Down the road of memories

I can survive bad evenings...

Noah POV

I really wish I was somewhere else...anywhere! I've been thinking about this all week and the prospect of facing the weekend makes me think of a Stations of the Cross...

First, Chloe and... Marco are coming to spend the weekend with Elle and me for the hospital's charity gala on Saturday evening. Marco will be the host of the evening and that is why Elle insisted on welcoming them at home rather than leaving them in a hotel room. I'm happy to spend this time with my best friend who I've barely seen since moving to LA. But am I ready to face this...

Since our three-way discussion when the news of Chloe's relationship with Marco reached us, I've had difficulty coming to terms with this idea. I can see that my best friend seems happy as she has never been since I have known her. But having this guy close to Elle and I again tends to make me see the worst. As if even after our 9 months engagement and our wedding in a few weeks, I'm still afraid of losing her... and I don't think that this time I'll survive it. I got used to having Elle with me. She makes me feel like I'm someone...she brings out the best in me! And I don't think I could live without it... again!

I rolled up all my feelings and did what was expected of me. I went to pick up Chloe and Marco from the airport on Friday evening while Elle took care of grocery shopping and cleaning at the end of her shift.
- Hello handsome!" Chloe said to me, giving me a hug as soon as she saw me at the baggage carousel.
- Hi Chloe!" I said to her, responding to her hug. " Did you have a nice trip !
- Yeah ! We didn't have any flight delays which is already good!" she said to me while Marco came closer, putting an arm around her.
- Thank you for your hospitality, Flynn!" he said to me, holding out his hand.
- It's mainly Elle that you have to thank because she's the one who did the cleaning and grocery shopping but I think she's very happy to have you." I replied to them both.

Arriving home, Lee and Rachel had already arrived. Rachel and Elle have been a great friend of Chloe's for the last 7 years and my brother has remained in contact with Marco since their graduation from high school even with the latter's move to New York. I was really happy that they were there reducing the tension between us. I had gone to the terrace to cook the grill at Elle's request when Marco joined me. He leaned against the counter of our outdoor kitchen next to me and said to me, playing with the label on his beer bottle:
- Thank you for taking the news of my relationship with Chloe so well, Flynn. I think if the roles had been reversed, I wouldn't have been as calm about the situation.
- It's pretty obvious that you make my best friend happy, Marco. I've known her for 8 years and I've seen her go out with all kinds of guys who treated her with little respect. I can see that this is not your case. As long as you treat my best friend with respect and don't make advances to my fiancée, I'll be okay with this." I said to him, looking into his eyes.

He tilted his head and laughed softly before saying to me:
- I think that what I loved in my friendship with Elle, I found in my relationship with Chloe. Elle was always sensitive to me when I got to my senior year at County Day High. She also encouraged me to tell others that my father was sick even though I tried to hide it. Chloe also allows me to express myself in my music but also in my life. I'm really glad I met her, Flynn. I know that knowing that we left together after your brother's wedding must not have impressed you.

I couldn't help but laugh. So much so that Marco looked at me suspiciously.
- I can't really give a lesson about one night following a wedding." Marco looked at me with even more questioning eyes. "Chloe didn't tell you that Elle and I had a one nighter after her father's wedding after 3 years of no contact.
- No, she didn't tell me! And you didn't get back together after that?
- It's not for lack of wanting it and trying it. We had a pseudo-relationship for 18 months during which we only saw each other 2 other times, communicating much more via text and phone calls. I put the title of soul mate to our relationship at the time, thus avoiding putting an official title on what we were. And that's truly what we were even remotely : soul mates. We were open about our feelings like we never were during the 2 years we dated as teenagers.
- And what happened for you to come back together officially only 18 months later?