Page 94 of The Kissing Booth
He rolled his eyes and grabbed my wrist before I could do or say anything. I didn’t want him getting in trouble so I let him drag me out. Luck was on my side for a moment though: the bell rang and we had to go to class. As I sat down in English, I checked my cell phone. Another text from Noah.
I deleted it before I even read it.
Chapter 21
NOAH DIDN’T TURNup back home at all on Tuesday, or Wednesday. His parents still hadn’t heard from him, but were satisfied that Lee had seen him at school and he was alive and well. I carried on ignoring his voicemails and texts, and avoiding him in school. He called the landline at my house Wednesday night, and my dad picked up. He hung up on Noah almost straight away.
Thursday morning, my luck ran out.
I stopped by the bathrooms before homeroom, and on my way out, I walked right into something – no, wait. Someone.
‘Oh, ouch, sorry,’ I said automatically. I’d been in such a daze I wouldn’t have been surprised if I’d just apologized to a brick wall. It sure as hell felt like—
Ah. Close enough.
‘Oh.’ I tried sidestepping him, but a hand on my arm stopped me.
Noah looked... well, to be blunt, totally awful.
He had bags under his eyes from what I assumed to be several sleepless nights, and he smelled faintly of smoke.
Hey, this was Flynn, after all – I shouldn’t be so surprised. Who’s to say he wasn’t drunk too?
‘We’ve got to talk,’ he said, his voice a little croaky. Without waiting for me to answer, he pulled me into the nearest empty classroom, closing the door behind us.
I sat on the edge of the desk at the front while he stayed by the door.
‘How are you?’ he asked abruptly, looking me dead in the eyes.
I frowned in confusion, more than a little taken aback. ‘Much better now that Lee’s forgiven me, if that’s what you’re asking?’
‘That makes one of us,’ he muttered, running both hands over his face. ‘Too late to go back on it all now. Cat’s out of the bag.’
I felt like he was accusing me, and bristled. ‘Hey, look, I didn’t exactly want to tell him like that—’
‘I wasn’t blaming you, Elle,’ he said quickly. ‘I... Look, I need to talk to you, and...’
‘Then talk,’ I said, sounding way calmer and more confident than I felt. Not that I was complaining. I was glad he (hopefully) couldn’t tell how anxiety made my pulse go wild, how my palms were all clammy, how my stomach twisted.
‘I...’ He gulped, his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down. ‘I’m sorry. I took advantage of you, and I hated seeing you get hurt when Lee found out. We should’ve just told him from the start. I shouldn’t have let you lie to him like that. It was my fault too. I messed up. And I’m sorry.’
He said it all so rapidly, like he was trying to get the words out before he could take them back, that I thought I’d heard him wrong. And – and he sounded like he meant every word. As though he were really torn up about this.
‘I know,’ he said slowly, ‘you probably never wanted to see my face again, and I get it, but...’
‘Can I ask you something?’
‘Uh... sure?’
‘Where have you been the last few days?’
He gave a bitter smile, and looked up from his boots to my face again. ‘I was staying in a motel. I didn’t want to make things worse for you with Lee. I’ve been trying to forget about you. I haven’t been able to sleep, so I’ve been driving around. I can’t stop thinking about you,’ he added quietly.
That wasn’t quite the answer I’d expected.
But I knew Noah. He wasn’t one to lie.
He moved closer to me – so close that I got off the desk to avoid being trapped by him as he towered over me, his body brushing against mine.
