Back to the Beginning || Raura

4.0

just want to say a quick thank you for all the beautiful comments on the last chapter. you guys flippin' rock and i don't know what i'd do without you i looooveeee all of you sooooo much <3
also, this is unedited because i couldn't access my computer editor, so i'm terribly sorry for mistakes and hope you don't mind them!

Back to the Beginning | 4.0 |
| Laura Marano |

| Friday: January 25th, 2019 |

"You gonna finish that?" Ross asks with a mouth full of cookie and ice cream as he points at my plate with his spoon. I frown and look down at my plate where nearly half my chocolate chip cookie with vanilla ice cream has been eaten. I wanted it, I really did, but I was honestly so full. I went back for seconds during dinner and my stomach has grown a five-month-old food baby. I shake my head and push my bowl towards Ross.

"All yours, big guy," I say.

"I love you." He mumbles. I playfully roll my eyes and reach for his water glass. When I set it back down, Ross gently nudges my upper arm. "After I finish this do you wanna head to place and watch a movie before we go to bed? One of the ones we put down on our list?" He asks, shoving another mouthful of dessert into his mouth. I suck in a breath. I've had him by my side for nearly five hours now and have yet to tell him I'm staying with Rydel and that I'm staying for well over a week.

"Um, Ross?" I say, putting a hand on his wrist. "I'm actually going to be staying with Rydel while I'm here." Now Ross playfully rolls his eyes.

"Yeah, okay, bug." He scoops up another spoonful. "Where are your bags?" I squeeze his wrist a little tighter and bite the inside of my cheek. He looks at our hands before looking at me, then sighs and sets his spoon down. "Why?" He asks, pushing his bowl (really mine) of dessert away.

"Because she has a spare room and wants some company," I tell him. "We kinda made the plans when I decided to buy a one-way ticket." Ross raising his eyebrows.

"One-way ticket, aye?" He asks. "Just thought you'd drop that in a normal conversation?" Although I could tell he was still upset about me not staying with him (which I'm sure he's going to say something about it in a few minutes), he had a smile on his face at the mention of my one-way ticket.

"You can definitely tell you've been living in Canada for last nine or so months," I say, a smile forming on my face. "But yes, one-way ticket." His smile widens the slightest. "That doesn't mean I'm not going to go home, it just means that I'm unsure of how long I want to stay. I still have to search for jobs over there, but that can be done online, for now... I want to be here."

"I was going to try and convince you to cancel your flight home." He admits. "Looks like now I have to convince you to stay at my place instead of my sisters." His smile fades into a sad one. "But I don't think I'm gonna win that one."

"Don't make me feel like shit!" I whine as I grab onto his arm and shake him.

"Then stay with me, bug. Do I need to bring up past memories in which you could have easily stopped yourself from feeling shitting by just staying with me?" He asks. I shake my head, but he keeps talking. "Refusing to go on the New Addictions tour for a couple of weeks, refusing to go UCLA, refusing to move to California with me when we were twelve-" I shove his side lightly.

"Really? You threw our twelve-year-old meltdown in there?" Ross tried to convince me for weeks to move out with him to L.A. when we were twelve, even went as far as writing a three-page paper that he gave our parents to read on Reasons Why Laura Marie Marano Should Move To California With Ross Shor Lynch. Obviously, his brilliant plan failed (as much as I wanted to move with him, my twelve-year-old self didn't want to leave my mom and dad or my dog at the time) and ended with him and me in a crying fit the day he left. More so me than him, but he's the one who wrote the damn paper.