Thank you already to jueka1 and brightyeolie for somehow keeping up with these crazy uploads of mine.

I'm smashing out the end of this book. Still not sure how many chapters are left but... we're getting close.

Enjoy this chapter though ;D 

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Those three words danced around my head like a fantasy. And it took a couple of blinks to bring me back to reality.

"You... like... me?" I repeated.

I was sure the exact word I had heard was wrong.

I thought he said the other L word.

But there was no way.

Absolutely no way he said—

"I love you," Flynn said again.

"Like?" I said back.

He shook his head. "I'm in love with you, Callie. I was even back when we were dating... I just never said anything in fear that it was too soon. I know it's too soon even now, but... heck. We've been friends the whole year. I think I'm allowed to admit that what I feel for you is love."

"You... love me?" I said.

He heaved a sigh before snagging his lip between his teeth. "Does this make this more awkward now?"

"Love?"

"I've broken you..." he mused, brow cocking upwards.

"Love?" I asked again.

"Yes," he whispered, taking another step closer. His hand reached up, pausing on its way.

But as I continued to stay frozen in shock, he seemed to find whatever confidence he needed to close the distance.

Hands gently cupping my face, his thumbs wiped away my tears. "I'm sorry for hurting you. I'm sorry I broke up with you. And I'm sorry for abandoning you... But please understand I wasn't quite myself. I promise you, I will not do that again. If you give me another chance... and if you feel any ounce for me that you used to, I promise I—"

"You love me?" I interrupted him, asking the question for the millionth time.

"Yes, Callie. Yes, yes, yes. I love you. So damn much, okay? Have I made that clear? Or are you hoping if you keep asking, I'll just take it back?" With those final words leaving his mouth, worry stole his gaze and his hands began to retreat.

But before he could go too far, I hooked my hand around his neck, stopping him from going.

And while he was no longer cupping my face, I lifted my other hand to his, thumb gently stroking his cheek this time.

Shock consumed his gaze as his mouth opened and closed several times, his brain seeming to short-circuit.

But before any doubt could kick in further for him.

Before he worried about his three words he had thrown at me in utter desperation.

I yanked his mouth down to mine and showed him exactly how I still felt about him.

Flynn seemed to need a second himself to catch up with what was going on. But once he had, his arms immediately enveloped me, pushing me against the toilet block wall. And then his mouth more forcefully pressed against mine.

One hand drifted behind my head, long fingers pressing against my neck to tilt my head at just the right angle for kissing.

His other hand gingerly rested on my waist, fingers wiggling with desire to move elsewhere and to grip more forcefully, but evidently showing restraint.

Though I unapologetically ravaged him.

Hands running down his back.

Fingers weaving through his hair.

Body pressing up against his.

Tongue ploughing into his mouth.

I couldn't get enough.

It wasn't enough.

I needed more of him. More Flynn.

And, damn, I missed kissing him.

Seeming to be unable to take the heat any longer and grappling with whatever was holding him back from the normal intensity of his kisses, he yanked his mouth away from mine.

But I wasn't done.

Pulling him close, I planted open mouth kisses along his neck as Flynn let out a low rumble.

"Callie," he groaned.

"Mmm," I whispered against his skin as I trailed my lips over his adam's apple, enjoying the vibrations under my mouth as he spoke.

"We're at school, you know?"

"I don't care," I breathed, hating that I had to move away slightly to say that. Then I pulled his mouth back to mine.

Flynn forgot his mission for the moment, kissing me back almost like he used to.

But as his hand skirted down my back to the hem of my school shirt, suddenly he withdrew his hand, instead pressing it against the wall.

Then he turned his face away from mine.

So I continued placing more of my kisses on his jaw and down the thick column of his throat.

"As much as I'd love to keep kissing you, the longer we're gone, the more likely we will get caught. And if we get caught, we will get into heaps of trouble. Also, the longer we are gone, I imagine the more minutes of detention we will accrue with Miss Fischer. And if we have detention..."

I finally stopped kissing him, pulling back to meet his wary—though lust-full—eyes.

"If we have detention," he continued, voice low and rumbly, "It means we will spend most of our second break in the classroom under Miss Fischer's watchful eyes instead of hiding somewhere in the school, resuming where we left off."

Bottom lip pouting out, he breathed a chuckle before bringing a hand to cup my face.

"Promise we will resume later?" I asked him.

His eyes twinkled with hunger before he said, "Oh, Callie, I—" But then he stopped himself.

I glanced around, somehow worried a teacher was nearby.

But the area was vacant.

And he was facing the wall anyway.

"What?" I asked.

He shook his head and forced an almost-fake smile onto his face. "We will do whatever you want and are comfortable with."

Brows turning down as I finally realised where his hesitancy was coming from, I admitted, "I've never not felt comfortable with you, Flynn. Did I flinch away from every guy after Noah? Yes. But with you—"

"You've flinched from me."

"Because it reminded me of the pain of losing you... not because of Noah."

His face softened at my admission and his eyes went cold. "Callie... I'm so sorry for hurting you. I—"

"Shut up and kiss me if you're sorry," I said, pulling his mouth to mine.

But before our lips could touch, he stopped himself. "Such a temptress," he whispered, breath warm against my lips. Then he rested his forehead against mine. "But I really value my lunch breaks with you. Also, if she's really mad, she might organise an after-school detention. And I don't know about you, but I really don't want to lose our afternoon hours..."

Heaving a sigh, I breathed back, "You're right. Now that you have afternoons free, it's our one chance to be alone without adults."

But my words stirred that worry back into his eyes.

Hands reaching up to cup his face, I said, "I'm fine, Flynn. With you, I'm more than fine. Just don't leave me again."

"Never," he vowed.

And, in that moment, I believed him.

I was sure that this time, we were forever.

As silly as it is to believe that relationships go on forever when you're seventeen.

When we finally disentangled ourselves and sauntered back to the classroom to face Miss Fischer, she was in the midst of getting everyone to pack up their belongings.

Peers putting their books in piles as they stood up behind their chairs, our entrance back into the room caused everyone to freeze.

"So?" Zac called across the room. "What did you say, Cal?"

"To what?" I asked, brows coming together.

And Miss Fischer rolled her eyes. "To Flynn asking you to formal," she said, evidently also interested in the gossip.

"Oh... I said no," I replied, as though it were useless information. Because it was useless. What did formal matter when Flynn and I were back together? When Flynn said he loves me?

Wait... are we back together?

We didn't quite confirm that.

We didn't—

"Really?" Flynn said, taking a step away from me.

"Really what?" I asked.

"You still won't go with me? After all that?"

"After all what? Give us the deets!" Zac snickered from the back of the room, though we both ignored him. Class was long over now with students exiting classrooms around ours, starting their second break. But everyone was frozen in place, watching our drama unfold again.

"I thought it was just part of the plan for you and I—"

"Yeah, but I still want to go with you."

"For you two to what?" Jackson piped up, trying to pry details from us.

But, again, we ignored them.

"Why do you want to go to formal?" I asked, wondering if still, despite everything, he was still going along with Lexi's plan—

"Because I want to see the girl I love dressed up like a princess for a night so that I can take a bunch of photos with her and dance her around a room."

The whole class lit up in gasps and jeers at Flynn's proclamation, as my face started to turn beetroot red at the sudden audience.

"Flynn," I whispered. "You just said that in front of everyone."

"And I'll continue to embarrass you in front of people until you agree."

"But I don't wanna," I whined.

"And I do. So do this for me."

"Maybe you should not go for me?"

He shook his head and crossed his arms over his chest. "I won't budge on this, Callie. I want to take you out."

Rolling my eyes, I said, "So take me to dinner sometime. I can dress up for that—"

"There's only one formal."

I pressed my lips together and turned my head down.

"Callie... what is it?" he said more softly, hand coming against my arm despite our audience.

"Can we..." I mumbled, glancing at our onlookers who were eagerly flickering their eyes between the two of us. Even Miss Fischer was still intrigued as she wiped down the board, head turned our way to not miss a thing. "Can we please talk about this privately... later?"

"Will you consider it if we do?"

I nodded... because I could consider it and still say no.

"Fine," he grumbled. Then he turned to our classmates and said, "Show's over. Go to lunch."

"That's my line," Miss Fischer called out.

"Snooze you lose, Miss."

But then Zac said, "Are you two at least dating again? Can you tell us that much?"

My heart thudded in my chest as my head immediately whipped around to Flynn.

And, slowly, he turned to look at me. Then he cocked an eyebrow. "Are we?" he asked me, voice almost pleading.

"Are we?" I squeaked back, feeling desperate.

The corners of his lips started to tug upwards. "I asked first."

"And I asked... second."

"I don't see your point there."

"Well, I do, and—"

"Oh, for heaven's sake," Zac called out, storming across the room until he was only a step away from us. "You love Callie?" Zac demanded from Flynn.

Flynn nodded.

Zac turned to us. "And Callie? Do you love Flynn?"

"I... uh..."

Love...

It's a heavy word.

Do I love him?

Better yet... if I do.. can I confess it the first time with all these people around.

"Leave her alone," Flynn interjected, though I could see his eyes clouding in sorrow that I didn't say it back.

Zac sighed and said, "Fine. Did you two kiss and make up?"

"Yes," I mumbled, cheeks heating up again.

"And do you plan to keep doing that? Exclusively? Just with each other?"

"Yes," we both mumbled in unison, avoiding each other and everyone in the room.

"Then you're dating. There. Settled." With that, Zac adjusted his grip on his books and walked out of the room, calling over his shoulder on the way, "Thanks for everything, Miss. Let's hope we don't fail our externals."

"Yes, let's hope," she muttered as she threw her own things into her bag.

Callie and I went back to our seats, slowly gathering our things as everyone else exited the room.

As Miss Fischer threw her bag onto her back, she impatiently began to tap her foot on the ground. "Come on. I have playground duty."

"When do we have detention, Miss?" Flynn asked her.

"Deten... What for?"

"For leaving your class without permission?" I retorted, as though it were obvious. Because it was.

But then she waved her hand at us. "I'm not wasting my lunch break on you two when we have no actual classes together anymore. After the exams, you know we're just going to sit around watching movies. So don't sweat it."

Then she began to usher us out of the room.

"Though just between you and me," Miss Fischer said in a low voice as she locked the classroom and Flynn and I stowed our belongings into our bags. "I'm really glad it was my classes you two were able to bond over. And I'm rooting for you two."

Before Flynn and I could say anything further, Miss Fischer took off on a determined stroll, most likely to her area for duty.

And as I threw my own bag onto my back, ready to head to lunch, Flynn paused beside me.

"What?" I hesitantly asked him.

But Flynn merely spread out his fingers and moved his arm closer to me.

Realising what he was gesturing, I slid my hand into his, our fingers weaving together, before I let him tug me off to our group, ready and reluctant to announce the news to everyone.

Are you going to read any of my other books when you're finished this one? Or will we part at the conclusion of this novel? Let me know.

Meme (like all of you over Flynn):