A/N: Fourteenth and final chapter. It's a little shorter than normal, but I really hope you like it. Thank you so so much to everyone who reviewed, you guys are honestly so amazing. So I'm dedicating this chapter to those of you who've stuck with me from the very beginning. It was an honor to have you read this. But enough of me,-- Enjoy.

Disclaimer: For the last time, No.

These Words

Chapter Fourteen: Only You

I was anxious. My hands had run through my hair enough times to last a life time in the last few hours. I flattened it, and then shook it, and then repeated over and over, just trying to get the right amount of flatness and poofyness. It had to be perfect, but it couldn't look too perfect. But my hair was always perfect, so I didn't see why it was rebelling against me now. Not when I needed it most. At least Kevin wasn't banging on the door, so I wasn't distracted.

I had gotten home from the hospital and sat around for a while, doing nothing but think. I couldn't help but come to terms with the fact that this would be the end of the road. If I hadn't been able to find Lilly at that hospital, it was likely I would never find her. All I knew was that she was somewhere in Malibu, and sure, I could kid myself and say I could search the entire city for her, but I wasn't up for giving myself false hope. I had hoped for too long and too hard for me to keep hoping and have nothing come out of it. Besides, maybe it was better this way. If I never met her, she wouldn't have to live up to the image I had created. I wouldn't have to be let down when I realized she wasn't the unique person I had pictured. But however hard I tried to let go, she would always have an attachment to me. I would always keep her close to my heart.

Breathing deep, I looked over my clothes again. Lola had said it was an art gallery viewing and I had no clue what to wear. Despite being an international rock star, I couldn't remember ever stepping foot into an art gallery. I was nervous that I would look out of place if I dressed either too casual or too formal. I didn't think Lola would really care if I stood out, but I didn't want it to be obvious that I hadn't any idea what I was doing.

"Do I look okay?" I asked, popping into my room to find Kevin laying on his bed. He looked over his glasses and rolled his eyes at me. Unconsciously my hands rubbed together, waiting for his answer.

"You look fine Joe," He mumbled, putting his eyes back into the same book he had been trying to read all week.

"Really?" I asked, looking down at my clothes, "Are you sure?"

"Yes, Joe," He insisted, not even giving me a second glance. My body slumped a bit when I realized that Kevin wasn't going to be any help. He was good to go to with girl problems, but definitely not for fashion advice.

"Nick!" I yelled, walking towards his room. Before I could even walk in, like I usually did, his door opened. He was standing there, arms crossed, leaning on the door frame. What a weird kid.

"What Joe?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Do I look good?" I asked, ruffling my hair. Nick almost burst out laughing at me, and I immediately stopped.

"I'm not going to tell you if you look good, that's weird," He shook his head.

"Fine," I rolled my eyes, "Do I look okay? Better?" I asked.

"You look fine," He finally answered after looking over my outfit.

"What?" I asked "That's what Kevin told me! You guys are no help," I glared, grumbling at him. How was I supposed to know if I was over dressed or under dressed or if I had an odd hair sticking up if all anyone would tell me was that I looked fine. I didn't want to look fine, I wanted to look damn good. Even weirder than Kevin and Nick's identical answers was the fact that I was even questioning myself. I always looked good. Didn't I?

Instead of asking for more advice from my apparently non-responsive brothers, I made my way back into the bathroom. I stared into the mirror, just watching my own eyes. I leaned over the counter, getting closer until my face was almost right up against the reflective surface. I sighed, continuing to look at myself. On the outside, I looked exactly the same, but on the inside, I had changed so much in the last week. Well, not so much changed. I just...grew. I found the things I had been searching for for years, all with the help of a few simple letters.

Oh, who the hell was I kidding? Simple letters? Far from it. This girl, Lilly, had dealt with something as serious as death. She herself had apparently been in the hospital, too. How someone could pull something so touching out of a situation was amazing. To go from complete and utter darkness to finding the light in such a situation was something I wasn't sure I would ever be capable of. But still, something inside of me had gotten a little deeper. I had always had faith, and hope, but there was just something extra there now. Something extra that she had put there. Something extra that I never wanted to let go of.

There was a newfound strength and a great understanding resting in my heart now. The way I connected with her just instilled her thoughts in my heart. It wasn't a bad thing either, it was something I whole heartedly embraced. To know the deepest parts of someone's soul, to be with them every step of the way, to help them recover from something so painful was something I would never forget. She would forever be under my skin. I didn't think I would ever go a day again without thinking of her at least once. Love wasn't something that could be easily let go of.

And I had to wonder, did she know I loved her? She had to have known by now because it was everywhere. Even if she didn't know, she would find out eventually, and I could only hope she would start sending me letters again. Because, whether or not I wanted to admit it, I needed her. I needed her words, or I'd go through life just wondering who she was, or where she was, or what would have happened if I had just pieced it together a little bit quicker. I'd always wonder what it would have been like if I had her.

"God," I mumbled to myself, "I'm so lame." I dug my hands into my hair, closing my eyes and leaning back against the wall. I couldn't imagine how I looked to the world. A rock star falling in love with a girl through her words. Words that hadn't even been directly meant for me. But still, I would never give it up.

"Are you talking to yourself Joe?" Kevin's voice drifted through the door as he knocked lightly.

"No!" I denied it, looking at myself one last time in the mirror before opening the door. Kevin was standing there, fiddling with his car keys. I had asked him earlier if he would drive me to the gallery at eight and he had agreed.

"Ready?" He asked, looking up, shaking the keys a little to indicate that we should leave soon. I nodded, walking out of the washroom and closing the door behind me.

"Yeah," Was all I mumbled, walking past him and down the stairs. I had gotten dressed in a pair of dark wash skinny jeans and a dress shirt. I didn't want to look too formal or too casual, so I had settled on something in between, thinking I'd blend. I slipped on my shoes and Kevin tossed me his keys to unlock the car and wait for him, so I did.

As I sat in the car, I started to wonder what the whole art gallery deal was about. I had never known that Lola was a fan of art, but the way she had asked me said something much more. This viewing had been important to her, so there must have been a reason other than her appreciation of good art. I couldn't put my finger on it, but I didn't see why I should. I didn't know all the silly details of Lola's life, and I was guessing that perhaps this was one of them.

And then a thought came to me that made me smile. This had been important to her, and it had meant a lot, and yet she was willing to share it with me. I could feel the wings beating in my heart, my smile growing bigger just as I thought about her. I could see her eyes, her smile, and most importantly, I could see myself next to her. I could see myself putting the smile on her face, and the spark in her eyes. I could hear her laugh, and I could imagine the corny joke I would have told just seconds before. I could feel her hands in mine, and I realized that she was someone I could honestly see myself with. She was someone I could love entirely.

It never occurred to me that I was only nineteen. People say that young love never does last, but in the last week, I had learned that we had no control over time. Young love may not last for some, but with the years, days, hours and minutes that were like sand through an hour glass, I realized we had to take advantage of the time we did have. You had to make it last for as long as you had left, because you could never really know when time would be up. You had to love while you were young. Love for those that never got the time, or the chance to.

"Joe?" My head snapped over. I was sitting in the passenger seat and Kevin had just climbed into the car. He was looking at me, confused, with his eyebrows furrowed.

"Yeah?" I asked, nodding to him. He tilted his head a bit, looking at me suspiciously.

"You okay?" His eyes squinted at me just a little more.

"Never better," I answered honestly, grinning. Sure, I felt extremely confused, and still down at the idea that I had lost Lilly, but I couldn't deny the obvious happiness coursing through me. It was impossible for me to do anything else except smile. That was probably why Kevin kept giving me odd glances throughout the entire trip.

Getting to Malibu had been both a short ride and rather easy. We'd gone the route so many times in just one day that Kevin could have done it blind folded. However, getting to the Black Iris was proving to be a much more difficult task. Neither of us had any idea where it was and I had tried to call Lola several times, but she hadn't picked up. Unfortunately we had left just on time to make it to Malibu with ten minutes to spare. Those ten minutes, plus more were being wasted away trying to find the studio, which seemed to be some sort of ghost art gallery.

We'd driven around the downtown area at least twenty times, going in a circle, Kevin's gas money going down the drain. I'd seen the same Chinese restaurant twelve times, but still there was no art gallery.

"Kevin," I looked over to him just as we were going past the restaurant for the thirteenth time, "Stop, I'm going to ask someone," He did as I asked and I quickly ran into the Chinese place. Turns out the art gallery was on a little side street off of Main, the same side street we had been passing for at least twenty minutes. When I jumped into the car and told Kevin we had immediately set off there. It didn't take long until we pulled up in front of a dimly lit building with 'The Black Iris' in fancy lettering above the door. I thanked Kevin, getting out of the car and running towards the building. I could hear a girl's voice coming from inside and I instantly freaked. I was so late.

"Kevin!" I yelled, running back to the car. Kevin raised an eyebrow, silently asking what I needed.

"Kevin, come with me," Kevin rolled his eyes and hopped out of the car, coming around to stand next to me. He pushed me forward, making sure I didn't chicken out again. I felt awful, Lola had counted on me and I couldn't even manage to be here on time for her. She had wanted to share part of her life with me and I had been stupid enough to forget to ask for directions. And now I was about to interrupt the entire.. viewing?

I tried to open the front door as quietly as possible and Kevin slinked in after me. The atmosphere was dark almost, but calming. There were soft piano tunes playing lightly in the background and the entire studio was lit only by the painting spotlights. I instantly got that feeling as if I was sitting in front of a warm fire. Just the warmth and comfort was surrounding, hanging in every inch of the air. I took a deep breath in, relishing in the feeling this place gave me before Kevin nodded towards the entrance to the main hall. The two of us edged forward, the wood floors squeaking underneath us as we walked into the room. There was a crowd of people gathered around a single painting and thankfully no one seemed to notice us. No one except her.

"That's her," Was all I could hear. The only thing was that I wasn't the one who said it. My head whipped over to Kevin who was standing wide-eyed next to me.

"What?" I whispered, my eyes flickering with confusion.

"That's her. Lilly. The girl that dropped off the letter," When his words hit me my head snapped back to the girl at the front of the room. The only problem I had with what Kevin had said was the fact that this girl was unmistakably Lola. I had seen Lola's hair change so many times, orange to green to pink, from long to medium to short, that I could recognize her anywhere. It was her eyes that gave her away. Her eyes and that amazing smile. Time seemed to freeze as I took in the entire scene around me.

She was standing there with a smile to melt my heart. She was wearing a wine coloured dress that fit her perfectly in all the right places and a pair of simple flats. Her head was tilted a little to the side and her eyes were boring into mine. The way she looked at me, I could practically see straight into her soul. I could feel everything she had ever felt, and it was like I was thinking every thought she had ever had. To my knowledge, there was only one other girl who could make me feel this exact way and Kevin had almost confirmed it.

My eyes stayed connected to hers, neither of us daring to look away. The seconds felt like hours as I stood there, watching her every move. Subconsciously my eyes trailed over her, and then to the wall behind her. In large white letters the name Benjamin Joel Truscott were painted. Underneath was a birthday and then next to that was Saturday's date. It was then that everything hit me like a wall of bricks.

"They think she might... She might slip into a coma like Ben did..."

"I'm looking for Ben." "I'm sorry, He passed away on Saturday morning."

"She was released this morning. I'm sure she's home by now."

"My brother- He died on Saturday,"

"There's a viewing at this art gallery tonight- The Black Iris."

-But the Black Iris continues to sit empty without your life and your colour. If only they could truly see what they were missing. If they could only see how how dead they are without you.-

I thought back to everything, remembering and finally connecting it all. Everything seemed so obvious to me now and I couldn't believe that I hadn't noticed it sooner. When I looked into Lola's eyes I could see the same blue eyes I had always imagined for Lilly, and I knew now why Lola's voice had always reminded me of the letters. Lola was Lilly. Or Lilly was Lola? And if I still had a shred of doubt left in me, the next words that I heard her say completely cleared it from my mind.

"It's amazing what you can see when you find that one thing to believe in."

Thats when I knew. I knew that I had found the one thing I thought I had lost, but ironically, I found her in the one person who I had tried so hard to keep close. I had never really lost anything at all, she had always been so close to me, even closer than I had thought. Lilly had always been an arms length away and all I needed to do now was reach out to her, to take her hand and pull her to me. Finally this search was over and finally I'd found the soul behind the words.

"Lilly?" The whisper escaped my lips. When she heard me say her name I saw the smile on her face. I didn't think about anything except the happiness that came to me just knowing I had put it there. Just knowing that I had made her happy, and that's all I ever wanted to do and that's what I wanted to keep doing until my time ran out.

"Hi Joe," She whispered back just as quietly, stepping through the crowd. I was sure that the entire world dropped at that moment, leaving us in complete eternity. There was only us and nothing else to get between us. No more searching, no more not knowing, nothing but inches of air that kept me from her.

"Or...Lola?" I asked, my head dipping down a little and tilting.

"Both," She admitted, smiling, she grabbed my hand and turned me back to the portrait, "This," She breathed, "This is my life. Lola is... Lola's Hollywood." I could only nod, taking in the complexity. She truly was both the normal and yet completely un-ordinary girl I had always imagined. She was everything I had ever been looking for, everything I had ever wanted. Not even, she was better. She was what I never knew I needed, but now that I had her I could never let go. There would be no one else.

The two of us were quiet, just watching the people linger throughout the hall. I hardly even noticed that my hand was still in hers. It just felt natural that way. It felt like that was the way it was supposed to be.

"That's Ben," She whispered to me, looking directly at the picture on the only black wall in the entire gallery, "He's the one that painted all of these." When she told me this, slowly my head turned, taking in all the different pieces, but her eyes still remained connected to the one in front of us. She smiled softly at it and I felt my heart give out for her. Every word from every letter came rushing back to me and I just wanted to fix all the pain. I wanted to be there every step of the way.

She tugged my arm lightly, smiling, pulling me down the longer row of paintings. She stopped to admire each of them, and I could see the sadness lingering in her eyes. She really did miss him, but I admired her for finding a way to keep going. I admired her for staying so strong.

"Lilly?" I asked. The soft, gentle tune of the piano in the background almost drowned out my voice because I had been so quiet. She looked at me with her amazing blue eyes, the ones that light up the deepest parts of my own soul. She just had a way of reaching into me and finding things I had never known were there.

"Yeah?" She barely breathed.

"You said," I paused, thinking back, "That it was amazing what you can see when you find that one thing to believe in," She turned me, the heart warming smile still ever present. She nodded, telling me to continue. "What do you believe in?" She answered me without hesitation, only stopping to turn towards me.

"Love." She smiled, and I felt her hand squeeze mine.

"Oh," I mumbled, "...What do you see?"

This time she paused and I became nervous. She turned her head, looking at the painting on my left and letting the smile slip off her face. She took a deep breath in, trailing her eyes over the picture until they reached the very bottom, where a word was painted in bold black cursive writing. It was an amazing portrait of Zuma beach, even if it was unfinished.

Her eyes turned back to me and I expected to see the hints of darkness in them. Instead I could only see true life, and a look that told me that she had never been more certain about anything than what she was about to say. Her hand dropped mine and she looked up at me, biting her lip.

"You. Only you." It was all I needed to hear before my hands found their place on her face, pulling her lips to mine. This is what I had been waiting for, searching for. This is what made me want to live, to hold on forever. These were the words that made me love her.

Fin.

A/N: It's finished. Awh, I'm so sad to see it go. I hope the last chapter ended things nicely. Only question today is what you thought of both the chapter, and the story as a while. Also, I have a brand new Nilly story up called 'Anyone But You' :) If you enjoyed this story, please check it out.

Also, in honor of this being the very last chapter, It would be super awesome if everyone could leave a review and tell me your honest opinion. That would be fabulous. You guys are honestly the nicest reviewers ever.

Ps. If anyone is looking to co-write a story with me, I'm interested. :) PM if you have ideas/are interested.