Chapter 39

Noelle

I'm in a great mood as I stand at the reception desk later on, thinking about the night, and morning Cal and I have had. If I'm honest with myself, I wish every morning and night could be like the last twelve or thirteen hours have been. There's a feeling I get with Cal that I don't get with anyone else, an ease to the nervous rumbling of my body I've been carrying around since the stressful days of lockdown, when I wasn’t sure if we’d survive. While I’ve been cognizant of trying not to dwell on what happened back then, it sometimes works, and sometimes doesn't. When left to my own devices too long, I get too deep inside my own head and start to question if I'm really cut out for this job. When I’m with Cal? He doesn't allow me to do that, and I find myself breathing easier and sleeping better.