Chapter 1: A new beginning

Noel had always been a restless spirit, a whirlwind of energy in a small, quiet town like Del Mar, California.

With her fiery red hair, bright green eyes, and a smile that could melt anyone's heart, she was the kind of girl who could never sit still. Even as a child, her mother, Rosa, often found herself chasing Noel around their small home, trying to keep her out of trouble. But no matter how many times she scolded her, Noel's wild, mischievous nature never wavered.

Noel came from a modest family. Her father, Mark, worked at a nearby timber company, hauling logs and cutting lumber to support the family. He was a quiet man, a man of few words, but his love for his family was unwavering.

Rosa, on the other hand, was the heart of their home. She was kind, nurturing, and always striving to make their lives a little better. Besides taking care of the house, she had a small business of her own—selling homemade pancakes to the local diners and cafes. It wasn’t much, but it helped to make ends meet.

Noel was always smart, despite her mischievous nature. Her memory was sharp, and she had a natural knack for learning. While she might not have been the most obedient student, her grades told a different story. She sailed through high school with ease, earning top marks even though she rarely studied. But when she graduated from high school, she found herself at a crossroads.

She had just finished her 12th grade exams when the world came to a screeching halt. The outbreak of COVID-19 turned everything upside down. The streets of Del Mar, usually full of life, became eerily quiet. Schools closed. Businesses shuttered. People stayed inside their homes, unsure of what would happen next. Noel, like everyone else, found herself in lockdown.

The world felt frozen, but life went on in its own small way. At home, Noel spent her time reading, sketching, and trying to keep busy. She and her mother often had long conversations, and she helped her mom with the pancake business. Despite the uncertainty in the air, Noel had a sense of calm. She had always believed that things would get better, that life would eventually return to normal.

During the lockdown, a change came that Noel hadn’t expected.

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The house next door, which had long been vacant, was suddenly up for rent. The neighbor, Mr. Samuel, a kind but reclusive man in his fifties, had been looking for a tenant. Noel’s mother, always looking for ways to help her family, reached out to her sister, who lived in a small town about a hundred miles away.

Noel's mother, Rosa, received a call one afternoon that would alter the course of their lives. It was from her sister, Jwell, who lived several hours away in a neighboring town. Jwell, along with her husband Robert and their 8-month-old son, was struggling with the isolation of the pandemic and the uncertainty of what the future held. The small apartment where they lived was starting to feel more like a prison than a home, and with Robert working from home and Jwell trying to care for their baby, the pressure was mounting.

“I’ve been thinking, Rosa,” Jwell said, her voice warm but tinged with the exhaustion of long weeks spent inside. “Robert and I were talking, and we think it might be good for us to come stay with you for a while. Just until things settle down. We could really use the help, and honestly, I miss you. It feels like it’s been forever since we were all together.”

Rosa paused for a moment, considering the idea. Their bond had always been strong, despite the years of distance between them. When Jwell and Robert married at 23, the two sisters had grown apart in ways they hadn’t anticipated. Jwell’s life had shifted dramatically, and she’d had less time for the close, daily chats and visits they’d shared when they were younger. Still, the memories of their childhood—long summer days spent together in the garden, late-night talks, shared secrets—lingered between them like an invisible thread.

“We’d love to have you,” Rosa said finally. “It’s been too long, and Noel misses you too. Come when you can. We’ll figure it out.”

And just like that, the wheels were set in motion. Jwell and Robert packed up what they could, loaded their baby into the car, and drove the hours to Del Mar.

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When they arrived, Noel was waiting at the front porch. She had heard the car pull up but stood back, watching as the familiar figures emerged from the vehicle. Jwell, now 34, looked different. The young woman Noel had known so well—the one who would play dress-up with her, teach her how to bake, and tell her stories about love and life—now had the tired eyes of a mother, the weight of responsibility pressing down on her shoulders. Robert, tall and quiet, looked just as he always had: calm, composed, a man of few words.

But what struck Noel the most was the baby, a small bundle in Jwell's arms. Her nephew. His soft eyes and chubby cheeks were like a living reminder of how much time had passed.

“Look at you,” Jwell said, her voice soft with affection, her eyes lighting up as she saw her sister and niece standing there. “I can’t believe how much time has gone by.”

Noel hugged her aunt tightly. It was a warm, familiar embrace, but also a little awkward, like they were reconnecting after a long silence. They had shared so much growing up, but since Jwell’s marriage, the space between them had grown wider. The moments of closeness had faded, replaced by the hustle of family life and the distance of time.

“I missed you, Aunt Jwell,” Noel said, pulling back and smiling. “You look like you haven’t slept in days.”

Jwell laughed, but it was a tired laugh. “That’s motherhood for you.”

The four of them spent the evening catching up. Robert took charge of settling the baby, while Jwell and Rosa reminisced about old times. But it wasn’t long before Noel found herself alone with her aunt again. The two of them slipped into the kitchen, where Noel was helping Rosa prepare dinner.

“You’ve changed so much, you know,” Noel said, glancing over at Jwell as she worked. “It’s like you’re a different person. I barely recognize you anymore.”

Jwell paused for a moment, looking at her niece with a mix of fondness and something more complicated. “I think we all change, Noel. Life has a way of doing that to us. But that doesn’t mean we forget who we were. It just means we grow into who we’re supposed to be.”

Noel smiled, nodding, but in her heart, she couldn’t help but feel the ache of the past—the shared bond they’d had as a child and how it had frayed when Jwell’s life had taken a different direction.

But there was something else, too—something she couldn’t put her finger on. It wasn’t just that her aunt had changed. It was that Noel had changed too. She wasn’t the same little girl who had spent hours following Jwell around, asking questions about love and life. Now, she was standing on the precipice of something new, something more complicated. And she wasn’t sure where she fit in the world anymore.

As the days passed, Noel and Jwell found themselves talking more. The distance that had grown between them didn’t evaporate overnight, but slowly, like the gentle return of spring after a long winter, the connection began to rebuild. The laughter returned, the shared memories resurfaced, and for the first time in a long time, Noel felt like the little girl who could run to her aunt for comfort.

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It was one evening, when the house was quiet and the baby was asleep, that Noel found herself sitting on the back porch with Jwell. The sky was a deep shade of indigo, the stars beginning to emerge in the cool California night.

“I never told you this, but when you got married, I was sad,” Noel said, breaking the silence. “It felt like you were leaving me behind.”

Jwell looked over at her niece, her expression softening. “I never meant to leave you behind, Noel. You were always like a little sister to me. But when Robert and I got married, everything changed. It’s not like I chose to grow apart from you. It just happened.”

Noel nodded, understanding more than she let on. “I get it now. Things change, I guess.”

“They do,” Jwell agreed, her voice quiet. “But some things stay the same. The love we share. The bond we’ve always had.”

Noel smiled, feeling that old connection between them, the bond of family, of love, of shared history. It was something neither time nor distance could erase.

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But as the days passed, there was something else growing between Noel and the people who had come into her life. A change, unpredictable and unspoken. Something that Noel couldn’t fully understand, but that she could feel in the deepest part of her heart.

And as her story unfolded, the new connections she formed would lead her to a place where love, in all its forms, would be tested in ways she never imagined.

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