The Sway and Slide of Love

"I haven't slept all night. Can you just let me rest for a while?" Hendrix asked.

"Why don't you go sleep in your own place?" Noelle argued.

"I can't sleep without you."

The moment Hendrix spoke those words, Noelle's cheeks flushed bright red.

She wanted to argue, but in the next moment, Hendrix's breathing seemed to steady.

Surprised, she lifted her head and saw the dark circles under his eyes. Even his usually clean-shaven jaw now bore a faint stubble.

Her hand, which had been ready to push him away, slowly dropped.

Hendrix hadn't expected to fall asleep so quickly. Though he had finally found Noelle, he hadn't been sleeping well these past few days. Aside from constantly being jolted awake, the terrible conditions here only made things worse. But in Noelle's room, none of that seemed to matter.

Even in this cramped, damp little house, even on this rickety wooden bed that cracked beneath him, he could still catch the faint scent of her skin and the sun- warmed fragrance of the blankets. It made him feel safe.

Noelle lay against his chest. At first, his sudden presence had chased away any chance of sleep. But as she listened to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat, as his warmth slowly seeped into her, she slowly closed her eyes again.

Until she heard Irene's voice.

"Nelly, why aren't you up yet? Are you feeling unwell?"

Noelle jolted awake. Hendrix frowned, stirring as if he were about to open his eyes.

Irene continued to knock on the door. "Nelly?"

Noelle's face paled in panic. Without waiting to see if Hendrix would speak, she clamped her hand over his mouth and answered, "I-I'm getting up now."

"Are you sure you're okay? You're not sick, are you?"

"No, I just overslept. I'm getting up now."

As she spoke, she scrambled to get up from the bed, only to accidentally bump into Hendrix's injured arm.

Hendrix let out a low groan. Her eyes widened, and without thinking, she lunged forward and pressed her hand over his mouth again.

Irene, who usually spoke in a booming voice, somehow caught the sound. "Everything alright, Nelly?"

"Yeah! I just knocked into

something. Why don't you go have breakfast first? I'll be right out," Noelle explained in a trembling. voice. She locked her gaze on the

door as if terrified Irene might suddenly barge in.

Amused, Hendrix took advantage of her grip on him-pulling her hand down just enough to press a light kiss to her palm.

Noelle had been wound tight with

tension That small, teasing kiss only served to fry her nerves even further. She

2e, too stunned to even pull

away, her wide eyes locking onto

his. sŵnovel

Hendrix raised a brow, meeting her gaze. Though she couldn't see his lips, she knew he was definitely smirking.

Only then did she yank her hand back. "You... You—"

"Maybe you should go out first? I'm

worried that Irene might actually barge in any second, and then, it'll benoveldrama

hard to explain. Not that I'd mind, but I'd hate for her to pass out from anger."