The Kissing Booth: New Love

Alternate Chapter 32

Elle

The first couple weeks Noah and I lived together felt a little like playing house.  Like at some point our parents were going to come home and we would be in trouble for being here on our own.  Noah and I had gotten used to sharing a room at the beach house over the past summer.  Getting to go to bed together every night and wake up together in the morning was awesome.  But having our own place was next level.  And not just for the privacy.  It felt like we had grown so much closer just by having a place that was only ours.  Although finally having a place to ourselves after months of sneaking around, then more months of constantly having our families around, was definitely amazing. Noah and I were taking full advantage of that.

Once school started for both of us, the lazy summer days turned into a mix of classes, studying, with some doctor appointments and baby classes mixed in.  Just your typical senior year of high school.  Except it was anything but.  I was finishing up high school online, which meant it was the first year Lee and I weren't getting to spend our days together at school.  Noah was taking classes at the community college not far from our apartment.  I think he felt better about leaving me on my own, knowing he was only a thirty-minute drive away, in case anything happened while he was gone.  And since he would be able to get in a lot of his general classes, he wouldn't be far behind if he decided to go to Harvard next year.  I guess if we decide.  Noah had told me enough times that he wasn't going anywhere without me and Lily and that he wouldn't be making any decisions about our future on his own.

With Noah gone for his college classes during the day, I was getting a little stir crazy spending all my time at our apartment by myself.  Ever since I found out I was pregnant, I had felt a little cut off from all of my friends and that only got worse once school started, especially when I started to see their posts and pictures about going to all of the back to school parties, football games, and other school events, all the things I was missing out on. 

It's not that I wanted to be partying at this stage and I can just imagine how much Noah would freak out if I told him I was going out to party.  You think he was overprotective last year, he's on a whole other level now.  Not that I can blame him, I find myself feeling protective of this baby I'm carrying also.

So when Lee started picking me up after school for Lee and Elle time, I wasn't going to complain.  It was somewhat like the beach house bucket list Lee and I made when we were kids, except it was more a countdown to the baby, when we both knew I wouldn't have the time to hang out with my best bud anymore. Lee came up with these ridiculous things for the two of us to do, made even more ridiculous the bigger I got. Most days it was just the two of us but sometimes Rachel joined and even Noah occasionally.  Those two usually made fun of us though.  At least it took my mind off how uncomfortable I was and how nervous I was starting to get about becoming a mom. 

One day when Lee was busy after school and Noah had late classes, I decided to visit Noah's campus.  I knew the class he had this afternoon, he had been complaining about the amount of reading his psychology professor had already assigned and he was up late last night trying to get it finished before class today.  I had never been to this campus before, it wasn't one of the schools I had looked at when Dad and I went on college visits.  So I printed myself a map and headed over, determined to see what Noah was up to all day.  I still felt a little guilty that Noah wasn't having the college experience he had always planned on, although I know he was still meeting new people and getting invited to parties, since he told me that.  And knowing Noah, I'm sure he was getting hit on by all the girls on a regular basis.  So, I guess I shouldn't feel too guilty.  I'm the one spending most of my time by myself.

Even though I know Noah has to be getting attention from the girls here, I'm not coming here to check up on him.  I'm not worried that he's going to cheat on me.  We had grown past that.  The me from our early relationship was constantly struggling with the fact that Noah wanted to be with me and was sure he was going to fall for the next cheerleader who propositioned him.  I knew better than that now.  Noah Flynn wasn't the player he wanted everyone to think he was in high school.  He was the most loyal and loving boyfriend and I knew he would never leave me and our baby.  I really was just curious about where he was when he was gone all day.  I didn't even know anything about his friends or if they knew anything about me.  I was looking forward to meeting them.