I love you all! The fact that you keep reading is just amazing to me. Thank you so much! I hope you enjoy.

Chapter 6

The summer had been overwhelming for both of them. Their fight in France had been the biggest they had ever had. Kelly wasn't sure she could fix it until she stood in front of Dylan's doorstep and told him the truth. She had felt at peace for the first time in weeks when she had fallen into his arms that night.

But then came the next wave. College. She had jumped in with both feet. Frat parties. Pledging a sorority. As many psych classes as her schedule could manage. But it had been a fight to get Dylan to even register.

School was an amazing experience, but stressful. And so many things had changed that it had been difficult for them to readjust their relationship to fit this new normal. They had been living parallel lives since kindergarten. They had always understood each other on such a deep level that neither had met anyone else they could connect with in the same way.

But now their world was opening so much wider. They weren't just at West Bev anymore. They were meeting so many new people. Hearing thousands of new ideas. They were struggling to keep up together and it every time a new situation came up, it caused a fight between them.

So she was delighted when Dylan sat down next to her in the booth at the Peach Pit and pulled her to him. "Who would leave a beautiful woman like you all alone in an establishment like this?" he asked teasingly.

She giggled and said in her girlish voice, "I don't know. I guess my boyfriend is a real jerk."

"He must be." He furrowed his brow and looked very serious. "If you were my girl, I'd always keep you close." He moved even closer and kissed her lightly on the nose.

She rolled her eyes to hide that she was melting. "Don't forget it, Mush," she said playfully.

He tapped her nose where he had just kissed it and then stole one of her French fries. "Your first class tomorrow is late morning right?"

"Yeah, why?"

"I was hoping I could talk you into going to Paradise Cove with me tonight." He tried to steal another fry but she slapped his hand and he pretended to be wounded.

Taking a sip of her diet Coke, she batted her eyes. "Are you trying to have your way with me, Mr. McKay?"

"Me?" He asked, putting his hand to his chest.

"Yes," she said around a chuckle.

"Are you sure? Me?"

She giggled even more. "Yeah."

He shook his head. "That doesn't sound like me."

"Oh, no?" She raised her eyebrows and smiled.

"No." His eyes crinkled. "So what do you say? Can I count on some quality time—just me and my best girl?"

Ducking her head, she peaked out over her hair and said coyly, "Am I your best girl?" When he nodded, she pointed her French fry at him and said, "I better be your only girl."

"You know you are," he said, kissing her temple. "Come on, go with me tonight."

She looked into his deep brown eyes and smiled. "Okay."

….

A few hours later, they were sitting on the beach in each other's arms, watching the sunset. Her head fell back against his chest and she said softly, "This is nice."

"Hmmm," was his only reply as he snuggled closer to her, stroking her soft hair with one hand.

"After this summer, I wasn't sure if we'd have any more moments like these." Her voice was quiet and child-like, a tone of vulnerability she only showed to Dylan.

"What do you mean, Kel?"

"It's just…" her words trailed off. She was tracing imaginary circles on his forearm. "We were so mad at each other when I left France. I thought we might never find our way back to each other."

He pulled away only so he could look her directly in the eyes. Reassuringly, he said, "Kelly, we will always find our way back to each other."

She searched his eyes. "You promise?"

"Yeah," he said, putting his hands on either side of her shoulders. He rubbed her arms up and down. "I promise."

Sighing with relief, her head fell on his shoulder again, this time, her forehead being in the crook of his neck. His hands slid to her back and they sat like that for several moments. His voice finally broke the silence when he asked, "Hey, you know what?"

The excitement in his voice made her look up into his face. "What?"

"Whenever we need to be found," he started, pulling her close to him so that they were sitting in their original position. "If we're scared, or upset, or just need each other—we should come here."

"So we know where to find each other?"

He smiled. "Yeah." He shook her slightly and said, "I will always come find you, Kel."

Her shoulders relaxed against his chest and her tone sounded playful again when she asked, "And why is that, Mr. McKay?"

"Because I love you."

It was said so softly and simply that she felt like she had whiplash. "What?"

"I don't want to lose you again," he said, setting his chin on her shoulder.

"You won't." She reached up from behind and cupped the back of his head.

She could hear the smile in his voice when he said, "And why is that, Miss Taylor?"

She tugged a strand of his hair. "Because I love you too."

In all of the months they had dated, in all the time since they had first kissed at the Beach Club over a year ago, this was the first time they had told each other how they felt. For the first time since France, they felt completely connected again.

They sat this way for hours and watched the sun set. When they saw a shooting star that night, neither tried to make a wish.

They didn't need to.

TBC