The Redemption of my mates.

The fragile laughter.

Ariana (POV)

"How are you feeling now?" Noah asked in a soothing, calm tone.

I looked into his open face and managed a genuine smile, nodding my head.

He returned the smile and pulled a small notepad and a pen from his bag. "Looks like you're mute," he said gently. "You can communicate with me through this notepad. Write whatever you feel like asking or saying."

I hesitated for a moment, but eventually took it from him. I uncapped the pen and wrote, I am feeling okay now.

He read it aloud, chuckled softly, and asked, "Not better?"

I shook my head, and a soft giggle escaped him as he responded with a shake of his head. The brief exchange of laughter settled into an awkward silence. Feeling uncomfortable with the quiet, I decided to initiate a conversation. Before I could write, he spoke.

"What is your name?"

I wrote, Ariana, and looked up at him.

He read it aloud. "Nice name. Hmm. Do you remember mine?" he asked.

I shook my head to tease him, then quickly wrote, Noah Cooper.

"Noah Cooper," he repeated. He giggled and said, "Just so you know, Cooper is a surname."

I found myself giggling too. Does he think I'm stupid? Obviously, I know that.

"Sorry, I know you knew Cooper is my surname," he apologized, sensing my amusement.

There was another brief moment of silence. He was fidgeting with his hands, lost in thought. The way he was clearly struggling made me believe we had a lot in common.

"Will you go with me?" he asked suddenly.

I flipped to a new page and wrote, Where to?

He looked directly into my eyes, searching for the right words, then spoke. "To go eat something."

I shook my head and wrote, I am not hungry.

"Please," he insisted, leaning forward. "I'm starving. I didn't eat breakfast this morning... and... I wouldn't want to go without you. If you're not coming with me, I won't go."

Must I go with him? I am hungry, but I don’t eat out without Dad. Wait! I did yesterday...

so eating today is no difference. And it wasn't like I'd ever see him again.

I wrote, Sure, let's go.

Noah sprang to his feet and extended his hand. I accepted the gesture, and he pulled me up. With a mischievous smirk, he winked at me and started running, laughter bubbling from him. It was clear he found the situation incredibly amusing. I ran alongside him, clueless about our destination.

He stopped abruptly, panting. Between laughs, he explained, "Sorry... I didn't want the driver to notice me."

His acknowledgment sparked my curiosity, and I started scanning the road. I noticed a sleek black Rover across the street.

Before I could question him, he said, "Yep! That's my Range Rover."

Oh! I nodded.

He hold my hand, and said “Now we can walk. He won't notice me."

I didn't know how to react, so I just nodded, and he started walking. My heart was pounding so fast my ribs ached, and my stomach felt like it was doing somersaults. This sensation was entirely unfamiliar. It felt as though a swarm of butterflies was fluttering inside, and my cheeks were burning. What was happening to me?

We settled into a booth in the center of a small, busy restaurant, waiting for the food Noah had ordered. I didn't know what to say. I hoped I wasn't making him uncomfortable.

The waiter finally arrived and placed the plates in front of us. She seemed to know him well, as they immediately engaged in conversation. I began to eat my sandwich. I had to focus on myself.

After we finished our sandwiches, Noah went to the counter and paid the bill. I felt a pang of guilt. I had made a total stranger buy me food. Dad would kill me if he found out.

I stood outside the restaurant, waiting for Noah. The city pulsed with activity. Weirdly, I was enjoying today. It had started ugly, but it was ending fine.

Noah reappeared with a bright smile, instantly holding my hand. He looked into my eyes and said, "By the way, you are beautiful." Then, he started walking.

I was puzzled, confused, and lost. The voices in my head weren’t quiet , they were screaming and jumping. That was new! No one had ever said that to us before.

Oh God! Please calm my racing heart.

After strolling the city for a while, we reached the park. Noah stopped and looked at me. He smirked and said, "Brace yourself. You know what I'm about to do."

I smiled, and he tightened his grip on our joined hands as we began running again, him covering his face with his jacket. We successfully darted into the park and collapsed onto the grass, laughing breathlessly. I found myself wholeheartedly enjoying this unexpected adventure.

He spoke between gasps of laughter. "Aria! You made my day!"

I sat up and looked at him, realizing that he hadn't just made my day; he had given me back a piece of my life. After five painful years, I found myself actually living for a day. Thank you, Noah. You are special to me. You made me laugh. I never in my wildest dreams thought I would laugh again. I guess you are the kind of person Dad told me to stay away from.

He quickly sat up, his expression suddenly earnest. "Aria. You have a beautiful laugh. Why did you stop?"

We shared a long moment of eye contact. I didn't know what I was looking for, but I was searching for something deep inside him.

He swallowed hard and said . "You are beautiful. I don't know what your story is. But... Next time you're feeling down or sad, come here. And cry your heart out. Make sure you cry so much that next time, you won't cry over the same reason. And have a firm belief in your heart that you will be okay. It might not be today, might not be tomorrow, but one day everything is going to be alright. You will look back and remember my words."

I was puzzled. He could read my eye, but I couldn't read his. His gray eyes, despite their spark, were hiding a painful story.

He moved closer and began wiping my cheeks. I hadn't realized I was crying again.

"Ariana," he called out, making me look up at him. "It's okay."

I nodded and wrote in the notepad, I have to go.

He asked, "Where?"

Back to school. My dad might be waiting for me.

"Okay. Go. Have fun."

I smiled, placed his notepad back in his hand, picked up my scarf, put it around my neck, waved at him, and ran back toward the school.

I reached the school just in time; everyone was outside, waiting for their transportation. While standing alone, I sensed someone standing behind me. The person didn't talk or move, which was unsettling. I could see the shadow and was sure he was staring at me.

I turned back and saw Elijah behind me. He looked furious. Is he angry with me? I hadn't done anything to him. Hmm, I don't care about his anger.

He grabbed my hand, placed my backpack onto it, and then angrily strode back to his car.

Did I do something to anger him? He could be angry all he wanted. I didn't care. Last night I got beaten up because of him. I didn't know who told Dad about him, but someone informed him about me being with a guy, and that almost cost me my life.

A sleek black car stopped in front of me. The familiar male driver lowered the back window. The passenger took off his sunglasses and said, "Hey Aria. Must I give you a lift home?"

Noah! A smile appeared on my face, just by looking at him.

I shook my head.

"Are you sure? It's no trouble for me."

I gave him a thumbs-up to show I was fine. He smiled, waved, rolled his window back up, and drove off.

Why is he acting like a celebrity, though? Black Range Rover and sunglasses. Isn't that what celebrities wear?

After what seemed like years, Dad arrived and opened the door for me. I got in. He drove us home. I got out of the car and went straight to my room. I changed clothes and came downstairs. He placed my lunch on the table, picked up his car keys, and said, "I have something to tend to. Make sure you let no one in and don't go anywhere." I nodded my head, and he walked out.

I ate my food, then started cleaning the kitchen. When I was done, I went to my room. I took out my sketchpad and a pencil. I was bored, so I decided to sketch today's beautiful events.

I opened my book and saw a note tucked inside. It said:

I am sorry. I didn't know that your dad would make you pay for being with me. Now I see why you don't like being around me. I won't promise, but I will try to stay away from you. I wanted to follow you but guilt stopped me. Please forgive me, Aria.

Love, Elijah.

My heart dropped, who told Elijah about my dad? How does he know what happened last night? Can he read minds as well?

Ugh! Whatever. Elijah will stay away from me now. And that’s what I wanted. And yeah he almost got me killed. I should be happy

But why do I feel like something is missing? I feel bad. It wasn't his fault that Dad almost murdered me last night. Getting beaten up by Dad is just a normal thing in my house.

Noah's words came back to mind, “Make sure you cry so much that next time, you won't cry over the same reason. And have a firm belief in your heart that you will be okay. It might not be today, might not be tomorrow, but one day everything is going to be alright."

Will I be fine one day? Will I live like a normal person? I doubted that. My life was meant for this torment. There is no way I'd ever be happy.

Will I ever see him again? I want to meet him and not meet him at the same time. Maybe to meet him to thank him. I hope he is well wherever he is.

And Eli, thank you for everything. You were really my saviour. I’ll always be grateful to you.