"It's almost midnight," I noted, looking at the grandfather clock.

"We should get upstairs," Ben suggested.

I nodded and we got up and climbed up the stairs. Everyone was in the large formal living room, crowded around the huge big screen TV that took over one wall. People had drinks in their hands and eager smiles on their faces. Couples had their arms around each other. Teens were eyeing each other mischieviously. In random corners of the house, there were little children, half asleep due to exhaustion from running around all night.

"Where's Aiden?" Ben asked me.  My thoughts floated upstairs to where Aiden no doubt was sitting on his bed alone. And then my mind flashed back to earlier that evening when he had gotten so close to kissing me. Then Ben's words about Aiden came back to me.

I knew what I had to do. I knew what I wanted to do.

"Ben, I'm going to go upstairs for a bit," I said suddenly. He looked at me knowingly and pulled me into a light embrace. 

"Be careful, Ren," he whispered. I pulled away and pecked him on the cheek.

"Happy New Year, Ben," I replied. He smiled at me and I turned to walk upstairs. As I was half-way up, I heard chanting. The countdown had begun.

"10, 9, 8..." the people downstairs were saying.

I took the stairs two at a time and rushed to Aiden's bedroom door.

"7, 6, 5..." they were saying.

I could feel my heart pounding as my hand twisted the door knob and opened the door.

"4, 3, 2.." they chanted.

I opened the door and there he was. Standing on his balcony, illuminated by the light from the moon and stars. I walked briskly up to him and he turned.

"1!!! HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!" people below us shouted.

Shouts erupted from the other houses in our vicinity. It was officially the new year.

"Renee--" Aiden began, but I cut him off, my lips crashing down on his.

He was surprised at first--as was I--but then responded eagerly. He placed one of his hands on the small of my back and the other cupped my face. I put both my arms around his neck, closing the space between us. When we pulled away, we were breathless.

"What--?" he asked, his eyes dazzled.

"Happy New Year, Aiden," I whispered. He smiled brilliantly at me and I felt strong enough and sure enough to return it. He traced my lips with his fingertip.

"You smiled," he whispered.

"I did," I replied. He laughed and leaned down and kissed my lips again. We pulled away after a few moments, our eyes sparkling like the stars in the clear, winter sky.

"Let's go inside," he suggested, noting that I was shivering in the below freezing air. We went back into the warmth of his bedroom, closing the balcony doors behind us. I sighed and turned to face him. He placed his arms around my waist, pulling me closer to him.

"Are you sure about this?" he asked.

"I'm almost 100% sure," I replied.

"Almost?" he asked, quirking an eyebrow at me.

"It's been an emotional evening. My brain is in a couple different places right now," I told him. He chuckled and reached out to brush my hair out of my face.

"I'm 100% sure about this," he said quietly.

"Yeah?" I asked. He nodded.

"I have been for a while now," he replied. "I just didn't think it'd happen this quickly," he added.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Well, I didn't think I'd be brave enough to make a move. You were always so isolated. I thought it'd be hard to get to you," he answered.

"I think finally talking helped," I said. He nodded.

"For both of us," he added. I nodded in agreement and leaned forward to rest my head on his strong chest.

"I talked to Ben," I told him after a few moments of silence.

"What did he say?" he asked.

"The same things as you. He was angry I didn't tell him before," I answered. He shrugged.

"He's your best friend. He had a right to know," he said. "But you had the right to keep it to yourself," he added.

"I think it was time. And I'm glad I told him. I was stupid for keeping it to myself for all this time," I said. He pulled me away slightly and stroked my cheek gently with his hand.

"Can I play you a song?" he asked, pulling his arms off of me and going to the side of his bed.

"A song?" I asked.

"It's the one I wrote to get into Julliard," he told me, sitting on the bed. I sat down next to him.

"Ok, let's hear it," I said.

"Before I start, you should know, it was inspired by you," he said. I raised an eyebrow.

"How so?" I asked.

"You'll find out," he replied. He cleared his throat and strummed at the guitar strings a few times to tune the guitar. Then he started.

"Ohhh, la da da da da dum..." he began, a crooked smile on his lips that made my heart race and beat against my ribs.

"There are no words, to paint a picture of you, girl. Your eyes, those curves, it's like you're from some other world. You walk my way, oh God it's so frustrating. So why do I disappear when you come near? It makes me feel so small. Why do I blow my lines almost everytime, like I've got no chance at all..." he sang.

"'If I could be your Superman. I'd fly you to the stars and back again. 'Cuz everytime you touch my hand, you feel my powers running through your veins. But I can only write this song and tell you that I'm not that strong. 'Cuz I'm no Superman, I hope you like me as I am. Oh oh yeah," he continued. I felt a smile creep up onto my lips, which made him grin.

"It ain't no lie, I have to tell you how I feel. But each time that I try, it gets a little more unreal. You say my name, oh God I can't stop shaking. So why do I disappear when you come near? It makes me feel so small. If I could read your mind, girl, would I find any trace of me at all?" he sang. He continued on to sing the chorus again, gazing at me with intense eyes. I looked down at my hands, feeling a blush creep up on my cheeks.

"If I could I be your Superman, I'd fly you to the stars and back again. 'Cuz everytime you touch my hand, you feel my powers running through your veins. But I can only write this song and tell you that I'm not that strong. 'Cuz I'm no Superman, I hope you like me as I am. La dum da la la da li," he finished, leaning forward and pecking me on the cheek with a kiss.

"You wrote that for me?" I asked. He nodded, setting the guitar back down against the nightstand. "But you said you applied early. So that means you wrote this when--" I started.

"I first met you," he finished with a nod. He looked at me from behind his black plastic framed glasses and I gazed back at him.

"It's been that long?" I asked.

"I knew when I first met you that you had something more to you than what meets the eye. I'd been around enough sadness and depression to recognize it when I see it. And when you walked into my dorm on that first day, I knew there was something you were hiding. And I wanted to be the one that would help you get through it. I wanted to be your Superman," he explained.

"Aiden..." I whispered, feeling an overwhelming emotion take over me.

"I wasn't lying when I said I'd never met anyone as beautiful as you, Renee. And I don't think I've ever felt this strongly about anyone, either," he said, moving closer to me.

He leaned down and his lips met mine, kissing me slowly. He pulled me up onto his lap, deepening the kiss, placing all of the emotions that we couldn't express with words into it. I felt an almost aching in my stomach, but it wasn't the bad kind. It was a longing and the best kind there possibly was.

When we pulled away, we were both breathing deeply.

"So?" he asked, leaning his forehead against mine.

"So what?" I asked as he planted soft butterfly kisses along my jawline. He leaned back slightly to look me directly in the eyes.

"Will you be the Lois Lane to my Superman?" he asked. I felt a smile form on my lips.

"I'd be honored," I answered. He laughed and pulled towards him, his lips crashing back down on mine.

After a few minutes, we lay back against the headboard of the bed. I rested my head against his chest and he kissed the top of my head lightly, running his fingers gently through my hair. We grew quiet and the only sound I could hear was the beating of Aiden's heart in his chest.

It was a New Year, a new beginning. It was time to start fresh and finally let go of my past. I was learning to live in the moment now. I was picking myself up and opening my eyes. Because after all, no one can fall forever. There's a point when rock bottom has been reached and after that, there's nowhere else to go but up. And now I was starting my ascent. It wouldn't be easy and it wouldn't be fast, but that's the way life works.

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A/N: Yay! Done! You guys owe me tons of votes and comments because I definitely should be studying for my exams right now.

I don't think I'm going to do an Epilogue for this. I like this ending. I don't think it's necessary to say that she'll go back to school and date Aiden and gets into college and graduates. That's all inevitable, so use your imaginations for what happens next for all of the characters.

Now, this story is done. Look out for my new story, which is called, as of now, Ticking Clocks. It's about 5 friends that travel the world on an epic adventure. It's a story about friendship and love. It's similar (but not the same) to One Life to Live, so if you liked that, then you'll like this story.

As always, comment and vote! To everyone that supported me and this story: THANKS SO MUCH! I LOVE YOU ALL!!

Ok, back to studying. Bye!

XOXO