"Ouch!" I scream after Archie's hand has smacked my head for the third time.

"Be thankful I don't use a magazine to do this, Reid. You had the whole night and you're telling me you didn't ask her for her number?" I look away because I'm embarrassed enough without having to face his disappointed look. "And then you say I was slow? You waited five months to meet this girl and when you finally do you don't even ask her hey, when can we meet again? You have no right to mock me, Reid."

"I didn't want to push her or make her uncomfortable," I try to defend myself but even I know that's a poor excuse.

"You weren't asking her to marry you, just to meet you again. What's bad about that? What's unnatural about that, Reid?" he shoots back and I heave a sigh because I know he's right.

"I don't know," I finally accept because I really don't know why I couldn't gather the courage to settle on our next meeting. We talked a lot about doing certain things together but we never said when. She never mentioned it or something so I never felt sure about her intentions. And now she's not here and I don't know if I'm just panicking or she really didn't want to meet me again and all those things she did and said were out of politeness.

"I'll guess you'll have to ask Alicia for her number. She must've written it in the volunteer sheet, right?"

"I don't wanna be a stalker!" I snap, refusing to fall that low as to ask someone else for her number.

"Then what? Are you gonna leave it to fate? You were exchanging post-its for five months and never saw each other until yesterday. You really think that you now randomly will run into her? You also have a life. You can't wait for her at the shelter every day for the next, oh I don't know, month! What if your time volunteering there and hers never match?"

I look down, feeling like there's a hole in my chest at the possibility, that is very likely if I say so myself, of never meeting her again. I do have a busy life because I don't just volunteer there, I also go everywhere and help other causes and besides I have rehearsals and-

I run my fingers through my hair, feeling short of breath out of the sudden.

"Archie, don't be so tough on him," someone says, joining us and when I look up I see Sarah next to my best mate. "You have no right because it took you long enough to finally ask Steph out. Not because you have a girlfriend now you can be like this to Reid."

Archie actually blushes and I chuckle a little.

"I just can't believe after all he did to meet with her, he didn't make sure to meet her again," he says and now I laugh because my best mate gets angry and annoyed on my behalf.

"He'll meet her again," Sarah says with confidence and I look at her with amazement. How can she say that?

"How do you know?" I ask her and Archie is also watching her with the same incredulity in his eyes.

"Because now it depends on her. She knows where to find him and if she wants to, she'll reach out for him," she explains but that doesn't leave me at ease.

"What if she doesn't want to reach out for me?" I ask her this time and she smiles and ruffles my hair like a mother to her little kid.

"She will." Once again, I don't know how she can sound so sure when I can't even have a little bit of faith that Maca will want or try to meet me again. "Now, stop worrying about this and go rehearse!" And now she's back to severe and commanding so we don't ask her anything else and go up stage.

I spend the rest of the day rehearsing but Maca is always in my thoughts. I think of our short time together every time I get a chance. I relive her smiles and play out our conversations over and over again. I also remember when I almost kissed her but burnt her instead. I haven't told Archie that and I never will or he will really grab a magazine and hit me with it.

When we finish Steph is waiting for Archie and he is all smiles and goggling eyes. I don't think I've ever seen my best mate looking so happy than when he hugs and kisses Steph. I guess they are really going out for sure.

"You two look nice. It was about time," I tell them when they finally let go of each other and remember I'm standing right there.

"The wait makes it more worth it," Steph says with a bright smile. "How did it go with Maca?" she asks me next and I lose my smile.

"It was great. She's more than I expected," I reply honestly.

"Then why do you sound so low?" she questions next and I sigh.

"'Cos he didn't ask her for her number or when to meet again and now he's stressed 'cos he doesn't know if she'll call him or anything," Archie replies for me.

"Well, that's how everyone feels when the person we fancy asks for our number. Waiting for a call sucks, uh?" she ponders and I chuckle humourlessly.

"Totally."

"And what are you gonna do in the meantime?" Archie asks me and I realise then that he probably has plans with his girlfriend, which means he doesn't have time to spend with me helping me to get through this stage.

"I dunno," I confess. I would normally go drop a new post-it for Maca after rehearsal and pick the one she'd leave me, but now I don't even know if we'll continue exchanging notes. "Maybe I'll go see if she left a note or something."

"That's a good idea. I bet she did telling you where to meet her," Steph adds all cheerfulness and I smile, hoping she's right.

I say goodbye to them and walk towards my car and then drive to the park. I normally don't come in my car because I quite enjoy walking, but today I did in order to drop Maca at uni. I wonder if she really left a post-it. She normally picked the one I left for her in the morning, before going to classes and leave the reply on her way back, according to what she told me. But this morning I drove her and she didn't find a post-it to reply to so she couldn't have a reason to leave a note, right?

And what would it mean if there's no post-it on the bench when I get there? Will that mean she doesn't want to see me again?

I refuse to think of that. I try to keep the positive attitude that is my trademark but when I arrive to the bench where I usually found her post-its I have to face my fears and the ugly truth: there's no post-it.

If she walked past this bench on her way back, she didn't leave anything behind for me to find. Nothing at all.

I sit down on the bench, not knowing what to do or feel about this situation. It was serendipity that she found my post-it and replied to me with another. But now that we have finally met in person the mystery behind, the charm of it has disappeared and the game has ended. If I hadn't asked her to meet me then I would still be exchanging notes with her, but I wouldn't know her smile or how soft and warm her hands are, even if they are always trembling.

I have to do something. I can't just accept that she doesn't want to talk or meet ever again and if I have to leave a new post-it for her to start replying again, then I'll do it.

I look inside my pocket and realise I'm not carrying my set of post-its like I have been doing for five months. I can't even leave a note for her to find tomorrow morning.

Dammit!

Okay, then I'll go and buy a new set and a pen and write something to her. Even a call me if it's necessary. So I rise to my feet with the clear intention to get a new set of post-its to leave a new one for her, but I don't take a step away when I hear it.

"H!"

I stop on my tracks and for a moment I think I just imagined it, but then I hear it again, being breathed out as if the person is running out of air. Nervous, practically shaking I turn around to see-to confirm-who the person calling me was because there's only one who calls me that. Only her.

And there she is, breathing heavily with her cheeks flushed and her hair in a mess. She almost looks as if she just ran here... did she?

"Maca," I let out, relief making me feel weak and exhausted, but I still take a step towards here but then she raises her hand in a clear sign to make me stop. I freeze.

"Hold a second... I need to... catch my breath," says Maca before pressing her palm to her chest and the other on her waist, clearly struggling to catch her breath. I just look at her confused. "Man, I'm out of shape. I'm gonna sign in the gym or something. This is pitiful," she mumbles and I laugh, what makes her look at me confused.

"Did you run here?" I question and she nods.

"I wasn't sure if you'd be here around this time and I couldn't call you 'cos my battery died so no phone. I had been waiting since my classes finished but then I thought that maybe you wouldn't come today here because why would you?" I bite my lower lip, amused that our thoughts were so similar. "So I went to buy this," she says and then takes from her purse a set of post-its. "Because I didn't bring mine. And on my way back I saw you leaving so I ran."

I can't help the smile coming to my lips when I hear her and a part of me feels so silly for being so insecure the whole day, doubting her.

"I realised that we never agreed on a day to meet again," she then says and I swear it feels like the world has been lifted off my shoulders. "Well, I realised many things with help of my friends, who also instructed me on a few things." I tilt my head to the right, trying to understand what she means with that.

Maca stands straighter and takes a deep breath. I notice she's blushing more than any other time and she's blushed plenty of times since we met yesterday. She then takes a step towards me, a dubitative step and I can see how she's clenching her fists, but she still takes another step.

"I know you've done so much for me and to create the perfect way to personally meet," she starts, still approaching. "And I know I'm forever grateful and that it's time I do something for you... kind of. Even if it's something I'd never do in any other situation. Even if thinking about it makes me want to run and hide, I have to do it. It's my time to do something for you and for me. Even if it's just this once in my whole life, I have to take the lead."

She stops once she's in front of me, still breathing hard, trembling and blushing furiously but her eyes are determined.

"What do you m-?"

I don't get to finish the question when she grabs my face in her hands as she stands on her tiptoes and pulls me until our lips meet. I almost lose my footing when she pulls me down and my eyes are wide in shock, but before I can recover or do something she pulls back and releases my face, taking a step back. I can only blink, too surprised to process what happened. She's blushing even more, even her ears are red in embarrassment and she can't even meet my eyes.

Did she just-?

I don't think. I don't waste even a second processing what happened and what she did. I just grab her waist with my right arm, pulling her towards me until our bodies collide and with my left hand I cup her face, making her look up so I can easily kiss her.

I kiss her. I finally kiss her how I've bee wanting to do since I saw her smile. I hold her tight in my arms and really kiss her. Awkwardly and clumsily at first, until we finally find our pace and her arms wrap around my neck, pulling even closer as I depend the kiss, my left fingers tangled in her hair and my right hand almost touching her sides.

I finally kiss her, right in front of the bench where by happenstance all started and where a stage ends for a new one to begin. And I don't plan on letting her go without her giving me her number this time.

____________________

AAAHHH finally! After two books and more than 100K words we have the kiss and yes, that was the last chapter of Happenstance. And well, the series. Worry not, though, for I have an epilogue written that I'll update soon and you'll like it :) So wait for that. In the meantime, please leave more of your awesome comments! I can't wait to read them. And if you want, let me know on twitter and I'l RT everything you have to say about the story @BelWatson is my account there, too.

PS: do you like the new matching covers for PI and H?

Dedication to this amazing comment by @qualifications. That list was great!

Bel, xx