Seven Summers Gone- A Kissing Booth Continuation (Fanfiction)

Chapter 21

As I lay on my bed staring at the ceiling with tear-stained cheeks I hear a knock on my door.
I don't say anything, then from the other side of the door I hear,
"You all good chicky?" Its Renee.
"I'll live," I say loudly so she can hear.
"Could do with a bit of time to myself tonight," I add.
"You need anything at all and you come find me, k.  I'll be just down the lane.   I may not be alone, but I'll be there," she says.
This makes me smile, I'm really happy for her.
"You go have fun, ok and say hi to Chad for me."
"Love you," she yells.
"Love you more," I yell back before I hear her walk away.

After I've cried a little more I start to calm down and decide it's time for bed. 
Just as I start to take my hair out I hear a noise, I look around trying to figure out what it is.  
Then I notice my door opening.
Noah pokes his head through the door.
"Hey," he says looking at me, waiting to see if it's ok to come in.
"So, how did you manage to get a key?" I ask as he stays standing in the doorway.
"No, don't tell me I can already guess. You sweet-talked the girl at the reception desk didn't you?"
He tries to hide his smile.
"Maybe," he says.
We both end up laughing.
"I wasn't sure if you would let me in and I really think we need to talk," he adds.
I walk over to the bed and sit on the edge and he comes into the room and closes the door.
"So... is what Lee said true?"
"Depends on what Lee said."
"That you were at my graduation and something happened, so you decided to take off to England."
He looks at me expectantly.  I sigh, ok then, I may as well get this embarrassing story over with.
"Fine, yes it's true."
"Why didn't you come to see me?"
"I did, I came to your house the day before your graduation. You weren't home and your flatmate said I could wait and that you'd be back soon.  So I waited in the living room by myself, feeling really nervous about seeing you again when a girl cleared her throat from the doorway.  She asked me who I was, I told her I was a friend of yours and that I was waiting for you to come back. Anyway, she obviously didn't like that and told me she was your girlfriend and if I had any ideas about hooking up with you I could forget about it because you were hers."

Man, that was so awkward, thinking back on it.
"Is that what scared you off?" he asks.
"Well, I kind of wasn't sure what to do after that.  I decided to leave and try come back when she wasn't there, as far as I knew she didn't live with you.  I remember you saying at one of our last family get-togethers that you lived with two guys.   So anyway, I thought I'd come back the next morning and that was when I saw her leaving your place.  You two were by the front door making out and she was still wearing her clothes from the day before. As she left you leaned on the door frame with a huge grin on your face and waved goodbye."
"Wait, so you were there watching us?"
"I was sitting in my rental car."
"But you didn't come to see me?"
He says looking a little confused.
"Well you see, I always hoped one day we would find our way back to each other.  After we broke up we hardly kept in contact anymore, but I really wanted to be there for your graduation and so I thought surprising you might be a good chance at-- re-connecting.   But when I saw you with Mackenzie I felt like such an idiot.  
Of course, you had moved on.  What on earth was I thinking just showing up like I did thinking things could go back to the way they were.  So I called Lee who was with your parents at their hotel and I asked him to meet me, I also asked him not to tell anyone I was there."
"And then you left?" He says looking a little sad.
"No, I really wanted to see you graduate.  I caught up with Lee, then when he went to meet back up with your parents I went and stood at the back.  I was so proud of you seeing you up there," I say with watery eyes.
He comes and sits next to me on the bed,
"Do you know what I was thinking of the entire time?"
I shake my head.
"How much I wished you were there.  That sucks that you had to see me with Mackenzie, but we weren't a thing at that point, we were just mucking around.  I used to think the same thing, Shelley.  Once college was over with, that we could maybe get back together again.  But then you went to England and I kept hearing about you travelling all over the place, having fun and going on lots of dates. I was jealous and I guess a little resentful, so I kept things going with Mackenzie."
He turns to face me.
"Then you never came home, why?"
"I was going to turn the opportunity down when my lecturer first mentioned England,  but after I saw you with Mackenzie I thought to myself, why the hell not.  You had moved on with her or so I thought.  So I decided it was time for me to move on too."
"Is that what Lee was talking about when he said I was the reason you left?" He says.
I look down at my hands,
"Yeah," I say.
"Is that also why you stayed?" He asks.
"Partly,  you were still with Mackenzie and by that stage, I'd made great friends, I was enjoying travelling and I also loved the fact I was so close to France.  I did think about going there too, but I'd made a life in London already, so it made sense to stay."
"I was so angry with you when Lee told me you were staying.  I started to think maybe you never really cared about me at all."
I look up from my hands into his eyes.
"Did you know that I haven't had a serious boyfriend since you?"
He looks at me surprised.
"Really?"
"No one ever made me feel the way you did.  I kept comparing everyone to you and no one else ever measured up.  I would stalk your Instagram account and your friend's accounts, just to see what you were up to.  Then when I saw you before your Dads funeral, all those old feelings came rushing back and I realised I never really got over you.  I tried to make myself believe I had."
Noah brushes his thumb across my cheek and I close my eyes, soaking up the tingling sensation spreading all over my body.  Then I feel his lips softly kiss mine.  Damn, I've missed this!  He feels and smells so good, then London pops into my head.
Crap that's right, London. 
I break away from the kiss, our faces inches away and I ask him in a quiet voice,
"Why did you leave me in London?"
He looks at me for a few seconds.
"Honestly--I got scared."
"Of what?" I ask looking confused.
"Shelley, when you stayed in England I was so angry and I started reverting back to my old ways.  I have never stopped loving you, but after that, I tried not to care anymore.   I had been doing that for five years.  Parties, alcohol, meaningless flings.  Then when I saw you again when Dad died, I was reminded of why I love you so much and how you made me want to be a better person.  For weeks you were all I could think about, which is why I called things off with Bethany.  Anyway, when I woke up the next morning after we made love, I was so happy.  I decided to get up and make you breakfast in bed and as I was putting my clothes on I had a proper look around your room.  You had so many photos of you and your friends and your life in England, you looked so happy.  Then all those old feelings came rushing back. I realised this is your life now.  You have amazing friends and have made a wonderful life for yourself there.  How can I compete with that?  We couldn't do long distance in the same country, how on earth could we do it with an ocean between us.  So instead of waiting for the inevitable heartbreak--there's no way I could go through that a second time, I just left.  I felt so miserable, I couldn't face you or even talk to you."
He looks at the bed.
"You must think I'm a coward," he says.
"I get it," I say.
"I would have preferred an explanation, but I get it."
I lift his chin so we are looking directly at each other.
"You know what the sad thing about all this is?"
He shakes his head.
"If we had just talked to each other, we could have avoided years of misery!"
We start laughing and laughing, so much that tears start running down my cheeks.
"You know what's even funnier," I say while still laughing.
"What?" He says.
"Before you even came to visit me I had already decided to move back home by the end of the year."
He stops laughing and looks at me, tears in his eyes from laughing so hard.
"Shut the front door, are you serious?"
I nod at him with the biggest smile.
He grabs my face in his hands and says,
"We are the biggest idiots that ever existed!"
Then kisses me so hard that he takes my breath away, literally.
As we sit there panting away trying to catch our breath, he looks me straight in the eye and says,
"Rochelle Evans, I am head over heels, crazy in love with you, do you forgive me and my stupidity?"
I smile at him and reply,
"If you can forgive mine." Then I lay one on him.