A/N: the final chapter! I've loved writing this story so much, I'm so in love with all of these characters. There will be an epilogue, which will have some spicy moments so look out for that. Thank you for reading and look out for the next book in the series, which is all about Cleo:)
January.
February.
March.
This is it, I thought while I finished putting my belongings into my bag. I did it. Staying in rehab for three months was definitely stressful, especially the days when I felt like quitting. And now here I was, exactly three months ago was when I had told Aaron I wanted to go to rehab. Just thinking about that tall handsome man was giving me goosebumps, we haven't even talked in three months. It had been way too long since I talked to anyone outside of this rehab, or since I had eaten Kung Pao chicken.
Grabbing the last of my things, I started walking towards the door before stopping in front of the full length mirror. I took a minute to look at myself, really look at myself. My eyes seemed to be brighter, the sores around my mouth weren't as prominent and I had gained some weight back. The sores had turned into scars, but they didn't bother me because they're a reminder of what I went through. They're also a reminder of what I did, and how I'll never let myself be in that dark place ever again.
Looking over at the calendar on the wall, I smiled while gently touching the large circle that was surrounding the 25th. Three months ago I told Aaron I wanted to go to rehab to get better. And I was actually able to keep my word, something that made me feel so much better about myself.
Walking towards the door, I turned around before giving the room I lived in one last glance. I looked at the bed, where I spent most nights crying myself to sleep. I looked at the window, where my thoughts used to drift off to a better place. I can't wait to see him.
Taking a deep breath, I walked down the stairs before ending up in the lobby. All of the people that had been there for me the last three months had thrown a party last night, and some decorations were still up.
"Congratulations again Perry."
Looking up, my smile widened when I saw Larry walk towards me. He was the first person I had met here, the short bald headed man I had been terrified of so many months ago. He helped me to see that there were more things in life than drugs, and made me realize so many people cared for me.
"Thanks Larry," I said while walking up to him and giving him a giant hug. "Words can't describe how grateful I am for everything you've done for me."
"I'm proud of you," he said with a smile. "You stuck to it and today you get to see Aaron again. Go give him a giant hug for me."
Giving him one last hug, I waved goodbye to everyone who was in the lobby and started to walk outside. The sun was so bright it made me squint as a warm breeze was hitting my face. It had warmed up so much it wasn't even weird to see Aaron in a tank top walking towards me. Wait a second...
"Aaron!" Dropping everything in my arms, I ran across the parking lot before running into his arms. My arms had a death grip around his neck, as his arms were holding me tight against his body. Even though I needed those three months to get better, it still sucked not being able to see him or hear his voice.
"I missed you so much," he said while putting his head onto my shoulder.
Tears were running down my cheeks as I wrapped my arms tighter around his neck. After a long time I slowly pulled back to say something when a bright green caught my eye. "What is that?" I asked while looking down at his right bicep, where a new tattoo sat.
A smiling Pascal was drawn on his arm, with the words Save what has been lost above his body. Below Pascal's body said Bring back what once was mine. Looking up at him, I looked at his smiling face before ever so gently running my fingers along the tattoo.
"It looks like a tattoo."
My body froze when I heard a new voice, a voice that sounded like... no it couldn't be. Looking behind Aaron's tall body, I saw Shawn leaning against Aaron's car.
"Oh my god," I cried while meeting him halfway and wrapping my arms around him. My brother was actually here... he was here. "I can't believe you're here... how?" I asked while looking up at his smiling face.
"Your boy Aaron called me and told me what happened. He also told me what happened with mom and dad." His face fell as he looked sad. "Why didn't you call me Perry? You know I would've instantly come back for you."
"I felt like a failure," I admitted while tears continued to pour out of my eyes. "I didn't want you to think I was one too."
Shawn frowned before putting his hands on either side of my face. "You know I would never think that. You're my brother Perry; I will always and forever have your back. When Aaron told me what happened, I felt like my heart had been ripped out. The last time we talked you said everything was fine. I don't want you to ever be afraid to tell me something ever again, especially this." He then gently punched my shoulder, not doing it hard enough to actually hurt. "You scared me!"
Laughing, I wiped my nose before saying, "Hey, I'm a delicate flower! Don't touch the merchandise."
Shawn started to laugh as well as Aaron, who wrapped his arms from behind me and kissed my temple. "Welcome back Perry."
"So how long has this been going on?" Shawn asked while looking between us as he wiggled his eyebrows.
Rolling my eyes, I felt a huge blush start to creep onto my cheeks as Shawn continued to smile. Instead of responding I wrapped my arms around Shawn once again, happily sighing in his arms. "I've missed you," I whispered while feeling him tightly wrap his arms around my small body.
"I've missed you too. Don't worry; I'm never leaving you again. I've decided to not go back into the Army."
"Why?"
"Because my brother's health is more important than anything, and I don't want you to be alone ever again. I love you Perry."
"I love you too."
After a long time of hugging, laughing and crying, we all piled back into Aaron's car. He drove back to his house, my eyes barely staying open. This had been such an emotional day already I was just ready to take a nap.
Walking up to the front door, I hesitantly opened it before having a heart attack. "Welcome back!" Standing in the kitchen was everyone I cared about, everyone. They were all here, they didn't leave me. There was a giant banner hanging off of the cabinets while a very large chocolate cake was sitting on the table.
I was then being bombarded with hugs and kisses, making my heart so happy I'm surprised it didn't beat right out of my chest. Juliet hugged me the longest, making me feel like I was her son. "I'm so proud of you," she whispered into my ear as everyone behind us was laughing and loud music was playing.
In that moment I didn't think of how I used to be a failure with my life, how I used to be addicted to heroin. I didn't think about how I almost died or lost all of my friends. The only thing I cared about in this moment was the fact that everyone around me was here, and I was able to pull through. Without having so many amazing people in my life, I would probably be in a coffin and not my best friend's kitchen eating cake.
I mingled around for awhile, talking with each and everyone who was in the kitchen. After a few hours my eyes were feeling very heavy so I wandered into the living room and plopped down onto the couch. Before my eyes were able to close the cushion next to me sunk, indicating someone sat down. Opening my eyes, I looked to my right to see Cleo smiling back at me.
"Hey you," I said while bumping my shoulder with hers.
"Hi, get enough cake?" She asked while poking my belly.
"A guy has to eat," I proudly said while slapping my overly chubby belly.
Cleo smiled before it slowly faded. She then looked down at her hands while her hair started to fall in front of her eyes. "You really scared me Perry." When she looked back up at me she had tears in her pretty eyes.
"I know," all the humor was gone from my voice as I looked at her sad face. "I scared myself too. But I'm here, nothing happened."
"Nothing better happen," she sternly said while giving me a look. I swear she was learning that look from Wes.
I gave her a reassuring smile before bumping her shoulder again. "It won't, I promise. I'm not going to let myself ever get to that place again."
"Good. You're really special to me Perry, besides Cameron you were one of the first people I bonded with."
She then rested her head on my shoulder as I grabbed her hand in mine. "I'm not leaving you that easily."
Before I knew it my eyes were closing again, this had been one of the most emotional days of my life. When my eyes reopened again I was in a very comfortable position. When did couches get so comfy? After looking up through hazy eyes, I realized I was lying next to Aaron on a bed.
"Hi," he whispered with a smile. "I didn't wake you did I?"
"No," I sleepily said while stretching. After yawning a few times I rubbed my eyes before asking, "Did everyone leave?"
"They're still downstairs. I walked into the living room to see you and Cleo sleeping, I figured you must be exhausted. Sebastian took your place on the couch when I carried you up here."
My heart started beating faster just thinking about him carrying me. That thought was crazy, because it wasn't like he hadn't picked me up before. Just having him close to me was enough for my body to go crazy. I couldn't seem to get enough of him.
Since he was lying on his left side, I had a clear view of his arms because he was still in a tank top. My fingers then slowly touched his bicep, where the Pascal tattoo sat. "When did you get this?"
"The night you went into rehab," he said while his eyes watched my fingers move along his skin.
My thumb ran over the words, the words that had been engrained into my mind ever since I first saw Tangled. "Save what has been lost, bring back what once was mine," I whispered while continuing to run my thumb over his skin.
"Save what has been lost, I wanted you to come back to me safely. Bring back what once was mine, I wanted my Perry back."
My smile widened as tears started slowly running down my cheeks. I then wrapped my arms around him and pulled him on top of my body, so I could hide my face in his chin. "I'm hoping these are happy tears?" He asked, making me smile.
"Of course. I just can't... I can't believe you got a tattoo for me."
He slowly pulled back so he could look into my eyes as he ran his thumb slowly over my cheek. "I'd get a million tattoos for you Perry. I wanted you to see how loved you are, by so many people. Why do you think so many people are downstairs? Because they all care about you, and the wonderful person you are."
As more tears were now running down my cheeks, I wrapped my arms around his neck before pulling him down to me. He kissed me sweetly and slowly, the kind of kiss that made my pulse quicken. When he pulled back he smiled down at me before slowly rolling off the bed. He then started rummaging through his drawers, pulling clothes out.
Getting off the bed as well, I walked over to him before gently putting my hands onto his waist. He stopped what he was doing and looked down at me, giving me a beautiful smile. I still couldn't believe there was a time when he had stopped smiling. He had such a beautiful smile it was a shame to hide it.
"I have some clothes if you'd like to sleep in them. They might be a little big bu-"
"I love you." He dropped the clothes in his hands as his body froze, his brown eyes widening. "That probably wasn't the most romantic time to say it, but I do Aaron. You've always been there for me, always. You're the person I trust with my life and will always love forever. I-"
My words were cut off as he leaned down to kiss me again. I laughed when he picked me up into his strong arms. Wrapping my legs around his waist, I couldn't keep the smile off my face as he looked so happy.
"And I love you, love. Always will."
The rest of the night was filled with tickle fights, lots of laughter and so much love.
*
Opening my eyes, I sighed while snuggling into Aaron's warm side. I was about to drift back off to sleep when my stomach decided to growl. Seriously, how was I still hungry? Making sure my growling didn't wake Aaron; I slowly crawled out of bed and walked down to the kitchen. The large shirt I was wearing was slipping off one of my shoulders, but I loved it. It smelled exactly like Aaron and made me extremely happy. His pants were also way too big, but I was okay with that. Anything that came from Aaron made me happy.
Walking into the dark kitchen, I made my way towards the fridge. My mouth watered when I saw the few pieces of cake still left. "Hello gorgeous," I muttered while taking a piece out. Once the chocolate cake touched my tongue I moaned, nothing tasted so good.
"Didn't get enough before?"
I squeaked when I heard another voice in the dark. Turning around, I saw Andy smirking at me from the other end of the kitchen. He walked towards me, towering over my small body as he leaned against the fridge.
"I guess I was still hungry."
I scarfed down the rest of the cake, making sure to wash the dish. My plan was to quickly run out of the kitchen but Andy stood in front of my body. "I'm really glad you're okay Perry." I visibly calmed down when he said that. "I know how much Aaron cares for you; I don't think he could've handled someone else leaving his life."
Smiling up at him, I ruffled his blonde hair which made him laugh and roll his eyes. "I care for you too," he said in a small voice. "You seem like the younger brother I never had. I'm sorry if I was ever mean or a dick to you, I didn't mean it. I was just really worried about Aaron."
"It's okay," I said while smiling at him. "I was in a really bad place before. I'm glad that I had people who cared so much about me, I'm not sure where I would've ended up without you guys."
I then gave him a hug, which made me extremely happy. "I'm glad to have you in our family. Just try not to eat all of our food."
Laughing, I pulled back before looking up into his smiling face. "No promises there, especially if Kung Pao is involved."
He rolled his eyes again before ruffling my hair. "Night Perry."
"Goodnight Andy."
Walking back up the stairs, I walked back into Aaron's room and gently shut the door behind me. Crawling back into bed, I snuggled back up into his bare chest and shut my eyes. He then wrapped his arms around my body and kissed my forehead. I definitely loved this boy, and I finally loved myself. There's no greater feeling than that.