The Kissing Booth: Adult Edition

Gratitude

"Alright. I'm going to find this bastard and beat him to a frikin' pulp!" Lee smashed his fist into his palm. Marco and I were sitting on the couch; there was a mug in my lap with tea Marco made for me. I slunk down into the cushions and Marco frowned at Lee. "It's great you're concerned for Elle, but we've done all we can, Lee. We're foreigners, remember? We have limited legal power here. That being said, I'm going to see this through court. That creep isn't going to get away with this." "He better not! I still say we should beat his ass." Only then did Marco crack half a grin. "As much as we'd all love that, that's not a viable option now. At least he's behind bars." "Yeah, where he's safe from me," Lee kept grinding his fist in his hand.

Marco sighed and leaned back against the couch. "Man, I still can't believe Flynn was there." "Yeah. Tell me again why my brother was at your campus. I mean, I told him where Elle went to school, but why would he go there on his own like that?" Lee inquired. "Who knows? I guess we should be grateful, considering he did rescue Elle and everything." "I guess.... It's still kinda creepy though. Your ex just showing up at your school like that." "It's totally creepy. But I doubt we'll see him again. I made it clear to him that Elle isn't interested in visiting." "That's good. The last thing she needs is him poking and nosing around like that." "Yeah," Marco agreed.

All the while, I remained silent. It's not that I didn't have any input to add to the conversation; my mind was just in a weird, fuzzy place currently. Almost being assaulted and running into Noah like that... Of course I was going to be a little messed up. My eyes lowered a bit softly. When I think about it, I used to dream of how Noah and I would meet again. It was always somewhere cute and spontaneous..... and usually in Europe; somewhere like Paris or Vienna.

Instead, we reunited in the last place I thought we would. But then again, all those dreams I used to have of Noah slowly died over the years. I guess by the fourth year of our separation, I began to realize that it was truly over between us. The last nail in the coffin was when I moved to Amsterdam. That truly seemed like the end of it. Noah would stay back in America and I would move to Europe permanently. It seemed so natural that we'd move on with our lives in separate directions. And I'm not sure exactly when I felt out of love with Noah, but at some point I did. He broke up with me, after all. What was the point in me still carrying a torch?

Thinking about all this only made my head hurt more. It was so easy before tonight. Well, I suppose it wasn't that easy, but easier per se. Still..... I really didn't need this in my life right now. I used to love Noah..... I loved him so much, I could cry. But now.... I can't; I can't remember. It only hurts when I do. Besides, I don't want to love Noah again; I don't want to date anyone anytime soon- maybe even ever. I've been down that road before; I know where it ends. There's only so many times you can fall of the edge of the earth like that.....

Lee and Marco flinched as I abruptly stood up off the couch. They both blinked to me in surprise. "Elle?" Lee asked worriedly. "Sorry, guys. I gotta go to bed; I'm so tired....." "Oh, sure, Elle. Course." "That's totally understandable. You've had quite a day." I grinned at them, feeling secure with them here. "Night, you guys." "Good night, Elle," Marco replied. "Sleep well," Lee tacked on. I walked up the stairs and went into my room without looking back. Once inside I stripped down to my underwear and crawled under the covers. My hands clung to my pillow as I had the sheets drawn over my head.

God, I'm stupid. I can't believe how stupid I am. Even though I didn't put myself in that position tonight on purpose, I still feel like a loser with Noah having to save me like that. I can't believe the first thing he did for me after seven years was push some drunk off of me. Talk about pathetic.... My eyes lowered and I snuzzled my head into the pillow's softness. But he did save me; he punched that guy without hesitation. Why would he do that? Was he just being a decent human being? That must be it- any man would have done the same. Hell, I probably would have done the same if I saw a girl being attacked in my building. I shouldn't look at it so hard. Noah probably didn't even know where he was tonight anyway..... I'm sure it was all a coincidence. What else could it be?

That's when my phone buzzed beside my bed. Perking up a little, I reached over to grab it. My eyes lit up when I saw Marco's name on the screen. He'd sent me a text from downstairs. It read: Hi Elle. Just checking to see how you're doing. You alright up there? My heart felt so good in that moment. This is one of those rare times you feel like you're in a movie, you're so happy. Yes, I still was out of sorts, but getting that message was just the medicine I needed right now. I typed back: I'm ok, just going to sleep. Thanks for checking in on me. The word bubbles appeared right away on his end. His next message read: Your welcome. Try and have a good sleep tonight. I'm always downstairs if you need anything.

God, I couldn't stop smiling now; a warm, profound smile. He's such a good guy, Marco.... I replied: Thanks, Marco. I'm so glad you're here. His last response was: So am I, Elle.

I really am.