3."A MATCH HAVE BEEN FOUND.

I sat across from Noah at our small kitchen table while eating blueberry pancakes together. Morning sunlight slipped softly through the cracked window above the sink, making the apartment feel warmer than usual. Noah had been discharged from the hospital three days ago, and for the first time in months, color slowly started returning to his face again. He still looked thinner than boys his age, but he smiled more now and no longer struggled breathing after every small movement. Meanwhile my attention stayed fixed completely on the phone resting beside my plate. I kept rereading the agency rules sent to me earlier that morning carefully.

The rules were simple but somehow still made my stomach tighten nervously. I was required to use a fake name and identity whenever meeting clients through Sugar Princess Agency. The men would also remain anonymous, and asking personal questions about their real lives was forbidden completely. Until I officially matched with someone permanently, the agency would send me five hundred dollars daily for upkeep, clothing, beauty treatments, and availability. I stared at the amount repeatedly because five hundred dollars daily still felt unreal to me. Just one week ago, I cried over buying expired noodles because proper groceries cost too much money.

“You’re smiling at your phone too much,” Noah suddenly teased from across the table. I blinked quickly before realizing he had already finished eating while I barely touched half my food. Syrup stained the corner of his mouth while his empty plate sat pushed away from him proudly. Seeing him finish an entire meal still shocked me after watching him barely eat hospital food for months. I quickly locked my phone and forced a smile before taking another bite of pancake. Noah kept staring at me suspiciously like he knew something important changed recently.

“Where did you get all this money from?” he finally asked quietly.

My hand froze halfway toward my mouth while silence filled the kitchen instantly. Noah looked around the apartment carefully before speaking again. “The hospital bills got paid, the fridge is full, the lights stopped getting cut off, and the landlord suddenly stopped yelling at us,” he pointed out softly. “You even bought actual blueberries instead of the cheap syrup flavor.” His voice sounded more curious than accusing, but guilt still twisted painfully inside my chest. I swallowed slowly before forcing myself to answer calmly.

“I handled it,” I said quietly. “That’s all that matters.”

Noah continued staring at me carefully like he knew I was hiding something important. Then his expression changed slightly before he asked the one question I hated more than anything. “Did Mom help?” he asked hopefully. The second those words left his mouth, anger exploded inside me so suddenly I nearly knocked my chair over standing up. “We don’t have a mother,” I snapped loudly. “How many times do I need to tell you to stop mentioning her?”

Noah immediately flinched hard at my tone. Fear flashed across his face so quickly that guilt instantly replaced the anger burning inside me. I closed my eyes tightly before slowly sitting back down again while trying to calm my breathing. Noah looked small and nervous sitting there gripping his juice cup carefully with both hands. “I’m sorry,” I whispered after several painful seconds. “But we don’t have a mother anymore, Noah.”

The kitchen stayed quiet except for the old refrigerator humming softly nearby. I looked down at my little brother and remembered every hospital night he cried asking why our mother never came back for us. “She left us,” I continued more softly this time. “She made you sick and abandon us when you needed treatment..” Noah lowered his eyes immediately while guilt crossed his face again like somehow the situation was his fault. I hated seeing that expression on him more than anything else in the world. None of this should have ever become his burden to carry.

“I found a job,” I finally said while forcing brightness back into my voice. Noah looked up immediately after hearing that. “It has flexible hours and the pay is really good,” I added carefully. “Things are finally changing for us now.” I reached over and poured him another glass of juice from the carton sitting nearby. Noah’s eyes widened slightly because we normally stretched one carton carefully for almost an entire week.

“You can have another one,” I told him softly.

A slow smile spread across Noah’s face while he wrapped both hands around the second glass carefully. Watching him smile over something as simple as extra juice nearly broke my heart completely. I realized then how much he secretly lived without while pretending not to complain for my sake. “We’re going to be rich someday,” I said quietly while trying to sound confident. “You’ll go to a private school and have your own big room and probably complain about expensive homework.” Noah laughed softly for the first time that morning.

“And tonight,” I added while pointing my fork toward him, “we’re eating outside.”

Noah’s entire face lit up instantly after hearing that. “Really?” he asked excitedly. I nodded while forcing another smile even though guilt still sat heavily inside my chest. Noah grabbed his second glass of juice happily before taking a large drink like he still could not believe it belonged to him. “I’m praying you keep this job forever,” he admitted honestly. “This is already the best job you’ve ever had.”

I nodded quietly while looking down at my untouched pancakes. “It going to be okay from now on, alright, but please don’t mention her” I whispered, looking at him and notice his eyes on my pancake. 

“Do you want?”I asked as he nods greedily and I slide it to him, days ago, he could barely keepig food downs wants second.

Three days later, my phone finally buzzed with a message from Sugar Princess Agency. My heartbeat instantly quickened while I stared at the screen reading the details carefully. I had officially been assigned my first client after passing the registration process. The schedule underneath made my stomach tighten immediately. 8 PM to 5 AM. I reread the message three times before finally forcing myself to breathe normally again.