Exactly one year later I pulled into the only available parking space left near the freshman dorms and killed the engine in my same silver BMW from that summer. I had just come from having lunch with Ryan, Peter, and Tara but I'd had to cut our visit short because of these pressing arrangements.

This year the four of us would be seniors and all of our futures were beginning to take form. Peter's interest in music was really starting to peak and he was looking at in-state liberal-arts universities for next year. Tara's people skills were really taking up all her time with her after-school service club, her volunteering with children, and her early internship at a medical study. Her future was paved but we all claimed to know what she would do all along. Ryan still kept his options open even though photography was his latest interest. Still, with Ryan you never actually knew how long these fads would last.

I got out of my BMW, locked it, and leaned against the side. I checked my watch before reminding myself to be a little lenient with Gabe. After all, he was driving down from New York City. Finally I saw his familiar beat-up car.

Over the last year we had kept close through phone lines. I strongly believe that overall, having gone through a long-distance relationship had strengthened our bond; however, we both admitted that on a number of occasions we missed physical contact. That's why the brief visits over weekends were so precious to us. Still, to really get enough time to make the visit worthwhile at all, Gabe would be forced to buy a plane ticket, which cost money. When he was accepted to one of my state's universities, he had to stop the visits to save money for college. It wasn't as big of a push as he had expected, however, since his aunt and uncle (who I met over Spring Break) paid half of his fees and he received a fairly hearty scholarship.

Nevertheless, plane ticket money was helpful in his savings. This was the first time we had seen each other in over a month. I'd missed him and waiting had been torture. Now, I walked casually over to his car as he parked behind the Babcock dormitory, his freshman dorm that he was moving into today. He was arriving early in the summer to fit in time with me. His roommate wasn't due to arrive for another two weeks.

"Hey there," I said with a big smile. "Welcome home!"

He hadn't even closed his car door by the time I was in his arms. "Sorry it took me so long," he apologized automatically.

"Me too," I pouted, jokingly. "I've missed you."

His lips kissed my temple. "Understatement."

I laughed and returned his kisses easily until our lips met for the first time. I glowed and we stood like this for a long time. Finally we parted and he massaged my shoulders gently as we walked around to the trunk to unload his things.

"I tried to pack light," he told me. "It wasn't like I had an ample amount of room in this damn car."

"Ah, but this car has been a savior on many occasions, bringing you down to see me and such, so I find it hard to insult it," I said with a grin. I lifted one of his bags from the trunk.

"You're too nice," he told me, pecking a kiss on my lips. "I love it."

I admired him a moment as I always do whenever I see him. He hadn't changed much over the year. His wardrobe had been touched up a notch for university life and his hair was a little longer.

"Now," I began as we headed up with the first load of his things to his dorm in Babcock. "We have to set ground rules."

"Ground rules?" he asked with his one-eyebrow-skeptic look.

I nodded as he swiped his card through the authorization system. It clicked open and he politely held the door open for me. He told me his room number and we climbed up a flight of stairs to reach his dorm on the second floor.

"Clarify about those rules," he ordered and opened his door for the first time.

We looked in at the small, empty space together. It was dismay and I promptly informed him that I needed to help him with the room to which he warmly agreed. It was a simple boxy room with bare walls, two matching computer desks, two typical dressers, and two single beds. There was only one set of windows and the floor was a cold, gray speckled tile.

"Back to the rules," Gabe prompted as I set down his bag of clothes and he dumped his laundry basket of bed sheets.

"Right, of course," I said, acting all business. "Since we have recently been focusing primarily on this 'honesty' thing,"

"Honesty thing?" he interrupted, amused. "I'm not sure if you're aware of this or not but it isn't an uncommon quality in relationships," he joked.

We headed back down the hall, out of the dorm, and into the brilliant sunlit day to take up a second load. I glared playfully at him.

"Can I finish?" I asked, fake-haughtily. He nodded graciously and I continued, "I have to be honest in telling you that I am a little worried about you living at college now. I mean, I'm worried that you will find…someone else."

We reached the care and I reached in to take up his school-appointed laptop. He stopped me abruptly.

"Ari, I'm appalled!" he exclaimed, nuzzling my neck softly. "We might be focusing on this…" He paused to grin. "'Honesty thing', but we also have been discussing trust quite a bit, have we not?" I nodded grimly. "And I should think after all I've done to convince you of my feelings for you that you should trust me enough to let me attend college."

My shoulders relaxed at the feeling of his lips on my skin. "I was kidding," I said. He looked suspiciously at me so I rolled my eyes. "Fine, so I wasn't completely kidding."

"You better quit doing that," he ordered and kissed my lips again before picking up his backpack filled with school supplies. We trudged back up to the room.

Slowly we unpacked the entire car, though it really wouldn't have taken so long had we not stalled ourselves with kisses. Like I said, we had been deprived of physical contact for over a month. Finally, the contents of his car were in his room and we had moved onto rearranging furniture and setting everything out.

He stood on one end of his desk and me on the other. In the cramped space we could use all the space we could get, meaning we would rearrange the furniture in the most strategic manner. Plus, anything that gave me time with Gabe made me outlandishly happy.

"So how is everyone in New York?" I asked as I readjusted my grip on the surface.

"Fine." He eyed me carefully, knowing what I was really asking about.

I danced around the subject, pretending to be casual about the conversation. "Luke?"

"Same as always. I was a little worried about leaving him to live by himself but my aunt and uncle are going up to live with him soon. That will be a nasty surprise I imagine." Gabe caught me up on the current events accordingly.

But there was really only one person I was interested in even though I didn't want to voice my outright concern. I tried to avoid her name again.

"Stacey, Jackie, Toby, and Stephen…how are they?" I asked. "Here, push it to the left," I ordered and we heaved the desk over another inch.

"They are fine. Jackie is the same as always. Stephen finally is dating her and he's overjoyed though I can't help realizing that it won't last as long as he wants it to. Relationships with Jackie never last as long as the boys involved wish they would. It's her tactic." He gave the desk another violent push so that it was finally was against the far right wall. "Stacey is slowly getting out of the Group, which I respect her for although I'm not sure how everything will work out for her. Toby is crushed naturally and his…addiction has yet to be acknowledged. No one wants to bring it up but he hasn't been very accepted ever since what happened last summer."

"Oh," I said softly. "And, um…" I still couldn't say it openly. Gabe's kind eyes searched my face as if he was committing every detail to memory.

"Miranda is doing well, Ari," he said softly. "George says the rehab clinic is really impressed with her progress and she's been clean for three months. It's a big deal."

I nodded, swallowing the painful lump in my throat. I still don't know where we stand: Miranda and I. I still hope that we might have a future together if she can collect the pieces of her lost childhood that she dropped so many years ago. I'm confident she will and I believe in her even if she doesn't.

"Have you talked to her?" I asked in a whisper.

He shook his head. "Not recently but I've talked to George." He paused and took my hand. "George is really grateful for what you did. They all are."

I nodded. "I'm glad."

Gabe kissed my fingers and gave my hand a squeeze. "You should come up and talk to George sometime. I bet Miranda would like to see you."

I wasn't as sure. I still remembered her last request to me. She doesn't want me to see her yet. She is waiting until she can be the person I remember, the person she used to be.

As Gabe made his bed I plugged his stereo into an electrical outlet just behind his desk. I was looking over his CDs when he came up behind me. I could feel his breath on the back of my neck and smiled. His hand reached out around me and pressed the play button.

A slow tune came out from the speakers, just loud enough to distract me but not loud enough to be obnoxious. His arm came around my waist and pulled me to him.

"Were you planning this?" I asked with a giggle.

He focused in on my face as I locked my arms around his neck. "Maybe," he admitted. I smiled and let my head lean against his chest as we began to dance to the song.

A lot had changed in me over the last two years. I know that as horrified as I was about my experience in New York, it had also been necessary for me. It was a journey that had defined who I am and matured me. I don't regret it.

I can always look back on decisions I've made. True, they do change your life forever, and there is no altering what is done or the effects that those choices have created. But, after my adventures, I'm not sure that even if I could change something I would. Everything happens for a reason and I wouldn't go back and change any part of it.

Gabe dipped me as I laughed out loud. His hand glided up my back to support my perfect arch. As I looked back I caught our reflection in the mirror on the backside of his closet door. He pulled my back up again but I kept my eyes stationary on the image of us together in the mirror. For the first time, I didn't criticize the view of myself that I saw. Instead, I relished who I was, appreciating that I wasn't someone different.

There were no tricks or special qualities to this mirror. No false pretenses or mirages. I was who I saw staring back at me and for once, that was enough. It was enough to be simple and content. It was enough to be what I was, just Ari. It was enough to be standing with boy I loved, in his dorm room and feel perfectly complete.

With these thoughts in mind I closed my eyes, letting the song and Gabe's touch sing me into a waking slumber as I danced.

THE (real) END

Thank you everyone who reviewed this story (or even just read it)! I really appreciate your feedback. I wrote this story years ago and it is nice to finally have it up on fictionpress in its entirety. If you are interested in other things I've written you might want to check out my other stories that are already up on fictionpress (Sincerely Yours; Love Me Not; Playing With Fire). Also, you can take a look at my website (there is a link to it on my fictionpress profile).

Most importantly, I will be posting one of the stories I wrote recently (within the last year, that is) on fictionpress. Hopefully, I will start posting edited chapters of the new book before the end of the summer. It's called "Wild Card" so I hope you guys keep an eye out for it.

THANKS AGAIN EVERYONE!