The Sway and Slide of Love

The truth was, Noelle hadn't planned to go with Dylan today. Even if she no longer had any feelings for Hendrix, she knew this was Ophelia's memorial service.

Showing up as the ex-wife was already awkward enough, but arriving with Dylan would have been like a slap to the face to the Freeman family.

But Dylan had somehow found out she would be attending, so the moment she stepped out of the car, she ran into him. He told her he was also there to pay his respects to Ophelia as well. Given the circumstances, leaving him behind would've felt too deliberate.

At first, Dylan had tried to play it off as a coincidence, but that excuse was laughable at best. Now, as he brought it up again, Noelle didn't bother responding. She simply lowered her gaze, staring at her hands.

Dylan tightened his grip on the steering wheel before saying, "I wasn't trying to pull anything. I just thought, if you go alone, someone might make things difficult for you. That's why I wanted to accompany you."

It was still a poor excuse. But Noelle didn't call him out on it. Instead, she gave a quiet "mm" in response.

"What did Hendrix say to you just now?" Dylan asked.

"Nothing much. Just small talk," Noelle replied calmly.

Dylan wanted to press further, but the words got caught in his throat. He knew he was acting irrationally.

Hendrix was part of Noelle's past. If Dylan kept fixating on him, all he'd do was push her to think about him even more. Yet, he couldn't help himself.

Because he knew that after everything Noelle and Hendrix had been through, there was no way she felt nothing for him. Even Noelle had admitted it herself that

a trace of Hendrix still lingered in her heart. But now, how much of that trace remained?

Dylan didn't want to ask, and yet, he desperately wanted an answer.

"Dylan?"

Noelle's voice snapped him out of his thoughts. He turned to her, slightly dazed.

"You missed the turn," she told him. "You were supposed to turn at the last intersection."

"Really?" Dylan forced a smile. "Sorry. I spaced out for a bit. It's fine. I'll just loop around."

"Okay." Noelle paused for a moment before adding, "Are you free tonight? Let's have dinner together."

"Sure," Dylan quickly responded,

flashing her a bright smile. "Should we bring Rosie along? What do you feel like eating? I'll have my assistant book the restaurant."

"No need to go to any trouble. I'm fine with anything."

"It's no trouble at all," Dylan said, reaching over to take her hand. "I'll do anythingnoveldrama

as long as it makes you and Rosie happy."

With his hand around hers, Noelle

could feel the warmth radiating from

him. His grip wasn't tight, but for some reason, she felt a heavy weight pressing down on her.

settled on her palm, then seemed to spread to her chest, making it hard for her to breathe.

Dylan had everything planned out. He even picked a kid-friendly restaurant he thought Rosie would love. But just as Noelle was about to head out, he called to say something had come up at work, so he wouldn't be able to make it.

For some reason, the moment she heard that, her heart suddenly skipped a beat.