Back to Me (Carolina Rebels 1)

“Shit,” Noah mutters from behind me.

The woman scowls at me with such hatred. She has to be his girlfriend. No doubt it looks bad that he’s bringing me here and I have a bag with me. My heart cracks straight down the middle and falls apart. Noah’s taken. Even last-minute plans can’t work in my favor.

“What is she doing here, Noah?” she asks, the contempt and accusation dominating her tone. Does she know who I am? Or is she just pissed that he’s here with another woman? “I thought you were going home to visit your sister. You didn’t say anything about bringing Meredith here.” She spits my name.

So, I guess she does know who I am.

I can’t stand to be here any longer. That causes me to do the one thing that I seem to consistently do well: walk away. “I’m sorry,” I blurt out. I knew coming was a bad idea. “I’m just leaving.” I snatch my bag from Noah and shove past him.

“Meredith, wait!”

I don’t.

I can’t.

What was Noah thinking, bringing me here? Why couldn’t I have found the courage to ask if he had a girlfriend? I could’ve used that as the reason why he should drop me off at a hotel. Hell, I wouldn’t have left the airport because I would’ve caught the first flight back!

I press the button for the elevator repeatedly. “Hurry up,” I mutter under my breath.

“I didn’t know she

would be here,” Noah says. He takes me by the shoulders and turns me around to face him. “I’m sorry.” He sets the keys to his car in my hand, but I try to give them back. No way in hell can I see him again. “Please, Mere. Take them.” The elevators open, so I step inside. Unfortunately, Noah follows. “Take my car; it’s parked next to the one I was driving today. There’s a GPS in the console and it can take you to the nearest hotel. I’m sorry about Erica. She knows where the spare key is and thinks she can come over whenever she wants,” he finishes with a grumble.

The doors open with a ding. I step out with his stupid car keys in my hand. Noah doesn’t follow, so I turn to face him.

“You don’t have to explain anything to me, Noah. You might want to explain things to your girlfriend, though.”

With that, I turn to leave. This was a huge mistake. I was crazy to think I could step back into Noah’s life like nothing had ever happened. Hell, I was probably stupid for thinking I could piece my life together as if time stood still where the person I love hadn’t moved on.

Tomorrow, I’ll return his car and catch the first flight back home.

Raleigh is the last place I need to be.

Frustrated beyond belief, I slam the door behind me when I reach my apartment. “What are you doing here, Erica?”

“I came to surprise my boyfriend,” she snaps.

“Just because you know where the spare key is doesn’t mean you can show up without fucking telling me!”

“Not even to surprise you?”

“No!”

Erica stands and pokes me hard in the chest. “You’re only upset because Meredith is here. What the hell, Noah?”

Yes, that is part of it, but not all of it. There’s probably a point in all relationships when this wouldn’t be a big deal on its own, but we’re not there yet. Hell, I’ve spent half the summer wondering if I want to break up with her or not. We’re not good together. She’s amazing in bed, but in all other aspects? We’re too busy arguing about everything. She’s controlling, and she thinks I’m unable to let someone in because of what happened with Meredith. The hell with that. I’m sick of this shit. In fact, after talking to my sister yesterday, I decided I would break things off with her once I came home.

“I ran into her at the airport. She’s here for a while and I offered to let her borrow the car,” I explain.

“The car you wouldn’t even let me borrow when my car was in the shop for a week?” she shrieks.

I sigh. Erica is a terrible driver. Her car was in the shop because she wrecked it for the third time in four years. So, forgive me for being hesitant. “Look, I’m tired of arguing with you. It’s been a long day. Can you go?”

Her jaw drops. “You’re unbelievable. We are not done discussing this.”

“Yeah, we are.”

“Why is Meredith here?” she asks again. Damn, she’s so hardheaded.