•🎒Noelle- Close Friends🎒• ✓

The soft light of the late afternoon stretched through the windows like a golden blanket, casting long shadows across the wooden floor. The sound of dry leaves being stepped on outside broke the silence—followed by three gentle knocks on the front door.

— "U-uhm... Hello? It's... Noelle..." came a quiet voice, barely louder than the rustling wind.

You opened the door, and there she was—wearing her pale green sweater, antlers gently trembling, long ears twitching with the breeze. She clutched a shoulder bag and held a well-used binder close to her chest, its cover decorated with tiny hand-drawn bunnies.

— "S-sorry for being... so on time." she mumbled with a fragile smile, avoiding eye contact for a second before glancing up at you, her warm brown eyes filled with hesitation.

You invited her in. She stepped over the threshold carefully, as if entering somewhere sacred.

— "Your house is so quiet... I like that. It reminds me of... the hospital. In a good way. Heh..."

She gently removed her shoes and followed you to the table where you'd already set out some supplies. She stood silently for a moment, looking down at the notebooks with a mix of focus and nerves, then slowly sat down, folding her hands tightly in her lap like they were holding her courage together.

— "We’re supposed to write about... natural phenomena, right?" she asked, pulling a bunny-shaped pencil from her bag and nibbling on the eraser. "We could do snowstorms. Unless that’s silly..."

You agreed, and her face brightened with a shy, grateful smile.

— "I like studying with you. You... don’t rush me. Or try to fix everything. That’s... rare."

While Writing, What Will Be Your Next Action?.