All These Years ~ Camila Cabello^^

[Chapter thirty-four]

-Nevaeh-

{ Your hair's grown a little longer
Your arms look a little stronger
Your eyes just as I remember (oh)
Your smile's just a little softer }

"Wha-what?" Noah lets go of me, running his hands through his hair. "No. No! You're lying!"

I take this time to look at him. Really look at him.

His hair still looks the same, it's just a bit longer then it was two years ago. His biceps look a bit more muscular so you can tell he's been going to the gym and working out more. His eyes are still the same greenish-blue I knew a couple of years ago. And his smile...well, he still doesn't smile.

"Why would I lie about something like this?" I question rhetorically as he grabs me and hugs me to his chest tightly.

"You can't leave me, Carter." He whispers into my hair, his voice cracking. "You can't leave me."

I bite my lip. "I can't help it, Pebble."

{ And I, yeah, I never prepared for a moment like that
Yeah, in a second it all came back, it all came back }

He chuckles slightly before pulling away. "You're never going to stop calling me that, are you?"

"Nope." I grin. "I remember what you said that day. 'I'm sure as hell not letting you leave this house calling me Pebble'." I mimic in a deep voice. "And guess what?"

He laughs -actually laughs- making me fall for him all over again.

He shakes his head, still chuckling. "You left the house calling me Pebble."

"I left the house calling you Pebble!" I exclaim, still grinning.

He shakes his head again, still chuckling a bit. "You want to go for a walk? Catch up a bit?"

I smile softly. "Yeah."

*~*

{ Cause after all these years
I still feel everything when you are near
And it was just a quick "Hello," and you had to go
And you probably will never know
You're still the one I'm after all these years
(Oh yeah) }

"You tried to get a bagel out of the toaster with a metal fork?" He repeats, his eyebrow raised. "And you wonder why your aunt told you not to do anything stupid."

We walked for about five minutes until we came across the woods behind campus. We walked in and sat on a large rock. Noah said he comes here when he needs to think, but is too lazy to go to the field in next town over.

"It was pretty stupid now that I think about it." I grin sheepishly. "But-"

"But if your bagel ever got stuck in the toaster, you would shove a metal fork in it all over again, even if it means being electrocuted." He cuts me off knowingly, a small smile on his face.

"But if my bagel ever got stuck in the toaster, I would shove a metal fork in it all over again, even if it means being electrocuted." I repeat, chuckling softly.

I look over at him and see his eyes closed with a soft smile resting upon his lips as the sun shines on his face.

Two years. Two damn years and everything I felt for him back then still hasn't gone away. I still love him.

"Stop staring at me." He says without opening his eyes, the smile still on his face.

"If I were cliché, I would say 'I'm admiring you'," I start, grinning cheekily. "But I'm not. You're ugly. I can't help it."

He chuckles. "You wound me, Carter."

"I know." I state, still grinning. "So, you and Hazel?"

The smile slowly slips off his face. "Yeah."

"How long?"

"Seven months." He opens his eyes. "Dylan, Max, Megan and Pablo question my sanity everyday."

I raise an eyebrow in confusion. "Pablo?"

"My subconscious." He tells me. "He has a Mexican accent and wears a sombrero."

I choke on my spit before laughing loudly for a few minutes.

"Are you done?" He asks in fake annoyance.

"Not yet." I say before laughing a bit more. "Okay, now I'm done."

"Good." He rolls his eyes, a hint of a smile on his face. "I know you want to say something. Spill it."

I grin. He knows me too well.

"I'm questioning your sanity, too, Pebble." I lie back on the rock. "Of all the girls and guys in this college, you choose Hazel?"

I feel him lie back on the rock too. "I don't know what I was thinking when I asked her out, Carter. I mean, I guess I liked her, and I still do, no matter how much of a bitch she is. I mean, I'm not in love with her or anything, but I still like her, you know?"

Wow, thanks, Noah, for ripping my heart out and stomping on it until it looked like Plankton's chum from the Chum Bucket.

I gulp. "Not really, but sure, let's pretend I know what you mean."

*~*

"I'll see you tomorrow?" Noah pipes up, shoving his hands in the pockets of his hoodie as we reach my dorm.

It's about 8:00 now. We were in the woods for a good few hours. We left a couple of hours after he admitted he actually likes Hazel. He insisted he walk me to my dorm and we walked back in silence. It was a comfortable silence, but at the same time, there was a bit of tension. Now we're in the girl's dorm building, standing in front of my dorm.

I smile softly. "Yeah."

I surprise the both of us by stepping forward and wrapping my arms around his neck. His arms slowly wrap around my waist.

"I missed you, Noah." I mumble into his shoulder.

"I missed you, too, Carter." He admits quietly.

I pull away and we just stare at each other. His eyes flicker down to my lips as his grip on my waist tightens. I feel myself unconsciously leaning forward and so does he.

Wait. Hazel!

We both quickly pull away from each other.

"You have a girlfriend." "I have a girlfriend." We both say at the same time.

I pull out the key to my dorm and open the door. "Bye, Pebble."

"Bye, Carter." He rushes out before quickly walking down the hall as I shut the door.

"What happened?"

I look over at Megan, who's sitting on the couch with a book in one hand, a mug of -what I'm guessing is- hot chocolate in the other and a blanket wrapped around her.

"I still like Noah." I announce before walking to my room, mumbling to myself. "I'm still in love with that idiot."

*~*

{ Couldn't help but overhear you
Sounds like you're happy with her
But does she kiss you like I kissed you?
Ooh, I wish I loved you like I miss you }

"So Hazel's coming, too?" Megan asks from next to, disgust evident on her face.

We decided to have lunch in the campus cafe and Dylan is now telling us that Hazel's coming too.

"Yup." Dylan nods, sitting across from us. "I hate her."

"Me, too." Max agrees, sliding in next to me in the booth.

"Me, three." Megan sighs.

They all look at me expectantly.

I roll my eyes. "Me, four."

"Nevaeh has the most reason to hate her." Max pipes up. "Hazel stole her man."

I choke on air before kicking him under the table. "He's not my man. He never was and he never will be."

"You keep telling yourself that." Dylan hums as the door opens and Noah walks over to our booth along with Hazel, who is clinging to his arm.

"Keep telling yourself what?" Noah asks as he slides in next to Dylan, Hazel sliding in next to him.

Max doesn't skip a beat. "That pineapples belong on pizza."

I throw my hands in the air. "Pineapples do belong on pizza!"

"They do not!" Max argues back.

"Max, you're lucky there isn't a whole pineapple near me, because if there was, I would be shoving it down your throat right now." I point at him.

"I didn't know you were into that kinky shit, Vaeh." Max raises his eyebrows making me hold back a laugh and forcefully slap his shoulder. "OW!"

Everyone laughs and Max rubs his shoulder.

We order our food and drinks as we start to catch up.

We're all having seperate conversations. Megan, Dylan, Max and I are talking, while Noah and Hazel are whispering to each other and grinning, occasionally laughing. Noah has his arm around Hazel's shoulders and her arm is wrapped around his waist.

"He's not as happy as he looks, you know." Max leans over and whispers in my ear.

I shrug and whisper back. "No, I don't know."

He stares at me for a second before bringing his hand up and flicking me in the forehead, making Megan and Dylan start laughing.

"Ow—Max!" I cup my forehead. "I'm not talking to you."

He tries to stifle his loud laughs but fails miserably. "Aw, come on, Vaeh."

"Nah, piss off." I turn my head away from him before he wraps his arms around me and hugs me to his chest.

"I'm sorryyyy!" He drags out, still hugging me tightly, making me start laughing.

"Get off, asshat." I laugh loudly, trying to push him away and failing.

He doesn't let go, but instead grabs a handful of fries off his basket and shoves then in my mouth.

I laugh even more, almost choking.

I see Noah staring at us from the corner of my eye, a small frown on his lips before Hazel grabs his face and kisses him.

Wow, must be nice. But does Hazel kiss you like I did, Noah?

*~*

{ And I, yeah, I never prepared for a moment like that
Yeah, in a second it all came back, it all came back

'Cause after all these years
I still feel everything when you are near
And it was just a quick "Hello," and you had to go
And you probably will never know
You're still the one I'm after all these years, oh
'Cause after all these years
I still feel everything when you are near (you are near)
And it was just a quick "Hello," and you had to go (ooh)
And you probably will never know (oh)
You're still the one I'm after all these years }

"Pebble, you didn't have to walk me back to my dorm." I sigh as we make it to the door of my dorm room.

"I didn't want you walking back by yourself." He shrugs, shoving his hands in the pockets of his jeans.

After lunch, Dylan and Hazel both had lectures, and Megan and Max had decided to go catch a movie, which left Noah and I.

I smile slightly before chuckling slightly.

"What?" He looks at me with a raised brow.

"Remember all those times you nearly strangled me to death for walking alone at night?" I chuckle even more.

He cracks a smile. "I didn't want you to end up getting abducted and taken to a circus to be a dancing clown."

I grin. "You and I both know I would be the prettiest damn clown in that circus."

He laughs, his eyes crinkling at the corners slightly. "That, you would, Carter. That, you would."

{ I never told you, I should've told you
I never told you after all these years }

I smile as he laughs carelessly.

I should've told him I loved him before I left. I should've told him.

{ Told you, I never told you (told you)
Told you, I never told you
I never told you after all these years }