A/N: So, this fic basically starts when the younger story of Noah and Allie (Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams) finishes in the movie. I’ve been working on it for a while now, but haven’t had the time to type out the chapters. Anyway, here it is! I’ll see how many people are interested in it, and if there’s a fair amount, I’ll continue. So don’t forget to review 

PS: I used lower case "o's" to divide my sections because 's or -'s didn't upload.

Disclaimer: I don’t own any of these characters, but like I said before- owning a Noah would sure be nice!

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“You came back,” Noah said, still holding her close to his body. His heart was beating fast. Allie didn’t say anything. Instead, she just nodded while moving her body slowly away from his, looking up at him before they softly joined lips. Once they released each other, Noah looked at her. Her eyes were still puffy and red from crying only a short time ago, and now, new tears were starting to form as well.

They embraced once again, and stood there for a long time, just holding one another. There was nothing to be said. No words could quite describe the moment between them, although both knew what the other was feeling. Allie continued to lean into Noah’s chest while his hands held hers underneath the red blanket. As his fingers intertwined with hers, he noticed that her left hand no longer bestowed the elegant diamond engagement ring she’d received from Lon, and Noah smiled, marveling at the strength that Allie must have had to possess while giving it back to him.

A million thoughts were running through Noah’s mind, and just as many raced through Allie’s. And at that moment, Noah realized the depth of her decision. She had just given up her old life to start a new one that would include Noah everyday. She was finally his.

Allie didn’t think of her decision as giving up her “old” life, however. In Allie’s mind, she wasn’t giving up anything. Sure, she might temporarily miss the many social outings that she often attended with her parents, but she would gladly give them up to spend a lifetime with Noah instead. While it was true that she had given up all that had gained familiarity and become routine over the years of her life, they seemed insignificant after she imagined what her life would be if she said goodbye to Noah twice.

Following a mutual, unspoken understanding, the two let go of one another and Allie let out a nervous laugh. She quickly wiped the remaining tears from her eyes with the fleece blanket and said, “You must think I’m a nut right now.”

“Of course I do,” he replied without hesitation. She let out another chuckle and sighed, giving Noah a knowing smile before walking over to the luggage she’d thrown on the ground only minutes before, and together, they walked past the white tudor pillars, and went inside.

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Allie discarded her beige leather pumps as Noah took her luggage upstairs and placed it to the side at the top of the stair case. He had debated whether or not to place them inside the master bedroom, and decided against it. He could tell that Allie was already a little bit apprehensive and overwhelmed, and didn’t want to make matters worse. She could take the guestroom if she’d like, he thought, and then walked back downstairs.

At the same time, Allie straightened out her dress, took a deep breath, and headed over to the living room to sit on a chair. She looked around the room and laughed to herself for a moment, taking in Noah’s furnishings, of lack thereof. All that was in the entire room were two large chairs and a coffee table. Not very much, but what do you really need when you live by yourself? Allie wondered. A moment later, Noah retreated to the room as well, taking the seat in front of her. Looking at each other, they could both remember perfectly the conversation they’d shared in this room a few short days ago, and felt similar feelings of overwhelm, confusion and content. Now, one boat ride, one rainstorm, one passionate fight, and three days later, there they were again.

“So,” Noah said, attempting to start some kind of conversation.

Allie smiled at him and bit her lip. She always did that when she was nervous, Noah had noticed. “Yeah. So.”

“This is…” Noah started.

“Awkward?” Allie finished his sentence.

“Yeah.”

“It shouldn’t be,” she started. “Or maybe it should, I dunno. But it is, I think…” her hand movements started to add animation to her dialogue. “I mean, it’s been a long morning, and a late night last night- not that that would have anything do with it, and…” she looked up at Noah, who was looking at her, extremely amused. “Yeah, I’m just gonna shut up now,” she concluded, taking a deep breath. “Big mouth, never one of my finest attributes.”

“I think it is. You’re definitely not a wallflower, Al,” he smiled, and she rolled her eyes at him. “Plus, it’s really funny to hear you ramble. You always do that when you’re nervous.”

“I do? How do you know that?”

“I dunno, but I just do.” He paused. “You did it more seven years ago, though.”

“Really? Hmph.”

“You remember when, don’t you?” Allie shook her head.

“Oh, that,” she suddenly realized which time he was referring to- the time they’d come to the house and Allie rambled through their short love making session. She let out a breathless laugh, with a knowing but awkward look on her face. “Huh… I guess I do.” After a moment of fiddling with the hem of her blue dress, she said what she had wanted to say all morning.

“Noah, I think I owe you an apology,” she looked up at him, her tone serious. “I’m sorry for what I said this morning. I would take it back if I could.”

“Don’t apologize, Al, it happened for a reason.”

“You wouldn’t take any of it back?” she asked, mustering out a quick smile.

“None of it,” he reassured. “You’re still a pain in the ass,” he smiled.

“Yeah, but now I’m your pain in the ass,” she whispered just loud enough so he could hear her.

“You always were,” he let out, giving Allie one of his trademark mysterious stares.

“Don’t get all sappy on me now, Calhoun.” Allie told him sarcastically.

Noah knew better. “Don’t change the subject.” He looked at her for a moment, and she looked away, feeling vulnerable but content at the same time.

“So, I guess we’re in this for the long run, huh?” She smiled, remembering Noah say this morning that he wanted all of her, forever. He wanted the two of them together, everyday.

He nodded. “I’m ready when you are, Al.”

“I’m ready too, I am,” she nodded, “…just not yet.” She paused. “I love you, Noah- you know that.” She gave him a knowing glance, followed by a genuine smile. “I just don’t want to rush into things yet. We have so much catching up to do, so many blanks to fill in.” She paused again, this time to find the right words to say next. “Do you understand what I’m trying to say?” she looked up at him, her eyes pleading for him to comprehend.

“I understand. I’m not going anywhere, Al. Okay?”

Allie nodded and said quietly, “I know.” After a brief moment of silence, she continued, to say, “Gosh, this really is overwhelming.”

“Tell you what,” Noah started. “What if we could go back a bit, try to break some of this tension?”

“Like, start at the beginning?” Allie questioned.

“Sure.”

Allie let out a small chuckle, as well as a knowing glance. “I think that would have to involve a ferris wheel, Noah, and I’m afraid there isn’t exactly one here in our path.”

“Well, what if we fast forward to the part where you actually started to like me?”

Allie looked shocked. “I started to like you? Geesh, what was I thinkin’?”

Noah shrugged. If Noah had realized one thing over the past few days, it was that, while Allie looked more mature and sophisticated than she was at seventeen, she still had that passionate sense of self, and humour that no one else could seem to duplicate.

“I think I’m gonna go and change into something more comfortable,” she broke the silence again and started to get up out of the chair. “These shoes kill my feet when I don’t have nylons on.” She looked at Noah, who had a puzzled look on his face, then continued shortly after, her face turning pink. “My mother was waiting this morning, and I couldn’t exactly find my nylons.”

“You don’t have to be embarrassed, Allie.”

“I know,” she smiled and nodded. More silence. “So, you put my things upstairs?”

“Uh, yeah, they’re at the top of the staircase. I didn’t know where you wanted them.”

“Okay, great,” she gave him a quick smile before heading up the stairs.

“Oh, and Al?”

“Yeah?” She turned around.

“Don’t worry about taking a guest room if you want to, okay?”

She gave him an understanding nod, wondering how he was able to read her apprehensions. “Thank you.”

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Once Allie reached the top of the staircase, she picked up her two blue suitcases and started walking. She stopped at the nearest guestroom to the master bedroom, where Noah slept, contemplating his offer. Taking a deep breath, she decided to take the easy way out and place her things in the guestroom. Right now, Allie thought, she needed to be alone.

She unlatched the suitcases and carefully began to unload some of the few belongings she’d packed with her. For the time being, all she took out of the suitcases was a more casual outfit than the one she had on. Since she hadn’t anticipated staying in Seabrook for very long, apart from her night-ware, she hadn’t packed any casual clothes.

Allie slipped her body out of the baby blue dress she was wearing and neatly folded it into one of her opened suitcases, then proceeded to take off her slip as well. As she pulled the material over her head, she heard Noah moving into the kitchen downstairs, heard the clattering of plates and the run of water. Looking down at the simplistic dresser drawer which had, more than likely, been crafted by Noah, she ran her hand across is, somehow feeling closer to him even though he was a short distance away. As she let her hand fall from the corner of the wood, she remembered an event from seven summers ago. The two of them were at his house late one night, July 29 to be exact, she remembered. Because her parents were out late for the night at a dinner dance downtown, Allie had talked Willow into allowing her to stay out an additional two hours past her regular curfew, leaving her and Noah until one o’clock in the morning to spend together. They were in his bedroom, with the window opened wide so to let in the cool summer breeze and extenuate the sounds of the chirping crickets and insects. Frank Calhoun had been asleep downstairs on the couch when they’d entered the house, and when Allie was worried she’d wake him when she walked by, Noah just laughed. “That man could sleep through the battle of Britain,” he’d said.

A moment later, Allie sat down on the bed, letting the remainder of the vivid memory play out in her mind…

She sat down in a wooden chair inside his bedroom and waited patiently while Noah took off his shoes and placed them near the door. In the short time, she took off her wedged sandals, and straightened out the light pink dress she was wearing. A moment later, he looked at her, smiling.

“I made that, you know.” He said it with an accomplished look on his face.

“Really?” Allie was surprised as she looked at the sturdy craftsmanship. Not surprised that Noah had done it, but surprised that he’d never told her about his hobby and talent. “Why haven’t you told me?”

“I dunno,” he shrugged. “I mean, lets face it, Al. Furniture making doesn’t exactly compare with the talent you got with a brush.” Allie crinkled her forehead, surprised that he’d even think that way.

“Noah,” she started to explain. “They’re two completely things- you can’t even compare them.” She stood up as he sat down on his bed. “I mean, you might not be able to paint, but do you think I could do what you do?” She walked over and looked him in the eyes. “Just picture me with an axe!”

“That’s not a pretty sight... I think you’d aim it at me sometimes.”

Allie gasped as she walked over to him and slapped him playfully but hard on the face. “How dare you!”

“Sorry!” he defended, trying to block her hand from striking him again. When she settled, she sat down on the bed as well. Noah moved to sit against the headboard while Allie immediately moved to rest her back against his chest. After she was finished adjusting her body to the most comfortable position possible, she sighed and placed her head on his shoulder. As he felt her body relax in his embrace, Noah started to run his fingertips up and down her arms, and Allie laughed while saying “I’d like to see you with a paintbrush in your hand.”

“Then you’d really aim an axe at me,” he stated knowingly.

“Noah!” Allie turned her head, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek before saying, “You know me better than that.”

“I know, I’m just jokin’ with you.”

“You’d better be,” she smiled.

He stopped moving his fingertips across her skin and wrapped his arms around her waist underneath her arms, his hands resting on her small tummy. The two were silent as he started to lower his head to her neck, sending little waves of electricity through her body with each motion. She sighed again as she turned her head to grant him access to her lips, and as they joined together, he gently massaged her tongue with his as soon as she allowed him to. Allie parted briefly a moment later, only to re- position herself above him. Their lips soon joined together again, with even more passion this time, as they breathed heavily, taking each other in hungrily. Once the kiss mutually ended, Allie pulled away breathlessly and smiled at Noah, saying:

“You keep on doing that, and Willow will have to send the police out lookin’ for me.” She rested her body on top of his and put her head on his chest so she could still make eye contact with him.

“She wouldn’t do that, would she?” Noah asked.

Allie shrugged. “She wouldn’t ever have to, right? Because you’re such a gentleman, Noah…” she eyed him sarcastically.

“Of course,” Noah kissed the top of her head. After a brief moment, he went on to say, “But she really wouldn’t, right?”

“I don’t think so, but my parents probably would,” she joked in return. She turned her head to the side so her ear was on his chest, feeling his heartbeat. It made her feel, for some unknown reason, unbelievably safe. “This is nice, just the two of us, don’t you think?”

“Uh-huh, sure is,” he started to play with her hair, something he knew Allie loved.

“Noah?”

“Yeah?”

“Can I ask you somethin’?”

“Sure.” He wrapped a curl around his finger.

“What do you wanna do in the future?”

He contemplated her question, thinking about telling her his ambitions to restore the Windsor Plantation, but then decided against it. He’d tell her that when he brought her there for the first time. “I don’t really know, Al.” was all he said at first. That wasn’t exactly a lie, either. He began to explain to her that he didn’t know precisely what he wanted to do in the future. “Something with wood,” he said, which made Allie look at him and laugh.

“Seems like you’ve given it a lot of thought, Noah.”

He shrugged, raising his hands in mock defense mode. “What about you?”

She began to think. “If I’m honest,” she started softly, “I’d love to just paint. Sounds kinda funny, actually…but, the canvas and I just seem to connect.” She looked up at him. “That’s what I’d like to do, not what I’m supposed to do.”

“You gotta do things for yourself, Al.”

“I know,” she started, biting her lip in contemplation. Noah noticed that she always did that when she was thinking about something important, or when she was nervous. “Well, I’m sure whatever I do, it’ll be the right thing,” she tried to smile confidently, but couldn’t fool Noah. The future was a sore subject for the two of them, something that neither one of them cared to discuss. They hadn’t talked about the future since Anne Hamilton had spilled the beans about Allie’s college acceptance to Sarah Lawrence.

Noticing her apprehension, after a moment, Noah flipped Allie over suddenly so he was above her, and began to kiss around her neck. Laughing from the act of spontaneity, she took him in and allowed him to do whatever he wanted, enjoying the way her body reacted to his caress when her laughing had subsided. He trailed kisses from one end of her neck to the other, and when he reached the middle, he started to move lower, as he slowly undid the top button on her dress. While the two argued constantly and played around most of the time, the odd time when they were serious, they were very much immersed in one another, and extremely passionate.

Allie had never felt this way with any other boy that she’d dated. Not that she had seen many, but more times than once had her mother tried to set her up with sons of friends; socially respectable boys with shallow personalities and stuffy dialogue. A few of them had tried to kiss her, and she’d coyly accept, playing hard to get to keep them guessing. But it seemed that with Noah, he understood her; kept her on her toes, and always made her content, even, strangely, when they were fighting. Feelings came from deep within, and the attraction that they mutually had for one another seemed to connect them perfectly on a physical, intellectual, and emotional level.

She breathed heavily and squirmed closer against him as he explored the newly discovered territory with his fingertips. Once he made his way up to the skin on her neck again, he stopped and looked at her.

“You got the most beautiful eyes, you know?” he said.

“What?”

“Yeah, they’re the perfect colour blue.”

Allie blushed from the compliment. “Noah, stop it.”

“It’s true!” he looked at her again, and for a moment, they locked eyes completely with each other. Then, Allie suddenly broke the gaze and laughed.

“Noah, stop it…you’re makin’ me nervous!”

“I’m makin’ you nervous,” he said rhetorically.

“Yeah, when you look at me like that. It makes me feel… vulnerable.”

“In a good way or a bad way?”

“Mmm…” she bit her lip. “In a good way,” she kissed him. “Definitely a good way.”

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After the moment of nostalgia ended, Allie quickly chose the most casual outfit she’d packed, and put it on, not worrying too much about what she looked like. She’d already wiped off the eyeliner that had smeared from her tears, and had washed her face with cold water in the washroom of the inn lobby before taking a deep breath and walking away from Lon. She thought she looked fairly decent, and more than likely, she realized, Noah would think she was pretty nonetheless.

Her plan was to go outside and sit by the water on the pier, to read the letters she’d been deprived of seeing seven years ago. As she reached into one of her suitcases to take out the bundle of letters, a door shut below her, signifying that Noah had gone outside. A moment later she proceeded down the stairs with the letters in her hand, and as she walked through the kitchen, she noticed a plate of food with a note from Noah beside it. It read: “I think I owe you breakfast. I’ll be in the barn if you need me. Noah.” Allie smiled, remembering the note he'd left on the headboard of the bed that morning, and picked up the plate of fresh fruit and biscuits, heading outside towards the pier. After all, she had 364 letters to read.