Disclaimer: Characters/names belong to Ann Brashares.

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Eric planned to tell Bridget exactly what had happened. So that night found him pacing his crowded cabin, rehearsing his speech.

"When I was in New York, all I wanted to do was come back to you." He shook his head, and his hair flopped from side to side. "Nah, too desperate-sounding." Trying again, he muttered, "I knew that I could never love Kaya the way I do you." His eyebrows furrowed. "No, too stalker-like."

After several more minutes of pacing, Eric finally realized that his best bet would be to wing it –to simply hope that his thoughts would trickle out, catalyzed by the sight of her. He threw on a navy windbreaker over his soccer jersey and stuffed his feet into some sneakers, preparing to find Bridget. She's in her cabin…a pesky voice reminded him. Remember when she came to get you in her cabin? And what happened after? Eric felt a thrill go through him then immediately felt guilty.

He reached for his door and swung it open.

"Bridget?" He widened his eyes in surprise. "Wow, I was just about to look for you."

Bridget said nothing, but only looked determined and resolute. Her face wasn't hidden behind her blanket of blond hair like it usually was. That night, her hair was bunched up in a dirty elastic. That night, she wore the Pants with a beat-up football jersey and bare feet. That night, her eyes were shining, not with tears, but with strength. And that night, Eric found her just as alluring.

"Would you mind taking a walk with me?" Even her voice was strong.

Eric nodded.

They stepped down the cabin stairs and meandered across the dark camp, making their way to the dock. The crickets chirped, creating a comforting ambiance in the still night. Bridget sat down and Eric sat next to her. They were quiet for a while, simply watching their reflections stretch with every ripple. Finally, Bridget spoke.

"I'm just going to talk for a while, and you listen. Okay?"

Eric nodded. He liked how forceful she was.

"I may talk about stuff you don't like." She kept eye contact, her blue eyes absorbing the luminescent moonlight.

He nodded, starting to become a little wary of what might follow.

Indeed, a torrent of words spilled out of Bridget's thin lips, as if they had been sitting restless and dormant inside for far too long. Eric listened to her talk about how much she liked the idea that they had become friends, how she respected that he had a girlfriend, and how she truly appreciated how he had taken care of her when she was sick. Those parts were fine. But then came the clincher.

"I felt so close to you and then you were gone. You made me believe in you and then you let me down. Is that how it is with you? Do you let people get close just so you can disappoint them?" Bridget said, wiping her eyes quickly.

Eric's heart sank to the soles of his shoes. Is that what she thinks of me? He looked up into her wet eyes. "Bee, no. That is not how it is with me."

"Then how is it?"

Eric felt the words pushing themselves out of his mouth, without his mind telling them to do so. Suddenly, he knew exactly what he wanted to say. He wanted to tell her he loved her. And he really did.

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Bridget's heart raced as she dug into the depths of her duffel bag. Three nights ago, there on the dock, Eric had professed his love to her. Bridget squeezed her eyes shut and grinned. How good Eric's words had made her feel. She wondered if he had rehearsed them beforehand.

"Holding you, I felt something stronger than I ever felt for anybody else, and stronger than I even thought it was possible to feel," he had said, looking her straight in the eyes. Indeed, Bridget remembered feeling the strength of his longing; it had hung thickly in the night air. And then she had gone back to her cabin and lay breathlessly on her bed, wondering if the moment had been too good to be true. She had pinched herself, just in case she had dreamed the entire night. She hadn't.

And several minutes ago, while lying on the same bed, Bridget had been awakened to Eric's face next to hers. He wanted her to take a walk with him.

Bridget squealed inwardly and bit her lip so that Eric, who was standing at the door, wouldn't hear her. She continued her frantic search for the white halter dress that Carmen had told her she looked stunning in. When she finally found it, she grinned and eagerly pulled off her T-shirt and boxer shorts. Out of the corner of her eye, Bridget saw Eric swallow and turn away awkwardly, but she didn't mind. There was nothing he hadn't seen before.

Bridget sighed contentedly when the dress was finally on. For the final touch, she yanked the elastic out of her hair and let the strands fall down her bare back. When she passed Eric in the doorway, he groaned, "God, Bee." It set her nerves singing.

That night, they sat at the dock again.

Eric told her that they were meant to be together; that they weren't shoved into the same camp again this summer out of pure coincidence. We were meant to be. Bridget repeated Eric's words in her head. She liked how the phrase sounded. She liked the feeling that, for once, her life had taken on a movie ending. Bridget was happier than she had been in ages. Her heart was so full she thought it might burst.

And beneath the moon, with their legs swinging slowly over a quiet lake, they shared a sweet, friendly kiss and embraced. They didn't have the burning passion or hasty fervor that they had two years ago. They didn't skip over the fundamentals of a relationship directly to the physical satisfaction as they had done in Baja. They weren't concentrating on the home run, but on jogging slowly over all the bases and appreciating the wind in their hair as they did so. All they had now was their limitless, mutual love.

And that was all they really needed.

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(A/N) How was it? I hope you liked it! Wow, I can't believe I finished this fic! It was incredibly fun to write and I'm so sad I can't come home and write any more! Hopefully you guys had fun reading it as well. Please keep an eye out for upcoming stories – I have a ton of ideas! I want to thank everyone who read this, and especially everyone who reviewed. Some of you (you know who you are!) have stuck with this fic since the early chapters, and I'm so grateful for all your support. Thanks, everyone! (: