So Be It // o. maatta

Chapter Ninety-Three

AN: Okay, hi. This is going to be a somewhat sappy author's note, so if you don't care, you don't have to read.

So, yesterday morning, So Be It hit 100k reads. God, I can say it as many times as I want, but it still doesn't seem real. I honestly can't believe it.

From the very bottom of my heart, I want to thank you all for reading this story. I've poured my heart and soul into this, and for you guys to have accepted it so well, it means more than words could ever explain.

So Be It started out as just an idea. A way for me to express my ever-growing Olli feels. A way for me to cope with the depression I was going through. SBI was just supposed to be a way to get my thoughts down. Never, did I ever expect it to reach 1,000 views, let alone 100,000. I never, ever expected you guys would be so kind as to continue reading this, even when it hit rough patches. Even when I went through stretches of writers block.

I couldn't, and still can't fathom the idea that you guys actually tolerate, let alone like the writing I post. It genuinely means more than I could ever tell you. So thank you all for sticking with SBI. It means the world.

So, this is also the point in time in which I make the formal announcement that I will, in fact, be writing a SBI sequel. It has yet to be named, but will come after SBI has been finished.

So, yeah. Thanks again for 100k, and here's to the next 100,000. *raises invisible glass.*

Thanks again for reading; I love you all. To quote Michael Clifford, 'If you like me, I probably like you more'. :-)

Chapter Ninety-Three: Alex's POV

I rolled over to my other side, again, for the fifteenth time, even though I knew that by then, it wasn't going to help. It was dark, and my insomnia seemed to return, as the glowing red numbers from the clock on the bedside table mocked me, flashing 3:07.

Against me, Olli snored lightly, proving he was out cold in a peaceful slumber. God, how I envied him.

When I was younger, 13 or 14, I never slept. It probably sounds unrealistic, but it's the truth. Somehow, I never got tired. I'd go stretches of two, three days without a wink of sleep. I'd lay in bed, listening to music, or reading, or just staring at the ceiling. To me, sleep seemed so unnecessary. It was just a block of 6, to 8 hours of unproductive-ness.

Frankly, ever since I was in elementary school, my thoughts consumed me. I was trapped inside my own mind, words, thoughts swirling around. I breathed words, but they often suffocated me. It was unusual, and all, but was what happened.

So due to my addiction to my own ideas, I found it hard to sleep. My own mind kept me awake, solely because I liked to think. And it appeared that it was occurring, again.

Much like I had in my younger adolescent days, I laid, buried beneath blankets, wide awake. This time, however, I had my love, my best friend next to me.

For at least ten minutes I laid on the right side, facing the wall, and the window. I observed the window, thinking about all that was happening outside it. I had always been fascinated with the idea that while you could be doing something so unimportant, so worthless, someone else, miles upon miles away, might've been going through some life-changing experience. I was always intrigued by how different each day is for every single human.

Now, as most teenaged girls did, when I'd lay in bed, on the countless sleepless nights, I used to think about my future a lot. I'd wonder where I'd go in life. I'd wonder where I'd go to school, and who I'd meet, and what my future husband looked like. When I was in middle school, I was just down-right obsessed with what the future held, since I was pretty unhappy in school. The future was all I really had, thus it was what I thought most about.

And one of the ideas that seemed to strike me every time I laid awake was that, when you couldn't sleep, did that mean that somewhere, your destined soulmate couldn't sleep, either? Was that why you had such an uncanny difficulty slipping off, into la la land?

After rolling over again, and seeing Olli's face buried into his pillow, drool dripping down the side of his mouth, I shot that theory to hell. When you couldn't sleep, it did not mean that your soulmate was awake, too. It jus simply meant you were overthinking, preventing yourself from sleeping. Not nearly as glamorous...

I changed positions again, this time flipping over, onto my stomach. The clock hit 3:15, and I audibly groaned. God, I wasn't getting to bed. Angry, I tugged the blankets around my body, tighter.

Ultimately, I guess somewhere between me aggressively changing positions, moaning rather loudly, and hogging the covers, I accidentally woke Olli, because within thirty seconds of the blanket incident, he was croaking, "Baby, are you okay?"

Internally, I was bitch-slapping myself for waking my fiancé up. God, I shouldn't have acted like such a priss.

"I'm fine, hun." I reassured, turning my head, so our eyes met. "Go back to bed, darling."

Olli wrapped his arms around my body, pulling me close, into him. "You're not fine," He whispered into my hair. "You can't sleep for shit."

Figuring arguing was pointless, I sighed into his chest. "How did you know?"

"I can feel the consistent bed-rocking," He explained. "And not even the sexy, headboard-banging kind." The last remark he said very seductively, as you were able to hear the sexy smirk in his tone.

"I'm having some difficulty getting to bed." I admitted, tangling my legs with his.

"Do you think it'd make you sleepy if we talked, a bit?" He suggested, sweetly.

"That's okay, baby." I mumbled. "You're probably pretty tired, and-"

"I'm not letting you lay there, awake, and on your own. It just isn't happening." He cut me off, but remained gentle.

"I love you so much, Olli Maatta." I titled my head back, and kissed his jawline.

"I love you so much more." He swore, running his hand under my shirt, and laying it against my bare back.

"And I love your mom, too. And I'm so incredibly excited to join your family, in a couple months."

"You better love me more than my mom, though. I'm better in bed than she is." His cute, Finnish accent shone through, as he teased.

"You are the best person I've ever had sex with..." I agreed.

"I'm the only person you've had sex with." He pointed out, matter-of-factly.

I giggled a little. "I know, but still, you're the best."

"Gee, thanks." He muttered, even though I knew he was smiling to himself.

I was beginning to say something, when all of a sudden, he stated, out of the blue, "Do you ever think about how lucky we are?"

"Hmm?" I was sort of caught off guard by his remark.

"Think about how lucky we are, baby. There are so many ways both our lives could've played out; so many scenarios in which you and I would have never met. Think about how lucky we are that we found each other."

I took a minute, carefully thinking it over. "I don't think it's luck, Olli."

"No?" He sounded slightly disappointed.

"No. I think it's fate."

There was another moment of silence, before he questioned, "You believe in fate?"

"I didn't until I met you."

He remained quiet, for a short while, before quietly murmuring, "God, how I love you, Alex."

"I love you too, Olli. And-" I was about to say something more, when a soft snore interrupted me.

I grinned to myself, realizing that Olli had fallen asleep on me. God, he was precious.

"I can't imagine my life without you." I finished, whispering into his chest, before contently closing my eyes. And, surprisingly, within minutes, I was fast asleep. Apparently all I needed was to be in Olli's embrace.