The Summer Girlfriend (Heart Beach, #1)(94)

“Noelle, that’s not necessary,” Celeste said, confused. “We have a lot to talk about, yes, but you don’t need to go home.” Amara and Robin nodded in agreement. This would be so much easier for Noelle if they weren’t still being so kind to her after everything.

“No, it’s okay. You need to deal with this as a family,” Noelle said. “Thank you again for letting me be here.”

Before they could persuade her to stay, Noelle jogged upstairs. She heard Jeremiah’s footsteps right behind her. In his bedroom, she made quick work of folding her clothes and stacking her books in her suitcase. She focused singularly on the task, not wanting to think about how happy she’d been here with him these last several weeks and how everything had so quickly gone to shit.

“Noelle, can you just talk to me for a second?” Jeremiah asked. “Wait a minute, and I’ll pack my stuff.”

“No, please stay and talk to your family, Jeremiah,” she said, turning around to face him. “I’ll figure out my way home. This is where you need to be.”

He stared at her, visibly torn like he was fighting his desire to not let her out of his sight and his realization that what she’d said was right. He did need to stay here with his family.

His shoulders deflated. He pulled Noelle into his arms, and her heart hammered as she instinctively hugged him back.

“I’m not letting you take the bus,” he said. “I’ll order a ride.”

She looked up at him, ready to protest but he shook his head. “That’s not up for debate,” he said firmly.

“Okay,” she murmured.

He carried her suitcase downstairs. Celeste, Amara, and Robin were still standing in the hallway, but Percy was nowhere to be seen.

“Get home safe,” Celeste said. “Let Jeremiah know once you’re there, okay?”

“I will,” Noelle said, and then to her surprise, Celeste, Amara, and Robin each hugged her goodbye. Her relief at their continued kindness was overwhelming, and simultaneously made her feel guiltier.

She and Jeremiah waited for her ride outside on the sidewalk. Noelle looked up and down the street at the beautiful houses around them. She never imagined that she’d have access to a town like Heart Beach. This whole summer had been like a dream.

“I know tonight was a lot,” Jeremiah said quietly. “But I need to know if we’re okay.”

“We’re okay.” She swallowed thickly as she gazed at him, afraid of saying anything that might hurt him. “I wasn’t lying when I said that I’m not mad at you. But…I need a bit of space to think.”

“Space?” He blinked, repeating the word like it burned his tongue. “I’m moving soon. All we’re going to have is space once I’m in California.”

The pained look on his face pierced her heart.

“I know,” she said, voice shaking. “But my head is all over the place right now, and in order to be a good girlfriend to you, I need to be able to think clearly. I just need a few days to get my thoughts straight. And I’ll call you when I’m ready. If that’s okay.”

Jeremiah stared at her in worry. Thick silence enveloped them. Noelle could almost hear the pounding of her heart.

“Of course it’s okay,” he said finally, voice low. “I respect that you want space after everything that happened tonight. Just know that I’m here, and I’ll be waiting.”

“Okay,” she whispered.

Her ride turned down the street and pulled up in front of them. Jeremiah placed his hands on either side of Noelle’s face and kissed her deeply, almost desperately, like he was unsure if he’d get the chance to kiss her again. Noelle closed her eyes as she kissed him back.

She loved Jeremiah. The truth was startlingly clear to her now. And that was why this situation was so scary. Whenever she fell in love, she lost herself, and she was afraid that might happen again. She was trying her best to hold on to her heart and protect it. Because now she knew that Jeremiah and his family had the power to break her heart irrevocably.

When their kiss ended, Jeremiah placed another soft kiss on her forehead. He held her close like she was the most precious thing in the world. He was making it so much harder for her to leave.

“I’ll text you when I get home,” she said, forcing herself to step away from his embrace.

He nodded and stuffed his hands in his pockets. “Okay.”

The Uber driver placed Noelle’s suitcase in the trunk, and she climbed in the back seat. Jeremiah watched them drive away. He lifted his hand and waved as they turned the corner. She craned her neck and looked at him out of the rear window until she couldn’t see him anymore.

By the time she got home over an hour later, her nerves were frayed. She’d left Brickton on Friday feeling like she was floating on a cloud. Now she’d crashed back down to earth.

To her surprise, Tati was home. She was sitting on the couch, watching Living Single again.

“Hey,” she said, sitting up and pausing the show. “You came home just in time. I just got to the episode where Nia Long is dating Kyle.” Tati frowned and looked closer at Noelle. “What’s wrong?”

The comforting and familiar sound of her best friend’s voice made Noelle realize just how tired and sad she felt. She kicked off her shoes and left her suitcase by the door. She joined Tati on the couch and rested her head against Tati’s shoulder. Tati wrapped her arm around Noelle and angled her face to look at Noelle more closely.