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Noah frowned feeling the emptiness and, he glared at Aria. However, the girl was busy smoothing her shirt to notice his look of annoyance. But that did not mean Ian did not miss it. He saw the obvious frustration in his friend\'s eyes, and he chuckled lightly. \'Ah, love truly does change a person.\' He shook his head and folded his hands, waiting for the couple to notice him.

"Why did you come here?" Noah directed his glare to his friend, not hiding his annoyance at being disturbed. If not for Ian, Aria would still be in his arms.

"Don\'t blame me." Ian held his hands up innocently. "I was just a passerby."

"If not for you, my sweetheart would still be in my embrace." Noah shamelessly declared, and Ian scoffed at his words. However, Aria held a completely different expression than the two men. She was utterly bewildered, unlike Noah who did not seem to care about it. Instead, he looked irked as though someone had taken his priceless treasure away from him.

"Noah," She chided him, only get his shrug his return.

"Don\'t blame me, darling. I was not the one to push you away from my embrace. If it is anyone to blame, it\'s you and Ian." His shamelessness did not stop, agitating Aria all the more.

"Hey, hey, hey. Don\'t blame the innocent." Ian tried to object, only to be ignored by the couple once again. Ian rolled his eyes, unable to tolerate their over-flowing love. He was sure he would drown in it and die. "You guys continue with your romance. I\'ll go away." Ian gritted his teeth and turned around to leave.

"Good that you realized that you are not wanted here," Noah muttered, but both Aria and Ian heard it.

"Noah," Aria warned him and apologized to Ian silently. "Come in, Ian. We wanted to talk to you."

"I got it. It\'s about your Dad, right. I don\'t mind him staying with me. In fact, I would love to have someone to keep me company. It\'s boring to stay alone." Ian agreed to help Aria at once.

"Thanks. That means a lot to me." Aria hugged him, and Noah could only glare at his friend, one that did not go unnoticed by Ian.

"Why are you looking at me like you want to tear me into pieces? What have I done wrong?" Ian asked, still hugging Aria by her shoulder.

"I come here to meet my girlfriend, and she asks me why am I here, rather than welcoming me with a kiss and a hug. You come here and say some sweet words, and she gives you a hug. How wonderful!" Noah sassed, and Aria burst out laughing. He looked nothing less than a petulant child complaining to her about not receiving his candies.

Ian had had it enough of his complaints, and he gnashed his teeth. "You are so annoying, more so after you fell in love. Do you even remember that I am your friend?"

"What friend? Who friend? Who are you talking about?" Noah replied, not caring about Ian.

"Oh, Lord. I never knew people would change this much once they fell in love."

"Stop it, alright. I will see how you will be when you will fall in love. It\'s not like it will never happen. Lets\' wait and watch."

"You guys continue your childish banter. I have to get back to work. See you later." This time, Aria pecked Noah on his lips, much to his happiness. "Bye Ian."

"Bye." Ian watched Aria leave the room before his eyes fell on Noah, who had not averted his eyes away from her, tenderness and love oozing through them.

"Hello." Ian waved his hands in front of the man, who had not moved even though Aria was long gone. "Come to earth, Noah. Aria has left." He reminded him, and Noah nodded his head lightly.

"Are you sure about Mr. West? I can find an alternative if you uncomfortable with his presence."

"Not at all. I am more than happy to have him stay at my house. Why is he moving away all of a sudden? Did he witness you two love birds being all lovey-dovey too?" Noah did not give any reply, silently confirming Ian\'s words.

"Oh my God. That\'s true then. Were you so excited that you could not keep your hormones under check in front of your father-in-law? Nevertheless, he wants to move out. I never knew you were this thirsty." Ian sighed and shook his head.

"As I said before, I will be right here when you fall for someone. Let me see how you will be then. Don\'t worry. I will make sure to feed your words back to you." Noah deadpanned, and Ian sneered. "Thanks for doing this. I owe you one." Noah became serious the next instant and smiled at him.

"Not a problem." Ian then remembered something that was bugging his mind for a long time. "Noah I have something to talk to you about."

"Yeah?"

"Do you remember I time when Aria and I returned from the border?"

"I do. What do you want to talk about it?" Noah recalled how he had to meet a forlorn Aria, instead of his cheerful girl.

"Don\'t you think it is strange?"

"What is?"

"Aria," Ian replied, unsure where he was going himself.

"What?" Noah frowned at his words, and he blinked at him in confusion. 

"Yes, I don\'t think you know what exactly happened that time."

"I think I know. You have told me enough." Noah could not comprehend what his friend wanted to tell him.

"No. I did not tell you the details. I just told you that Aria shot someone."

"What are you hinting at Ian?" Noah was still unable to understand what he wanted to convey.

"Shall we sit and talk? This might take some time."

The two men sat, facing each other. Ian tried to recollect what had happened that day, and he tilted his head, trying to sort his thoughts. "Noah, something about Aria is bugging me." He started, still unsure if he was right about it.

"Aria? What did she do?"

"Noah, when Major Meyers and Kevin were involved in a fight, it was only Aria who had witnessed it. I had no idea about it. Nor did I know about her shooting someone until Ethan brought her back to the medical camp after she lost consciousness."

"Oh," Noah muttered. He did not know the details of what had transpired that day. The situation had been extremely panicking the moment Aria returned home, especially after he saw a distraught and depressed Aria instead of his cheerful and lovely girl. It was as though she had lost all the glimmer in her eyes. All he was wanted to do was get his Aria back. So, he had not gone into details about what happened.

"Yes, I had a chat with the Major before we departed, and he told me what had happened."

"Is there more to it? Isn\'t this a case of self-defense?"

"No. Aria was not defending herself. She was trying to save the Major."

"What?" Noah was flabbergasted by the revelation.

"Yes, Kevin had held Ethan in a chokehold, and Aria was trying to save him."

"Ethan? Who is Ethan?" Noah stopped him suddenly.

"Major Ethan Meyers."

"Oh, okay. Even if Aria was trying to save him, what\'s strange in this? I am very proud that she decided to save him rather than running away like a coward. But I am angry that she put herself in danger." Noah could never forget her crestfallen face when he saw her after a long time. It was something he never wanted to see again.

"Noah, will you please listen to what I have to say?" Ian was losing his patience slowly. He was just short of snapping at his friend.

"Yeah, sorry."

"Better. Ethan reiterated everything that had transpired in that tent that day. It was he who ordered Aria to shoot. But..." Ian stopped suddenly not knowing what to say.

"But..." Noah prompted, his curiosity at the peak. 

"Aria shot Kevin right in his neck. It was an instant kill." 

"Wow, my girl is so amazing. She did well for a first-timer." Noah praised Aria, pride filling his heart. He completely overlooked what Ian was trying to convey.

"Don\'t you think it\'s weird?"

"What is?" Noah asked, blinking at him in confusion.

"Aria did well, in fact, too well at her first shot. It was a bull\'s eye. This is something that I am unable to get out of my head. Even Ethan was impressed by her."

"Do you mean to say that this was not the first time Aria has yielded a gun?"

"I think so. But I hope I am wrong. She hit Kevin accurately in the neck, even though he was saving himself by using Ethan as a shield. She could have misfired or hit him anywhere else. It was a one-shot kill."

"What if she had been lucky?" Noah did not doubt Aria at all. 

"Maybe. But Ethan does not think so. He feels that she knows how to handle guns. According to him, she was extremely confident when she fired the bullet. It was as though she knew what she was doing."

"This is all baseless suspicion." Noah defended Aria at once. I am sure Aria had just been fortunate to shoot him in the neck.

"Let\'s hope that\'s the case." Ian sighed, closing the topic for now, even though his mind was still suspicious of her. "How\'s the hotel inauguration coming along?" He changed the topic, lightening the mood that had become serious a few moments ago.

Nobody noticed the person who had listened to their conversation secretly. Aria had forgotten to get her phone when she had left the room. So, she had retraced her steps only to chance upon Ian and Noah talking about her. The door was not completely closed. So, she could hear them speak clearly.

\'Oh, Lord.\' She turned, closing her eyes tight. \'Noah trusts me so much. What will happen when the truth comes out?\' She dreaded the day when it actually happened. \'What should I do? How do I tell him this?\'

Aria took one last glance at the man who had the utmost confidence in her and started to walk away from the room. \'I cannot keep this matter a secret anymore. He trusts me beyond belief. I cannot hurt him by keeping this from him. I cannot keep this secret from him any longer. But how do I tell him? How?\' Aria was just short of crying at her miserable state. Her mind was a mess and she had no idea how to face the man who she had come to love.

\'Yes, I could do this. Yes.\' A notion popped up in her mind. She recalled that it was Noah\'s birthday after two days. She could use this opportunity to tell him everything. \'I will confess everything to him on his birthday. I just hope he will still be with me once I come clean before him.\' Aria prayed silently, leaning against the wall. \'Noah, please don\'t leave me. Please. I just hope we will still be together after two days.\'