The Right Choice:

Chapter 2

Felicity grabbed the phone from Noel as she sat up in the bed in frustration.
"Hello?" she said as Noel put his boxer shorts on and got out of bed. Felicity watched Noel walking across the room. She could tell he was upset by this but as he turned around to look at her he gave her a smile. A smile that reminded her she was with the right guy. With that he walked out onto the balcony.
"Hey," Ben said sadly.
"Is everything okay?" she asked worried. If he was calling her all the way in Berlin it had to be something important.
"When are you coming home?" he asked in his usual whisper.
"Ben, you called me all the way in Berlin only to ask me that?" she said annoyed.
"No…" he paused, "I can't stop thinking about you. I really thought we had something."
"I know, I thought we did too Ben. It was just a fantasy though. It was a fantasy for me and for you it was the control you had over me. You liked me having a crush on you. You're upset because you feel you lost."
"That isn't it at all!" he said upset, "You know you don't really like Noel. For all these months you've gushed to him about me. All this time I'm the one you've been thinking of."
"You're right, but when it came down to choose the one I wanted to be with I wanted my best friend and the guy that has been there for me from the beginning. Once I truly opened my eyes and saw Noel no other guy could compare," she said not sure how he'd react.
"Are you sure it's Noel? Because I'm not going to wait around."
"Yeah…I'm sure Ben," she said pulling her knees up to her chest and hugging them.
"Ok well…I don't think we can be friends then," he said angrily.
"Are you serious?" she asked shocked.
"Yeah."
"You can't do that!" Felicity said insistent.
"Watch me," he said as he hung up.
After that Felicity hung up the phone and just sat there dumfounded. She never expected that she'd lose Ben entirely. He'd become someone very important to her, especially over the last few months. She didn't realize that he cared that much. She then looked out and saw that Noel was leaning out over the balcony looking at the city below. He looked so sexy and so strong. Strong in a way that she knew she could always and forever count on him no matter what. That was a lot for a guy to be able to offer.
She walked out to Noel on the balcony. She wrapped her arms around him from behind and prepared herself for him freaking out. Afterall…that is what he usually did. He was always so insecure of Ben, not that he didn't have every right with how she'd always acted. The only thing was, even if it took her all year to realize, Ben could never be even ½ the man that Noel already was.
"Hey you," Felicity said quietly.
"Hey," he said back, "what did Ben want?"
"It doesn't matter," she said not knowing how to say what she wanted to say.
"He wanted you to leave me and go back to him didn't he?" Noel asked not turning his but still looking out over the city.
"How did you know?" she asked.
"Because no guy in his right mind could not love you."
"Noel!" she said as her face beamed. She swung around so she was standing in front of him. They both wrapped their arms around each other tightly.
"But are you sure this is where you wanted to be?" he asked leaning in so his forehead rested against hers. They both closed their eyes.
"Noel, I don't even know what I've been thinking all this year. I've been acting so childish…following Ben around like a lovesick school girl. I ran off to this college so far away from home to follow this crush and ended up falling in love with my best friend. My heart feels so full that it might explode…" she said hugging him tightly, "I mean…I told you…I almost did go with Ben. It wasn't until the very last minute that I realized that all this time it was you."
With that he glared into her soft blue eyes and kissed her with all the emotion he felt at that very minute. With that they made love again.

Before Felicity knew it another week had past and it was time for them to head back to the United States. Noel was going to Chicago and Felicity to California. Felicity and Noel desperately didn't want to be apart but there wasn't much they could do about it. Felicity was in fact worried about being in the same city as Ben but in the long run she knew that friendship was all she wanted from him now.
Luckily Felicity and Noel were able to take the same flight back. Felicity had her layover in Chicago and Noel insisted that she stay the night at his parent's house with him. Felicity was a little nervous about this because all this time she'd never met his parents.
When they first walked into his house his mother screamed and hugged him.
"I've missed you so much!" she said so happily Felicity thought she'd burst.
"Hi mom," Noel said hugging her back. She could tell they were close. Felicity immediately got such a warm feeling from being in his house, "mom, thi is Felicity."
"I've been wanting to put a face to the name all this time. Noel's said so much about you," she said hugging her. Though Felicity could feel that she wasn't as thrilled as she was acting. She wasn't sure why.
"Same about you," Felicity said with a smile.
"Where is dad?" Noel asked.
"On a business trip. He'll be home in a couple days. Let me show you guys to your rooms," she said as she led them upstairs.
Felicity and Noel shared a big grin with each other. Neither were surprised about the separate rooms and it was totally fine. Felicity put her things down in the guestroom she was staying in and looked at all the pictures of Noel as a little boy. He was probably the cutest kid she'd ever seen. She lay down on the bed for a little while and though of the last 2 weeks with Noel. All the long walks they took and the late night talks in the bedroom.
After dinner they were sitting around drinking coffee when Noel went off to check his email. Felicity and his mother were sitting together in the living room.
"So…how did you guys end up together?" she asked very bluntly.
"Well, I had to pick between either Noel or this guy Ben. I chose Noel," she said taking a sip of her coffee.
"Noel really loves you a lot. He was so happy with Hannah and I really liked them together…but I've never seen him this happy before," she said with a smile.
"I've never met anyone like him in my life. You have an amazing son Mrs. Crane," Felicity said feeling nervous still.
"Are you sure that Noel is who you want to be with?" she asked out of the blue again.
"Ummm…" she said not knowing how to respond.
"I know what you and Noel went through this year. I don't know details but I know enough. My son and I are really close and I can't bear to see him hurt. When he's with you he's happier than I've ever seen…but when you guys fight he's in more pain than I've ever seen."
"Really?" she said looking down at her hands, she couldn't look at Mrs. Crane.
"Part of me wishes he was still with Hannah, because I know she could never hurt him the way he's hurt with you," she paused and Felicity gulped, "but the way he looks at you, it reminds me of how my husband looked at me in the beginning."
Felicity then looked up at her and Mrs. Crane was smiling. Just then Felicity's heart stopped pounding.
"I don't know what is going to happen in the future. I'm only 19 years old. But I can say honestly that Noel's the only person in my life I can't imagine not having around. I know no matter what happens that we'll always be friends," she said and looked up and saw that Noel was walking into the room. She smiled at him and he sat down next to her. He put his arms around her from behind and kissed her cheek.
"You tired babe?" he asked taking a sip of her coffee, "ack! How can you use equal in your coffee!?"
She giggles. "Yeah I am pretty tired," as she yawns on cue.
"I'll see you kids in the morning," she said as she gives Noel a kiss on the cheek.
Felicity and Noel went and got ready for bed. As Felicity was brushing her teeth Noel came in and brushed his as well. Then he gave her a big kiss on the cheek all full of toothpaste and she did this like quiet gasp thing. Noel then closed the door behind him and grabbed her with a full blown kiss. As he pressed his body against her all she wanted to do was rip his clothes off. He then lifted her up and put her on the sink as he kissed down her neck. Just as she started getting into it she realized that this wasn't the best way to get on Mrs. Crane's good side.
"Noel, we can't," she said pushing him away.
"Oh come on," he said heavily breathing, "I never had sex in my house."
"I don't want to upset your mom. She barely even likes me yet," she said laughing as he repeatedly kissed her over and over.

Felicity and Noel left the bathroom and went to their separate bedrooms. Neither could get to sleep. She'd slept by his side for the last 2 weeks and it was torture not having his body next to her. What was she going to do for the rest of the summer thousands of miles away from him? Noel also tossed and turned feeling like it was especially hot that night. All he could think about was the feel of her bare skin next to his. He loved how she smelled and how she looked while she was sleeping.
Felicity couldn't stand it anymore. She got out of bed and headed for the door but stopped just as she put her hand on the doorknob. She realized that she had to be strong. It wasn't right of her to go to Noel's bed at his parent's house…and what if she saw her going in his room? She really didn't want to get on this woman's bad side. She already had to live up to the image of Hannah. So, still frustrated, she got back into bed.
As Felicity tried to get back to sleep she suddenly felt Noel's arms around her and his lips on her neck by a small soft kiss. For a moment she thought she was dreaming but then she realized she was still awake.
"What are you doing here?" she whispered.
"I missed you," he said in a whisper back.
"But I don't want to get in trouble Noel," she said giggling softly.
"We won't, I'll make sure to go back to my room early enough in the morning," he said cuddling in more to her.
"Ok, but we can't have sex," she said pulling him in closer to her.
"I wouldn't dream of it," he said with a smirk as they both fell asleep in each other's arms.

Felicity woke up to Noel already gone but he'd left her a note.

Thanks for letting me hold you for another night, Love Noel.

It was so simple but so sweet, a very Noel thing to do. She then got out of bed and headed downstairs for breakfast. As she got to the bottom of the stairs she could smell freshly cooked eggs and just made coffee. She was sad she had to go back to Palo Alto today but she knew things would be fine. Just as she walked into the kitchen everything changed.
"Good morning, Felicity," his mother said.
"Good morning," Hannah said.