Childhood Crush | ✓

Epilogue - NO SEQUEL

3 years in the making and it's finally over! i believe it's long overdue. thank you dysanic for the cover. ignore weird mistakes and typos, read the author's note at the end, and enjoy the chapter <3

* * *

Trying to tiptoe around your friends in the darkness proved to be a lot harder than I thought. It was like a game of avoid the lava and my friends' bodies were the lava spread out across the living room floor. They were all fast asleep, though I wouldn't be too surprised if either of them were awake considering how loud Chase was snoring near the couch. My reasons for being up at four in the morning, however, wasn't the tremulous snoring. It was the digital clock reminding me of how close we were to morning, and how close I was to losing my best friend.

Yesterday was Adrian's last night here in Miami, and in just two hours he'll be leaving for California.

Was it selfish of me, I thought to myself as I concentrated on not stepping on anybody's legs, to wish that time had gone slower, just so I could have him around for a little longer?

Safely making it across without waking anybody up, I carefully removed a spare blanket from the arm of a couch and wrapped it around myself, protecting myself from the early morning cold. Adrian was fast asleep on that couch, and after a spare glance at his peaceful face, I padded upstairs to my room.

Just hours before, dread and happiness were battling it out in my stomach. The whole gang got together one last time, each of them probably filled with the same feelings I was. Emma was having her own night with Kelly and Oliver, as they would be heading to LA with Adrian for a little while as moral support. With my parents at work, I had the house to myself and was opened my doors to my friends so that we can spend Adrian's final hours together.

There'd been much anticipation for the day's festivities; however, the whole reason they were happening in the first place brought an onslaught of hidden depression that neither of us expressed.

That feeling lingered and worsened throughout the day. Well, for me, at least.

It was always at the back of my brain as joy became the blaring emotion, brought out by the gigantic stacks of pancakes in the morning, the unpredicted dance party at lunch, and the all around night fun we had at the beach before returning back to my place.

The fun was supposed to continue till daybreak when we would drive Adrian to the airport off with only good feels spurring us through our exhaustion. We should've known that the energy burned throughout the day would tire us to the core.

Nonetheless, we'd stayed up for as long as our bodies allowed it. But then the girls crashed by midnight and the guys followed two hours after. I alone was the only one who didn't knock out. My complete and utter exhaustion payed no heed. My mind was too busy. My chest was somewhat hurting. My stomach had butterflies that weren't the ones I wanted.

I sat by the window and drew the curtains open, sighing. There was no streaks of light in the sky yet. I knew, though, that the second I saw just a hint, it would heighten how I was currently feeling. I didn't need a clock to tell me how close I was to losing him, it was written in the skies.

Outside my closed door, Lulu's nails tapping against the floor as she neared caught my attention. I quickly went to open the door for her, hoping my friends were deep enough sleepers not to notice her footsteps, and froze as Adrian stood before me. Lulu brushed past my leg as she entered.

Of all people to be a light sleeper . . .

I didn't know what to say. "Um, morning?" tumbled out of my mouth.

Though his hair was disheveled with sleep, his eyes said otherwise. He looked just as awake as I was.

His mouth quirked up into a half smile. "Not tired either, huh?"