The Kissing Booth: Unavoidable

Chapter 11 - Thanksgiving

Noah's POV

Elle and I had finally made some progress talking about the break-up the other night and I was excited to see her again without the pressure of all those unresolved feelings hanging over us. I was glad I had made the decision to stay in LA rather than going to Seattle with the rest of my family. I used work as my excuse to my family for why I couldn't go with them, but really once I found out for sure Elle would be in LA this week, I wanted to have the time to get her to talk to me about us. I was telling the truth when I told Elle that I wanted to work out our issues, but I know I need to tell her why I really wanted to fix things between us. I didn't just want to make it easier when we had to see each other at family events, I wanted to make things better between us, so we could be together again. I want Elle back.

Mike had been nicer to me than I expected and probably more than I deserved when I returned to LA and started seeing him on a weekly basis at family lunches on Sundays. He didn't ask me about the past and the break-up, but I knew that he and my Mom had talked about it. I wanted to ask about Elle, but usually didn't need to, my parents loved Elle and asked about her every week. I told myself that I had been able to put her out of my mind by drowning myself in school, then work and working out, but that got much harder back in LA when I saw so much that reminded me of her and couldn't avoid any mention of her.

Brad opened the door for me when I rang the doorbell. "Noah! Do you want to play my new video game with me until we eat?" Brad never had wasted much time when it came to trying to grab my attention. I'm pretty sure he was the one Evans who I had never fallen out of favor with.

"Maybe in a little while, Brad, let me say hi to Elle and your Dad first." I walked into the kitchen and saw Elle with an apron on and stirring something on the stove. "Hey Shelly! Your Dad is letting you help with the food?" I joked, giving her a smirk. Elle had never been much of a cook and usually stayed out of the kitchen, especially on holidays.

Elle glared at me, but then smiled. "I'll have you know that I've become quite the cook in the past couple years, right Dad?" Mike walked in and chuckled at Elle.

"That might be taking things a little far, but we don't have to worry about everything getting burnt anymore." Elle snapped a hand towel at his back and Mike laughed again. "I'm just teasing, honey, she actually knows what she's doing in a kitchen these days. How are you doing, Noah?" Mike reached out to shake my hand.

"Very good, Mike. Thanks again for inviting me today. I was starting to regret not taking the time off to go to Seattle with my family, once I was facing the prospect of ordering take out for Thanksgiving. Is there anything I can help you guys with or should I take Brad on in whatever game he's playing these days?"

Elle gave me a genuine smile. Looking over at her, all I could think about was how much I've missed this, missed her. "Oh please, go see Brad. He's been talking about you non-stop, since Dad said you would be coming over today. I don't want to have to listen to him tonight if he thinks he didn't get enough of your attention."

I had fun playing video games with Brad before we ate, I've always had fun hanging out with him and nothing helps your self-esteem more than spending time with someone who treats you like a superhero. The meal was delicious, and Elle and her Dad weren't lying about the improvement in her cooking skills. It was nice to hang out with Elle and her family for the day, it reminded me of how easy things had always been between us, how right I always felt when I was with Elle.

Before we started dating, it took me a long time to realize what my feelings for Elle meant. I had known Elle all my life and our relationship had changed so much during that time. When we were little, Lee, Elle, and I were all friends and spent most of our days playing together. As I grew up and decided, since I was older, I was also cooler than Lee and Elle, I stopped spending any more time than I had to with them. Even when I thought I was too good to hang out with them, I still always felt the need to protect them. But, at some point, I realized my need to protect Elle was more than just protecting my brother and his friend, like it always had been. My feelings for Elle had changed. There were several things that led up to this realization. The party at our house my Senior year when Elle slept in my bed wearing my jersey, the day she fell asleep on me in the backseat of my Dad's car, and our trip to the haunted house during my Senior year. I started to think more about my feelings for Elle after each of these events, but even after that, I didn't think I could act on them.