my day. So I choose to hold back and carry on with my business.

I walk up to the counter and ask for my favourite milk coffee. Not so long after, Mrs. Chapper gets my coffee and I sit on the chair along the book rack. It's almost every morning that I read a few chapters along with having my coffee.

I have read "The Great Gatsby", "Pride and Prejudice", "Lolita" and "The Wuthering Heights" uptil now. The literature that people here prefer is explicitly restrained to romance. I don't hate it either but I would love to read beyond it.

I go for a random pick and it's "Ulysses" by James Joyce. As I turn the first page,

"Café com Leite" speaks Audum from behind.

I look at him as he's analysing the books in the rack.

"Here", he hands over Lolita to me. "This is called a good-reader" he says reassuringly.

"I have read that one" I place it back into the rack.

"You don't seem of romantic nature" Audum speaks mockingly as he smirks.

"What lies on the inside doesn't necessarily show from the outside" I defend myself.

"From my eyes" he speaks as he gets close to my face, "Nothing dares to hide" he continues.

I am numb. This is a feeling that strikes me every time he gets close to me. I'm staring at his tempting lips as he lies so close into me.

After moments of this staring, I regain a speck of conscious and turn my face towards my coffee, gulping down my nerve stroke.

"Your eyes are not special" I mutter and he rises up again.

"Felt down your spine?" Audum raises his brows.

"What?" I say.

"You being called 'un-romantic'", Audum colons in the air.

"I don't care about random peoples' opinions" I get up and leave the place.

"Hey" Audum calls from behind and I turn back.

"Café com leite" he says mockingly as he raises my cup and I roll my eyes. He takes a sip from the cup and chuckles upon seeing my reaction.

Ugh. He's such a dracula. Like seriously?! Last night he was being so nicey nicey and now he's back to him being him. Spoiled my flying over the ninth sky mood. Ugh.

I walk through the hallway and encounter Feebs and Berth and walk along them.

"What's going on with you, Noelle?" Bertha asks and Feebles is still mad at me from last time.

Before I answer Bertha, I turn towards Feebles, "Hey, Feebs" I turn her head towards myself, "I am sorry for being an asshole last time, I know you're probably mad at me-

"Probably really really mad" Feebles interrupts cutely.

"Yeah, probably really really mad at me" I chuckle, "So maybe I could be bestowed with forgiveness?" I say.

Feebles smiles and hugs me. "But you gotta tell everything that is responsible for turning you into Valak" she continues and Bertha and I burst into laughter.

"Yes, Noelle, spill your guts" Bertha adds.

These two people are literally my bestest friends but I? Such a bad person. I should have told them everything from the start. I was just carried away so much by Audum that I forgot my go to comfortable space.

"Remember that rude guy from chemistry class?" I tease.

"NO?" Bertha spits and I can't help but laugh at her overly serious expressions.

"I knew something was fishy about you and Audum Reed" Feebles comments.

I tell them the series of events that happened right from the start, from the terrible frat party uptil this morning's coffee as we walk through the hallway.