With the afternoon sun pouring through the window, I can make out every scratch and dent in the floorboards in my room. There's a few lines by my desk where my chair scratched over the wood every time I got up. There's the stain where Elena knocked over a bottle of nail polish when we were twelve. There's the spot where Aaron dropped one of his track trophies in freshman year—he stormed in waving it around and dropped it when I crashed into him to hug him.

It's all there, my entire childhood ingrained in the wood and the longer I look, the more I can find, memories marking every square inch of my room.

The reason why they're visible now is that I finally cleaned my room last week. I did the laundry, vacuumed the floor, opened the windows as wide as I could. I got rid of all my old school books. Aaron offered to help me, but I felt like I needed to do it alone.

Now, lying on my back in the middle of the room, surrounded by cardboard boxes labelled by mom's neat handwriting and with my breaths echoing slightly from the walls now that the room is nearly empty, the air tastes like the beginning of something new. For once, that thought doesn't scare me as much.

I only sit up slightly when I hear a familiar pair of steps racing up the stairs, light-footed and sounding not exactly like they're late to something, but like they can't wait to get there. A moment later, Aaron pokes his head through the door.

"Hey." He grins as he slouches to the floor next to me.

"Hey," I echo, eyes fluttering shut when he pulls me into a soft kiss. When I open them again, Aaron is leaning back on his elbows, glancing around the naked room.

"Damn," he murmurs. "It's getting real."

"Your stuff is already on the way to L.A.," I point out with a chuckle. "I think it's been getting real for a few days now."

He laughs, shaking his head. "Dude, I don't think it'll sink in until I'm crying myself to sleep in my dorm room tomorrow."

"It's okay. We'll be on FaceTime together, then it's not as pathetic."

"Are those the rules?" he snorts. "When you cry alone it's pathetic, but when you sob in front of your boyfriend it's cool?"

The word boyfriend from his mouth is enough to make me feel a little bit dizzy. With a stupid grin, I respond, "When your boyfriend is doing the same, then yes."

Aaron laughs again, all dimples and teeth. Then, he nods at the door and asks, "Do you want to stall some more or are you ready to go downstairs?"

"Yeah," I say. "I'm ready."

Aaron clasps my hand and pulls me to my feet. He only stops in the doorway one more time, glancing at the empty shelfs and the lonely mattress lying in the centre of the room without a bedframe. Just by looking at his face, I can tell that he sees the memories carved into the floor as well, can probably name almost as many as I can.

But Aaron never broods or wallows; he takes a good look at the carboard boxes, gives a little knock to the doorframe that sounds like well then, and then his excited-to-get-to-the-next-place-feet carry him out into the hallway, leaving me no choice but to follow.

Our hands stay intertwined as we make our way downstairs, the soft chatter I could faintly hear in my room growing louder. The entire first floor is bustling with people; most of them are in the living room, but there's also a few of Elena's friends standing in the hallway. They smile as we pass them, but Aaron is heading straight for the kitchen, where the table has been turned into a buffet, almost cracking under the mountain of bowls and pots piled on it.

"Ah, there you are!" abuela exclaims when she spots us. "Mira, Aaron, I made the albóndigas and the taquitos you like, enough so that you can take some on the road with you tomorrow. We wouldn't want you to leave here hungry, would we?"

Aaron smiles, leaning down to press a kiss to her cheek as she pushes a plate into his hands. "Thank you, Mrs. Rivera. How will I ever survive without your cooking?"

"You'll just have to come home often," mom chimes in as she sets another steaming pot of chili onto the table.

I press a little more into Aaron's side. "I second that."

Aaron laughs and passes the second plate abuela hands him on to me. I'm about to thank him, but his dad's deep voice beats me to it. "Attention, everyone, Puff-Puffs coming through!"

I turn my head just in time to see him set a huge bowl filled with the little deep-fried balls I only ever get to eat at Aaron's house down on the table. "Oh my God, I love Puff-Puffs," I unthinkingly blurt.

"Well, why do you think I made them?" Aaron's dad laughs, patting my shoulder.

Aaron chuckles a little as my cheeks grow a bit hotter at that. A few feet away from us, our moms have already gotten into an avid conversation; when I strain my ears, I can barely make out bits that sound like Can't believe how quickly they've grown... I'm glad I still have Isabel and Andrea... The house will be so empty without them! You should come over more often.

I have to smile a little at that. While we started packing mine and Elena's things, there were a few instances where I caught mom wiping at her eyes or sniffling a little. It's good to know that she has someone she can talk to about it when Elena, Aaron and I are all gone.

"Come on," I say, squeezing Aaron's hand. "Let's find someplace to sit."

He nods, trailing behind me as I make my way into the hallway and then towards the living room. In there, it's mostly Elena and her friends, but as I scan the room to find a seat, I also spot Chloe. She's sitting cross-legged on the floor, Frida purring contently in her lap while she plays UNO with Andrea and Isabel.

"Careful with that cat," I laugh as Aaron and I sink onto the carpet next to her. "She's a demon and will scratch you when she decides she's had enough."

"Can confirm," Aaron earnestly says. "She didn't get a chunk of her ear bitten off for nothing."

Chloe laughs, her hand continuing to gently run through Frida's copper fur. "Hello to you, too."

"Did you already get something to eat?" I ask her.

She shakes her head and nods at the twins. "No. I didn't get the chance before these two jumped me."

"You," I say, poking Andrea in the ribs. "Go get Chloe something to eat or she'll stop playing with you."

Andrea makes a face at me, but surprisingly sets her cards down and shuffles out the door.

"Thank you so much again for inviting me," Chloe says, turning to face me again with a smile. "Your family's so nice!"

I nod, gently ruffling Isabel's mop of curls. My voice comes out softer than expected when I say, "Yeah. They're great."

From the corner of my eyes I can see Aaron smiling, his knee pressing a little more against mine.

We stay like that for a while, simply sitting on the carpet together, balancing our plates in our laps while we play a few rounds of UNO and make bets about how much longer Frida will pretend to be sweet. In a way, it feels like being a little kid again, sitting on the floor at a family gathering, lost in our own little world while everywhere around us people are laughing and chattering.

At some point, Isabel and Aaron get into a play fight about her cheating and he ends up tickling her until she's gasping for air and letting out delighted little squeaks that draw the attention of the entire room to us, and I'm so full of love for all of them –Aaron, my family, the stupid cat, and somehow even Chloe-- it hurts.

Surprisingly, it takes almost fifty minutes until Frida suddenly shoots up from Chloe's lap with a hiss and darts out the door, leaving her blinking at the cat hairs left on her dress.

"Told you," I laugh.

Chloe leaves a few minutes later—she still has to pack her stuff and run a few errands before she heads to Phoenix in a few days--, hugging each of us including Isabel and Andrea goodbye.

When she's gone, I get to my feet and say, "I'm gonna get something to drink from the kitchen. Does anyone else want anything?"

The others shake their heads, so I turn around and make my way towards the kitchen. There, the buffet is almost half-empty, golden light spilling over the wooden floorboards and catching in Elena's golden earrings as she pours herself a glass of water.

"Hey," I say, sidling up next to her.

"Hey," she responds, returning my smile while she sets the bottle down on the table again. "How are you feeling?"

"In general or about leaving in two days?"

"Leaving."

I go to lean against the cupboard next to the table. "Okay, I think. I'm not that scared anymore. I mean, I'm still nervous as fuck, but not as terrified as I was a month ago."

Elena smiles. "That's really good."

"Yeah." I glance down at my shoes for a second. "I'm just sad that you and Aaron are already leaving tomorrow."

I half-expect her to make fun of me for admitting that I'll miss her, but instead she says, "Me too. Promise to at least pick up sometimes, alright?"

I frown, looking at her again. "Why wouldn't I pick up?"

"I don't know. It's not like we talk that much as it is, right?"

"We do now," I point out. "I'll pick up. And I'll call you, too."

At that, her face lights up a little, but she still quips, "I won't believe it 'til I see it."

"Bet. You'll probably wish I wouldn't, that's how much I'm going to call you," I say. We both fall quiet again for a moment, silently passing the plate of Puff-Puffs back and forth. Finally, I say, "Thank you, by the way."

"For what?" Elena asks around a bite.

"For always being there for me, even though I was being an asshole. You had to put up with so much of my shit, especially this summer, with the panic attacks and the fights and everything. You didn't have to do that, but you did. So... thanks."

"You don't have to thank me, Feli. I'm just glad you finally opened up and let us help you," she says, her voice uncharacteristically soft. She pops another Puff-Puff in her mouth. "Though I will say I'm glad that time is over now."

"God, me too," I laugh, rubbing at my eyes. "That shit sucked."

Elena's smile is a mirror image of the one on my face as she lifts her glass, clinking it against the one in my hand. "Well. Here's to new beginnings and annoying each other over the phone then."

Laughing, I raise my glass to my mouth.

A few minutes later, I make my way back to the living room. I walk back over to the spot where I left Aaron with my sisters, assuming they've already started the next round of UNO, only to come to an abrupt halt when I see the bulky frame hovering next to them.

"Dad," I say, my voice giving away that I'm less than thrilled to see him.

"Hey, big guy!" he says, turning around to face me. He's wearing a sheepish grin that looks out of place from beneath the sunglasses he hasn't even bothered to take off. "Sorry to be the party crasher, but Elena told me you two were leaving for college this weekend and I wanted to at least drop by and say goodbye."

"Okay," I say, ignoring the hand he stretches out as I come to a halt next to Aaron, who's standing with his plate in hand, outright glaring at my dad.

"I, uh, brought you a gift," dad says, pushing on regardless. "Your mom hinted that you finally found yourself a special someone. I'm sure she'll appreciate this."

Reluctantly accepting the box he hands me, I realize that it's another bottle of cologne. Uncapping it, I hold it under Aaron's nose. "Hey, special someone. Do you like the scent?"

Aaron almost chokes on his Puff-Puff at that.

"I... what?" dad stammers, his eyebrows raising behind his shades.

"You heard me." Grasping Aaron's hand, I say, "Let's get out of here."

Aaron doesn't need to be told twice. We leave dad standing in the living room like that, still gaping at the spot where we were standing, both of us holding back a self-satisfied grin.

I only release the laugh I was holding in when we've darted out the front door. "God, his face."

Aaron lets out one of his high-pitched cackles and picks up his bike. "Should I go back and tell him I prefer it when you aren't wearing cologne?"

"God, no. You're gonna give him a heart attack. He'll probably go home and cry to Samantha about this."

Aaron shakes his head, still wheezing. "Jesus. Come on, let's go."

With my cheeks hurting from smiling so hard, I swing onto my bike and dart out onto the street after him.

I know where we're going even without him having to say anything. Once we've reached the playground, we drop our bikes next to each other, not even waiting to see how they land before Aaron's tugging me along towards the little wooden house.

I climb the ladder after him, ducking my head until I slouch to the ground next to him. Unlike last time, I don't have to worry about knocking my knee against his or our hands accidentally brushing together—instead, Aaron immediately rests his hand on my thigh, his foot pressing against mine where our legs are stretched out in front of us.

"Got any weed?" I jokingly ask.

Aaron frowns, patting his pockets for a moment like he's genuinely looking for it before he says, "Nah, sorry, man. I have something else though."

I blink at him and intelligently say, "Oh?"

"Close your eyes."

I send him another curious glance before I obligingly shut my eyes. For a few seconds, I wait for Aaron to do or say something, but when all I feel is a slight breeze, I realize he's waving his hand in front of my eyes to make sure they're truly closed.

I lurch forward as if to bite his hand, prompting a chuckle and an "Okay, chill! Just making sure. Keep them shut."

A moment later, he gently takes my hand and turns it over, placing something in my palm and closing my fingers around it. "There," he says. "You can look."

I immediately open my eyes, only for my throat to tighten when I see what I'm holding. "Aaron... Did you make them yourself?"

He nods, rubbing at his neck like he always does when he's flustered. "Yeah. Elena helped me."

The warmth pooling behind my eyes grows even more at that. "Fuck you," I murmur, my voice coming out watery, and wipe a hand over my nose. "I wanted to save the crying for when you're actually leaving."

Aaron laughs, a soft sound that makes me want to add another item to my list, except I've completely given up keeping track of it by now. "Here. I'll help you put it on."

I nod, holding out my arm to him, but keep my eyes trained on his face as he fixes it around my wrist. Sitting beneath the roof the tiny wooden house, his brows furrowed in concentration and his tongue poking out slightly between his teeth, he's suddenly a film screen on which flicker images of every facet of him I've ever loved.

The boy from the house across the road who knocked at the door one day with a nervous smile and a football clutched in both hands.

The boy who sat next to me in class and asked the teacher if I could use the bathroom when I was too nervous to raise my hand, his voice sure and steady.

The boy who showed me how he did his t-shot at the same time I had to take my meds, Come on, if we do it together it's not as bad.

The boy who drove me around after therapy every Thursday, voice quiet and tired eyes soft in the glint of the lights on the dashboard.

The boy who ran up the stands after every track tournament and hugged me before he even hugged his parents, a breathless grin pressed against my shoulder.

The boy who sent me songs and albums and playlists every other week, This made me think of you, telling me stories that never wavered in their intensity even though he knew I was deaf to them.

The boy who pointed up at the clouds and saw shapes in each of them.

The boy who hugs my mom every time he comes over and helps abuela set the table and makes Andrea and Isabel laugh so hard they cry.

The boy who insists on holding me when we go to sleep even though it makes his arm fall asleep and always kisses me like nothing in the world matters more and somehow has the audacity to look at me like I'm the thing worth marvelling at.

And then Aaron, raising his gaze again and offering me the same smile he's always worn as he says, "There."

I tear my eyes away from his face to find the bracelet he gave me sitting right above the friendship bracelet we made together when we were fifteen. Both are made of wool, identical in color, except one is much more vibrant than the other.

"They look like they're about to disintegrate, so I figured I'd make new ones," Aaron mutters. "So we can take a piece of each other with us." He lets out a sheepish chuckle. "Sorry, that's really cheesy."

Wordlessly, I pick up the second one he made and clasp his arm. I can feel him watching me as I tie it around his wrist with slightly shaky fingers, knowing that he can see a similar film reel on my face. When I'm done tying it off (with two knots, just to be safe), I lift his hand to my mouth and press a soft kiss into the palm of his hand.

"Thank you."

Aaron smiles and slides the hand to my cheek, his lashes tickling my cheek as his lips meet mine. It feels slow and raw and like we're saying I know you won't be here tomorrow, so I'll kiss you now, as thoroughly as I can so maybe I won't miss you that much, even though we both know that's not true.

When we pull back to breathe, I rest my forehead against his and murmur, "We've wasted so much time."

His nose brushes against mine. "No, we didn't. We have all the time in the world."

"You'll come home for Thanksgiving, right?"

"And for Christmas. And for spring break. And then before you'll know it it'll be summer again."

"Maybe I can visit you in L.A. for your birthday if I save up," I murmur.

"Yeah." Just by the tone of his voice, I can tell that he's smiling, my thumb resting right over the dimple in his cheek. "And we can FaceTime every day. Just think of all the hot cybersex we'll have."

"Fuck off," I laugh, except it sounds like I love you.

"You fuck off," he retorts, except it sound like Me too, and wraps his arms around me, pulling me so close I can feel his heart beating against my chest. Into my hair, he whispers, "It's not the end of everything. Just the end of the summer."

I give a small nod, breathing in his familiar scent as I bury my face against his shoulder, knowing that the next time I'll have it, it'll be on one of the sweaters I stole from him.

We stay like that for a few minutes, his chest rising and falling in time with mine, and just for a few heartbeats it feels like we're in this world alone, two boys melted into one on the floor of the tiny wooden house.

Finally, I lift my head and open my eyes, blinking into the setting sun, and say, "We should head back home."

Aaron nods and lets go of me, slowly, like he has to will every finger individually to uncurl from my shirt. "Okay."

Climbing back down, I can't help but think that I was wrong when I thought that everything would change after this summer when already everything is different: in July I was still a bottle filled to the brim with secrets that threatened to spill over with every step, and then August smashed the glass and pieced it back together into something entirely new, everything I had fought so hard to contain left out in the open.

I'm so fucking glad things worked out the way they did, especially when I glance over my shoulder and find Aaron running his fingers over the A+F carved into the wood once more before he leaps out the door and lands right beside me.

As we roll out into the street, I for once don't have to race to keep up with him. Even without trying, I manage to stay right next to him, our laughter mixing with the summer air as the sun spills gold over the roofs of San Aburrido.

Behind us, the playground grows smaller in the distance; in front of us sprawls the future, whatever the hell that means.

I close my eyes and let go of the handlebar. 

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

THERE WE GO, IT'S FINALLY DONE!!!!

Luvs, I'm gonna be honest, there were a few points where I didn't believe I would finish this story. Really (as with all my books) the reason that I did was you guys, so thank you so much for being here!!

I'm so incredibly thankful for all of you- all your comments made me so happy and it felt so good to once again be posting on here, I'm honestly going to miss it

I really hope you enjoyed this chapter. Now ofc I want to hear all your thoughts!! Who was your favourite character? Do you have a favourite chapter/scene? And did I succeed in making all of you obsessed with Pure Heroine again? Let me know!! :)

The next time you'll hear from me on here will either be with the edited version of Never Kiss Your Roommate or my wlw (witches loving witches) book next year, but if you want to know what I'm up to until then you can follow me on Instagram @/phillineharms!! I'll post the complete list of things Feli likes about Aaron there and maybe the character sheets I made before I began to write, if anyone's interested in that. The link is in my bio hehe :)

Once again, thank you all so much for reading and being here!! Much love,

Philline