Flynn - a kissing booth fan fiction

Goodbyes

My last week in LA is kind of a blur. There always seems to be some errand I need to run, some friend I have to catch up with, or some family dinner I must be home for. Spending so much time with Elle at the beach house was amazing, but it did mean that I neglected pretty much everyone else in my life for a good chunk of the summer. I spend the better part of one day hanging out with Elliot before he heads off to UNC, and it feels like the last time we'll probably be like this. I mean, I'm sure we'll still keep in contact on socials, but with that much distance between us and how much both our lives are going to change, the next time I see him will probably be at some stupid high school reunion one day.

Mom sticks to me like glue whenever I'm home, and I feel a twinge of guilt about how little I've seen her over the last month or so. Sometimes I see her looking at me, her eyes starting to get misty, and it's almost too much.

"I'm still here, you know?" I say one time I catch her tearing up. "I haven't left yet, so I don't know why you're getting so upset."

"Because... you're my first baby boy and you're leaving."

Groaning, I get up off the couch to give her a hug. "Mom... stop. It's not like I'm leaving forever, you know? The planes fly both ways..."

She grins at that, tapping my cheek playfully. "And don't you forget it, either. I expect you home for Thanksgiving, okay?"

I can't stop the eye-roll. "Yes, Mom. Of course I'll be back for Thanksgiving. But you know, you can come visit me, too?"

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure you're not going to want me or your dad hanging around, cramping your style."

"Well, not all the time, but..." I break off, chuckling as she pokes me in the ribs.

"Yeah, okay, enough," Mom laughs. "Did you pack all the stuff I put on your bed yesterday?"

"Yes, I did. And thank you again. But you know it means I have to take another suitcase now, right?"

"You'll live. And you'll be happy about it when you actually have towels..."

"That is a good point."

"So, are you going out with Elle tonight?"

"Yeah, that's the plan."

"How's everything going with you two?"

"Everything's good. It's just..." I trail off, unsure what to say.

Mom looks at me knowingly. "You're about to move to the other side of the country?"

"Yeah. That."

"It's definitely not going to be easy, Noah. You're both going to have to be patient with one another. Which, to be fair, sweetheart, is not really yours or Elle's strong suit."

"Thanks," I say wryly.

"It's a fact, hon, and pretending it isn't won't make it any easier, you know."

"I know. It's just... I feel like I'm being made to sit an exam for a subject I haven't studied."

"Welcome to life," Mom jokes, patting my arm before walking away.

I guess she's right. The only way to learn how to do this is just to do it. I mean, what's the alternative?

I promised Elle we'd catch a sunset up at the sign before I left, so that's the plan for tonight. I text her when I'm about to leave, hoping I won't have to spend too much time waiting for her when I get to her house. It's not actually the waiting I mind so much, it's the fact that I have to make small talk with her dad while I wait. Lucky for me, this time when I ring the doorbell, it's Elle that answers, instead of Mike or Brad.