[ AVA ] TOLD YOU FROM THE START

[noah mason scott]

I don't care if it's 10 o'clock at night, Noah thought as his mother yelled after him once he walked out the door. "I'm not a kid anymore, Mom!" he yelled back to Hanna. "I'm twenty-three freaking years old! Quit treating me like a child!" Quieter and to himself, he muttered, "God!" She really needed to get over this midlife crisis she was in. Menopause was obviously not treating her well. Noah had been through too much in his life to deal with her like this. But he'd come home hadn't he? After Derek died (or killed himself, whichever you prefer since he drank himself to death) he'd come right back home to help her out. Hell, he'd even brought Scarlett along but that was turning out to be a mistake. Scarlett said he didn't need to be embarrassed by his mother because she'd seen worse. He didn't actually believe her. No one could be more embarrassing right now than Hanna Scott.

Noah got in the car and reached into his pocket, pulling out the cigarette pack and lighter he had stored inside. He lit one and put it between his lips, shoving the key in the ignition and starting the car. Throwing the car into reverse, he backed out of the driveway and threw it into drive, speeding off as fast as possible for the apartments. Noah had discovered upon returning--from his mother, no less--that Ava, the only friend he had left in this town (Scarlett didn't count), had moved out of her parents house on Hallow Drive and into a place of her own at Memorial Creek. He needed to see her. Last time they'd seen each other they hadn't exactly been on the best of terms. Noah had tried to move on....hell, he'd even tried with Scarlett his freshman year at NYU....but it just wasn't enough. He loved Ava, still even after all of these years. Once he got to the apartments, he got out of the car and dropped his finished cigarette on the ground, stomping it out then headed in the proper direction. Someone had told him her apartment was #D10. Upon finding it, he knocked rapidly three times and then stepped back, turning around so he could get himself together.

[ava brianne mellark]

Writers block was only meant to be temporary right? Ava wished that was true, because it would give her some hope that she might actually get further than the plan that was staring her in the face right now. She had it all set out, but she'd been at this stage two weeks ago as well. She'd tried just writing, hoping to get something, but it was no good. She couldn't write a single word that she didn't just delete straight after. Rubbing her eyes, she closed her laptop without saving the few words that she hadn't gotten around to deleting yet. "This is useless,"

[/color] She said aloud, because she was the only one around who would hear it.

Then again she didn't expect to hear a knock - well three knocks - at her door either. She glanced over towards the clock that sat next to her laptop, a constant reminder that she was wasting away the minutes. It'd gone ten. Who the hell wants me at this hour?! She thought to herself before realising that she should probably go see who it is and what they wanted. If they were calling this late it was probably important. She wasn't smart enough to look through the peephole to see who it was. She wasn't even smart enough to see who it was before she opened her mouth. "Don't you know what the ti-"[/color] Her words were cut off as she saw who was on the other side of the door. "What are you doing here?"[/color] She asked, her voice cold. Whether her question meant 'what are you doing outside my door?' or 'what are you doing back here?' Ava didn't really know.

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[noah mason scott]

It was amazing that even after all these years, Ava still knew it was him..even from behind. Noah turned around and just basked in the sight of her. She was still beautiful as ever and then some. She wasn't that 18 year old girl from his past anymore. Ava was a 23 year old woman, and he was a 23 year old man. More or less, they'd both grown up over the last 6 years and now they were adults. Yet, here Ava was speaking like they were children. He couldn't believe that after all of these years she was still pissed off at him for waiting until the last minute to tell her about his feelings. Would it have been any different if he'd done it sooner?

"Nice to see you too, Ava," Noah said after he turned around. "Is it safe to say you haven't changed at all or did you forget what year it is?". His voice was dripping with sarcasm, but it was a serious sarcasm since she obviously wanted to play a little game. No biggie. Noah would play along. He wanted her so badly right now. Wasn't six years long enough to get over someone? Apparently not, considering the second he got back into town all he could do was think about seeing her. True, it was late at night and most normal people were in bed now. Noah wasn't normal though. Far from it actually. So his being up at this hour wasn't anything new. That was something that had carried over from high school and college. Sleeping in until Noon too, that was another one.

[ava brianne mellark]

Why was he standing outside her apartment door? She hadn't seen him or heard from him in six years, and now here he was and she couldn't help but feel like it was only yesterday that she last saw him. Ugh, stop thinking like that. She pushed those feelings out of her head, and they were soon replaced with anger. Six years and not even one call?! No text message? Well to be honest if she'd have gotten a lousy text message from him it would probably have made it that much worse. In all fairness, she hadn't tried to get in touch with him either, but she was blinded with anger right now, and her actions were out of her line of sight.

"Nice to see you too, Ava," He said, turning around, probably seeing the look of utter shock on her face right now. "Nice to see me? Seriously?"

[/color] If that were the case he'd have come sooner. She thought about shutting the door on him there and then and barricading herself in her room. Of course it wouldn't be dealing with the problem at all, but it would sure as hell make her feel better. "Is it safe to say you haven't changed at all or did you forget what year it is?" She could practically hear the sarcasm falling off of each word he said. She shot him her deadliest look she could muster up, hoping that it was the type of look that would scare even Chuck Norris. "Change? You're one to talk. Why don't we play twenty questions? Have you changed since I last saw you? 'Cause I'm pretty sure you have."[/color]

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[noah mason scott]

Right. She hadn't changed as far as he could tell. But hell it had only been a minute. Maybe she'd surprise him. Highly unlikely though. It was one of the reasons he was so attracted to her. Noah had changed a lot in the last 6 years. Ava's statement was dead on but it's not like she'd been keeping tabs on him so how the hell would she know? It's not like she had attempted to keep in contact with him. But that went both ways, obviously. Noah hated people who got pissed off at someone for not keeping in touch with them but yet that person hadn't even tried themselves. You wanted to talk childish? It didn't get anymore so than that as far as he was concerned. But they had already stooped to that level in the 60 seconds they'd been in each others presence again for the first time in 6 years so why stop now? She started it.

To answer her question, Noah smirked. "Well I sure have. I went off to New York, toughened up, started smoking and lost my virginity to a prostitute.". The last statement was a cold hard lie and Ava would know that. Because it had been her whom he'd lost his virginity to. A week before the party where Gina was killed they'd slept together at her house while her parents had been away. It had sort of just happened. They didn't know why. So his last item on that list was more of an insult to her but she'd been asking for it. Mess with the bull, you get the horns. Noah might have loved her, but they obviously were still living in high school where neither of them looked at each other twice in the same second. Still he should have been the grown up here. Instead he was being just as low as she was.

[ava brianne mellark]

"Well I sure have. I went off to New York, toughened up, started smoking and lost my virginity to a prostitute." Ouch. That was a hit below the belt if ever there was one. She'd even flinched, mostly at how he'd spoken since it took a moment or two before the words fully sank in. They weren't true, the last part at least, since they'd slept together before he upped and left Maine and ran off to New York. He couldn't have forgotten about that, because she was having a hard enough time trying to forget it, and back then she was sure it had meant more to him than it had her at the time. She'd known about the smoking though, so at least that wasn't a surprise to her. Just because he'd left, it didn't mean his mum had left too. Ava had ended up spending quite a bit of time over at his old house. Of course, she'd begged him mum not to tell him she was there, since who knew what would happen if he knew about that. His mum had kept her somewhat up to date though. That was until she stopped going.

It had taken Ava a few days after Noah's departure before she realised just how much she needed him. What with Gina's death, she'd had no one else to turn to. No one that she could speak to about the whole thing. Of course there was Henry, her cousin, but he seemed just as upset as she was, and she didn't want to make things worse for him. She'd got as far as typing out Noah's cell number before throwing her own cell away from her. She hadn't tried calling him again after that. "I- I can't be dealing with this right now."

[/color] She said, yawning slightly at the end as if she were tired. Of course she wasn't, but he didn't know that. "Thanks for stopping by and all, but why don't you just fly back to New York or something. I'm sure you were having the time of your life."[/color] All she wanted to do right now was crawl into her bed and pretend that tonight hadn't happened. Seeing Noah was bringing back feelings that she'd kept locked away for six years now. Who knew what would happen if they resurfaced?

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[noah mason scott]

Okay the childish games obviously had to stop here. Noah had gone out of line that time so now he had to reign back in. Hearing her tell him to go back to New York, that had hit him pretty hard but he could sense something in her voice that told him she was nervous that he was here. After 6 years she was feeling like her old self again which begged the question, what had happened exactly between them? Not just the night they slept together and the night of the party but all throughout their friendship during their youth. He remembered when he first met Ava. Junior high. Just before the summer going into freshman year. Noah had been paired up as her writing lab partner for English class. It was a fast friendship. For Noah, it turned into something more, officially by the end of sophomore year.

He stepped closer and said, "I'm not going anywhere. So why don't you just invite me in already. Come on, Ava, you can't still be pissed at me after all these years. If we start acting like high schoolers again then what's the point?". Noah put his hand on the door so it would be harder for her to shut it if she tried. He was actually really strong, more so than he used to be in high school. Quieter, and closer to her, he said, "I missed you. We were never apart longer than a couple of days in high school. It's been 6 years. We were best friends.". Hopefully they still could be. Noah was afraid that their little sleepover had ruined it. If that was the case, she should have told him when he left for NYU. Then he wouldn't have come back again. Not even for his Mom. Ava was the real reason he'd come back. His step-dad dying was just the excuse he needed.

[ava brianne mellark]

"I'm not going anywhere. So why don't you just invite me in already. Come on, Ava, you can't still be pissed at me after all these years. If we start acting like high schoolers again then what's the point?" His words made sense, but Ava was still skeptical. She still wanted to know why he was back, but she figured that arguing in the hall ouside of her apartment would get her no where. Plus, with his hand now on the door her chances of slamming it in his face were next to none.

He took a step closer, he was almost in the front door now. "I missed you. We were never apart longer than a couple of days in high school. It's been 6 years. We were best friends." His voice was barely above a whisper, but she heard his words loud and crystal clear. If she was being honest with herself, she'd missed him too. A lot. When he'd left for NYU she'd told herself that it would be fine, but as the days turned into weeks and the realisation that he wasn't coming back set in, she realised that she missed him. She'd felt almost abandoned, what with Gina's death and then Noah taking off. She knew that the two events really shouldn't be compared, but in a way Noah moving to New York was worse than Gina's death. She'd come to accept the fact that Gina was never coming back. How could she, she was dead after all. But Noah wasn't dead. He was still around and could come back whenever he wanted to. But he didn't, he hadn't, and somehow that felt worse. "Okay,"

[/color] She said, pulling the door open so that he could enter. Whatever was going to happen next, it didn't need to happen in the hallway where anyone could see them. At least her apartment offered some privacy.

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[noah mason scott]

A grin crossed his face--more like a grin of success--when Ava agreed and opened the door for him to come in. Noah knew she was faking tired because she didn't want to see him. It wasn't like they'd actually dated in high school and he went and cheated on her with some other girl. No. They were best friends, and he'd always been in love with her. And they shared one night together at the end of their senior year in high school, but she didn't know what that meant on his end until a week later. Noah specifically remembered the words he'd said when they wound up alone at that party and got to talking about their night the week before. It had gotten pretty heated, so heated that at one point he finally had to blurt it out. "I love you Ava! Okay?! Are you fucking happy now? I said it! I love you, and I always have. Last Saturday meant something to me, and I'd like to think by some miracle it meant something to you too." Those words would forever haunt him now because it were those exact words that had destroyed what they had.

Noah stepped into the room, going about 8 feet in before he turned around and waited for her. At least he got one step closer to talking to her. And that was saying a lot. He wasn't exactly sure when things would ever be the same between them, but in this town, nothing was what it seemed. So could he have been wrong about a lot? Well he'd only been back in town for two days, whereas he'd been away for six years. If he was going to be proved wrong, it would have happened already in the last half a decade. Instead, he was probably right about a lot. The fact that he loved Ava was nothing he could be wrong about, nor could he lie and say he'd moved on. Ava more than likely still remembered every word that had come out of his mouth that night at the party. He certainly did, and those words lingered in his mind. Would the rest of his life be based on something like that? Noah sure as hell hoped not. He couldn't live like that. Finally, Noah said, "Thank you."

[ava brianne mellark]

Ava hadn't expected this turn of events when she'd woken up this morning. Of course, she wasn't expecting a lot out of her days right now since she could barely get a sentence typed out on her laptop before she ended up deleting it. Nothing she was writing was making sense to her. None of it was meaning anything, that was the real problem. Of course there were things that she could write about. Compared to a lot of people her age, she'd been through quite a bit. She'd always been reserved when it came to using her own experiences though. She was lucky that her family were rich and she could afford to spend her time writing... Well, trying to write anyway. She'd pay them back, when she could of course. If things didn't change soon though she could see herself looking for a job in town or something.

She shut the behind them softly but stayed standing by it. Noah was already well into her apartment by the time she did so. She needed to keep some sort of space between them because she was pretty sure that the last thing she wanted right now was Noah in her apartment. The two of them alone. Could this end well? Ava was doubtful. "Thank you." He said. She nodded in acknowledgment but stayed silent for a moment longer. "Why are you here?"

[/color] She asked again, hoping to get an answer out of him this time.

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[noah mason scott]

Why was he here? Ava's question didn't catch him off guard but now he actually had to think about it. But he'd just said he missed her. No he wasn't thinking about this lightly. When it came to how much so, it was off the charts. Six years was a long time to be away from someone. The distance between Noah and Ava was more than just physically. It was emotionally too. As far as he was concerned they shouldn't be doing this anymore. Noah wanted Ava to be his best friend again. He wanted her to meet Scarlett because he knew they would get along. Scarlett had no one except him and their other friend from NYU. A girl friend would be good for her. As fascinating as their friendship was, it wasn't the same.

"I'm here because I wanted to see you. We need to talk about what happened. Last time we talked...it wasn't exactly the best of conversations.". Noah looked at her with a somewhat compassionate facial expression. He knew she knew what the deal was. All of his feelings had come back the second he saw her again. This childish bullshit that they started out with had caused this to not be as serious as he wanted it to be but now that wad done and over with. Noah stepped closer to her, as close as he could get to her. "There were more things I needed to say. But...I guess because it got so intense....I lost it then."

[ava brianne mellark]

"I'm here because I wanted to see you. We need to talk about what happened. Last time we talked...it wasn't exactly the best of conversations." Well that could easily be an understatement. That night was etched into her memory for the rest of her life, whether she wanted it to be or not. In all honesty that night was the worst night of her entire life. It had started off with such promise. Gina and herself had spent most of the evening at Ava's house getting ready to go out. Henry was going to pick them up and they were going to meet Noah there. She didn't know how long they'd been there before Noah and herself had ended up away from the main party. That was when he'd told her that he was in love with her. Years of teasing from Gina about it, but she hadn't thought anything of it. Let alone that she'd been right. Ava had panicked, which was probably not the reaction that he'd been looking for. She hadn't been great at admitting to her feelings back then. She was better now, but if that was a good thing or not, Ava wasn't sure right now.

She couldn't hold her gaze at him, his look was too intense, and her eyes soon fell down to look at her shoes. So when she saw his own shoes in her vision she knew he'd taken a couple of steps closer. She thought he'd stop a few steps away from her, but he didn't. He kept approaching, until his feet were almost on top of hers. She had to look up now. She had no idea what was going to happen next. What did she want to happen next? She didn't know the true answer to that either. He was close enough so that all she'd have to do was stand herself up on her toes and their lips would touch. But did she want that? She could just as easily move away. "There were more things I needed to say. But...I guess because it got so intense....I lost it then." He had more? She wanted to hear them, wondering what else he could have said to her that night. Would it have changed things between them? Who knew? "I think we all lost it that night,"

[/color] She said, her thoughts once again on Gina. Ava had lost her best friend, her cousin had lost his girlfriend and they still didn't know why. She took a small step backwards but her heels hit the door. Damn. She didn't have a more intense memory than that night. So much had happened in the space of a few hours yet she remembered everything in crystal clear quality. "I haven't forgotten. I can't forget."[/color]

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[noah mason scott]

As if the planets were aligning, Noah watched Ava as she ended up completely back into the door with no where to go. Cornering her wasn't part of his plan but now that it had happened this was the perfect opportunity to say the things he needed to say. If he didn't, he would never get this opportunity again. A little voice in the back of his mind told him to tell her what he knew about Gina but he couldn't because that would destroy everything. "I can't either. And....I need you to know....just how much I love you." He reached up and touched her face with his thumb, his hand cupping near the back of her head. "I've loved you ever since I met you. It happened so fast, and we were young and....I didn't want to say anything. You can only imagine how hard it was for me. But I think everyone knew but you."

Noah wasn't done though. "I've missed you....so.much over these last six years. I wanted to come back but...I wasn't ready. I didn't know if I could face you after what you said to me." Her words had hurt him, and he felt worthless and fucked up. The fact that he'd waited until right before he was leaving for NYU to tell her he loved her was what had hurt her the most from what he could tell. But they had just slept together. It wasn't like they'd been doing it for months, or even years. "I thought....after our night together? After we made love....things would be different. And I was right. But I was wrong. Things were different. Just not like I expected." He stroked her cheek with his thumb. "I haven't forgotten anything, Ava. Not one thing. And I don't want to because I'll forget one of the best nights of my life." Regardless of how she felt, he still would mark it as the single best night he'd ever had in his 23 years.

[ava brianne mellark]

When Noah's hand connected with her face, it felt as though his touch was on fire, but the burn that his fingers left felt good and she found herself unconsciously leaning into his touch. Part of her brain was ringing alarm bells... He'd been back two minutes and she was already putty in his hands. She thought she was stronger than that but right now that was the least of her worries. "I can't either. And....I need you to know....just how much I love you." The words didn't scare her so much this time, since she'd had six years to go over their last conversation in so many ways that she could probably write essays on it. "I've loved you ever since I met you. It happened so fast, and we were young and....I didn't want to say anything. You can only imagine how hard it was for me. But I think everyone knew but you." He had that right. Gina had been telling her almost from day one, but she hadn't listened, thinking that she was just messing with her.

"I've missed you....so.much over these last six years. I wanted to come back but...I wasn't ready. I didn't know if I could face you after what you said to me." She'd been so confused about everything that night in the woods that she'd ended up saying some pretty awful things to him, most of which she wanted to take back because he'd been one of her best friends and she'd hurt him so much. Noah kept speaking, talking about the night they'd spent together and at the fact that he hadn't forgotten anything. She was glad that he was speaking, since it gave her longer to figure out what she wanted to say. She'd never been all too good with words, but it was now or never for her. "I'm sorry,"

[/color] She started, her hand moving up to cover his as it rested on the side of her face. "I said some horrible things back then. I wish I could take them back because I didn't mean them."[/color] She swallowed back a few tears that threatened to make an appearance. "I missed you too. More than you can imagine. I only realised everything after you left, but I had it set in my head that you wouldn't want to see me after what I said..."[/color]

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[noah mason scott]

Hearing her talk, Noah could see just how weak she was getting. They were connecting on the same level now and that was good because he didn't want to look pathetic--at least not by himself. Noah loved her so much and he realized it more and more with each word they spoke. Even at first when she'd been going off at him and he shot back, going just as low as she was with comments. It didn't matter what they said to each other. He still would have wanted her, just like he'd wanted her that first day they met. Sure, he never actually realized he loved her until mid-way through high school but the attraction had always been there. And he was thankful that after all of these years they were still connecting. So with her hand on his, which still was cupped around her head, he could feel everything she was feeling. It was so much bigger than met the eye.

As she trailed off, Noah used his other hand and singled out his index finger, putting it over her lips, as if telling her she didn't have to talk anymore. "It's okay. I forgive you." And that was all Noah had to say. He brought his finger down and put his entire hand on her waist, pulling her closer and leaning down to press his lips to hers. The first time they kissed in six years and it felt like the first time all over again. He remembered their first kiss, back after graduation, right before they made love. They'd been sitting on the living room couch in her house, watching TV and talking about him leaving for NYU soon along with her making him promise he would come back for Christmas and Thanksgiving and all the other holidays. Noah had promised, but after they got into it at the party he had just stayed in New York for the holidays every year, spending time with Scarlett since she had no one to go home to. After he'd promised, something happened and they were getting closer and closer and they just kissed. Before he knew it, they had readjusted and he was laying on top of her on the couch, kissing her continuously as they pulled each others clothes off.

It was something he wouldn't forget. No one usually forgot their first time, regardless of who it was with. Noah was thankful his had been with Ava because had it been anyone else, he would have regretted it. After a moment, as he came back down to reality in the present moment, Noah pulled away gently and he breathed heavily, then kissed her again, unable to not do it.