Noah Flynn

The Reunion

"Oh, my dear! Aurora!" Mrs. Flynn yelped.

She squished the girl in a tight, loving hug. Then Mr. Flynn patted her shoulder and smiled. It was a small smile, but you could tell in his eyes he cared greatly for the girl.

Lee just stood there, paralyzed. Aurora waved at him gently, very much embarrassed. He was her best friend, and she had just decided to take off one night with no notice, leaving him behind. He called her every single day, and not once did she answer. The betrayal he must have felt...

"Unbelievable," he scoffed. "You're back."

"I am," she replied. "You and I... we need to have a talk later."

He nodded. "Agreed. Don't run off again though." Lee's face was dead serious.

"Well, look who it is," a deep, sensual voice interrupted.

Aurora turned around and saw Noah Flynn seated at the end of the table, staring at her in complete disbelief.

"Aurora Evans."

"Noah Flynn."

Holy shit had he gotten hot over a year. But still, he was Lee's brother. First of all, family members were off-limits. Second of all, it was Noah. He was the most controlling person she knew. He always got what he wanted, and she hated people like that.

"Looking good," he said, and winked at her.

"Not that I needed you to tell me," she replied. He looked taken aback at first, as if he didn't know rejection, but then quickly regained his composure and smirked. Aurora sat down, adjusting to a once-familiar scene, and they ate.

After eating she got a ride home from Lee, who, of course, did not take her home. He stopped at some random place, took a really deep breath, clenched his fist on the wheel, and looked at her dead in the eye.

"Why?" he asked.

He looked hurt. And it completely broke Aurora's heart.

"Lee, you saw what I became. I lost it. And I was dying here. I needed to leave, to be free for a while. I'll admit I didn't do it the best way. I could have given you a heads up at least. Or answered your calls. But leaving was something I had to do."

"I'm your best friend. We told each other absolutely everything. And you left me behind, with all the others, as if I were the same as them. As if I meant nothing to you," he said through clenched teeth.

"Lee, you think I don't know that? Do you think I don't regret my decision of leaving you behind? Leaving you in the dark? I swear it won't happen again. I won't leave you ever again. But this was something I needed," she said firmly.

He stayed silent, seemingly contemplating her words. The silence was overwhelming. Then, in just a matter of seconds, Lee's frown changed to a smile. He hugged her, and suddenly, everything went back to normal. They were friends again. That year that she left never happened. It got erased.

"I understand. Honestly, I'm just glad to have you back. Just don't ever do it again. A second time I won't be able to forgive," he warned.

"Did I ever tell you I love you?" Aurora asked him, smiling. She was grateful to have such a forgiving best friend. What she did to him was horrible, but he managed to understand both her and her position despite that.

Lee looked down at his feet, blushing. "I love you too," he said softly.

Aurora punched him in the arm. "Let's head over to your place. We've got a lot of catching up to do," she assured him.

"I bet," he said.

He started the car and drove off. Aurora put her music on, and soon they were driving at high speed, the wind in their faces blowing their hair back, and Green Day's "American Idiot" pounding at full volume.

Ah, this was definitely one of the things Aurora missed the most.