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“Then what are you saying?” I ask, confused. “You loved me but you won’t do it again?”
“Exactly. I would let Brett date you the way he wanted to.”
I frown at Noah. “What the hell are you talking about?”
“He’s been in love with you from the day he met you, Jen. I knew it, too. He never said anything, but I knew he was gaga over you. You always spent time with us, and he couldn’t think straight when you were around. But he never made a move, so I did. I was a dick, but God, you were the hottest girl in school, smart, funny…I won’t apologize for taking what I wanted.”
I don’t know what to say. My head is spinning. How could it be that all that time, Brett was in love with me?
“He was always so mean to me. And so set on breaking us up…” Now that I see it in a different light, I’m starting to understand.
“If he told you he loves you, it’s real. Brett won’t lie about that. He’s not the type of guy to fall for a girl just like that. And it’s you, Jenna. It’s always been you.”
I shake my head. I don’t know what to think.
“He lied to me,” I say again.
“I know. But he’s a good guy. He’s shit with his words sometimes—he never knows how to act on his feelings. He can be a charmer, for sure, but when it comes to his heart…if you really care about him, if you’re as serious about it as he is, give him a chance. You deserve to be happy.”
I can’t believe what I’m hearing. And I’m hearing it from Noah, of all people.
“I’m sorry about what I did to you,” Noah says. “I shouldn’t have left you like that. I should have told you how I feel so that you knew what to expect. I should have…God, I should have done a lot of things differently. But I was young and stupid. We all were. I know now what it means to be straight up, to communicate, to do the right thing. Back then…that wasn’t the right thing to do.”
“Thank you,” I say.
Noah nods. “I needed you to know.”
“Thank you for apologizing, too. It really hurt me, and even though it’s been so long…it’s closure.”
He smiles at me. “You two are good together. Don’t let it go. If it’s worth it, fight for it.”
We sit together in silence after his speech. I try to wrap my mind around everything Noah said. I try to understand how everything in my past that went wrong is suddenly set right by the very person I used to date.
“What are the odds?” I finally ask. “You, me, Brett…all of us together again by chance in Hawaii.”
“I know. It’s crazy,” Noah says with a grin. “But I’m glad we saw each other again. I’ve been meaning to tell you that for a while now but picking up the phone to call you…let’s just say there are certain things I’m still working on and haven’t quite figured out yet.”
I smile at Noah. The boy I used to know is still in there somewhere, but he’s a man now. Responsible, kind. And I appreciate that he came to talk to me.
“I appreciate you talking to me,” I say. “And telling me how things really are.”
“Sure,” Noah says.
He stands. “My flight is leaving soon.”
“You’re not staying for the game?”
He shakes his head. “I have to get back to work. My players needs me. Are you leaving, too?”
I glance toward the door. “No, I think I’ll stay a little longer.”
Noah smiles at me. “That sounds good.” He leans in for a hug and I let him wrap his arms around me. “Take care, Jen. I hope we see each other around again sometime.”
“That would be nice,” I say.
Noah walks away, and I watch him go. I can’t believe what he told me. I can’t believe that it’s been a competition to have me. And that Brett was in love with me all the time.
But I’m also blindsided by Noah’s apology, his confession that he wasn’t as serious.
I was always upset about that—he hurt me when he left. I felt like I wasn’t good enough for him. Or that Brett finally succeeded in ruining what we had after all.
Now, it makes more sense. And I meant what I said to him. It gave me closure.
I take a deep breath and let it out slowly before I turn to the airport entrance and walk back out into the sun.
