Dear Reader...

Chapter Twenty Eight

~Noah~

 I pulled up outside of the giant house, not completely sure if I had the right address or not. I was nervous, looking for her car in the hopes that would lead me to confirm she hadn't fobbed me off with a fake address. She hadn't. It was parked a little wonky on the front drive. I wasn't even halfway up the front path when the door opened and she appeared. Not in her normal date night clothing. A hell of a lot more casual in jeans and a nice top. She was wearing more makeup than she had been this morning, looked a hell of a lot more tired. She was carrying herself like she had the weight of the world on her shoulders.

"You're early." The tiny heels on her boots clip as she walks down the stone path, stops a few feet away. I've spent months thinking about this. How it'd feel to take her out again. How she'd look and if I'd be able to keep myself together. If I'd be nervous or not. I am. Beyond. I know this is the only chance I'll get to fix this. To show her just how much she means to me.

"You sound surprised."

"I was expecting you to get lost and give up." She pulls the bag over her shoulder; crosses her arms and I know it's going to be a fight to pull her walls down again.

"I didn't." She presses her lips together. "You look beautiful."

"Amazing what makeup can do. Let's go. Riley's stood in the window staring."

"You didn't even-"

"Don't need to turn and look. I told her not to so now she definitely is." She forces a smile. "After you?"

She's quiet for most of the drive and I daren't put my hand on her. I can see her in the corner of my eye, chipping away at her nail polish, twisting a ring on her index finger.

"How- uh- how was your day?" My voice cracks halfway through the sentence but I keep going. I miss her voice.

"Fine. Didn't do much after I left. Went to the park, chased Anya around until she slipped and hurt her knee then played doctor."

"She okay?"

"Yeah. Just a scrape. Nothing ice cream with extra sprinkles didn't solve." I nodded.

"Look Jules, I'm sorry for the ambush earlier. Maybe I came on a little too strong chasing you down like that."

"No. I get it." She drops her hand. "How's the UK?"

"Shit." I push my hand into my hair, leaning my head against it against the door. "Mum lost her leg in the crash so she's had a shit tonne of rehab to go through. Ally's now deathly afraid of cars and has to have therapy and meds and it's just a mess. I moved up to be with them but I fucking hate that place and I hate Satbury just as much because there's just you everywhere I go and the same in Edinburgh. But you're never actually there." I pull into the car park of the restaurant I'd found online and turned to her. "I'm serious about moving out here Jules. Ally said she can't deal with my depressed face any longer. I called her earlier and she said her and mum will be fine over there. I had a look and there's plenty of jobs over here that I actually want that aren't in a coffee shop. Proper bakery chef jobs. I've got enough savings to get a place somewhere and get settled in and have money left over."

"You've really thought about it."

"I haven't stopped thinking about it since you left. That when I find you, I'll be there. No matter what."

"No matter what?"

"No matter what." She takes a deep breath. "What's wrong?" Juliette doesn't answer for what feels like forever. Just has her head laid back against the chair head rest, clutching her bag. "Jules?"