The Missing Years - a kissing booth fan fiction

Goodbye

Author's Note - There is a lot of dialogue in this chapter that is taken directly from the movie - all credit goes to Beth Reekles and the team at Netflix, I in no way intend to represent this as my own. The scene between Noah and Lee just felt so different to their other interactions, so pivotal that I had to include it here, and the farewell at the beach house is the last time Noah and Elle see each other before the missing six years begin, so I felt it had to be included for context. From the next chapter until the reunion though, will be my own version of events during - The Missing Years.

Chloe had gone back to her Dad's boat to spend some time with him before he left for London. I was packing my bags, killing time before the family dinner that Mom insisted we have together before I went back to Boston tomorrow and Lee left for Berkeley a few days later. I hadn't really talked to him much face to face since the break up with Elle, but Rachel had told me that she'd broken up with Lee the day after. I was sad for him, but was secretly glad that his heartbroken state had also taken the edge off his anger towards me.

As if on cue, Lee poked his head around my doorway, knocking on the door. "Hey," he said softly. "Mom said you were taking off."

"Yeah, that's the plan," I nodded and continued to pack clothes into my duffle bag.

Leaning against the doorframe now, Lee said, "You knew she got accepted into Berkeley, didn't you?" He didn't have to say Elle's name, we both knew exactly who he was referring to.

"What are you talking about?" I did not want to have this conversation with Lee.

"You ended things with Elle so that she wouldn't miss out on going to college with me like we'd always planned." The arrogance of this kid! As if my life's decisions revolved around him.

"You know, there were a lot of reasons Elle and I broke up, I didn't want her to make a decision she was going to regret. You know, but just 'cause we're not dating anymore doesn't mean I'm going to stop protecting her."

Lee gave a slight nod and went to leave, but I couldn't help myself, I had to ask, had to know.

"So...Is she going to go to Berkeley, or?"

He smiled ruefully and moved back to the doorway. "No actually, she uh, she's applying to USC. She wants to do video game design."

I couldn't help but laugh slightly as I nodded to myself. "Alright. Alright, that sounds about right."

"Yeah," Lee said, smiling too. He paused then and a serious look came across his face, very un-Lee. "Hey. I'm not sure if it's my place to say this or not, but that thing you said earlier, about always needing to protect Elle? It's not true. She's always been able to take care of herself. The only thing she ever really needed from you was....was for you to love her."

My heart or whatever was left of it fell to the floor. 

"Anyway... I'll be seeing you brother," and he left.

I tried to keep going, keep moving, and went around the end of the bed to grab the grey hoodie lying there on the bench. My fingers touched it and suddenly all I could think of was her, wearing it the night I'd arrived back for the summer. Back when the days and weeks ahead held so much promise and summer stretched out almost endlessly in front of us. I sat down, hands gripping the hoodie tightly, trying to remember how to breathe.

I'm not sure how long I sat there, before I managed to get up and finish packing.

____________________________________________

It was mid-afternoon and I was dozing on a sun lounger, soaking up my last dose of California sunshine for awhile, when my phone buzzed with a text message. I sighed, looked at my phone and realized it was from the last person I expected. The person I had spent every minute since Lee left my room trying not to think of.