Is this destiny?

Noah and Chloe held hands and walked through the hallway toward the back of the youth center's property.

Chloe observed the plants that were on the windowsills. Some of them had colorful blooms and it gave a dash of color to the light gray walls.

The volume of the music was increasing as they approached the door at the end of the hallway which leads to a workshop.

The place was full of iron rods, wooden planks, and dismantled chairs. In the far right corner were three barstools with ripped upholstery and two tall, crooked lamps that have seen better days. There were containers with nails and nuts and bolts, a basket filled with lightbulbs of various sizes, shelves were lined with cans of paint, and there were paintbrushes, screwdrivers, carpentry knives, and many other things and tools Chloe didn't recognize.

In the middle of it all, Nico and Beck were with another bunch of teenagers, busying themselves with scraping, painting, measuring, and cutting. It was noisy and smelled of paint and burnt wood, even with the windows open. No one noticed that Noah and Chloe entered.

Nico and Beck are Felix's apprentices in the art of jewelry making that combine with gadgets. Felix spends Saturdays and Sundays with his family, so Nico and Beck come to the youth center in the roles of instructors themselves.

It's not just Nico and Beck. All kids from the Cliffside Villa come to the youth center on weekends for at least a few hours. During weekdays they are busy with internships, jobs, and their own classes, and on the weekends they take turns at the youth center so that they can teach and help out. Sarah and Aiden approve that their kids are helping the community while improving their leadership skills.

Noah told Chloe that kids in the workshop learn how to handle different materials, work with tools, create and fix things. 

"Kids go to the flea market and buy old knick-knacks, accessories, electronic devices, and furniture for a low price. If it's in bad shape, they use it for spare parts, and if it's fixable, they remove rust, put a fresh coat of paint, tighten some screws, replace a broken wire or torn upholstery, and then sell the same thing for a much higher price. Sometimes they repurpose things, by breaking them apart and making something new out of them. Every few months there is a competition, where they form groups with a goal to invent things. Some of these kids have registered patents…"

Chloe looked at everything around her with big interest. It was the first time for her to see people doing these things.

Noah explained how from every sale, kids put a percentage of money earned in the joint fund which is used to buy paint and any other materials or tools that were used, so this workshop is financially self-sustained, and it also produces profit.

The more Chloe learned about the youth center, the more she understood how these kids don't only live here, but they also contribute financially. She was curious to find out how much is the total cost of operating this place and how much Blanc is supplementing, but Noah told her that in order to get that information, Chloe will need to do a financial audit.

"You know that I'm planning to leave, right?", Chloe asked.

Noah shrugged. "There is no deadline, Chloe. What if I guarantee that the Long family can't touch you? No one associated with Longs can step into Blanc unless they are employees, and I will personally ensure that they don't get to you off-hours. Will you stay longer?" He knew that just asking her to stay will not work, so he went with the approach to delay her. Day by day, he will prolong her departure until one day she gives up.

"I really don't want to cause you trouble.", Chloe said.

"I hope you can stop thinking of yourself as a burden, Chloe. You are facing a challenge and there is nothing wrong with asking for help. Especially when the other party is willing to help you. You don't even need to ask me, just allow me to do what I can."

Chloe exhaled a shaky breath. "I will keep that on my mind."

Noah responded with a nod and continued talking about the workshop. Chloe could see that Noah was proud to be a part of this place. 

'BEEEEEEP!'

A sharp sound traveled through the youth center.

"What is that?", Chloe asked nervously.

Noah gave Chloe's hand a small squeeze, telling her that it's OK. "It's time for lunch."

Chloe looked around and saw that the commotion in the workshop was settling down as they kept the tools on the side, ready to walk out.

"Hey, Noah is here…", Nico called and smiled at Chloe. "Hello, Miss Long, I am Nico."

"Please, call me Chloe."

"Hi, Chloe! I'm Beck!", Beck immediately accepted calling her by her name. He gestured on the side and plastered a huge smile on his face. "Can I interest you in this lovely pair of night tables? They are freshly made to last for a long time and the mirrored top surface gives it an edgy modern feeling. I will give you a good deal."

"You made this?", Chloe guessed while observing the industrial-style night tables.

The matching night tables had four dark gray wooden legs, a narrow drawer with a metallic handle and at the top was a mirror, just how Beck said.

Beck nodded smugly. "This used to be one coffee table with drawers. Legs were made from scrap material, drawers were repurposed as well as the top of the coffee table, and the mirror was one large one which we cut to size. Touch the edges, they are smoothened…"

Chloe put her finger on the mirrored surface, and it left a smudge. "This will be difficult to keep clean."

"Some people don't mind cleaning for a bit of pizzazz in their home.", Beck defended his work. "What do you say?"

Chloe was not sure how to respond. She really didn't want to buy those side tables (even if she needed a pair), but she didn't want to offend Beck either.

"Uhm… Right now, I'm in transition between places.", Chloe said while choosing her words. "But when I settle down and I need some pizzazz, you will be the first one on my mind."

"OK. OK.", Beck said. "I will let it go because it's lunchtime and I worked out an appetite. Are you joining us?"

Chloe looked at Noah who responded with a nod.

"I guess we are.", Chloe said.

Nico hooked his arm around Beck's neck and pulled him away from Chloe. "We need to change from work clothes and clean up and will see you in the dining hall."

As they were walking toward the washroom, Nico chided Beck, "Why are you the third wheel? Give them some space. And no one will buy those side tables. I told you that it's a bad idea to put a mirror on top…"

Chloe closed her eyes and exhaled to calm her emotions. Normally, Nico's words about Beck being the third wheel would make Chloe run away from Noah and embarrassment, but in the last few days, Noah put Chloe through so many things, that she felt like blood was refusing to go into her cheeks because she became immune to embarrassment.

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