The Notebook (The Notebook #1)(9)

Another turn in the road and she finally saw it in the distance. The house had changed dramatically from what she remembered. She slowed the car as she approached, turning into the long, tree-lined dirt drive that led to the beacon that had summoned her from Raleigh.

She drove slowly, looking toward the house, and took a deep breath when she saw him on the porch, watching her car. He was dressed casually. From a distance, he looked the same as he had back then. For a moment, when the light from the sun was behind him, he almost seemed to vanish into the scenery.

Her car continued forward, rolling slowly, then finally stopped beneath an oak tree that shaded the front of the house. She turned the key, never taking her eyes from him, and the engine sputtered to a halt.

He stepped off the porch and began to approach her, walking easily, then suddenly stopped cold as she emerged from the car. For a long time all they could do was stare at each other without moving.

Allison Nelson, twenty-nine years old and engaged, a socialite, searching for answers she needed to know, and Noah Calhoun, the dreamer, thirty-one, visited by the ghost that had come to dominate his life.





Reunion


Neither one of them moved as they faced each other.

He hadn’t said anything, his muscles seemed frozen, and for a second she thought he didn’t recognize 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 didn’t. Everything that came into her head seemed inappropriate, somehow lacking.

Thoughts of the summer they’d shared came back to her, and as she stared at him, she noticed how little he’d changed since she’d 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 he’d 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 she’d known him last.

When she was finally ready, she took a deep breath and smiled.

“Hello, Noah. It’s good to see you again.”

Her comment 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 chin, and she noticed he hadn’t shaved. “It’s really you, isn’t it? I can’t believe it. . . .”

She heard the shock in his voice as he spoke, and surprising her, it all came together—being here, seeing him. She felt something twitch inside, something deep and old, something that made her dizzy for just a second.

She caught herself fighting for control. She hadn’t expected this to happen, didn’t want it to happen. She was engaged now. She hadn’t come here for this ...yet ...

Yet...

Yet the feeling went on despite herself, and for a brief moment she felt fifteen again. Felt as she hadn’t in years, as if all her dreams could still come true.

Felt as though she’d finally come home.

Without another word they came together, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, and he put his arms around her, drawing her close. They held each other tightly, 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 changes she hadn’t 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 chin that hadn’t been there before. There was a new edge to him; he seemed less innocent, more cautious, and yet the way he was holding her made her realize how much she’d missed him since she’d 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 corners of her eyes.

“Are you okay?” he asked, a thousand other questions on his face.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to cry....”

“It’s okay,” he said, smiling, “I still can’t believe it’s you. How did you find me?”

She stepped back, trying to compose 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 come see you again.”

Noah smiled broadly. “I’m glad you did.” He stepped back just a bit. “God, you look fantastic. You’re even prettier 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 you here?”

His questions brought her back to the present, making her realize what could happen if she wasn’t careful. Don’t let this get out of hand, she told herself; the longer it goes on, the harder it’s going to be. And she didn’t want it to get any harder.

But God, those eyes. Those soft, dark eyes.

She turned away and took a deep breath, wondering how to say it, and when she finally started, her voice was quiet. “Noah, before you get the wrong idea, I did want to see you again, but there’s more to it than just that.” She paused for a second. “I came here for a reason. There’s something I have to tell you.”