"You're all dressed up," mom commented when she passed by the open door of my bedroom, "Remember to keep safe, sweetheart."

I turned around and saw spotted her motherly smile. I returned it with a grin of my own, watching as she hugged the robe tighter around her body and leaned against the doorframe. My mother was hurting – every single day of her life since my father left us, she had been in pain.

She had always allowed me to have my fun and in return, I rarely did anything to make her worry.

Maybe one day I'd confront or perhaps I would just let her give me the letter on its intended day instead. But for now, I wanted to live each day without these overwhelming thoughts because that was the gift that Leon had worked so hard to give me.

Just a normal life.

"I will, mom," I said, walking up to her and pressing a kiss on her cheek, "I won't stay out too late."

I was pretty sure she had a hunch that I was seeing someone. Daily car rides to school, staying out late on a school night, and completely avoiding the topic about dating was just a dead giveaway. I was glad she was waiting until I was ready to talk about it though.

I'd tell her after Leon and I have finally decided to go out instead of this weird flirting thingy we were doing.

Well, that was if we were actually going to go out.

"Have fun," she told me, letting me make my way downstairs and out of the front door. Leon already texted me that he was near so I thought that it would be better if I waited for him out here.

And then, the door of our neighbor suddenly opened up. My eyebrows knitted in confusion since Zoey already left, judging from the way her car was absent from their driveway. She also told me before that it was Lauren's birthday and she was going to her house to celebrate.

Lauren was Zoey's version of Mia and just like Zoey, she was a pure hearted soul. Two beautiful angels who were too kind for this world. I was always afraid that they would get scammed whenever they were alone together.

The culprit was Zoey's mother, walking up to me with a wrapped box in her hands, "Going out, Avery?"

"Yeah, my friend's about to get here," I told her and her eyes lit up as she made her way over to me.

"Do you mind dropping this off at Lauren's house?" she asked, "Zoey just called and told me she forgot to bring it."

I saw Leon's car turn the corner and if I knew him well enough, he wouldn't mind if we played messenger for this. So I nodded, opening my hands so she could give it to me, "Sure."

"Thank you so much! Here are the directions..." she exclaimed gleefully, handing it to me. Zoey really did take much of her personality from her mom because her father was the epitome of straight laced man, not a hair out of place. Meanwhile, her mother had this love for life that was so evident in everything that she did.

To be honest, their family was our rock when we lost dad.

They would invite us to eat with them for a month straight after because they knew how difficult it was to be alone just the two of us. They would help with cleaning up the house, maintaining the garden, all the chores we forgot to do because we could barely function on our own.

Without them, I have no idea how mom and I would have gotten back to our feet.

I saw Leon get down from his car through my peripheral vision and he made his way to me. Zoey's mom flashed him a polite smile before thanking me once again, "Have fun, kids."

She went back inside her house and I turned to Leon, the box now in my hands, "Can we drop this off at Zoey's friend's house before we go to the party?"

He nodded causing me to smile, adjusting my hold on it and walking towards the vehicle. Before I did manage to get past him, he muttered loud enough for me to hear, "You're beautiful."

Alright self, calm down.

Although I was beaming because I did exert a lot of effort to look good tonight. I was on video call with Mia for almost an hour, asking her opinion of different outfits because I really did want to impress him.

Safe to say, I was successful.

I reached out and took his hand, squeezing it appreciatively, "Thank you, my angel."

"How many times do I have to tell you not to call me that?" he chuckled, walking to the car hand in hand and only releasing when he went to the opposite side to get into the driver's seat while I climbed into the passenger's.

"You can give up on that front because I'm not stopping, my angel," I snickered teasingly before pulling out my phone, "I'll text Mia that we'll be a little late."

Just like perfect Zoey, Lauren also lived a very charmed life. Her house was big, not Colten level but still bigger than mine, and we easily spotted it because of the balloons and the amount of people loitering outside.

I sent Zoey a message that we were outside and she walked right out of the front door. Like usual Zoey fashion, eyes followed her wherever she went and especially now, since she was dressed bolder than she usually did.

I rolled down the window and stretched out my arms to hand her the gift, "You two are lifesavers."

She waved hello to Leon and exchanged cheek kiss with me, before whispering into my ear, "Enjoy tonight."

The way she drawled it out made it obvious what she was implying, causing my cheeks to grow a pink tinge and for me to reach out and give her arm a light slap, "Hey!"

She laughed heartily, straightening herself up and taking a step back. Before she could say goodbye though, someone called her name, "Zoey!"

Then I saw it – for the first time in the years I've known her, I watched as she melted into this bashful puddle. Zoey, who had guys crawling on their hands and knees for a chance to go out with her, had her eyes sparkle in affection with her cheeks all red. Immediately, the teasing smile that she flashed me slipped out of her face and her expression morphed into one of admiration.

I craned my neck to see a guy jogging towards where we were and not once did she tear her eyes away from him, "I see you got Laur's present."

She nodded numbly and I almost wanted to pinch her just to bring her back to earth.

I cleared my throat loudly, hoping it would snap her back to reality and fortunately, it did. She hastily gestured to us and then him, "Christian, this is Leon and Avery, my friends," she said, "And guys, this is Christian, Lauren's older brother."

So this was the guy she had refused to tell me about. I knew I wasn't hallucinating whenever I saw her try to swerve the topic whenever we talked about her love life. I guessed correctly when I thought that some guy had already caught her eye.

And if Christian was anything like Lauren, she was in good hands.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," I greeted, eyeing Zoey carefully, "Well, we have to get going. Enjoy the rest of the night."

She saw my gaze and her eyes widened like a deer caught in the headlights. She knew that a conversation about this was oncoming and if anything, she was dreading it.

"Oh thank you again for bringing this to me," Zoey said, making a colossal effort to compose herself. I waved goodbye and rolled the window back up, nodding to Leon so he could drive away.

As they disappeared from the sideview mirror, I couldn't help but mutter to myself, "She likes him."

"Tough luck for Pat then," he quipped, "Burned twice in a row."

Should I remind him that he was the reason for one of them?

"He'll find some other lucky girl soon," I shrugged, "Perhaps one who isn't tangled in some weird time travel thing."

He quickly glanced my way and shook his head, smiling amusedly, "One could only hope for that kind girl."

"Hey!" I yelled, crossing my arms in front of my chest childishly, "You still like me though."

He swerved slightly when those words came out of my mouth, causing alarm bells to ring inside my head. I saw his surprised expression still on his face as he now placed both hands on the wheels. If he was driving and still had the audacity to be shocked, what else could I do?

This guy loved sending mixed signals.

Alright, that was a very clear sign that it was time to drop the topic about liking each other. Well, at least while we were still on the road.

The main reason why we were here was to keep me alive, thank you very much.

"Good evening, my favorite couple," Mia sang as she slid into the backseat, "How are you, mom and dad?"

Not now, Mia, not now.

I shot her a pointed look and thankfully, she got the message easily so she clamped her mouth shut for the rest of the drive. I kept stealing glances towards Leon, his full focus now on the road ahead of us.

Now I have to wonder – what the hell does he think of me? He will always be alright with the hand holding, with the sweet touching, the flirty banter, but if I utter something that would imply we were in some sort of a relationship, he becomes all broody.

First the pet name – which was all a joke, if I may remind you – and now the thing about liking me.

Stop giving me mixed signals, you idiotic handsome man.

If he actually does like me, which I was now starting to doubt, then he should make the first move because I was done at this point.

He found a parking spot relatively close to the house and when he got to a full stop, I got outside of the car with a huff. I didn't look at him nor did I speak to him when I looped my arm with Mia's and started trudging towards the party.

"Why do I feel like the child of divorced parents?" Mia said, her gaze switching to me then to Leon who was following behind, "And the mom wants full custody."

"Mia!"

I know she was just trying to be playful and she would never do anything that would make me extremely uncomfortable and worsen the situation – she wasn't Sasha. She knew that this was just a scuffle, an argument that would probably be resolved by the end of the night.

And even I thought the same, because I hated being in this position with him. But for now, I wanted him to sort out his own feelings.

Let's just say my silent treatment towards him actually made me feel more miserable. I was stuck to sulking on the couch while Leon was predictably having fun in the middle of the large group of boys chatting amongst themselves.

Of course, this house was filled with the soccer team, his actual friends, so he wasn't going to be moping the whole time like me.

I just thanked the heavens that a few girls who were girlfriends of some of the team members created their own little gossip circle on the couch and included Mia and I. At least I didn't look completely out of place.

And if you were wondering, Sasha skipped the party altogether.

"You know Avery, at the start I though you and Pat would eventually become a couple," one of them piped in, "Who knew that it was actually Leon?"

Well, I shared those same sentiments. Even I didn't predict all of this happening.

"Though I do have to applaud you for breaking Leon's walls," another said, "I only see him soften up to a girl when it's you, he just scowls at everyone else."

"If it makes you feel any better, he still glares at me from time to time," I laughed, trying to stay lighthearted. Nothing would come out if I just kept worrying.

So I tipped my head back and drank the remaining contents of my cup as the group moved on to another topic. I turned to Mia, trying to wipe away the frown I knew was trying to expose itself, and asked her in a whisper, "He likes me, right?"

And with so much certainty, not even taking a second to double think about it, she replied, "He does."

Mia was rarely wrong so I could trust her words, right?

Right? Please tell me I was right.

So what does a girl who did nothing but overthink the whole night in a high school party where booze was available do? Drink, of course. Though I wasn't drunk, I could still feel my bladder protesting at the amount of liquid I consumed.

"Bathroom," I told Mia and before she could stand up after I did, I patted her shoulder so she would stay sitting with the rest of the girls, "I can go alone."

"Alright," she shrugged, moving her legs so I could pass her and get out of the gossip circle.

I weaved through the other guests – which wasn't as much as I expected. It was a relatively tame party even if the music was blaring and the drinks were free flowing. It was mostly filled with the jocks but probably only those that the celebrant was actually friends with.

My hand was already on the doorknob of the bathroom when a pair of arms suddenly wrapped around my waist, causing me to jump and let out a yelp.

I knew immediately who they belonged to.

"May I help you?" I questioned Leon, though I wasn't really complaining with our position.

I hated being separated with him this whole time, especially since there was definitely unresolved tension on the way here.

"Wait a minute," he instructed, keeping one arm still around my waist and using the other one to open the door.

Empty.

He then fully released me and stuffed his hands into his pockets, nudging his head towards the direction of the inside, "Go ahead."

Okay, I was confused but I was more concerned about the pee situation so I went inside with no qualms.

I stared at the mirror, checking to see if the appearance I worked so hard on was still alright.

He likes me, I was worrying about nothing. I just had to keep repeating that until it was true.

When I went out, he was standing there next to the door, leaning against the wall. Now, I could go about this situation in two ways. First, I could just walk past him and continue to ignore him like what I've been doing before. Or second, we could have an actual mature conversation.

Well, I was feeling miserable doing the former, so let's go with the latter.

"Any reason why you stopped me from going in there before?" I asked, gesturing to the bathroom.

Although he looked like he didn't want to answer, he probably thought that if he avoided another talk with me, the result would be much worse. So he answered, though his voice was rather solemn, "During my last time jump, the incident happened in the bathroom and this party was the last time I saw you alive."

Oh.

He must have been keeping an eye on me this whole night because he was afraid that something might happen to me again.

And all the while I've been acting like a complete bitch.

This party must have been a do or die inside his mind in the literal sense. Maybe that was the reason he has been so high strung.

Here I was thinking so immaturely about this cutesy teenage love and relationships while he has been calculating every move to make sure he saves me. Of course, the issue about liking each other was at the back of his mind, he had other priorities.

And his priority was still about his concern for me.

He was doing all of this for me while I've been so selfish by distancing myself from him just because he didn't act the way I wanted him to.

Now he was staring at me, his expression showed nothing but worry because he experienced this night in such a different way. This night was the reason he went back to the past again, to stop Pat from asking me out and probably triggering the chain of events that would lead to my demise.

My guardian angel.

I dropped the sassy act altogether. I stretched out my arms and slowly embraced his torso, leaning my head against his chest and hearing the beats of his heart. He was still on edge, I could feel it, but I wanted to assure him that nothing was going to happen to me.

Because I had him and every single day I was thankful for him.

I felt him carefully wrap his arms around my body, returning the embrace and bringing me closer to him if that was possible. He buried his face into my hair and I rubbed comforting circles onto his back, "I'm here, Leon."

He didn't fail and he wasn't going to fail this time because I had no reason to go. In fact, I had one more reason to stay now.

It was him.

"I really do like you, you know," he murmured, not moving from our position. My breath hitched because while I was thinking of it, hearing him actually say it out loud was another story.

He likes me. Leon Colten likes me. I wasn't imagining everything. The guy who I like likes me back.

If I was dreaming, please don't pinch me.

I moved my head, causing him to lift his and for me to look up. I caught his gaze, those hazel eyes staring intensely down at me and I could feel his heartbeat hasten inside his chest.

Was that beat for me?

"And I like you," I confessed, not breaking our eye contact, "If I haven't made it obvious enough."

He gifted me that beautiful smile, that fucking incredible smile that could make any girl weak on the knees. I thank the heavens that it was reserved for me and only me.

I only see him soften up to a girl when it's you, he just scowls at everyone else.

"You're going to be stuck with me, are you okay with that?" he asked and I laughed, shaking my head in amusement.

"You've been stuck with me for multiple timelines," I shot back, going up to my tiptoes to bring our faces closer, "And besides, being stuck with you actually sounds like a dream."

His chuckles brought so much glee into my system. As he gave me his undivided attention, I knew that there was no place I'd rather be. I wanted to thank my lucky stars that was it him who was sent by some unknown being to save me. He was perfect in my mind and I was a hundred percent certain that I no longer wanted to return to the future I've been to.

Ever.

He pressed his forehead against mine, our noses touching and I was actually trying to stop myself from acting so giddy, "What am I going to do with you, Barber?"

Tingles traveled down my spine when he said those words and I did the final move by angling my face so I could capture his lips with mine. It was sweet, it was tender, and everything that I ever imagined it would be. No, it wasn't an explosive fireworks or any of that sort. It was calm and filled with the same kind of gentleness that Leon has been showing me all this time.

And he reciprocated it with just as much affection as I tried to convey. He wasn't pushing against me, but allowing me to take the lead the whole time.

This was the lifetime that I never knew I was hoping for – it was where I could be with him, where I was his because he wasn't the kind to let me go.

We slowly separated, but I still couldn't wipe that goofy grin out of my face as I laughed, "You're mine now, okay?"

He nodded with a smile, lifting one hand and softly swiping away my hair away from my face, "Okay."

This was bliss.

"Well, I'm glad mom and dad are finally done fighting," a voice said from behind me, causing me to release him and spin around. Mia was standing there with her hands on her hips, an eyebrow lifted at our predicament. I could see it from her face though that she was definitely trying to fight back a smirk, "So the age old question comes up again. Are you together or not?"

We exchanged a look and there was one thing I was sure of – I adored him and he felt the same way towards me.

So I turned back to her, leaning my head against his shoulder and giving her a small nod, "Yeah."

Mia was never the one to squeal loudly, she wasn't that kind of person. But to my surprise, she let one out and squeezed herself between us, placing one arm on each of our shoulders, "Congratulations."

I wanted to stay in this world, to remain living this kind of way. The glee I felt was nothing I've ever experienced before and knowing about the future I've come from, I could have never imagined that I would have this kind of joy.

And yet I did. Even with the extraordinary circumstances, I was unabashedly happy.

Who would have thought that the next morning, I would wake up to another nightmare entirely.

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This was one of the longest chapters and it was definitely my favorite so far. My little babies are finally together and it only took us 27 chapters to get here. I was about to say that it took a long time but I looked back at my other books and realized that some of my other protagonist couples did become official in a later chapter than our Aveon did.

Although Writing's Second Taste still takes the cake with taking the longest time before the becoming official part (no spoilers but if you know, you know).

Question: What do you think was the nightmare Avery was talking about in the end?

Hope you guys liked the chapter and please vote, comment, and follow. My instagram babies already know which chapter I'm writing so we still have a full ride coming. Love you guys and I'll see you next chapter.