Chapter 167
It felt as though their souls had merged into one.
The neighbor had already moved out, but Noelle still didn’t dare to make too loud of a sound. When pushed to the edge, she could only bite down on Hendrix’s neck.
Hendrix didn’t flinch at the pain. Instead, he gently held her chin after she was done biting him and kissed her lips.
The room remained shrouded in darkness. They could hear the distant bursts of fireworks coming from outside, and mixed in with the sound was the ringing of a phone.
Noelle heard it, too, and immediately tried to push him away. But Hendrix didn’t stop, nor did he seem inclined to answer the phone, either.
The person on the other end of the line was persistent, and unable to take it any longer, Noelle called out to Hendrix several times. It was only then that Hendrix finally answered the phone in annoyance.
“Hello?” His voice was raspy and tinged with obvious impatience.
The person on the other end must have said something, because Hendrix’s expression changed immediately.
“And then? What’s the situation now?” he asked. After a brief moment, he said, “I understand. I’ll head back right away.”
He quickly hung up the phone and turned to Noelle.
“What’s wrong?” asked Noelle softly.
“Something’s happened at home. I need to go back.”
“Oh, is it something urgent?”
“Kind of. I won’t know the details until I get there. Or you could come with me?”
“No, thanks,” Noelle answered without hesitation, prompting Hendrix to chuckle.
After that, he picked up his clothes from the floor and put them on. “I’ll head back first. I might not be back for a while, so make sure you lock the door.”
“Okay.”
“Bye, then.”
With that, Hendrix turned and made his way to the door while Noelle stayed rooted in place. As he took a few steps forward, he seemed to sense something, and so he turned back around.
Noelle instinctively clenched her hands when their eyes met. Hendrix smiled at her once more before closing the door behind him. With a soft click, the entire house fell into silence.
Noelle remained standing where she was. For some reason, she couldn’t shake the feeling that the house had suddenly become so much emptier. It was strange–only a short time ago, she had lived there alone, and it had never felt this hollow.
Although Hendrix had described the place as “old and falling apart“, she had always felt that it was truly h her home. And recently, despite his complaints, he had gradually moved more and more of his things in.
His suits had taken up half of her wardrobe, her desk was now covered with his files, and there were two sets of toothbrushes in her bathroom. Along with these things, what lingered even more was the mark Hendrix had left on this place.
Chapter 167
+25 BONUS
For the past few weeks, he had been coming over every single night, and it was precisely because of this that Noelle now felt the apartment had become emptier in his absence. The realization unsettled her, filling her with an unexpected sense of discomfort. Perhaps even fear.
Back when she lived in Nivis Villa, she had always made a point to keep her belongings confined to her own room. It was her way of ensuring that, if the time ever came, she could leave without leaving anything behind.
But now, with Hendrix blending so seamlessly into her space, she couldn’t help but wonder–if things continued like this, would they even be able to part ways cleanly?
The thought reminded her of something Brandon once said to her not too long ago.
At the time, he had just learned about her reconciliation with Hendrix. His reaction had been calm, and he had simply said, “To make the same mistake twice is not only embarrassing but also foolish.”
