AUTHORS NOTE: soooo I was extremely pissed off earlier because I had the entire chapter (26) written a few weeks ago and I typed it, but the file got deleted completely off my computer and I cant find the written version. So, since that happened, I decided that maybe it was a sign to change what had originally planned to happen. And you guys will love me for it. so yeah, sorry for the gap. Been testing and had crazy amount of stuff for school and I was going through (and still am) a really difficult time, but I thought I shouldn’t keep you waiting any longer. After this there will be one more chapter and it’ll be the end of the story. I’m sad it is ending but I am excited to start other fan fictions. And it is almost summer! That means I’ll be updating regularly. Alrighty, bye!
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(Alexis)
It had been three months since I was released from the hospital. Three months since I last saw Austin. Three months since I had talked to him. He called me a few times and texted a lot the first two weeks but I never answered. Its not that I didn’t want to answer. I did want too. But I couldn’t. I couldn’t bring myself to do it. I couldn’t let myself get into yet another mess. Every time we talked after breaking up or separating or whatever you want to call it, after every fight, he somehow always found a way to make me go back to him. I don’t think he did it intentionally every single time, it just happened. Because I’m weak when it comes to him. And, as much as I wanted to hate him and never see him or talk to him again, a part of me yearned for him. I yearned for his touch, his hugs, his kiss, I yearned for everything. He was my everything. And we did everything we could to make it work but in the end, I guess it just wasn’t meant to be. It breaks my heart knowing that we won’t be together, but I know that its for the best. Whenever I think about how we always said we’d be together forever no matter what, it always make me think of when we were 15, just like a lot of the memories I have talked about.
-flashback-
I was over at Austin’s house having a movie night while our moms were gone. It was 11 at night and we were on our 3rd movie. He was sitting up while I sat curled up on his lap. My head was on his shoulder, one of his arms wrapped around my waist and his other hand held mine and rested on my lap. We were watching the Notebook and it was at the part that was showing Allie and Noah as their older selves laying in the bed and the nurse comes in and sees them. I’ve seen this movie a dozen times and I still tear up at that part.
“Are you crying again?” I heard Austin ask.
“No.” I said quickly, wiping my eyes.
“You are too!” he replied.
“Am not!”
“Oh yeah?”
“Yeah.” I said. Right when I said that he turned my head so that I was facing him.
“You were too crying! Your eyes are red and your face is wet.”
“So what?” I turned away.
“Every time.” He chuckled.
“What’s so bad about me crying? It’s a sad part of the movie.”
“True. But it is also one of the sweetest parts.” He replied.
“How so?”
“Well, I mean if you look at all they have been through together, they still ended up together and were married for more than 50 years. And then she asks if their love is strong enough to take them together. And it was. I think that it is really sweet.” He said.
“Well when you put it that way I guess it is sweet.”
“I know.”
“Do you think that kind of love actually exists?” I asked.
“What do you mean? Love that can take both people together?”
“Well kind of. I mean like their love was so strong that even though they broke up for a few years and then when they got back together they fought all the time, they stayed together until the end. Do you think that something like that is possible? Do you think that love can be that powerful?”
“I don’t know. Maybe. I’ve never seen it but when two people love each other that much I guess they can do anything.”
“Oh. That makes sense. Do you think love can really last forever?”
“I think it can. I mean nobody forgets their first love. And some people are lucky enough to be with their first love forever. If the love you feel for that person is strong and the love they feel for you is just as strong, and you both want it to last forever, then maybe. It doesn’t work out in all cases, but I think it can last forever.”
“Oh.”I nodded.
“Why do you ask?”
“I don’t know.” I shrugged my shoulders.
“Well you don’t have to worry about that.”
“What do you mean I don’t have to worry about that? What don’t I have to worry about?”
“You don’t have to worry about my love for you ever going away. I think that no matter what happen, I will always love you.” he said.
“Really?”
“Really” he nodded and kissed my head.
“I’ll always love you too.” I smiled.
-end flashback-
I actually hadn’t thought about that night in a long time. At least, not that much. My thoughts were interrupted when I heard a knocking at the front door. I walked over and looked through the hole and saw it was Austin. I sighed and collected myself. I took a deep breath and then opened the door. He looked more perfect than I remembered. He stood there with his hands in his pockets and when he heard the door open he looked at me.
“Hi.” He said.
“Hi.” I whispered in a barely audible voice.
“Can I come in?”
“Austin, I don’t know if that’s a good idea.”
“Please?”
I sighed before answering. “Yeah okay.” I said and let him in, shutting the door afterwards.
He walked over to the living room and sat on the couch while I stood there not knowing what to say or do.
“So, how are you?” he asked, breaking the silence.
“I’m good.”
“You feeling better?”
“Yeah, much better.”
“That’s good.” He nodded and looked down.
“Austin, what are you doing here? I know you didn’t come to see if I was okay.”
“Well that was a part of the reason. But my main reason for coming over is,” he paused.
“Is what?”
“I uh- I- I miss you.”
“You what?”
“You heard me. I said I miss you. I miss talking to you. I miss seeing you.”
“Austin, there was a reason that I stopped talking to you.”
“Yeah I know there was. But that doesn’t mean I don’t miss you.”
“Okay.” I said.
“Okay?”
“What else do you want me to say?”
“I don’t know. I didn’t really know what to expect. I sort of figured that you wouldn’t say you missed me because you probably don’t. Otherwise you would have called me back or replied to my texts.” He stood up and looked at me.
“Just because I didn’t reply or call doesn’t mean I don’t miss you. I do miss you. I miss you so much that its crazy. But that doesn’t mean I’m going to do anything about it.”
“Why not?” he asked
“Because I cant let myself give in to you. Not again.”
“Just because we talk doesn’t mean we have to be together again. We can just be friends.”
“Do you even hear yourself right now? After all that we have been through, how can you expect me to be okay with just being friends? It would hurt too much. I wouldn’t be able to bear it.”
"Well then maybe we can try again.” He said quietly.
“No we cant. Aren’t you listening? Where have you been this past year? Did you forget everything that we have been through? How can you expect me to let all of that go?”
“Someone once asked me if I thought love could last forever. And you wanna know what I said?” he didn’t wait for me to respond, he just kept talking. “I said I think it can. I mean nobody forgets their first love. And some people are lucky enough to be with their first love forever. If the love you feel for that person is strong and the love they feel for you is just as strong, and you both want it to last forever, then maybe. It doesn’t work out in all cases, but I think it can last forever.”
“oh?”
“Yeah, and you know what I think?”
“No, what do you think?”
“I think we are one of the lucky few that it can happen to.”
“You think our love can last forever just like Allie and Noah?”
“Yeah I do.” He nodded.
“And why is that?”
“Because our relationship is similar to theirs.”
“How is our relationship like theirs?”
“Well, we dated and fell in love. Then we broke up and didn’t talk for a long time. Then when we saw each other again we were friends but fell back in love. Not that we ever fell out of love, we always loved each other, but we were able to make it work again. And just like them, we fight constantly and say things that we don’t mean but we somehow manage to pull through. And at the end of the day we still love each other. Just like they do.”
“Just because we are able to make up like them doesn’t mean our love can last forever. Like you said, it doesn't work out for everybody.”
“That’s true, it doesn't work for everybody. But let me ask you this, and be honest. When we were 16, did you ever imagine yourself being with anybody else?”
“No but we were young and that was before everything.”
“I know that. Now answer this, when we saw each other for the first time after breaking up, did all those feelings come rushing back? Did those images of the future pop back into your head?”
“Yeah,” I nodded. “But that doesn’t mean-”
“Tell me this, in this moment, right here right now, what are you thinking?”
“I don’t know.”
“Yes you do.”
“I’m thinking about how confused I am about all of this. I’m thinking about how even now, in this moment, I cant picture myself with anyone but you. I’m thinking about how much I want you and how much I missed you and how much I love you. I’m thinking about how everything you are saying is true. That maybe we are the lucky few. But that doesn’t mean we should do anything about it.”
“True, but the question is do you want to do anything about it? Do you want to take one last chance? Do you want to prove that we are meant to be and that despite the shit we have been through, we never stopped loving one another?”
I didn’t say anything for a while and it wasn’t until I felt his hands cup my face and his forehead resting on mine. His lips were an inch from mine and as he whispered I could feel warmth.
“Do you think we’re worth it? Do you want to be with me?” he asked.
“I-I-I,”
“Just say it.” he whispered.
I stood there, motionless looking into his eyes. I saw nothing but honesty and love in his eyes and it was then that I knew what my decision was.
“Kiss me.” I whispered back. 2 seconds later his lips were on mine and I wrapped my arms around his neck while he moved his hands and wrapped his arms around my waist. Call me stupid for giving in again, but I don’t care. I think that if you care about someone as much as we care about one another, no matter what you two have to go through, it will always be worth it. After all, how many Austin Carter Mahones are out there?
I don’t know how like we stayed there kissing but it didn’t matter to me. He pulled away and looked at me.
“Alexis,”
“Yeah?”
“I have something for you.”
“What is it?”
“Close your eyes.”
I did as I was told.
“Open your hand.”
I opened my hand and waited for him to put something in the palm of my hand but he didn’t. Instead I felt something slide onto my left hand ring finger. Once I felt him wrap his arms around me and his forehead on mine while his lips being an inch from mine, I opened my eyes.
“Marry me.” He whispered.
“Of course.” I whispered back. He wore that million dollar smile of his and kissed me. Seconds later I felt him lift me up so I wrapped my legs around him. We stayed in that position and kissing while he walked us to my room. When we got in he kicked the door shut and laid me on my bed, him on top of me. Through it all we never fully broke apart. We only pulled an inch away to catch our breath.
We finally stopped after a while and ended up laying in each others arms in quiet. A peaceful quiet.
“I love you.” I said.
“I love you too.”
“You better.”
He chuckled which cause me to do the same. Minutes later we both fell asleep, wearing smiles on our faces.
AUTHORS NOTE: soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo how did you like it? was it surprising? I enjoyed writing it. are you glad they ended up together? (yes they stay together. Why would I break them up when we only have one chapter left?) this story has turned out to be better than I expected. The next update will be by Sunday. Thank you for being so patient and I hope this makes up for the depressing chapters. Bye