The Existence of Carrie Griffith (5SOS) [Editing]

Five Years Later

I completely forgot about this. I'm so sorry.

Please note that it's 5 years after their first Christmas together, not five years after now. Just in case anyone gets confused.

We were 24, as Michael had promised. The ring still firmly sat on the middle finger of my left hand. We had spent the whole five years together. It was 2019. I was no longer their media manager. I'd resigned after three years as I felt like I'd grown up and I wanted to be a news journalist. Michael was still touring the world like the rock star he is. The world thought we'd broken up when they didn't see us together all the time. The boys were getting fed up with the constant speculation about Marrie so one day, the boys – and I'm not even joking – invited me to meet them in London and hang out with them for a week. Of course I accepted. I had no reports due for several weeks and the story I was doing had a part in London so yeah, I went.

It had been a few months since I'd quit the media position and Mike and I had Skyped nine times since then, and texted a lot and called but we hadn't physically seen each other and I clung to him in the airport and kissed him continuously. I later found out that Ashton had filmed it, when he asked if he could put the thirty-two seconds of footage on the internet to show the world. We said yeah. He put it on Keek with the caption 'THEY'RE STILL TOGETHER OK? DEAL WITH IT'. Fierce, I like it. We then spent the week doing ridiculous things. It was wonderful. Then the week ended and I had to go back to Sydney. Let's just say it was a long goodbye.

The year was 2019. Michael had returned home from a tour. We hadn't Skyped in a couple weeks but we'd texted and called. I was waiting for him at the airport. I had ordered two coffees from Starbucks; one for each of us and I stayed out of the way of the crowd and screaming girls. It was the 21st of November, and Michael had just turned 24 the day before. After the crowd dispersed enough, I stepped forward and Ashton was the first to notice me.

"Carrie, ya babe!" He yelled. He hugged me and I hugged him back awkwardly holding the two coffees. Calum hugged me and it was like being hugged by a teddy bear. Calum gave excellent hugs. Luke nearly killed me though. Every bone in his body stuck out like a weapon. And finally Michael stepped forward. His hug was the longest. I handed him his coffee which he eagerly sculled down.

"Where's the car?" Luke asked. I led them to it. I'd invested in a 2017 model Subaru Forester, and let's just say Alex was pretty impressed with me. It was a gorgeous cobalt blue and I loved it. Excellent fuel consumption and 0 to 100km/hr in barely 2 seconds. Heck yeah. We all climbed in, the luggage fitting in the massive boot as I did the rounds, dropping everyone off, and waving at the parents who came to greet their beloved and now wealthy and famous children. Mike and I had bought a house as crazy as it sounds, in Bellevue Hill. While he was home very little, the TV was hooked up to my Skype account complete with a webcam so I could Skype him from the TV. I drove down the driveway and we went inside.

"I'd forgotten how beautiful this place was." He said as he walked through the entrance hall. The house really was gorgeous. It was set on a 1200m square block and had a massive front garden and a pool, four bedrooms and a very large living room. It cost a fortune but it was well worth it.

"Hey, I have something to return to you, I forgot I had it until I got to Munich and completely emptied my suitcase looking for my panda undies." He pulled out my copy of The Fault In Our Stars. I'd given it to him to read in London in 2014 when I made a reference to Augustus Waters and had no idea what I was talking about.

I took the book from his hand and hugged the smooth cover to my chest. "You didn't even ruffle the corners." I kissed his mouth. "Did you cry or are you too punk rock for that?"

"I'm way too punk." I half-smiled in disbelief. "Ok, I may have shed a tear. Or seven. Or three hundred and two." I side-hugged him, our height difference ever increasing every time he goes away. "I'm not done yet." He grinned a cheeky grin as he handed me a Blu-Ray case. It was the movie of TFIOS. I looked at him and he was smiling like a 6 year old.