The Missing Years - a kissing booth fan fiction

Everything

Author's Note: Ok, this is a bit of a break in the format, but since we're at about the halfway mark in the timeline, I figure it's ok to switch up the order of the narration. I wrote this chapter and the next one pretty early on and they only made sense when Noah went first.....

Noah

Lee and Elle planned a huge weekend in Las Vegas for their 21st birthdays. Lee had phoned me a couple of months ago, demanding that I keep that weekend free, regardless of my summer plans that year after graduation. I mean, it's not like going to Vegas to celebrate my baby bro finally being legal was a hardship, but of course Lee and Elle had to have a theme.... "Bond, James Bond" Lee had told me in a terrible attempt at a British accent. I had groaned at the time and I groaned inwardly now as I stood looking in the mirror while I got fitted for my new tux.

I heard a wolf whistle behind me and saw Chloe grinning at me in the mirror. "Hello handsome," she said, wandering around in front of me as the tailor finished the last few adjustments to my jacket. "You look nearly as good in that as I do in this," gesturing to the garment bag she had hanging over her arm. "So, I get the Winthrop tick of approval, then?" I smirked. Chloe looked me over with a very serious expression before grinning again and saying, "You'll do."

Chloe and I met up with Rachel at the airport and we all flew to Vegas together. Our taxi had dropped us in front of the resort and I was giving the porter our names for the luggage when Rachel burst out laughing and I heard Chloe say "You've got to give it to those two, they know how to rock a theme." I followed their gazes and spotted Lee and Elle. To be honest they were kind of hard to miss. I figured when Lee had said they were driving from LA to Vegas it would be in Lee's beloved Mustang, but no.

In true James Bond style, they were in a silver Aston Martin convertible. Of the two of us, Lee was definitely more the car guy, but even I could appreciate how cool this particular car was. And then I looked more closely at Lee and couldn't help but grin. He was dressed in a pale linen suit with a crisp white shirt, unbuttoned at the collar, hair slicked back with dark sunglasses, now low on his nose as he parked the car. He jumped out and went around to the passenger door to open it for Elle before the valet could, extending his hand to help her out.

She placed her hand in his and stepped out of the car, so gracefully that I was pretty sure the two of them had practiced this little manoeuvre. I let my eyes start at her feet, then roam up her legs, taking in the short white shift dress that did nothing to hide her curves. I'm pretty sure my grin had become goofy by the time my eyes reached her perfectly made up face and oversized sunglasses. Elle reached up and removed the scarf she had worn to protect her hair and shook out her soft, bouncy curls. She hadn't seen me yet and I just stood there for a moment, thoroughly enjoying the view.

A swift jab to the ribs from Chloe broke the spell as she stepped forward, clapping. "Bravo! Just look at you two, you're magnificent!" I looked at Rachel and shrugged, sensing that she'd just had a similar moment with Lee. She went to Elle then, joining Chloe in offering birthday wishes and I stepped forward to give Lee a hug. "Happy Birthday, man."

More of their friends joined us over the course of the afternoon, including Ollie, Miles, Tuppen, Vivian and Randy from high school, Lee's friends Evan, Jamie, Ashton and Mila from Berkeley and Elle's USC friends Steph, Jorge, Ben and Michelle. We were a big enough group that there were no chances for awkward exchanges and besides, Elle and I were in a pretty good place now.

Elle and Lee loosened up on the theme for that first night, apparently it was supposed to be their last night of childish fun before becoming proper adults. I knew the wonder twins well enough to know that the odds of that actually happening were slim to none. We ate junk food and drank cheap margaritas around the old casinos off Fremont Street, followed by thrill rides at the Stratosphere. Elle and Lee ended the night with the SkyJump together and we raised a (shot) glass to them at midnight.