Disclaimer: The parts in this that are from the movie belongs to the moviemaker. But in the end, it all really comes down to Nicholas Sparks, this wonderful man, who's such a great author. If only I could be like him lol

Author's notes: Ok, this is a oneshot I wrote at one a.m, and I think it's pretty good. It could be better, there are some things I want to change, but I don't really know how, so if you'd help me, that would be really great.

The lines in italic are things Allie remember, and they're copied from the moive.


For Elin, who loved the movie, and Ana, my biggest and most faithful fan.

"Ok, the way I see it, I've got three options," Lon said as he paced back and forth in front of the windows. "One, I could shoot him." I laughed despite the fact that I was almost crying again. "Two, I can kick the crap out off him. Or three, I leave you." He stopped walking and looked at me. "But all that's no good, you see. Cause none of them give me you. And, despite of everything, I love you."

"I love you too," I whispered. And it was true. I did love him. But I loved Noah too, and I would have to choose between them.

Lon was still standing by the windows. "I ment what I said when I gave you that ring."

"I did too," I said, a little louder this time. "I did too. It's just that when I'm with Noah I feel like one person and when I'm with you I feel like someone totally different." The tears were now rolling down my cheeks.

Lon came over and sat down beside me on the bed. He took my hands. "Look. It's normal not to forget your first love." He kissed my hands, which made me look at him. "I love you, but I want you for myself." He furrowed his brow as he spoke. "I don't want to have to...convince my faincé she should be with me."

I shoke my head and looked down at our hands. "You don't have to." I looked up at him again. "I already know I should be with you."

And I did know that. That I should be with him. Everything I'd ever known, ever been taught, told me that Lon was the right man for me.

Dear, sweet Lon. So handsome, so good to me. He was prepard to marry me even though I'd cheated on him. He was the perfect gentleman, every other girl in the world would give a great deel to have him love them as he loved me. And I'd cheated on him with a drunken former summerfling. What had I been thinking?

I opened my mouth to tell him how sorry I was, how much I loved him. But suddenly Noah's face appeared in my minds eye, and I remembered what he'd said before I left him today.

"Will you do something for me? Please? Will you just picture your life for me? Thirty years from now, forty years from now. What's it look like? If it's with that guy, go. GO! I lost you once, I think I could do it again, if I thought it's what you really wanted. But don't you take the easy way out!"

And I closed my eyes and did as he'd asked me to. I tried to picture my life in forty years, with a house, a family, children. And it wasn't Lon I saw. It was me and Noah, in a white house with blue shutters and a porch around it.

I felt myself smile, and I slowly opened my eyes. There was only one real option for me, and that was Noah. It had always been Noah, my penniless lumberworker.

But there was still Lon though. I took a firmer grip around his hands.

"Lon, I love you, but...but you are not Noah. I met Noah when I was only seventeen years old, a rich girl sheltered from the real world. And Noah stole my heart. He showed me the value of life, of happiness, of love. If we had gotten our whole summer together, if my mother would have let us live those precious moments and then ended it when it was time, you would probably be my choice right now Lon." I realized I'd been lost in the past, and I focused my eyes on Lon again. "But that's not the case now. I love you...but I love Noah more. And I won't ever be happy without him."

I waited for the outburst to come. For Lon to scream at me, hit me, storm out the door. But nothing happened. Lon just looked defeated, which was much worse than anything else.

He shrugged his shoulders. "I suppose this is for the best then. Your mother will be disappointed," he added with a dry smile.

I laughed, even though tears were threatening to escape my eyes once again.

Lon stroke my cheek. "I'm disappointed too, Allie, I won't pretend otherwise. I thought I'd finally found the one for me, and then it turns out she doesn't want me. What a blow for my ego, huh?" He rose from the bed. "There's no need to prolong the pain. I suppose you won't change your mind?" I shoke my head. "Then this is goodbye, Allie."

I nodded, but he didn't see it. He'd already turned around and walked to the door. I stayed on the bed, turning my hands in my knee, still not sure if I'd made the right choice. Suddenly I felt the ring on my finger, and I pulled it off, at the same time calling Lon's name. He hesitated with his hand on the doorknob and looked at me.

"Don't you want this?" I was holding the engagement ring between my fingers.

Lon heavily shoke his head. "No, Allie, keep it. I don't want a reminder of the wife I could have had." And he left my room, my life, and never returned.


All the way back to Noah's house, with my packed suitcases in the trunk, I wondered if this was right. Had I made the right choice, picked the right man? It hadn't been an easy choice to make, 'cause in whichever directions I could have turned, someone would have been hurt. And I would never know if I'd been right, because I would never know how a life with Lon could have been.

But when I parked the car in front of the porch, when I stood there with my suitcases in my hands, and Noah came out on the balcony wrapped in a blanket, I realized I was wrong. Not about my choice, but about everything else.

I took life was too seriously.

Noah had been right when he told me that this wasn't about him or Lon or my parents or anyone else. This was about me. And for once, I'd made an important decision on my own. And I had chosen what I wanted, not what anyone else wanted.

I looked up at Noah and shrugged my shoulders. He just looked at me for a few moments, and then he disappeared into the house. I remained where I was, beside my car, and I remembered another thing Noah had told me this morning.

"- What do you want, Allie?

I knew what I wanted, but so many people would be disappointed if I chose that way.

- It's not that simple! I answered."

Noah came out through the front door, and I dropped my bags and ran into his arms. He'd asked me what I wanted. What I wanted was this, forever, him and me, every day. And if I'd let it, it could be just that simple.


Author's notes: Thanks so much for taking the time to read this, and leave a review so I know you did lol