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Chapter 24: The distance between us
publish date:
2026-07-25 17:59:33
Latest chapter
Before We Were US Chapter 24: The distance between us
Noah’s pov The first week in Atlanta was the hardest, healing was a relentless cycle; lift your arm, hold it , drop it … a continuous cycle, again and again .At first, I hated every single second of it.I’d spent my entire youth lifting heavy, running sprints until my lungs burned, and throwing forty-yard spirals on the money. Now? My physical therapist, a sharp woman named Karen who didn't take an ounce of my attitude, had me sitting on a foam bench trying to lift a two-pound rubber ball using only my right shoulder.My arm wouldn't even budge. It just trembled, locked in place like the signal had been completely cut off from my brain. It was embarrassing. It made my chest burn with a frustration that made me want to kick the equipment across the room."You're fighting it, Noah," Karen said one Tuesday morning, setting her clipboard down after watching me strain until my face turned red."It's two pounds, Karen," I grunted, my teeth clenched so tight my jaw hurt. "I used to bench
Before We Were US Chapter 23: New beginnings
Noah’s pov I’d never been to Atlanta before.Dad kept both hands on the steering wheel as traffic crawled toward downtown, while I sat staring out the passenger window, trying not to think about why we were here.There were cars everywhere.Six lanes.Honking.Buildings so tall they blocked half the sky.It didn’t feel anything like Pine Ridge.It was the first time since the night at Sunset Bay that the reality actually settled heavily in my gut. I was out of Pine Ridge.For the first time since graduation, it hit me that home was hours behind us.I kept rubbing my thumb against the edge of my brace,I’d spent enough of my life in training rooms, locker lines, and ice baths to know what sterile walls looked like. I was just terrified of the answers waiting inside them.With football, I always had a plan. Learn the playbook; it meant that if you executed the assignment and read the coverage, you knew exactly where you were going to land on the field, trust your teammates and read the d
Before We Were US Chapter 22: Home
The streets were almost empty by the time we left Sunset Bay.The heater hummed softly inside Shane’s car as the tires rolled over the quiet roads back towards the house. Dani had somehow managed to curl herself against the window in the back seat, her eyes half-closed despite insisting twenty minutes ago that she wasn’t tired.“Liar,” Shane muttered with a smile, glancing at her through the rearview mirror.“I heard that,” Dani mumbled without opening her eyes.“No, you didn't.”“I did.”“You were asleep.”“I was resting.”A laugh escaped me before I could stop it.The sound filled the car, light and effortless, and Noah turned his head toward me almost immediately.“What?” I asked.He shook his head.“Nothing.”His lips tugged into the smallest smile.“I just love hearing you laugh.”Heat rushed to my cheeks,I looked out the window before he could notice, but my fingers subconsciously tightened around the edges of his suit jacket. It was still draped over my shoulders, smelling fai
Before We Were US Chapter 21: The first place I’d look
Noah’s POVNeither of us knew how to react, what to say, or what to do next.The words I’d just bleedingly confessed hung in the freezing air between us.The ocean filled the silence, waves rolling rhythmically onto the shore before dissolving into a hiss of white foam and retreating back into the night. I stood perfectly still, barely daring to breathe, my shoes slowly sinking into the damp sand. The biting coastal wind swept across the open bay, but right now, I couldn't feel the cold.My right hand was still locked in its brace against my chest, but my left hand remained at the nape of her neck, my fingers tangled slightly in her hair. Her small hands were still pressed flat against my shirt. I knew she could feel it,my heart hammering an erratic, frantic rhythm against her palms, beating so hard it felt like it was echoing out loud into the empty night.For months, maybe even years, if I was being completely honest with myself, I’d imagined telling Isla I loved her. I had run throu
Before We Were US Chapter 20: One word at a time
Isla’s POV“The biggest mistake I ever made was pretending you were just my best friend.”The words settled between us, for a moment, the only thing I could hear was the ocean. The waves rolled in, crashing softly against the shore before retreating back into the darkness, as if the world hadn’t just completely shifted beneath my feet.I stared at Noah.His chest rose and fell unevenly. His hair was a wild mess from the wind. His tie hung loose around his neck, he looked exhausted and maybe “scared”.“I…” I swallowed, but my throat felt impossibly tight, choked . “I don’t know what to say.”He smiled, “You don’t have to say anything.”“No.” I shook my head, “You don’t get to do that.”His smile completely disappeared,so I took a closer look . “You don’t get to show up here in the middle of the night…” My voice trailed off, fighting the roar of the gale. A single tear burned through my cheek. “…say something I’ve wanted to hear for years, and then expect me to just stay silent.”Noah
Before We Were US Chapter 19: Sunset Bay
Isla’s pov As the city lights disappeared behind me , the road became quiet. There was only one place left in the world I wanted to go to .Sunset Bay.It was the beach Mom used to take me to when I was little. Growing up, whenever Mom had a bad day at work, or had too much on her mind, she’d drive us out there with a bag of snacks and a big fuzzy blanket. We’d sit near the old wooden jetty for hours, watching the horizon until the sky turned purple.“Isla, love,” she’d always say, her fingers gently combing through my hair while I ate the snacks , “the beach has a way of making everything feel a little lighter.”Back then, I never understood what she meant. I was too young to understand that the vastness of the ocean could make human problems look beautifully small by comparison.Tonight, I think I finally did.The cab rolled to a stop near the gravel turnout at the beach entrance. I pulled a few folded bills from the pocket of my gown, handing them through the partition to the d
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