The Kissing Booth - Chasing Noah

Chapter 30

A/N: This is the edited version of Chapter 67 and 68.

...

"Elle!"

I heard someone yell my name from the party. I hugged Noah and I told him that I would talk to him later. I spotted Mrs Flynn hovering nearby, giving us some privacy. I could tell that she had walked in on our conversation. Her face was kind and gentle, as usual. Everyday, the face in my head when I thought of my mom became more and more like Mrs Flynn. I had been so worried how this big move would affect my relationship with Noah. But what about my surrogate mom? She was my therapist, my best friend, and my mom all in one. How the hell was I going to survive without her?

So I walked up to her, tears welling in my eyes, and I hugged her. I hugged her like I was never going to see her again. Like this was the last moment that I had with her.

"Honey? What's wrong?" she gasped. I took a deep breath and I gave her my happiest smile. Because right now, I got to be with my mom. She may not be all mine, but she was the closest thing I had to the love that I had with my real mom.

"Nothing. Nothing's wrong," I whispered. But she looked at me like I had a moose growing out the side of my head. I saw Noah pass by us on his way back to the party and his mom pulled me to where we had been standing, out of earshot.

"Sweetheart, you've looked upset all night. Did something happen with Noah?" she asked softly. I looked over my shoulder and my eyes found Noah, swaying his hips like a freaking dork next to Lee and Rachel. They had been romantically slow-dancing and he was being a pain in his little brother's side - as usual.

"Nothing happened with Noah. Well actually, we talked about moving in together," I started. Mrs Flynn gave me a knowing look and a grin that told me she knew way more than I did.

"I'm so happy for you two Elle. That's great news," she smiled.

"I had no idea that you guys were looking into a place for the two of us. How long has this been going on?" I asked. She shrugged her shoulders and jerked her head in the direction of the party.

"Since you got accepted into Trinity. Your dad is in on it too, but he's not exactly jumping at the idea of his daughter moving in with her boyfriend," she giggled. I laughed too and looked again to the party guests. My brother and dad were dancing with Rachel and Olivia. Olivia was laughing her head off with my brother and I had to fight every instinct in my body telling me to go separate them.

Mrs Flynn followed my eyes and spotted Brad. We started laughing even harder.

"Don't worry. I'll look after him. Olivia is the least of our worries," she grinned.

"What do you mean?"

She started laughing uncontrollably. "Brad hasn't even hit the peak of his puberty yet. Be happy that you're going to be gone for that part."

I rolled my eyes. "Oh my god. You're right. But what happens when he hits that part of his puberty." We met each other's eyes and giggled uncontrollably together.

"That will be when my husband steps in. Or your father can try to talk some sense into him. But look how that turned out with you," she pointed out.

I rolled my eyes. "Oh my dad was strictly instructed to give me no such talk." Mrs Flynn laughter bubbled up again, and it became contagious.

Oh god. We probably looked insane. I don't think we even stopped laughing to breath. I caught Noah's eye and he smiled lovingly.

"Maybe Brad is better off coming to you. You sure helped me a hell of a lot more than anything my dad had to say. Even if it was supposedly 'my mom's words'," I joked, using air quotes.