Page 102 of Going the Distance
Another one. Kind of like a tap, but whatever it was hit the gutter on the way down.
I frowned at the window for three more taps before I got up to see what it was.
I scrambled out from under the covers and threw open the curtains, peering down through the darkness. From the streetlamp’s amber glow, I could see a guy in my front yard, and I clenched my jaw tight while my heart did a somersault and his name jumped to my lips.
Seeing me, he stopped throwing things.
He waved.
I fumbled for the latch and opened the window.
“What are you doing? It’s two in the morning!”
“Yeah, I know.”
I gawped at him for a second. “What do you want?”
“I have to talk to you. My flight leaves at twelve and I couldn’t not talk to you before I left. I figured this was the only way to get you to talk to me.”
I stared at him for a split second longer before closing the window. I found some sneakers and a hoodie, pulled them on, and crept downstairs to the front door. I closed it quietly behind me, leaving it on the latch so I could get back in.
“You’ve got two minutes, Noah Flynn.”
“I almost didn’t think you were coming.”
He was holding a bag of Skittles—they must’ve been what he was throwing at my window, in lieu of pebbles or rocks.
Noah strode toward me, coming up onto the porch. I took a half step back. I forgot how tall he was, up close like this. I noticed, in the porch light, that he was wearing flannel pajama pants and a hoodie, and sneakers with no socks, almost exactly like me: he’d come straight here from lying in bed.
I set my jaw and stared up at him, resolute. “Time’s ticking.”
It sounded lamer than I expected it to. Noah just looked determined. Serious.
I counted my heartbeats. I got to sixteen before he spoke.
“Cramps, huh?”
“Excuse me?”
“On Thanksgiving. We both know that was a load of bull.”
“You followed me,” I accused instead.
“I felt like you’d left because of me. I thought I should…apologize or something. It wasn’t fair to you to have to leave because of me. And from talking to Lee, he made it sound like you weren’t over me, so I thought maybe I should clear the air. But obviously he was wrong.”
I stuck my chin out. “What difference does it make? We broke up. Who I kiss isn’t any of your business anymore. Same goes for you. I thought that was pretty clear when you didn’t even call me to tell me you were coming home for Thanksgiving, much less with Amanda.”
Noah sighed, the sound broken, and he ran a hand back and forth through his already tousled hair, making it stick out even more. “I didn’t think youwantedme to call.”
Of course I wanted you to call! I wanted you to call and I wanted you to tell me you missed me and tell me how much you loved me and tell me I’d made a mistake in breaking up with you!
Instead, what I said was “If you followed me to the park to talk to me, why didn’t you talk to me? Why did you leave?”
He scoffed, almost scornful, but he couldn’t hide the hurt expression on his face. “You’re really asking me that? I thought you two werejust friends.You told me you weren’t interested in him like that. Told Lee, too. I wasn’t convinced when you kept sharing photos and stuff with him, and when I saw that photo of you guys at the dance…But Lee told me. ‘Nothing going on,’ he said. Looks like you’re making a habit of lying to him about guys you like.”
My jaw clenched, teeth grinding. I could feel the muscles in my face twitching, not sure which expression to settle on. I was breathing hard, trembling all over, but that had nothing to do with the chill in the air.
“You have no right to…to say that to me. It shouldn’t matter to you anymore if I am dating Levi, but just FYI I’m not. I asked him to meet me because I needed a friend, and not Lee, for once. I kissed him. So what? It was a stupid decision but it wasmydecision to make. And anyway, what about you and Amanda? You didn’t think to tell me you were bringing her home for Thanksgiving.”
