her one of them moved as they faced each other.
He hadnt said anything, his muscles seemed frozen, and for a sed she thought he didnt reize her. Suddenly she felt guilty about showing up this way, without warning, and this made it harder. She had thought it would be easier somehow, that she would know what to say. But she didnt. Everything that came into her head seemed inappropriate, somehow lag.
Thoughts of the summer theyd shared came back to her, and as she stared at him, she noticed how little hed ged since shed last seen him. He looked good, she thought. With his shirt tucked loosely into old faded jeans, she could see the same broad shoulders she remembered, tapering down to narrow hips and a flat stomach. He was tan, too, as if hed worked outside all summer, and though his hair was a little thinner and lighter than she remembered, he looked the same as he had when shed known him last.
When she was finally ready, she took a deep breath and smiled.
"Hello, Noah. Its good to see you again." Her ent startled him, and he looked at her with amazement in his eyes. Then, after shaking his head slightly, he slowly began to smile.
"You too?" He stammered. He brought his hand to his , and she noticed he hadnt shaved. "Its really you, isnt it? I t believe it."
She heard the sho his voice as he spoke, and surprising her, it all came together - being here, seeing him. She felt something twitside, something deep and old, something that made her dizzy for just a sed.
She caught herself fighting for trol. She hadnt expected this to happen, didnt want it to happen. She was engaged now. She hadnt e here for this.., yet... Yet... Yet the feeli oe herself, and for a brief moment she felt fifteen agai as she hadnt in years, as if all her dreams could still e true.
Felt as though shed finally e home. Without another word they came together, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, a his arms around her, drawing her close. They held each htly, making it real, both of them letting the fourteen years of separation dissolve in the deepening twilight.
They stayed like that for a long time before she finally pulled back to look at him.
Up close, she could see the ges she hadnt noticed at first. He was a man now, and his face had lost the softness of youth. The faint lines around his eyes had deepened, and there was a scar on his that hadhere before. There was a new edge to him; he seemed less i, more cautious, ahe way he was holding her made her realize how much shed missed him since shed seen him last.
Her eyes brimmed with tears as they finally released each other. She laughed nervously under her breath while wiping the tears from the ers of her eyes.
"Are you okay?" he asked, a thousand other questions on his face.
"Im sorry, I dido cry ... "
"Its okay," he said, smiling, "I still t believe its you. How did you find me?"
She stepped back, trying to pose herself, wiping away the last of her tears.
"I saw the story on the house in the Raleigh paper a couple of weeks ago, and I had to e see you again."
Noah smiled broadly. "Im glad you did." He stepped back just a bit. "God, you look fantastic. Youre eveier now than you were then."
She felt the blood in her face. Just like fourteen years ago.
"Thank you. You look great, too." And he did, no doubt about it. The years had treated him well.
"So what have you been up to? Why are