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"Hannah!" Tom tapped softly on the thick wooden door. "It's Tom. Let me in!"

"Go away, Tom." Hannah said stonily.

"No--let me explain. It's not what you think." Hannah's cousin had come to his room on her own, and had singlehandedly ruined everything.

"It doesn't matter now."

"Yes, it does matter." Tom whispered through the crack between the door and the frame. "Why did you come?"

"Just go." Hannah demanded.

"I will." Tom whispered, trying to think of a way to get Hannah to open the literal and emotional closed door between them. "Just tell me why you came to my room. Why did you come? Hannah?"

"To talk about that kiss." The kiss that still burned on Hannah's lips. The good luck kiss from the pub. The kiss which had been so much more.

"Oh, Hannah." Tom leaned against the door, sighing. He touched the door lightly with his hands, wishing he could open it and share the complicated truth with Hannah. "Just don't marry him."

"After all these years, Tom. All this time, and you're doing this now?"

"I know."

"How can you do this?" Hannah asked, brokenly.

"I'm sorry." Tom rested closed fists against the door. "I'm so sorry. Just let me in." He begged.

"I can't."

"Let me in."

"You're doing this because you're afraid of losing me."

"Hannah, I won't come in. Just open the door."

"I need someone I can depend on, someone I can trust. Someone who will be there for me."

"Open the door, Hannah." Tom pleaded softly.

"I'm marrying Collin tomorrow." Hannah heard no response, and so she opened the door a crack. She was surprised to see a look of utter despair and brokenness on Tom's face. Genuine tears filled his eyes, and he looked like he was ready to die of unhappiness. His face was a picture of hopelessness, as if she had told him that she had decided to commit suicide and he was the reason why.

"Hannah, please." Tom whispered, hands at his sides instead of arms open wide to embrace her.

"Tom, I loved you. For years. Why couldn't you see?"

"All I could see was my happiness in the moment. Never for the future. I made a terrible mistake, Hannah. I let you get away."

"Oh, Tom." Hannah sighed.

"I have made a point for many years to be as brutally honest as possible with other people. However, I've been lying to myself ever since I met you. I love you, Hannah, and I always will."

"Hannah?" A voice sounded from behind Tom. It was Collin.

"Collin." Hannah stepped around Tom.

"What's going on?"

"Tom told me that he loves me."

"And..." Collin trailed off.

"I have to admit to you that I love him. When I came to Scotland, Collin, I was trying to fall out of love with Tom, because I didn't see that he was trying to love me back. You rescued me, I fell for you, and replaced him in my heart with you, which was very wrong of me.

"I understand if you're angry at me, and we will all leave as quickly as we can in the morning, but my mother told me tonight that my father once dreamed of me marrying Tom. I am asking you, Collin, to let me do that."

"I underestand, Hannah." Collin nodded, kissing her softly on the cheek. "I am not one to stand in the way of love. And thank you for telling me. I never would have wanted to marry you if you were unhappy in marriage with me."

"Thank you, Collin."

"Goodbye, Hannah." Collin returned down the hallway to his room.

"Tom." Hannah turned to face Tom.

"Hannah." Tom slipped his arms around her slim frame and she buried her face in his shoulder. "I love you."

"I love you, too." she whispered. "So very much."

The next morning, the Americans packed their bags and left for New York. Hannah and Tom were married soon after their return to the States, and lived happily ever after.