Time after time

Castle on the Hill

Noah POV

After the discussion Elle and I had, life quietly returned to normal. We finally decided on a date for the wedding, July 5th. Yes, it was me who proposed this date! Logistically, since July 5 will be a Saturday this gives us a day on July 4 when everyone will be off to prepare. But also, I wanted to tell myself that the worst day of my life, a year later, could become the best day of my life. The parents were informed and we slowly began preparing for this day. My mother of course was over the moon!

Then at the beginning of October, it was my birthday. My 20th birthday! Last year, Chloe pulled me to the bar for a night out with friends when all I wanted was ... a night alone with Shelly. But it is very unlikely that she was 3000 miles from me. This year, Chloe and the guys offered me a weekend with friends in New York, nightclub and guys' outing. But that wasn't what I wanted this year!

After confiding in Elle that I wanted to spend my birthday alone with her this year, she surprised me a few days later by handing me an envelope for a getaway to Canada in a hotel at the foot of a mountain with a spa package and gourmet dinner. She said it was her first trip outside the country and she was really excited to visit Canada. For my part, I was also excited but especially by the possibility of having my fiancée all to myself for 4 days! Best birthday ever!

That's why this morning, I was getting ready to go by motorcycle to Canada while Elle was still in class for her morning lesson. We planned to leave as soon as her class finished to arrive before dinner time at our destination. We are going to come back on Monday since I don't know by what miracle, our Monday classes were canceled for both of us!

While I was waiting for Elle, my past birthdays flashed through my head. I remembered my 6th birthday party. It was the year I started elementary school and for once I was separated from the super twins during the day. I didn't miss Lee but I missed seeing Shelly every day. I remember that when my mother asked me who I wanted to invite to my party, I answered Shelly and just her! And especially not Lee! Why... because I wanted to have her all to myself! My mom told me it would be a little weird for Lee if I invited Shelly but not him. So I sighed and said we could invite Elliott too. I had spent my day unhappy playing with Elliott when all I wanted to do was play with Shelly. Little Noah had no opportunity to be alone with Shelly since Lee monopolized all her attention. And it was that day that I realized that I wanted to have a friendship with Shelly like my brother had.

I was lost in thought when I saw Elle walking out of the medical school with her backpack on her shoulder. She was looking at her phone until she looked up to see me. She walked over to me and gave me the kiss I've been waiting for all night :
-Happy birthday Noah!
-Thank you Shelly! With you, it's going to be the birthday of my life." I said to her, kissing her on the lips. "And it's starting off pretty well!

A few minutes later, we hopped on the motorcycle I had rented and took Highway 93 North towards Canada. Along the way, we passed through Concord and then through the White Mountains before reaching the Vermont countryside. The scenery was absolutely stunning with all shades of red, orange and yellow. The closer we got to Canada, the more intense the colors became.

During the ride with Shelly pressed against me, I thought about my 15th birthday. During the summer before I started high school, I had the privilege of having some one-on-one time with Elle during our vacation at the beach house. I remembered some conversations on the steps leading to the beach or at the Tiki bar with a coke while Lee was busy elsewhere. It was during this summer that I realized that the feelings I had for her were not just brotherly. In fact, they were less and less. But because of Lee and rule number 9, I figured I'd probably never be able to date her.

When I started high school, I quickly realized that I had an effect on girls. At my 15th birthday party, my friends from school convinced me to have a pool party with beer and... girls. And it was that evening that I kissed a girl for the first time. She was one of the hottest girls in class, tall, blonde and a fashion plate... the complete opposite of Shelly in fact. Looking back, that kiss didn't do me anything good. I remember kissing that girl that night, thinking how good it would be if that girl was Elle! After that night, it took me 3 years before I finally kissed the girl of my dreams at the Kissing booth. 3 years during which I fantasized about her at night and hoped that every girl I kissed was her!