chapter 13
1140 Words
The next evening, the hostel room buzzed with quiet excitement. Noelle had been sitting in her nook, scarf wrapped around her shoulders as usual, quietly observing her roommates as they prepared for a night out. She noticed Lia applying eyeliner with precision, Samantha fussing over her hair, and Asle carefully adjusting her coat.
Noelle, as usual, kept to herself, her grey eyes quietly tracing the movements around her. She noticed, too, how the girls glanced at her occasionally, exchanging small whispers and smiles. Something was happening, though she didn’t yet know what.
“Come on, Noelle,” Lia said suddenly, her tone gentle but firm. “We’re going out tonight. You’re coming with us. No excuses.”
Noelle blinked. “I… I don’t know. I ”
“You need a break,” Samantha cut in, smiling warmly. “You’ve been quiet. You’ve barely smiled. We want to see you happy, just for a little while.”
Noelle hesitated. She wasn’t used to being cared for in such a way. People had either ignored her or expected her to disappear into her shadows. These girls… they were different.
“Just… try it,” Asle added softly, the first words she had spoken directly to Noelle in a while. “You might like it.”
Before Noelle could protest further, Lia had taken charge. “We’re going to dress you up. Makeup, new clothes from your wardrobe, the works. Trust us. You’ll look… amazing.”
Noelle’s heart thumped nervously. She had never worn makeup. She had never dressed to impress anyone, not since her mother’s death and the cold isolation of her village life. But the girls were patient and careful, guiding her through each step. A light touch of blush, a subtle sweep of eyeshadow, a hint of lip color. They coaxed her hair into soft waves, brushing it until it caught the light just so.
Noelle stared at her reflection in the small mirror, hardly recognizing the girl before her. Her grey eyes, framed now by subtle liner, seemed to glow. Her round face had warmth, her lips a soft pink that made her want to smile. For a fleeting moment, she saw herself differently. Not just as a girl carrying grief, rage, and solitude, but as someone beautiful, someone seen, someone loved.
“You look… incredible,” Lia said softly, genuine awe in her tone. Samantha clapped her hands quietly, and Asle nodded with a rare, approving smile.
Noelle’s breath caught. She felt a strange flutter in her chest. A warmth she had not known in months.
“Do I… really?” she asked quietly, almost afraid to believe it.
“Yes,” Samantha said firmly. “You do. And we want to take you out. Just for tonight, let the world see it too.”
Noelle nodded slowly, feeling a nervous thrill. She slipped into the outfit Lia had chosen for her ,comfortable, yet elegant. It felt strange, yet right. She glanced in the mirror once more, and this time, a faint, unpracticed smile tugged at her lips.
The girls cheered softly. “There it is!” Lia whispered, as though the smile were a small miracle.
They left the hostel, stepping into the cool evening. The streets had changed with the onset of night, the glow of street lamps casting golden halos over the snow-dusted sidewalks. The city felt alive in a different way, more magical, more open, now that Noelle could step into it without fear.
They arrived at a small, cozy restaurant, the smell of roasted meals and baked goods inviting. The girls led her to a corner booth, and Noelle allowed herself to settle in, scarf set aside, her heart still thrumming with the novelty of attention and care.
Dinner arrived: warm bowls of pasta, plates of roasted vegetables, and freshly baked bread. Noelle, guided by her roommates, tried each dish, laughing quietly when something was too spicy or unexpected. She realized she was enjoying herself truly, genuinely enjoying herself,for the first time in weeks.
“You’re smiling again,” Lia said softly between bites, eyes bright. “I didn’t think we’d see that so soon.”
Noelle swallowed hard, feeling the weight of her own emotions. She had smiled before, in fleeting moments, but never like this. Never with the awareness that someone had deliberately nurtured it.
“Thank you,” she whispered, voice steady but soft. “For… noticing.”
Samantha reached across the table, lightly tapping her hand against Noelle’s. “You deserve it,” she said simply. “You’re amazing. Don’t forget that.”
Asle nodded quietly, eyes serious. “Even if you don’t say it, we see it.”
Noelle felt warmth swell in her chest. The grief, the rage, the loneliness ,they had not vanished. But they had softened, at least for this evening. The sense of being cared for, of being loved without condition, settled over her like a gentle blanket.
For the first time since the snowstorm, since her mother’s passing, Noelle allowed herself to feel… happy. Not just a flicker, not just a spark, but a small, steady flame.
After dinner, they walked back through the softly lit streets. Snow had begun to fall again, drifting lazily from the sky, coating the sidewalks and rooftops in a gentle hush. Noelle breathed it in, the cold biting pleasantly at her cheeks, the world feeling less vast, less frightening.
When they returned to the hostel, the girls lingered for a moment in the doorway of her nook. “Keep that smile,” Lia said softly, brushing her hair from her face. “We’ll remind you if you forget.”
Noelle nodded, scarf once again wrapped around her shoulders, but now she didn’t pull it too tight. She had experienced warmth, care, and acceptance, and it had left a mark. She climbed onto her bed, looking out the small window at the falling snow. Her grey eyes reflected the streetlights and the soft glow of the lamps beyond.
For the first time, she smiled fully, without hesitation.
Her roommates watched quietly from the doorway, hearts light, smiles bright. They had seen it—the girl who had carried grief and rage, the girl who had hidden in shadows, the girl who had barely acknowledged the world. Tonight, she had opened a small window to her heart, and it had let light in.
Noelle whispered softly to the familiar voice in the dark, tucked in the corners of her mind. You’re not alone, it said, as always. But tonight, she imagined it saying something more,something like You are seen. You are loved. And you can smile again.
- Writer
