well hello there. this is the last chapter for this story :) thanks to everyone who's read/reviewed/favorited/followed this you are gr8. anyways.

enjoy :).

R

The more Rin thought about it, the angrier she got.

She'd thought he was different, that he wasn't like the other boys, that he was going to be a constant in her life and stay. He'd made her feel safe, wanted. Loved.

But it turned out that boys were all the same, and boys were stupid.

She slammed the door of the coffee shop, startling the old professors and students busy studying inside. Too frustrated to care about the glares they shot her way, Rin marched up to the barista before remembering that she'd forgotten her purse. And her wallet, and her phone.

Shit.

She dug her hands into the pocket of her windbreaker to find the spare change that she'd always kept there for "times of emergency", and if this didn't count as an emergency she didn't know what did, because there was no way she was going back to her dorm. Maybe she could room with Miku for the night? She'd figure something out, anything, anything that could get her away from Len and his glasses and his smile and his voice. Anything that could keep him from hurting her again because she'd handed him her heart-fuck, more than her heart, her whole being-and still he was going to leave like all the other boys had done. She couldn't believe she'd trusted him. Slept with him. Loved him. She couldn't believe she'd thought maybe this one would be forever, she was so stupid-

"Can I help you?" The barista sounded bored.

"Sorry. Um, yeah. A strawberry acai refresher with coconut milk, please." She handed him the crumpled wad of cash and ignored whatever else he might be saying, dumping her change into the tip jar and leaning against the wall to wait as she studied the landscape outside the window.

Bad idea. The sky was clear, cerulean blue, not a cloud in sight, the color of Len's eyes when he smiled. She wished she could see him smile again, hear him say that it was all a big joke and he'd never leave her for some stupid college because she was worth the world and more.

Rin thought back to those days during break when she'd skipped her period, when she'd thought she was pregnant and stayed holed up in her room obsessively painting her nails and crying because she didn't know what he was going to say-if he'd leave or if he'd stay. She'd convinced herself that he wouldn't blame her, that he would say he'd take care of her and the baby, that he'd protect her and do what it took to keep their little family together.

Now that she thought back to their FaceTime call, she recalled that he'd never reassured her, never told her that it was okay and that he would be there for her and their baby. He'd never said that he loved her. He'd never said that he loved her.

Rin's heart ached at the thought.

She picked up her drink from the counter, walking out of the coffee shop and into the sunshine, unsure where her feet were carrying her except for away from Len. He'd never said he loved her. So many boys had told her those words before, tossed them around like candy and kisses-I love you, Rin-she'd heard them so often that she'd stopped caring, that they'd lost their meaning.

Only now did she realize that the one boy whom she wanted to hear the words from had never said them to her.

But weren't actions worth more than words? Rin slumped onto a bench outside the math building, shaded by a tall tree as she dropped her chin into her hands. The way he helped her edit her vlogs, his fingers brushing hers as he typed on her laptop. The way his eyes lit up when she walked into a room, the way he never made fun of her brightly-colored outfits and laughed at her stupid jokes. The way she could always make him blush. The way he'd picked up her tampons for her on the second day they'd known each other, knowing that she was laughing at him and filming him and still doing it anyway. The way her body fit against his when they slept, two puzzle pieces that had found their other half.

Rin's heart felt so empty without him there to fill it.

And suddenly she stood, her mind coming to life as she tossed her barely-sipped-on drink into the trash can, an idea forming.

"Len! God, let me in!" She banged on the door to their room as soon as she ran out of the elevator, cursing herself for forgetting her keys and making such a stupid entrance. She kicked the door again.

It didn't open.

She stood, knocking again and again and waiting and waiting and waiting. He didn't come, and she knew.

He'd meant it. He'd meant it when he said he didn't care if she was there or not, he'd meant it when he'd let her leave without shouting for her to come back. He'd meant it.

She fell against the wall, not caring that her tears were drawing tracks of mascara down her cheeks, not caring who heard or saw or wondered. He'd meant it.

"Rin!"

She knew that voice, and she didn't look up.

"Rin, what are you doing? Stop crying, Rin, don't cry, please don't cry. God, Rin, please don't cry, hear me out." His hands were soft as he pulled her to her feet. She tried to break away from his grip but he was stronger than he looked, and she was too weak to leave his touch.

"I just called my dad," he said, voice hoarse. When she felt his hands on her face, brushing away her tears, she finally looked up and saw that his cheeks were wet too. "I told him, Rin, I told him that I'm not going to Columbia, you matter more to me than him, you matter more to me than anyone because"-he swallowed-"I love you."

"Fuck, Len," she said, "you're an idiot."

His eyes widened but he didn't let go of her.

"This is the opportunity of a lifetime and you just gave it up for me? I came back to tell you that I'm going with you, to New York, and you're saying you canceled your fucking admission to Columbia?"

He stared at her. "What?"

"I'm going to New York with you. You can do college. I can do my YouTube channel. We can be together. I don't care about college, Lenny, I care about you."

He buried his face in her hair, and his lips were so tantalizingly close that it hurt. "I love you, Rin."

"I love you too. Don't ever do that to me again, okay?"

He pressed his lips to her temple as an answer, and she let herself drown.

L

"Please don't tell me that you actually cancelled the admission."

"I didn't-not yet. I wanted to-I wanted to tell you first. And-I don't know. You were so mad at me that maybe you wouldn't want me here, and-"

"Goood."

R

Their room was small, Rin decided as she dropped the box on the floor with a thump and scowled at the lights which were currently still out of order. Too small to be considered a two-person room, really, but that was okay. She kicked the box into the corner next to the full-size mattress they'd chosen to use as a temporary sleeping arrangement, wincing at the cobwebs that were home to at least two possibly-alive spiders. Rin shuddered at the sight, before a grin split apart her face at the sound of a creak, the door behind her opening to reveal Len's dirty Chelsey boots and messy ponytailed hair. He stumbled into the room, noodle-likee arms trembling under the weight of the huge bin he carried, and he placed it gently onto the mattress before slumping down beside it. Groaning, he undid the first three buttons of his shirt, wiping a bead of sweat off his forehead. Rin caught herself staring at the patch of skin revealed on his chest and smirked, sitting down next to him. His blue eyes met hers as she brushed his hair out of his eyes, the same shade of blonde as hers.

"Is that the last one?"

"No, not even close. Why do you have to have so much stuff?"

Rin chuckled. "Well, maybe you should stop buying it for me."

"I'll keep that in mind the next time you ask me for animal squishies," Len shot back.

"Hey! Those squishies are really cute, you know. And practical. They balance out the color scheme on my desk."

"Rin, your color scheme is rainbow."

She rolled her eyes, secretly glad that Len hadn't insisted on them keeping separate "sides" of the room this time. Their first day moving in, and already the whole apartment looked like a tornado had swept by-a rainbow-colored tornado. Len's button-up shirts and books occupied only a small corner, stacked neatly in a pile. Pulling out her phone, still encased in that chunky giraffe case Len hated, she gestured for him to lean in as she tapped on her camera app.

"Smile for the Rinsters!"

Len pressed his lips to her cheek, a perfect photo. Nodding in satisfaction, Rin typed out a caption, fingers flying at the speed of light, and posted it on her Instagram. Only then did she toss the phone onto the mattress behind them, giving him a lopsided smile.

"When's your orientation? You should probs go meet some other students, being new and all."

Len shrugged. "Tomorrow, I think. Or Thursday. I dunno."

"Do you know anyone else?" Rin asked.

"Yes. I do-well, Yohio's friends' siblings and such. But I don't talk to them, so it doesn't count."

Rin grinned, tugging her bright blue sweatshirt up over her head. She could feel Len's gaze on her exposed midsection and she couldn't help but laugh at how painfully obvious his staring was.

"Well, if your orientation's tomorrow," she said, "we should probably get some sleep. It's kinda late." She fell back against the mattress, waving her hand at him to join her.

Len squinted at the alarm clock, having lost his glasses again. "It's ten after eleven. Most of the new students are probably gonna get here tomorrow though, so I guess we're actually early."

Rin yawned. "Whatever. Let's sleep now, 'kay? Goodnight," she said, unlacing her Converse and flopping back onto the mattress, patting the spot beside her as she pulled the blanket out of the corner.

Len laid down beside her, letting her rest her head against his chest, his heartbeat strong against her ear.

"Sleep tight," he whispered back.

.

did anyone catch how the ending mirrored the beginning? no? okay. anyways. this story was so much fun to write and now im emtionally attached to these characters uhh help. this surprsingly didnt take too long to write hmm. anyways.

thanks for reading :).