I woke up the next morning to find Ethan's arm draped lightly over my waist. My back was to his chest and I could feel him breathing softly against my neck.

I should have been more stressed about the situation. But I wasn't.

It felt nice and comfortable, laying next to Ethan. I didn't feel awkward at all like I thought I would. We had slept over at each other's apartment before, but we had never slept in the same bed; at least not since we had grown up.

I closed my eyes and remembered the events of last night. The feel of his lips on mine was so perfect, it seemed ridiculous now that we had never kissed before. How could I have been so blind? I spent so many years chasing after boys, going through countless boyfriends, hoping that I would find my one true love. It turned out that he had been with me along, by my side; a loyal companion, a dedicated lover.

I turned around in Ethan's arms to face him. He was still asleep. His face was calm and serene, like at last he was living the perfect life he had thought out for himself. His lips twitched slightly into a smile and I wondered what he was dreaming of. I shifted my head and kissed his bare chest lightly.

It was funny how one moment we were best friends and the next we had almost had sex. I remembered him asking permission and I had said no. Austin never asked permission; I was always the one who had to stop him before he went too far.

I sighed. Austin. What was I going to do?

But of course, I had to tell him. And then what? We break up? Probably. He would never stand for what I had done.

I closed my eyes. I had cheated on him. I tried to feel guilty, but for some reason, the guilt wouldn't come. I realized now that I had no strong emotional connection with Austin. We had never had a conversation of any substance. He was just another boyfriend.

I opened my eyes and saw Ethan staring back at me. He smiled when I looked at him.

"Good morning," he said softly, leaning forward a little and kissing my forehead. I smiled back and cuddled closer against him. We shifted around so that he was on his back and I was snuggled in the crook of his arm. "How are you doing?" he asked me.

"I'm still trying to deal. But for the most part, I'm happy," I said. He smiled hearing this.

"I'm extremely happy," he told me.

"How long?" I asked after a few moments.

"I think ever since your grandmother brought up that we would make a good couple. I started thinking about it then," he replied.

"That's why things have been so weird between us this past year," I said. He nodded. I propped my head up on my elbow. With my finger, I traced the features of his face and the lines from his abs. He looked at me and ran his thumb along my cheek gently.

"You're perfect," he told me.

"Not quite, but I try," I replied, grinning. He leaned up and his lips kissed mine softly. We pulled away, longing in our eyes. I lay back down next to him.

"Now what?" he asked.

"I don't know about tomorrow, but today, I just want to hang out here," I said, snuggling close to him. And that's exactly what we did. We spent the whole day in bed, just talking about everything and about nothing. My phone kept ringing and buzzing. I eventually turned it off. I just wanted to be here, right now, in that moment with Ethan. It was perfect.

                                                                              ~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Where have you been? I have been calling and texting you like crazy for the past 24 hours. I checked your apartment and you weren't there. You weren't at your dad's or grandparents' place. Where were you?" Austin asked when I opened the door to him the next day. I let him yell and pace. "I even tried calling Ethan, but he wouldn't answer, either. I've been worried sick about you. I had no idea where you disappeared to," he continued. "Why aren't you saying anything?!" he shouted.

"Austin, I slept with Ethan," I said in a quiet, monotone voice. He stopped his pacing and looked at me a second. Then he turned around and walked out the still open door. I went to the entrance and watched him walk away. I didn't stop him. I felt a little guilty, but I didn't call his name out. He would probably hate me forever. One day, maybe I would apologize to him. But right now, I was free. I was free to be happy with Ethan.

                                                                               ~~~~~~~~~~~

"Hey, Daddy," I said, when my dad opened the door for me and Ethan. It had been a week since we decided to go out. We had it all figured out and I thought it was time to tell my dad.

"Hey kiddo. What's going on?" Dad asked. He glanced down at mine and Ethan's hands and raised his eyebrows slightly. Then he smiled. "It's about time," he said. I grinned and hugged him. He laughed and kissed the top of my head. Then he clapped Ethan on the shoulder. "I'd tell you to treat her right, but you already do," Dad said to him.

"And I always will," Ethan added.

"Atta, boy,' Dad said, smiling at him. I grinned and put my arms around Ethan's waist. Makayla walked in.

"I heard Avery's voice-" she began to say and then she took in the scene. She blinked a few times, trying to register what she was seeing. Then she smiled. "Well, I guess I always knew I didn't have a chance. Congratulations," she said. My face broke into a huge smile and I ran up to her, hugging her tightly. I kissed her cheek and she laughed.

"All right, all right. No more mushy-mushy," she said, pushing me away.

"Let's all go out to celebrate this happiness that was going to come inevitably," Dad suggested.

"Hurrah!" Kay exclaimed. Ethan kissed my lips gently. Kay raised her eyebrows. "Well, it's going to take a while to get used to seeing that," she said. We all laughed, but it was true. It was going to take a while adjusting to the fact that Ethan and I were something more than just best friends. We were lovers.

_______________________________________________________________________________

A/N: YAY! Together at last! Austin's out of the picture! Happiness ensues!!!

I'm making an epilogue for this. Just because I had a prologue. Also, it's going to be extremely cheesy, but I don't care. We all love those cheesy love stories. =D

Comment and vote!!

XOXO