Knock, knock, knock, knock. The taps now carried a sense of urgency. Noah answered in bewilderment, thinking he might throw the door open. âOh, nothing happened. Iâm going out now.â
The knocking ceased. Noah instantly became nervous, ashamed of her current dilemma. Why did I forget? This wasnât my room. Besides, Iâm not alone. I canât go out like this! Especially in front of him⦠She hurriedly picked up the clothes and screamed internally. Why canât I do the magic of making clothes?
âMiss Noah? Are you all right?â asked Kyle. And since he hadnât heard Noah respond, he assumed something had happened. The doorknob twisted. Noah hastily shouted, âSir! Wait, donât come in!â
âWhy?â
âI have a problem. Take your hands off the doorknob and turn around. Otherwise, I wonât go out.â
Even when a wall separated them, Noah knew what Kyleâs expression was right now. He must be very suspicious. Still clutching the knob outside, Kyle narrowed his eyes. Soon, though, he released his grip. Noah then grasped the doorknob with both hands. âCan you just go outside for a while?â I can just send them out and quickly go to the room and get my gown. Then, Iâll lock the door and go to sleep.
However, his response was completely out of the blue.
âI donât know what youâre thinking, Miss Noah, but depression is not a mild condition.â
âWhat?â
âI thought it was just a joke before, but I was mistaken. If thereâs anything that bothers you, you have to tell me.â
âNo, thatâs not the problem right nowâ¦â Now that he mentioned it, Noah recalled the time when she told Kyle she was in the early stages of depression. She started laughing. So do you think Iâm doing something in the bathroom that I shouldnât not be doing? âIâm not that feeble-minded. Please donât make any strange misunderstandings.â
âThen why would you ask me to leave? Noah, donât think too much about it, and let me talk to you. Thereâs something Iâd like to ask you.â
Why are you so stubborn over nothing! Noah was agitated, but the scuffle persisted. âNo, so just stay out for a moment. Wait, five minutes! Weâll talk tomorrow,â she convinced Kyle.
âI need to see you right away.â
âWhy donât you test your conscience and think about how many times youâve made eye contact with me in the last four days? I donât really agree with you now.â
âItâs⦠itâs my fault.â
Kyleâs sudden apology baffled Noah. âWhat are you apologizing for? Look, Iâm not really thinking about something weird⦠Itâs because I donât have it right now.â
âWhatâs that?â
âClothesâ¦â
âWhat?â Kyle asked back reflexively and soon became silent as if he realized what she meant.
Noah then finally surrendered with a sigh. âI donât have any clothes to change. I was thinking about what to do because itâs a bit awkward to wear what I was wearing. Look, speaking of which, please look for a gown. Without it, I canât go outside.â
The steam that clouded the bathroom was gradually fading away. Noah, who had been immersed in cold water, began to shiver. After a moment of silence, Kyle seemed to move away from the door. Noah waited a few more minutes. Before long, there was a knock again.
âPlease wear a gown for now.â
With a swift move, Noah managed to open the door and snatch the gown. She immediately wrapped her quivering body with thick cotton, and warmed up. After she had tied the gown string tightly, she opened the door hesitantly.
âStop.â n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
She was pushed back into the bathroom, and the door slammed shortly.
âWhat⦠what is it? Why?â She stuttered in embarrassment, but was left with no answer. Instead, she could hear footsteps rushing away from the door. Only after waiting a few more minutes in a daze did the door open again half a span.
âWear this under your gown too.â
When Noah took what Kyle handed over, it was a tailored black shirt. It seemed to belong to Kyle. She took off her gown and put her arms through the shirt. She roughly buttoned up and wrapped the gown over her body again. With a glance at the mirror, before her stood a great fashion terrorist. A white, thick gown over a black shirt. Besides, the black shirt was sticking out at the end of the robeâs sleeves, which was quite an odd sight.
Still, it was much better because her chest was completely covered with one more layer. Relieved, Noah opened the door. âIâm done.â
Kyle, who was massaging his temples, looked back at her in surprise. His gaze rested on Noahâs waist for a moment before he spoke, âYou should say that before you open the door.â
âI donât care.â
âWhatâs wrong with youâ¦â
Noah didnât know why Kyle was staring at her waist neither did she care. She was only glad their eyes didnât meet. She slowly crept away from him. âTomorrow, Iâm going to the store to buy some clothes. I donât think itâs-â
But before she could complete her sentence, she was blocked by Kyle. And as soon as he touched the waistband of her gown, her breath hitched on her throat.