Home and Holidays

chapter 29

After leaving the pizzeria, David, Lisa, Noah, and Ella were headed back home. They were on their way to Ella's house to drop her off first.

"I can't believe Bryce apologized to us." Ella commented on the car ride home.

"I know. But I'm glad he did. I've known him since I was like thirteen, so it's nice that we're on good terms now." Noah replied, seated right next to Ella in the backseat.

"Yeah." she smiled before leaning her head on his shoulder.

"Well, we're proud of you for forgiving him, Noah. That was a very mature thing to do." Lisa told Noah from her spot in the passenger seat.

"Yes, you should always be forgiving to people. But also, if anyone ever treats you badly again, you come tell us. And Lisa will comfort you, and I will handle them for you." David added as Lisa nodded in agreement.

Noah chuckled lightly, but he knew David meant every word of what he said. "Thanks, David." he appreciatively said.

"You don't even have to thank me. And you too, Ella. You can always come to me and Lisa if you ever need us for anything. You know we're not going to let anyone disrespect you and get away with it." David said, looking at Ella and Noah through the review mirror.

"And I won't let that happen either." Noah sweetly said to Ella as she looked up at him. "You know I'll always protect you." he told her, gently kissing her cheek, making her blush and giggle like crazy.

Once they arrived at Ella's house, Ella thanked David and Lisa for the ride, telling Noah that she'd see him later. She was about to get out of the car, but Noah stopped her.

"Wait, let me open your door for you." he offered, already taking his seatbelt off.

"Noah, that's ok. I don't want to make you get out of the car just for that. I'll be fine opening it myself." Ella chuckled, but Noah shook his head in disagreement.

"No, I insist. I want to walk you to your front door anyway." he said. He didn't even wait for her reply, just getting out of the car and opening the door for her.

"Thanks." she couldn't help but giggle.

"No problem." Noah reacted, holding her hand as he walked with her to the front door of her house.

"Thanks again for the date, Noah. It was really fun." Ella said, smiling at him.

"No problem. I had fun too. I mean, I always have fun spending time with you." Noah sweetly replied. He couldn't help but stare at her, watching as her cheeks turned bright red as she blushed at his words with a shy smile. It was the most adorable thing that Noah had seen all day, and he loved the fact that he was the one who caused that cute expression on her face. He felt butterflies when she took a step closer to him, since they were already standing pretty close to each other, but now they were so close that he could see her eye color well enough to describe it in full detail. The captivating emerald green shade, sparkling in the natural sunlight was enough to make his heart flutter and his mind race.

"I feel the same way...." Ella softly spoke, her words trailing off before she slowly leaned in even closer to him, making his own face turn red. He was almost completely sure that she was about to kiss him, but she hesitated and decided on hugging him instead.

After Ella slowly pulled away from the hug, Noah smiled at her and took the initiative to place a delicate kiss on her cheek, silently reassuring her that he wasn't going to pressure her into anything.

Even though they were officially girlfriend and boyfriend now, Noah and Ella hadn't actually kissed yet, and they were both nervous about it. Noah wanted to kiss her, he really wanted to, but he didn't want to push her away by rushing her into it. Then there was also the fact that he felt a little insecure. He knew that it would be Ella's first kiss ever, so he wanted it to be perfect for her. But he wasn't sure how to make that happen. He didn't exactly know what he was doing, having absolutely no prior experience with this sort of thing. Plus, with everything he'd been through in the past, he'd be lying if he said he didn't have a few trust issues and irrational worries about people abandoning him, so he was being extremely careful with his relationship with Ella, not wanting to make her uncomfortable or mess things up in any way. She made him feel safe and comfortable, and he didn't want to ruin his bond with her, even if that meant waiting a while before doing things like kissing. He didn't mind.