Too soon, Christmas had come around again. Orchard Road shimmered with festive lights, cascades of LEDs draped across trees and shop façades, reflecting off glossy pavements slick from a recent drizzle. Crowds moved in slow, lazy waves, their chatter mingling with distant strains of upbeat holiday songs from department store speakers. Window displays glowed with mannequins dressed in sparkling holiday attire, miniature train sets weaving around snowy dioramas, and endless rows of twinkling fairy lights.
Noelle strolled along the bustling street, her hands tucked into her jacket pockets, a quiet sense of relief humming beneath the excitement because her exams were finally over. She paused every so often, tilting her head to take in the kaleidoscope of lights, smiling faintly at the cheerful chaos of shoppers and the occasional busker strumming a guitar near a street corner. The energy around her pressed in like a warm current and for the first time in weeks, she felt a flutter of blitheness, a lightness that had nothing to do with grades or deadlines.
She hadn't expected to see him. Not really. But ever since Fiona mentioned Han would be home for the holidays, anticipation had settled quietly in her chest. Hope mixed with anxiety, threaded through with something nameless that refused to fade.
Noelle struggled with the latch on her front gate, bags of shopping in her hands, fumbling briefly as the weight threw her balance off. She let out a quiet sigh, blinking against the warm glow of the Christmas lights strung along the street.
And then, all at once, there he was.
Han stood in the doorway of his aunt's house, casual but unmistakably himself. The familiar ease of his posture, the dark sweep of his hair and the faint sun-kissed warmth lingering on his skin from months in Perth made her heart stumble. Everything about him was familiar and yet changed, like a melody she once knew perfectly but now played in a slightly different key.
"Noelle?" His voice carried down the small front yard, warm and tinged with surprise.
She froze, caught between instinct and hesitation but a secret, fluttering happiness stirred inside her. He had arrived earlier than she had dared hope and even as her mind raced, she realised that all the countless times she had imagined this reunion: walking up to him, hearing his voice, seeing him smile had left her mind blank now. The scene she had rehearsed a million times felt impossibly real, yet her thoughts were fleeting, caught in a haze of anticipation.
"Han… hi," she whispered, her voice softer than she intended, a fragile tremor hiding beneath calm.
He stepped closer, uncertainty flickering across his features. "It's been… a while. Christmas in Singapore feels… different now, huh?"
Noelle nodded, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "Yeah… it's different." Outwardly composed, but inside she was a storm with all the memories, longing flooding in and the old fluttering ache she had tried to bury.
"I actually came back a little early," Han said after a pause, lowering his voice. "My aunt wanted me to visit my granny but I thought… I'd spend some time around here too."
Noelle's pulse quickened. She wanted to ask everything… about his time in Perth, about Jessica… but she held back, afraid to reveal how much she still cared, how much the memory of him had lingered.
A quiet settled between them, punctuated only by the faint echo of laughter and holiday music drifting from the street. Then Han leaned slightly closer, voice gentle. "I wanted to see you again, Noelle. Before the holidays get too busy."
Her chest fluttered violently. This was the moment she had imagined countless times in her daydreams, yet reality was fragile and uncertain. She offered a small, careful smile, both genuine and tentative. "I'm glad you came back. I mean… to see everyone."
Yet despite the promise in his words, their conversation faltered. Jokes stumbled into awkwardness; laughter rang a little too forced and the natural ease they once shared hovered just out of reach. When they finally parted, it was with careful goodbyes, their smiles polite but tinged with something heavier.
As Noelle reached her doorstep, her heart was still unsteady. She had imagined this meeting with Han countless times but when it finally happened, her mind went blank. The reality of him standing there, so close yet still out of reach, was both thrilling and disorienting.
She set her shopping bags down and drew a slow breath. The old ache was still there but it had shifted, softened into something she could not quite name. Maybe it was hope, maybe it was just the comfort of knowing he was near again. Whatever it was, it lingered quietly, refusing to fade.
Inside, the soft glow of her Christmas tree filled the room, the tiny lights blinking gently against the ornaments she had hung with care. Noelle sank onto the couch, her eyes lingering on the glow. For a moment, she let herself wonder if this Christmas might bring her something she had longed for but never dared to name.
The next afternoon, Noelle was standing by the front gate, brushing leaves off the steps when she heard someone call her name. She turned, startled, and saw Han strolling up the road with that easy smile she remembered too well.
"Caught you playing housekeeper?" he teased, glancing at the broom leaning against the gate.
Noelle rolled her eyes, though she couldn't help the laugh that slipped out. "Very funny. Some of us actually help around the house, you know."
Han grinned, his eyes glinting. "Touché. Guess I've been spoiled living away. No one tells me to sweep leaves in Perth."
"Well, don't get too comfortable. You're back now," she said, leaning on the gate, her smile tugging wider than she meant it to.
For a moment they just stood there, the silence not awkward but familiar, like slipping into a rhythm that had always been theirs.
"So," Han said, rocking back on his heels, "tell me what I've missed. Besides you becoming queen of Orchard Road shopping."
"I did not shop that much!" Noelle protested, swatting the air as though to wave the thought away. "It was just Christmas gifts. Practical things."
"Uh huh. Sure. I bet your definition of practical is questionable."
Her laugh rang out brighter this time, surprising her. "Some things never change with you."
"And some things do," Han replied, softer, before quickly adding, "Like my taste in coffee. Perth converted me. Flat whites only now."
Noelle shook her head, amused. "Still dramatic, I see."
Han hadn't expected it, but the first thing he noticed when he saw Noelle that afternoon was how different she looked. Her hair, once kept short and practical, now fell in soft waves past her shoulders, catching the sunlight like silk. She carried herself differently too, less shy, less quick to retreat into herself. There was a quiet elegance about her now, something unspoken that made him pause as he walked up the familiar path.
And yet, when she looked up and smiled at him, it was still Noelle. The same warmth he remembered, now layered with something steadier, more sure of itself.
"You look…" He caught himself, words trailing before he settled with a crooked grin. "Different. In a good way."
Noelle raised a brow, half-teasing. "Different as in unrecognizable?"
"You've grown your hair," he said before he could stop himself.
She blinked, surprised, then tucked a strand behind her ear. "Oh. Yeah. I guess I have."
"It suits you," Han added with an easy grin, hoping to disguise how intently he had been observing her.
They began walking together, their steps naturally falling in rhythm, the city's Christmas hum wrapping around them. Noelle found herself laughing as he complained about the heat after months of cool Perth weather, about the chaos of Orchard Road crowds, about how much he had missed the food stalls near his aunt's.
"You sound like a tourist," she teased.
"I feel like one," he admitted, shoving his hands into his pockets. "But the good kind. Like everything's familiar but new again." His glance flicked toward her briefly, and though he didn't say it outright, she wondered if he meant her too.
Noelle tilted her head slightly, her curiosity breaking through the easy rhythm of their walk. "So… what are your plans while you're back? Other than eating all the food you missed, obviously."
Han chuckled, scratching the back of his neck. His eyes lit up, and for a moment, his gaze softened in a way that made her stomach twist. "Yeah, food's top priority," he said, then added, almost without thinking, "I'm meeting Jessica too. It's been a long time and… well, you know."
The way he said her name, gentle and warm, carried something almost tender. He didn't mean for it to sting, but Noelle felt it anyway. The reality settled quietly in her chest, Han and Jessica were together now. Their laughter, the shared glances she had imagined in her mind before, now existed in the world, tangible and real.
"Oh," she said, keeping her tone light, careful. "That makes sense. You've been gone for months."
"Yeah," Han replied, voice bright, eyes sparkling. "I want to see her, to really catch up. It feels… right, you know? Like we've got so much to share." His words were easy, natural, filled with a warmth that was unmistakably romantic.
Noelle smiled faintly, nodding, though a quiet ache threaded through her chest. She imagined them together, walking, talking, laughing, the kind of effortless closeness she had once imagined for herself and him.
"Well, don't eat too much before we grab Ramly burgers," she said softly, trying to sound casual. "You promised."
Han laughed, light and carefree, completely unaware of the swirl of emotions he had left in her wake. She knew she should be happy for him. She wanted to be. But beneath the glittering Christmas canopy, she couldn't help but feel the sharp edge of loss, softened only by the fragile comfort of his presence beside her.