Sweetheart Boulevard

Chapter 3

What Ray had to say only made Noelle worry once more about what might have  happened. Despite her curiosity and desire to help, she did not ask any more questions as she  did not want to bother Ray. The two of them headed towards the café near campus, which was  often frequented by students, hoping to find a table to work on the project. As they walked in  the direction of the café, they found making conversation so easy, it all came so naturally,  without any moments of awkward silence. To Noelle, this whole situation was fascinating, how  instant this connection was, and little did she know, Ray was just as amazed.

The pair found no difficulty in working for the Art History project, as they could make use of both their passions, Noelle's drawing, and Ray's painting. They talked for hours, getting to know each other better, without even realizing how much time had passed. "It's almost closing time, do you two want anything else?" the barista asked the pair, making both of them check the time anxiously. They each ended up ordering a coffee to go and thanked the friendly barista as they left the café, heading home.

"I didn't even realize how late it was. You're such a pleasure to talk to." Noelle said  softly as she was sipping her coffee.

"You're a sweetheart, Elle. I couldn't have asked for a better partner." 

"How come you call me Elle?" the girl wondered.

"Oh, sorry, do you not want me to call you that? I just thought it suited you." Ray quickly apologized.

Noelle shared her story with Ray, confessing everything about her past to her partner.  She never opened up like this to anyone else before. It was definitely not easy, but it felt good to actually have someone listen to her. Ray also felt safe around Noelle, knowing that she can  be trusted. After hearing her story, Ray decided to share the story of an unfortunate childhood  as well, telling Elle everything there was to know. The two were so focused on unraveling  hidden parts of one another, they did not even notice they were heading in the same direction  as they both had in their minds that they were going home. They found themselves at the end  of a street, in front of Noelle's house.

"Well, this is me. Do you live in the neighborhood?" Noelle asked as she was finishing  her coffee.

"Actually, that's me." said Ray pointing at the house on the other side of the road.

"How could we not know we were neighbors?"

"I've got no idea, but at least now we know. This is our boulevard, sweetheart." Ray  responded with the biggest smile.

The sweet Noelle and the mysterious Ray ended up meeting every single night on one or the other's side of the road. They would always start by talking about their project, but then they would get lost in each other's words and talk about everything there could possibly be, the moon and the stars, the books and the poems, the songs and the movies. They would dance in the middle of the road. They would spend hours sketching each other. They would even simply gaze into each other's eyes, without saying a single word.

They helped each other overcome their difficulties and they were both finally happy,  until one night when the fairytale seemed to crumble. The two, who were no longer just partners  for a project, were on the porch of Noelle's house, stargazing as Elle was curled-up in Ray's  arms. They heard a car coming and then a man, who appeared to be under the influence, getting  out of it and heading towards them.