Hendrix never brought up that night again, and Noelle didnt, either.

Two days later, Clark asked her out again, saying he wanted to grab some sliders.

It was the first time Noelle realized asking someone out could be that simple.

Clark was fun to be around. He loved a good time and always knew how to make it happen. He grew up

in

Coppersville, where nearly everyone in his circle knew him. Yet he wasn't drawn to flashy, extravagant clubs or

bars.

Instead, he preferred taking Noelle down old alleyways. Sometimes, they'd try a local delicacy, and other times, they'd pick up quirky trinkets.

Hendrix, who also grew up in Coppersville, never took Noelle to places like that. They went out alone only a few times, and when they did, it was always to high-end restaurants.

The only exception was when Noelle took him to a barbecue joint, though to finish their

The didn't even manage meal that time.

Clark was the complete opposite of Hendrix. He didn't carry the aloof, superior attitude that some people in his circle did.

When they first met, he'd been upfront with Noelle, telling her that after a few meetings, she would know whether they'd be friends..

It turned out he was right. Every time Noelle saw him, she felt genuinely happy. It was that carefree, uncomplicated happiness. At that point, she was like a child who didn't worry about anything and just enjoyed the

moment.

Hendrix had no idea about their meetups, though. Throughout it all, Noelle kept her phone close, never once standing him up again.

Today, Clark had brought her out again. They were at the busiest arcade in Coppersville. It was packed with kids running around, but Clark seemed to fit right in.

After playing for a while, Noelle's mood lightened, and she started enjoying herself.

Finally, they stopped in front of a row of claw machines.

Clark gripped the joystick with intense focus, his expression as serious as if he were about to take a major exam. Noelle couldn't help but laugh. "If you don't get it, it's fine.

"No way! I'm getting this today!" Clark said, his gaze locked on the machine.

After another failed attempt, he nudged Noelle to grab mon tokens while he stayed by the machine, still determined.

Noelle sighed and headed over to get more tokens.

The arcade was the biggest in Coppersville, always packed with people. As Noelle stood quietly in line at the token machine, someone brushed past lier, lightly grazing her.

Being bumped into was nothing unusual in a crowd like that, but Noelle felt the person's hand linger on her waist after the brush.

Her expression shifted immediately. She spun around, catching the man's lecherous gaze as his eyes swept over

Chapter 1CB

her.noveldrama

"Sorry about that," he said with a smile, but his apology didn't seem genuine. As he turned away, he laughed and exchanged a few words with his friend.

Noelle's hand clenched into a fist. She probably should've confronted him right then. After all, she wasn't the helpless girl she used to be.

Yet, for some reason, his face reminded her of William-especially that smile...

Her hand trembled, and her legs felt heavy, unable to move

"What are you doing? Daydreaming?"

Clark's voice snapped her back to reality.

Noelle blinked and looked up as Clark handed her the stuffed animal he'd just won. "Look! I got it with the last two tokens! Pretty impressive, right?"