Noa went to work the next morning as usual but this time she was able to sleep quite well. 

As she clocked in, she found she had come in a little earlier than usual and was the only one in the shop besides Callum. Callum as per usual greeted her with a smile and the two chatted together as they prepared for the shop to open. 

Lately she noticed that Callum had been making more of an effort to talk to her and get to know her. At first she didn't find anything wrong with their close proximity but when Danielle, her best friend mentioned it, she realized that maybe Callum did like her but she wasn't sure. Though he was kind and was a comfortable presence to have around, Noa wasn't in a position to start a relationship given the situation she was currently in. It wouldn't be fair to start a relationship while hiding such a big secret. 

So she acted like she didn't know anything and kept some distance between the two hoping that if he did in fact like her, he could get a clue. While Noa was thinking all of this, Callum had been observing her and it was clear to anyone who looked at him that he was in love with Noa. 

"Hey, why don't you try going out with Callum?" Danielle asked her during their break. 

Noa looked up at her with wide eyes. "What are you saying? You know I can't go out with anybody right now!" She exclaimed. 

Danielle narrowed her eyes at her not understanding the meaning behind her words. "Why can't you go out with anybody?" 

Noa then realized that Danielle didn't know her circumstances. She had messed up. "U-Uh no I meant that I'm so busy right now I can't imagine myself dating anyone." She said. 

"Oh. I mean I can understand why but don't you think there's more to life than work? It's important to have fun and experience new things Noa. You haven't been in a relationship since you were eighteen years old. I'm worried about you." 

Noa's eyes clouded. She realized that what Danielle said was true. She never allowed herself to trust anyone ever since the accident…How could she? She had this crippling fear that if she gave herself to another person, they would be taken away from her, just like her family was. 

Seeing the look on her face made Danielle realize that she had probably crossed the line. "I'm sorry Noa, I didn't mean to make you remember the things that happened to you in the past. All I want is for you to be happy and I'm sure your family would've wanted the same for you," She said while patting her shoulder. 

"Learning to love and trust again doesn't mean you are betraying anyone." She said thinking that the reason why Noa is so closed off is because she doesn't believe she's allowed to be happy. 

Though this reasoning wasn't too far off, the real reason why Noa was scared to open herself up to people was because she was afraid they would leave. But this was obviously something she hadn't told anyone about. Not even her best friend. The only one who knew her true feelings was Shijin. 

"I don't want to force you to do anything, but I feel like it's about time you let yourself go. Who knows, you might end up finding the love of your life once you do." 

As the two sat there talking, Callum was behind the door. Having heard everything, he was filled with a newfound determination and hoped Noa could accept him. 


Back at home…

Shijin hadn't been able to get any sleep for the past two days with his mind filled with the things Baku had told him. 

He knew that he would be better off using the second method to break the bond considering how pressed for time he was, but for some reason, he didn't want to rely on that method. A part of him thought it was because he would have to fall in love with a human, a race he had promised himself he would never get involved with again and yet here he was getting involved with a human. He wasn't even sure what it meant to fall in love given that he had never loved anyone before. He always believed that as a god, more specifically a god of death, the concept of love was impossible for him to experience given that the two were complete opposites. 

Death symbolized an ending while love represented a new beginning. It went against his being. However these thoughts were crushed when he saw his counterparts, Hades and Osiris falling in love. If it was possible for those two to love than it would be possible for him as well right? 

Then there was the second part of him. The part that believed that it wouldn't be fair to both of them if he fell in love with Noa just for him to have to go back to the spiritual realm. He was a god and she was a human. Not only did they not life in the same realm but their lifespans were different. Noa would eventually die and he would be left alone. 

Left alone? 

"Since when did I care about loneliness? I've always been on my own so why would it matter to me now?" 

His heart started to grow heavy as he imagined a future where Noa would leave him and he would be left alone to live on for another millenia working the same old dull and tedious job. Suddenly his heart couldn't take the pain. 

Shijin shot up as a cloud of darkness started to weigh him down. Panic took over his body as his mind raced with the endless ways Noa could be taken away from him. He didn't like this feeling and had the sudden urge to run. 

Run. Yes I'll run. 

"I need some space to think. Yes…I won't be gone forever…I just need…" 

Shijin disappeared that day, leaving behind a cloud of smoke. 


                                                                                ...................….

It had been several days since Noa had seen Shijin. 

When she came back home that day, instead of seeing him on the couch, she was met with silence. Noa searched around the house but caught no sight of him. At first she didn't think much of it, believing that Shijin just wanted some space. 

After the first week of them being bonded together, Shijin was able to increase the amount of distance needed for them to stick together. After a month had gone by, Shijin could now go out on his own without having any interference from the ring. 

As long as he didn't leave the city they would be fine. But that was a month ago…who knew how far Shijin was allowed to go now. He could probably leave the country with no problem. 

The sudden thought of Shijin leaving left a bad taste in Noa's mouth. She didn't know why, but she felt like her whole world would crumble if Shijin left her. She started to recall his recent behavior and realized that Shijin had become incredibly distant and now he was gone. 

"Is he seriously leaving? If he was going to leave, shouldn't he have at least left a note?" 

Maybe the bond had been lifted without her knowledge and Shijin could now go back to the spiritual realm. But if that was the case, he could've at least told her. 

Noa was left feeling dejected for the next couple of days. She had hoped that Shijin would return after getting the space he needed but still nothing. Noa was frustrated because she had no way to contact him. She really wished she had insisted when the conversation of buying a phone came up. 

Now she was left in the dark without a clue of where he was and whether or not he'd be coming back. Though she wanted nothing more than to stew in darkness, unfortunately life went on and Noa had to go to work. Even after ten days had gone by, she still hoped he would return. 

Danielle who was watching her friend's demeanor getting worse and worse by the day could no longer tolerate seeing her like this. So she came up with a plan in hopes to get Noa's mind off of whatever was bothering her. She called out to Callum, an evil smile on her face. 

That day, they had yet another staff dinner, but Danielle made sure that Callum and Noa were the only two to show up. 

Noa didn't realize Danielle's plans until it was too late. She wasn't in the mood to eat nor did she have the energy to fake a smile and converse with her boss. 

I'm gonna kill Danielle when I see her. 

Callum could only stare at Noa with a sheepish smile on his face. He was also aware of Danielle's plans and although it didn't sit right with him to trick Noa like this, he also didn't want to miss out on this opportunity. He also was worried about Noa since her condition had been getting worse for the past week. 

"I'm sorry for bringing you out when you're clearly not feeling well." 

"It's fine. This was obviously Danielle's doing. I should be the one apologizing." Noa said. 

As the two ate dinner, Noa would absentmindedly play with her ring throughout the meal and Callum couldn't help but narrow his eyes every time he saw the ring on her finger. 

As far as he was aware, Noa wasn't engaged nor was she married and according to Danielle, she wasn't seeing anyone. Callum chalked up the ring to being a simple accessory she wore everyday but with the way she was touching and eyeing the ring as if it was the most precious thing in the world, Callum couldn't help but suspect there was someone in Noa's heart. Most likely the owner of the ring. 

It was clear Noa wasn't interested in him romantically, but that didn't stop him from trying anyway. Callum wasn't the type to give up on something he wanted and he wasn't one to pass up on a challenge either. 

The two continued to eat and Callum later walked Noa home, and the two parted ways in front of Noa's apartment. 

Though Noa was in a bad mood earlier, she was starting to feel a little better after the diner. She could tell Callum was trying hard to cheer her up and so she decided not to disappoint him and instead have a good time as well. 

Noa got to her apartment with a small smile on her face . The first smile she had managed to form for a while. 

Shijin, who had been observing her from afar, couldn't help but frown when seeing the sight. Anger bubbled up inside of him and he wanted nothing more than to release that anger towards the man who had dropped Noa off. 

Baku who had come down to earth to check on his master couldn't help but sigh. It was clear Shijin was worried about Noa since he came to check on her every night and just from looking at his reaction he could tell his master liked this human. He didn't understand why he was being so stubborn. 

Maybe the master needs a little push.

"Don't human males only drop off human females like this when there are feelings involved?" He asked. 

Shijin turned to look at him, clearly perplexed by his question. 

"I mean that, that human male probably likes your human." 

There was a mix of frustration and delight in Shijin's eyes which didn't go unnoticed by Baku. 

"She is not my human. Whether he likes her or not is none of my concern." He said in a flat voice. 

Master, who are you trying to fool? You are obviously bothered by this. 

But Baku kept those thoughts to himself as the two disappeared into the darkness.