The Kissing Booth: Unavoidable

Chapter 1 - Family Lunch

Elle's POV

I walked into the restaurant with Lee and Aaron for this week's Flynn/Evans family lunch, laughing at a stupid joke Lee was telling.  Before we walk around the corner to our table, I hear a familiar voice, one I haven't heard in what seemed like forever.  I stopped in my tracks, looked over at Lee, and whispered, "Noah is here?". 

"Mom didn't tell me he was coming.  You know he's been back in LA since he graduated from Harvard in June, though, right?  He's been spending a lot of "quality" time with my parents lately.  Mom has been ecstatic." 

I knew Noah had gotten a job in LA after graduating a few months ago.  With our families so close, I seem to hear what Noah is up to, even though we haven't spoken in almost two years now.  But I didn't expect that he had started going to family lunches again and my Dad hadn't said anything to me about it.

I take a deep breath, paste a big smile on my face, and walk to our table.  Aaron grabbed my hand on the way to the table, he knew my feelings about seeing Noah, and I loved him for being supportive.  I was happy he came on this trip with me and to have him by my side now.  It was Labor Day weekend and my senior year of college had recently started.  I had gone to Boston College for my first year but ended up transferring to DePaul University in Chicago after my Dad and Brad moved there.  Noah and I had survived long-distance his first year in college, but we couldn't make it a second time, and we had broken up shortly after I moved.  Lee was still going to Boston College and we were meeting in LA for the long weekend before we got too busy with classes.  I invited Aaron with me for the weekend, he and Lee had always gotten along, and we all had a fun weekend together. 

Lee's parents were, of course, happy to see me.  This was my first family lunch in months.  After moving to Chicago for a year, my dad and Brad had moved back to LA last spring, so I made it to a few lunches around that time.  Our relationship with the Flynns, all the Flynns, had been a little complicated during the year my family lived in Chicago, so we didn't see much of them during that time. 

I hugged June, then Matthew.  "June, Matthew, this is my friend Aaron Wright.  Aaron, this is June and Matthew Flynn.  Aaron and I met when I first transferred to DePaul.  He also helped me get the internship I have now."  They all shook hands. 

"Hi Mike, good to see you again.  Brad, my man, how are ya?"  Aaron shook hands with my Dad, then did his special handshake with Brad.  He had spent enough time at my Dad's when they lived in Chicago for Brad to start to look up to him, the way he always had with Noah and Lee. 

There were two open chairs at the end of the table.  Aaron sat down next to Brad and immediately started talking with him about the latest video game Brad had gotten, then Lee grabbed an extra chair from the table next to us and sat down next to Aaron after saying his hellos to everyone at the table, leaving me the seat next to Noah.  Very close to Noah, since we had added an extra seat to the table.  I made a face at Lee, but he was oblivious.  I could feel Noah's eyes on me as I sat down.  I tried not to look at him, but it had been so long since I saw him in the flesh, and I have to say he was looking good in his dress clothes.  Why does he have to look so good? 

Lee and Noah nodded in greeting to each other.  I'm not really sure what their relationship is like these days.  The three of us spent a lot of time together in Boston, but Lee hasn't talked much to me about Noah since our break-up.  Noah had been quiet all during the greetings and introductions, staring intently at both me and Aaron.  Aaron looked across the table at Noah and leaned over with his hand outstretched.  "You must be Noah.  I've heard a lot about you."

Noah responded back with a quick "You too."  They shook hands, but I could tell it was not a friendly handshake by the steely looks on their faces that made it clear that neither one thought anything nice about meeting the other.