Same Old Love / Noah & Elle Fanfiction

Chapter Two

By the time I get to the beach house, I'm tired, sweaty, and my eyes are stinging from all the crying. I fish the key out from under the mat just like Lee said, and before I let myself into the house, I send him a quick text. 'Made it. Exhausted, text u in the morning. x.' I slip my phone into the back pocket of my jeans and then let myself inside. Everything is just the way I remember it, even though it's been almost two years since I've been here. The condition of the house is a bit rough, but a little cleaning could fix it up. I drag my suitcase over to the wall, making a mental note to unpack later when I'm less tired. I go into the kitchen even though I know there won't be any food in there, but when I open the cupboards, they're fully stocked. I expect it to be old food that was left here over time, but when I check the expiration dates, it's clear that the food was just bought. I stand there for a second, and then I realize that I can hear what sounds like the shower running. I freeze, and I hate that my first thought is that Hayden is here, because that's dumb. That's next to impossible. I grab an umbrella from by the door and hold it up like I would a baseball bat.

"Hello?" I call, but nobody answers. My heart is racing and I almost don't want to travel down the hall to see what's going on. I have half a mind to just jump back in my car and drive away, but despite that, I hover near the bathroom door. The door is ajar, and I poke it open further with the tip of my umbrella. "Hello?" I call again, but again, no answer. Whoever it is, they can't hear me over the water running.

My heart starts beating in my chest way too fast as I tiptoe towards the shower curtain. I grasp the end of it with my hand and poke the umbrella out like a sword. I pull the curtain back as fast I can, and when the man standing behind it screams, so do I.

"WHAT THE FUCK?" the man screams, and then, "Elle?"

"N-noah? Oh my god," I say, and I wish my heart would stop hammering in my chest like it is, because I'm sure he can hear it.

Noah reaches to turn off the shower and wraps the shower curtain around his body. I realize that this is probably when I should let go of the curtain, and I back away a couple of steps. "Elle? What are you doing here? And what happened to your face?"

There's so many things I could say, but all that comes out is, "What are you doing here?"

"It's my family's house," he smirks, and god, that smirk. The same smirk that made me weak just a year ago.

"I-I..." I stammer out, and I don't know what to say.

"Can I get dressed and meet you in the living room?" he asks, and I don't trust my voice so all I do is nod and back away, shutting the bathroom door behind me.

There's so much going through my head as I sit on the couch. I'm still shaking from all the adrenaline. Why is Noah here? Does Lee know? Or Mrs. Flynn? Why isn't he at school? But worst of all, I'm thinking about how I can't stay here if he's staying here. I'll have to go home and see my dad, and blow all my savings on a plane ticket. I'm filled with so much worry and anxiety that I almost don't hear Noah come out of the bathroom. It's only now hitting me that this is only the second time I've seen him since our breakup. The last time was when we all went home for the holidays and had Christmas dinner at the Flynn's. To say it was awkward is an understatement.

Noah sits down on the couch in front of me and I instinctively have the urge to curl up into the rocking chair that I'm sitting in. I don't know why I'm suddenly so intimidated by Noah, but my emotions are at an all time high today.

"Hi," he says.

"I'm sorry," I blurt out and he laughs.

"It's okay. Not like it's anything you haven't seen." It should be funny, and I should have something witty to say back, but instead I want to cry.