Rebelling is a risk in most of its cases, in my case, it was a crazy step that I had been taking all my life. After all, I liked living free, my mother felt it was fine but Dad was always against it. When I first head he was in prison, I was not sure how to react so I agreed to the only proposal that was making sense with actually making any sense. But there was no way I was going to let it roll between my dreams and haunt me forever, so at the last moment, I chose to pivot.

"Sitting alone, young lady?" Pete's annoying voice tortured my ears as he sat beside me. I was still in the cafeteria, Eleanor had already left for her classes though.

"What's up?" I picked up my phone, glueing my eyes to the screen.

He didn't seem pretty happy to my reaction anyway, "you never used to ignore me that bad."

Pete was a part of my past, a very strange part and I was sure, somewhere in his playboy heart, I was a reason he chose to turn to those dense roads of fake love.

I scrolled further down my phone gallery, "Am I acting differently? I don't think so."

His eyes flickered to my hair and then my feet, "yes, you are." He smiled a little before adding, "you seem to be looking out for Director Martin these days."

"Director Martin is my benefactor, " I breathed before looking at him, "didn't you teach me, always be on the same side as your benefactors?"

"You've grown up, young lady." He patted my hair forgetting the kick from this morning.

I pushed his hand away from me, "you've lost all these rights. Stop living your lies."

"It was a mistake, for God sake. I didn't intend on doing that." He huffed leaning down on the table. Strange, he wasn't screaming yet, like he used to always.

"I know, but I took it to heart. You betrayed me, Mr Bennette, you know how much I hate betrayals." I smiled standing up from my place. The World knew how much I hated betrayals, let alone someone who had been through the hell after betraying me.

"Yes, yes. I know Miss. Renaldi, but c'mon. The Martin boy did nothing different. He made you indebted to him." Pete stated. Did he just call Noah a traitor too?

I was done with him, I didn't want to speak to him anymore, so I did what I loved the most. "Hope I never see you again."

I smiled before running away from him. When Dad was pushed into bankruptcy, I went to Pete first. I needed to help my father and Pete was still a friend I wanted to trust back then. But, I guess it was my fault. Pete kept me hanging on to him a lot. I did all he asked me to, helped him learn secrets about me I wouldn't tell anyone. I even told him that I would be his girlfriend if he saved my father. He agreed to it then, but later I found out the whole trap was set up by him. He and his father had planned this all along.

Although Patricia was my friend, I still couldn't believe her family betrayed me. Pete had extracted enough information from me to find out it was impossible for us to save Dad without any miracles. So, it didn't actually matter how hard we tried, in the end, we were going to be on square one.

He had managed to use all our shares to his benefits, I hated him now. I was going to hate him for the rest of my life.

If there's any regret I have related to what happened two years back, was the fact that I chose Pete to help me first, before Noah. If only I had chosen to take Noah's help in the first place, maybe the situation would have been different. Maybe I wouldn't have had made a fool out of myself.

Tired and flooded with emotions and memories from the past, I ran to my escape. Knowing, he hardly considered me a part of his life now. I had a lot of "if" in my life and they were the reason for my sudden abrupt behaviours. It was because of them I was always running and acting on impulse.

So, now, again, I was outside my Dad's office pondering on a way to face him. It was going to be a disaster. Technically, I ran away after I got married telling my husband where I was going, with his permission but still I never discussed it with my parents. Dad never answered my calls in the past two years and now I emerged all of a sudden out of the blue, he sure was going to get a cardiac arrest.

"What's wrong?" Eleanor asked keeping her hand on my shoulder.

I jumped a little before turning to her, "Just wondering, what if I come someday else. I don't think I can face him now."

"You faced the guy you left behind at the altar with such great confidence, why are you so scared to face your own father?" She asked again.

"I don't know." I let out a sigh. 

"Sissy, this isn't your first time." She smiled, "You ran away from our house more than any of us did combine together."

"That's the point." I growled a little, "This time I ran away before even entering my In-laws' house. I didn't run away from mine but Noah's house."

"I guess I'll do it someday else," I added trying to walk away.

"Don't you miss him?" She rubbed the nameplate on dad's office door.

I sighed without replying and tried to walk away when a stronghold on my hand dragged me inside his office along with him.

"Dad." Noah greeted him while Dad glared at my face all confused. He was definitely going to be the end of me.

"Miael?" He questioned, more likely questioned my existence.

"Hi, Dad," I said in a low voice.

He threw the files he was holding in his hand on his table furiously, "Why are you here?"

"I asked her to return," Noah replied calmly.

"What?" Dad asked and I questioned myself too. I had no clue he would do that.

"Yes, and I would request you to respect the privacy of our matters." Noah said abruptly, "You all got us married and now it's up to us how we deal with it, so I request you to stop pushing us together every time. We are grownups and we can handle our problems."

"Even though it's a matter between you both, she still ran away from her own wedding that too after saying I do, that's an insult to your family," Dad stated, reminding me of the mistakes I had done.

"She didn't run. I asked her to leave. I was the one who was reluctant to accept our relationship in public back then." He blurted, "We were 19, most kids don't even have a proper boyfriend or girlfriend at that age when we were already forced together."

"So now that you've called her back, would you take the responsibility and give your just named relation some meaning or are you still going to keep ignoring each other?" Dad questioned.

This was the question I had been asking myself since the time I said I do.

I lifted up my head to look at his face. He looked calm. No hint of stress or tension, no sweat, nothing. How can someone be so peaceful in such a situation?

"We will figure that out." He said softly entangling our fingers.

Why Noah? Why? Stop messing up my brain already!

"I don't think so." Jade countered walking towards me appearing from the thin walls. He reached a footstep away and lifted up my left hand.

"She doesn't have her ring on, Noah. Do you really think she'll be able to keep her promises? They were just a way for her to support her family! She has no intention to give your marriage a chance, so stop believing in her. Stop trusting her blindly." Jade added jerking away my hand. I finally realized I had lost the most precious thing I had been preserving for the past 2 years.

"My ring! Where's my ring?" I panicked.

"Stop pretending Miael, it's of no use," Dad said disappointingly.

"But I had it on when I came here. I swear Noah, I had it." I said nervously looking around the table. I searched everywhere with trembling hands and fearful eyes. I had never separated that ring from me and now when I needed it the most, it was lost. I didn't just have it on because I was supposed to but because it made me feel complete.

"Miael, enough. You're fooling no one." Jade loathed his words with anger.

"Noah, I swear I had it on when I came here." I cried standing up again, "I could never take it off intentionally, trust me."

He sighed and without even looking at me towed me out of Dad's cabin.

"Noah, I'm sorry," I mumbled as some tears finally began to surface my eyes. He didn't turn to face me and walked away leaving me with Eleanor.

"Sissy, what happened?" She questioned rushing towards me.

I had my focus fixed to my empty finger. There was no chance I could have lost it. I had it when I entered school. Without it, my finger felt naked.

"My wedding ring's lost," I told her wiping my tears.

She folded her hands, "What? You're crying because of a ring?"

She was right, it was not like me to cry over a ring and upon wondering for a bit I did realize it wasn't actually the ring I was afraid of losing, it was Noah's trust. He had trusted me enough to let me go back then, I couldn't afford to lose his trust now that I was back.

"I need to find it," I said running towards the basketball court.

Eleanor followed me. We searched everywhere, from the centre of the court to the corners of the bleachers but it was nowhere.

My head swirled on the thought of how I was going to face Noah now? How was Noah going to deal with Jade, knowing I did create a blunder again.

Suddenly I heard the sound of a pair of stilettos approaching, "What are you two doing?" The girl asked, her voice full of partial excitement.

"Patricia?" I questioned turning to face her.

"Miael." She said with a smile.

Patricia was my best friend when I was in this school. After I left, I kept no contact with her. She had no clue about me being married as well.

"I missed you." She added hugging me. I hugged her back tapping her back.

"I missed you too. How have you been?" I asked parting away.

"I'm doing great! It's been so good here lately. I have all the boys rolling on my finger and I also have the attention of the Martin boys now!" She said excitedly. It was so like her to be excited over these stupid things.

I was happy for her, although I never really understood this material happiness.

"Really that's great. So, found any lucky one yet?" I questioned still looking around. I was least bothered, as my mind was fixed on the little diamond that I had lost.

"Yeah, Noah!" She said alerting my rabbit ears.

I turned towards her again and raising my eyebrows asked, "Noah?"

She highlighted her 32 whites and cheerfully nodded, "I know! It's so magical whenever he looks at me! I'm so glad he has got eyes only for me!"

"Noah has got eyes for you?" I questioned in disbelief. My elbows pointed out as my palms rested on my trunks.

"Yes, he doesn't talk to any other girl. He sometimes let me sit with him in the cafeteria. We have been paired in more than 5 assignments as couples together!" She exclaimed. Oh no, oh no, oh no!

"So, is he like your boyfriend or...?" I shuttered.

"Not yet, but he'll be soon. I know he is going to propose." She said jumping on her feet hiding her face in embarrassment as she ran away.

"Noah is going to propose Patricia?" Eleanor questioned scratching her hair, her eyes vividly looking for an answer on my face.

I glared at her face while my heart abused me for not listening to it and staying in New York. I had literally left all my gold unattended and now I had thieves eyeing for it.

"Noah is going to propose Patricia?" Eleanor mumbled again sitting on the floor. If she was shocked to that extent, me being paranoid seemed to be an understatement.

"I need a cold drink!" I said fanning myself with my hand. I ran to the cafeteria and bought a can of Coca Cola to calm myself down. I was so hot because of the news, my body felt as if I had just run 10 miles.

"Are you okay?" Pete asked leaning on the counter where I was already standing, right beside me.

I looked around the cafeteria to find Noah sitting alone. I was scared to face him. What if he really was going to propose Patricia? Was I really being a barrier in his love story? There was only one way to find out and so, I set on to find it.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I told Pete stomping the empty can of my cold drink beside him and went straight to Noah. If he was going to propose to her, he still needed to alert me beforehand. Why did save me in front of dad anyway?

I sat in front of him on the same table and collecting up myself, asked, "You're proposing Patricia?"

My voice came out a little shivering, the confidence in me usually never showed up when I was around him.

He didn't look at me. He was still engrossed in his book, his reactions also didn't change at all.

"Noah, I'm sorry for whatever happened today. I really didn't know about you and her. I showed up without even thinking about your side of our story." I sighed trying to reach for his hand that he had stretched on the table. 

"Noah, I'm sorry. Look at me at least." I said touching his fingers with mine.

He pulled his hand back and jolted up leaving his seat. Leaving me shocked and a little panicked, he went ahead to sit with Patricia while I glared at her smiling as she greeted him. I guessed I had lost him there. The one who had the scent of rain now belonged to the one who lived above the clouds while the one on land couldn't do anything but glare at them from a distance. The scent of rain was no longer mine.

_____