"Where are you going Luna?" Chelsea asked, limping to where I stood at the front door.
Peter and Blake soon joined her, looking curious as well. But deep down I knew they knew where I was going. I had been going there for the past month.
"To the forest," I answered, bringing smiles to my guardian's faces.
"To see Haiden?" Peter asked, looking amused.
I couldn't help but blush. My family tended to tease me about Haiden ever since they noticed how close we were. It was embarrassing and I wondered why they teased me when Haiden and I weren't even dating.
"No, not today," I said honestly. "I just want to take a walk and..."
"The forest is beautiful and calming." Chelsea smiled. "Go ahead Luna. After everything you deserve to have time to yourself."
"Yeah Luna, you deserve it after all you've done for us," Peter said, smiling as well.
"Just don't get lost," Blake teased. "I'm too lazy to go help you out today."
I grinned at my family and waved goodbye as I walked outside. As I began to walk to the forest, I thought about how lucky I was. Out of all the families I could've been a part of, I was blessed to be a part of The Daniels family. Forever would I be thankful for that because they were great people.
It was thanks to them that The Demons only got probation. Instead of ending up in jail like Taylor, Peter and Chelsea had fought for them, explaining how most of their serious crimes were done when they were minors. They were still children, they explained and children deserved to have a chance at redemption. The judge agreed with that and now The Demons were free of the demon hunters. They just had to do voluntary work and have guards watching them when they were in town, but The Demons were fine with that. It was better than the alternative, which was rotting away in jail like Taylor. I had loved my guardians more than anything in the world at the moment, knowing they had fought so hard for me rather than The Demons.
Soon I reached the forest and I walked into it, smiling as I took in how beautiful the greenery was. As I walked I looked around and thought back to all the moments I shared in it with Haiden. Most of them were pleasant and with a warm feeling blossoming in my stomach, I headed to my favourite spot. It had been a while since I had went there and I missed it.
Walking there, I thought about Haiden and of how he lived alone in his original hideout. He and I saw each other often. We would often talk and fill each other in with what happened during the past five years.
Haiden and I were definitely getting much closer, but I wondered if I was making a difference in his life. I also wondered what I was to him since we weren't officially dating. Truth be told, Haiden didn't even know I loved him yet.
I soon reached the rose field and I stopped in my spot and admired it, thinking about how it could withstand everything. Smiling again, I thought that was just like Haiden and I's relationship. After all we'd been through, somehow we managed to stay close. It was a long and hard journey to bring us back to the way we were, but it was worth it. Knowing that, I decided that maybe it didn't matter if Haiden and I were just friends. As long as we were together, I was happy.
I walked to the dirt path then and I walked down it towards the centre of the rose field. Soon I reached it and my eyes flew wide when I saw Haiden there, sitting on the log we used to sit on. We had never gone to the rose field in the past month, which made me grin as I knew that this place was important to him too, due to our past.
"Hey," I said, walking over to where he sat.
Haiden looked at me then and he immediately smiled. I smiled back and sat next to him on the log, finding my heart racing. I thought back to the days where Haiden tried his hardest to push me away and I knew we came a long way.
"Didn't anyone tell you that girls shouldn't be out in forests alone?" Haiden suddenly asked.
"No, well..." I grinned. "You did."
Haiden grinned back at that and I sighed happily. Every day more and more of the old Haiden was returning. I wasn't expecting the old Haiden to return at all; five years had passed and we had grown up, so it was understandable. And after everything he had been through, I would understand if he wasn't the positive, gentle, joking guy he used to be. But surprisingly, that guy was coming back in bits and pieces and it made me happy because it made me feel like maybe, Haiden's wounds of the past were healing.
Silence passed between us and we stared at our surroundings. It was peaceful and all, but suddenly the question I had been wondering came back to me. I wondered if I had made a difference. Actually, I wondered if Haiden was feeling okay.
During the time we spent together, we usually talked about much lighter things. I never brought up his past, thinking it would upset him, but now I wondered about him. I knew deep down he still felt like everything was his fault, which broke my heart. One day I hoped that would change.
"Are you okay?" I blurted back, unable to hold it in anymore. "After everything, are you... Feeling better?"
"I don't know how to feel, to be honest," Haiden answered. "But... Yes, I'm feeling better. One day I think I'll be okay."
Hearing the hope in Haiden's voice made me emotional. Looking away, I hoped he wouldn't notice I had teared up. It made me feel silly and I stared at the ground, feeling relieved he was at least feeling better.
"With you at my side, anything is possible," Haiden said, catching me off guard.
My head flew up and I stared at him, stunned. With wide eyes, I stared into his gentle, affectionate eyes. My heart began to race.
I didn't know what compelled me or why I decided to do it then, but suddenly I wanted to tell him. I was tired of keeping it in, so I decided to finally tell him I loved him. The consequences didn't matter anymore as I saw how much Haiden cared about me through his eyes.
But before I could say anything, Haiden said, "You know when we were little, I thought we were going to spend the rest of our lives together."
"Really?" I asked, finding myself smiling at the thought.
"Yeah, for many reasons." Haiden looked down, seeming shy. "I had the biggest crush on you when we were thirteen."
My jaw dropped. I couldn't help it since what he said was unbelievable. I never thought my feelings had been reciprocated back then.
"Really?" I asked, amazed. "I had the biggest crush on you then, too."
Haiden smiled and he kept his eyes averted. He looked uneasy and I wondered why. Blushing, I wondered if maybe I shouldn't tell him these things. Knowing how shy he got, I decided to wait until later to confess my love.
"You know," Haiden then said shyly. "I may still have that crush on you now."
My heart froze. This was too good to be true, but I completely forgot about waiting. With my heart beginning to race and my smile growing wide, I knew the time to tell him how I felt was now.
"I love you. I am completely, utterly in love with you Haiden," I blurted out, cheeks flushing. "I have always loved you and I know I'll never stop."
Haiden whipped his head to look at me, his eyes wide for a moment. But then his face broke out into a look of delight and I grinned. I wanted to kiss him right then and there and tell him just how much I had loved him for years.
"Truth is, I love you too," Haiden said, grinning. "I was trying to be nonchalant with the whole crush thing."
I laughed lightly and put my arms around his neck. Pulling him to me, I kissed him and he kissed me back immediately. It felt right and safe and sighing lightly, I knew this was how life was supposed to be. It was supposed to be spent with Haiden who I had always felt complete with.
Haiden pulled back and I stared at him, taking in how much affection was in his eyes. I wondered how I had missed it, but then I realized I had been so used to it that I never noticed. Haiden had always looked at me like this, even when he was trying to push me away. We were just too busy dealing with other things to realize we loved each other, which was why it took us five years to confess our love.
"Thank you for never giving up on me," Haiden said, pressing his forehead to mine. "Thank you for staying at my side, even though I didn't deserve it. I love you so much for that."
I found my heart soaring with joy. Haiden was so sweet and closing my eyes, I thanked the world for bringing us together. Even if the world made it seem like we weren't meant to be at times, it all worked out in the end.
"You're welcome," I said. "I can't wait for what the future has in store for us."
"I can't wait either."
I kissed him again and we kept kissing, trying to make up for all the years we lost without each other. As we kissed I thought about how everything felt right. With Haiden, I no longer felt the emptiness I had felt during the years we were apart. And because of that, I knew we were meant to be.
Sometimes all you needed was another person. Someone who would be there for you no matter what because those people were your constants. Those people were the ones that kept you grounded and made sure to see the best in you. Haiden and I had each other for that and smiling between kisses, I knew we were two halves that made a whole. We needed each other and finally, after being two broken pieces of a puzzle that were trying so hard to fit together, we were finally mended and now fit together perfectly. At that, I knew the world would be good to us since we were finally, infinitely, together.
The End