Same Time Next Year

Chapter 11 - Year 3

Year 3

"Lee, I look ridiculous.  I'm not wearing this costume outside of this hotel room!"  I call out to Lee from the bathroom.

"Come on Shelly, it matches my costume.  This is the first year I've been able to do a couples costume at Comic Con, since you've ditched me every other year.  At least come out of there so I can see you."

I felt some guilt from his comment about me ditching him, knowing why I had never made it this weekend before.  That guilt is the only thing that made me even consider opening the door while wearing this get up.  I took one more look in the mirror before grimacing and walking out of the bathroom.  It's obvious I was right about the ridiculousness of my costume when Lee practically falls over laughing, although he tries to sober up when he catches the expression on my face. "I'm sorry, Elle, it isn't that bad, really."  I shot him a more pointed look.  "Okay, you're right, this one isn't for you," he conceded.  "I bought us a few to pick from, let's try something else.  You know, if you would have given me more than a week's notice that you were coming this year, we would have had more time to prepare our costumes."

I ignored that last comment and headed back into the bathroom to try on my second outfit, trying not to think about why it had taken me so long to decide I would be going to Comic Con with Lee this year.  After having absolutely no intention of being anywhere other than the beach house most of the last year, I had been going back and forth about what my plans would be over the last couple of months.  Right after the fight with Noah, I made the decision to go to Comic Con with Lee. At that point there was no way I planned to be anywhere close to the beach house on this particular weekend.  But I immediately started second guessing myself.  Worrying about Noah showing up and me not being there. 

I knew what would most likely happen if Noah and I would both show up, regardless of how things had ended between us.  But the question is, did I want that to happen?  Maybe after more than four years of being on again and off again, it was time to get off of this rollercoaster we seem to be on.  What made the decision for me, though, was the thought of being at the beach house and Noah not showing up.  I wasn't sure I could handle that, so I made sure I wouldn't know one way or the other and stayed away. 

After skipping out on Lee the last couple years, what I didn't want to do was tell him I was coming and bail on him at the last minute.  So, instead, when I finally made my decision, I waited until the last possible moment to tell Lee that I would spend the weekend with him.  Until I was absolutely positive I wouldn't change my mind again. Lee was so excited because he thought I had worked so hard to be able to come that I felt guilty all over again. So I'm trying to be a good sport even though this isn't really my scene. As much as I love spending time with Lee, especially with as little as we've seen each other lately, I still wish it were under different circumstances.  Lee started an internship in San Francisco last semester and continued to work there over the summer.  I had visited a couple times and, of course, he had come to LA also, but it wasn't the same as spending the summer together at the beach house. This was the first summer we hadn't been at the beach house that I could remember in my life.

Once I found out Lee was going to stay at Berkeley all summer, I decided to stay in my USC apartment.  It was the summer before our senior year and I still had a couple classes to take to make up for starting a semester late.  Even though I'm still in LA, now that I'm not living at home or at the beach house, I feel a little removed from the Flynns.  I'm already avoiding one Flynn, it seemed like the safest plan was to avoid them all.  Lee's been easy, since he's out of town.  I've successfully skipped family lunches all summer by working a weekend job.  I spend time with my Dad, Brad, and Linda at times I know June and Matthew won't be around and even though Dad keeps dropping hints of how much June mentions missing me, I'm worried that if I show up to visit her, Noah will somehow be there.  And although I know we're going to have to see each other at some point, I'm still not ready to see him.