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Seeing Shelly walk into my room, with my mother right behind her, I froze. What was she doing here? For the past two months, we had been going to each other's houses more. She got used to her brother and father quickly and he got used to us.

"Hey."

"What are you doing here?"

"You know, that's not how you respond to your girlfriend," my mom scoffed.

"Sorry Mother, I didn't know this was a three-way conversation."

"Sorry! I'll go. Nice to see you, sweetie," she quickly said before closing the door behind her.

"You too!"

Shelly sat at the edge of my bed, where my papers weren't, and then laid back. I finished up my notes, the silence was never an issue with us when we were busy.

"I'm almost done."

"It's okay. Sebastian's whining too much. I just needed quiet time. You take however long you need. Plus, I might take a nap here. I love your bed." She laid out and grabbed my papers to give her more space.

"That bad?"

"Yeah. I feel bad for whatever I put my parents through. But I don't ever remember being that loud!" she groaned.

"I've always been loud. 'Specially when I'm angry."

"No, you aren't. Not with me," she frowned.

"I learned to be quiet when I want. Plus, anger isn't something I really feel with you around." I shrugged.

"But Seb never stays quiet. Like, it's always him whining. Can't I get a second of peace? His kindergarten class is louder than him! Maybe that's where he gets it from, his class."

"I feel bad for you."

"I just, I needed a break."

"Glad I could give you that."

"Now shh, I'm gonna take a short nap."

Wrapping the blanket around her, she snuggled a pillow. I put my pencil down so that I could get in bed with her. I didn't want her lying alone, she loved to cuddle.

"Scoot over. It's my bed," I mumbled as I scooted under the blanket with her.

"Hmm," her throat sounded as she moved to face me.

Getting comfortable, I pulled her to my chest. Her head rubbed against my chest, trying to find a spot that wasn't bones, and then put her hand on my stomach. I placed mine over hers.

In just a few months, things would change again. We could always leave. Go to rural towns as I asked her a few months ago, what felt like forever ago.

And then a thought hit me. We had almost hit our one-year mark. Not on dating but on knowing each other. Knowing Shelly, she'd make a big deal out of it.

I looked at her hair and felt my heart rate increase. Moving had been one of the things I hated. I didn't want to leave my friends behind. But it was one of the best things that happened.

Sure, I didn't have many friends here. My friends back home barely texted me. But I got the girl I didn't know I wanted. Or needed.

From the first day we talked over the fence, we had somehow defined our future. We were slowly building it, having our own battles, until we helped each other out.

I leaned forward to kiss her head. Moving, she turned around and I wrapped my arm around her waist. My dip felt like it was made for my hand and my hand only.

Things were how they were supposed to be. Feeling complete, I squeezed her tighter before I closed my eyes. Just holding her was enough to reassure me that our future, no matter what changes, was bound to be together.

******

A/N: 

I'm just going to let the old A/N speak for the me now:

𝐀/𝐍:
ᴛʜɪs ᴍᴀᴋᴇs ᴍᴇ sᴀᴅ, ɪᴛs Tᴀɴɴᴇʀ's ʟᴀsᴛ ᴇᴘɪsᴏᴅᴇ.

Wʀɪᴛɪɴɢ ғʀᴏᴍ ᴀ ɢᴜʏ's ᴘᴏɪɴᴛ ᴏғ ᴠɪᴇᴡ ɪs sᴏᴍᴇᴛɪᴍᴇs ʜᴀʀᴅ ғᴏʀ ᴍᴇ. I ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴅᴇsᴄʀɪʙᴇ ᴛʜɪɴɢs ᴀɴᴅ I ғᴇᴇʟ ʟɪᴋᴇ ɪᴛ ᴅᴏᴇsɴ'ᴛ ᴍᴀᴛᴄʜ ʜᴏᴡ ɢᴜʏs ᴛʜɪɴᴋ. Mᴏsᴛ ɢᴜʏs I ᴋɴᴏᴡ ᴀʀᴇ ᴅɪʀᴛʏ ᴛʜɪɴᴋᴇʀs ʙᴜᴛ I ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴍʏ ɢᴜʏs ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ ɴɪᴄᴇ.

I ᴅᴏɴ'ᴛ ᴇᴠᴇɴ ᴋɴᴏᴡ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴛᴏ sᴀʏ, Tᴀɴɴᴇʀ's ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴍʏ ʟɪᴛᴛʟᴇ ʙᴏʏ. Fᴜɴ ғᴀᴄᴛ: ʜᴇ ᴡᴀsɴ'ᴛ ᴇᴠᴇɴ sᴜᴘᴘᴏsᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ʜɪs ᴏᴡɴ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs. Hᴇ ᴡᴀs ᴊᴜsᴛ ᴀɴᴏᴛʜᴇʀ ᴡʜɪᴍ I ʜᴀᴅ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ʙᴇᴄᴀᴍᴇ ᴛʜɪs ʙᴏᴏᴋ.

As ᴀʟᴡᴀʏs, I ʜᴏᴘᴇᴅ ʏᴏᴜ ᴇɴᴊᴏʏᴇᴅ ᴀɴᴅ ᴀʀᴇ ʀᴇᴀᴅʏ ᴛᴏ ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ʟᴀsᴛ ᴛʜʀᴇᴇ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs.