AUTHORS NOTE- so guys finally this is the second to last chapter. The bittersweet feeling of this coming to an end but grateful for having finished it. I hope you guys have been in enjoying it so far, Thank you for all of your support! xxx

After eight blissful months spent with each other, it was almost time for Parker to finally leave. They still had 3 weeks until his flight to Italy.

The smell of vanilla ice cream was lingering in the summers air. Harley-Blair was sipping on a glass of echo falls whilst laying on Parker's warm bare chest.
It's true what they say, you are your name. Sorrisi means smile in Italian and Parker hadn't stopped doing so since the Summer began.

Both the A and AS level Exams had finished and the gang had decided to have a beach day to celebrate. It was Harley's idea, she could see how stressed out Parker had been during exam season. He was working so hard to obtain the grades he needed for his scholarship so now that it was over she suggested that they all have a barbecue on Beaumont Beach.

It felt like it was years ago when Parker first told Harley he was leaving. She remembers the pain she felt back then and compares it to the peace she felt right now.

She's come to terms with it and she knows it needs to happen in order for the both of them to be happy. They're teenagers, relationships at this age aren't destined to be forever. No matter how much love they feel for each other at this moment, there's no avoiding that fact.

Sander and Cassie were frolicking in the water whilst Zacchias was manning the barbecue station. He was shirtless already even though he hadn't got in the sea yet and was wearing an apron that said 'Kiss the cook'. It seems like he and Jasmin were back together because she couldn't stop smiling at him whilst doing what the apron said.

The sound of seagulls and Cassie giggling brought great comfort to Harley.
She sighs happily and secretly wishes that this feeling could last forever.

"Hey, " Parker murmurs into her hair, inhaling the scent of her coconut and peach shampoo.

"Hey," she says back. She intertwines her fingers with his and raises them in front of the sun so the heat hits the back of their hands. "Do you believe?"

"In what?" his confused voice sounded muffled because of her hair. "God?"

"No, in magic."

He chuckles lightly, and Harley could feel the vibrations of it across her scalp. "Of course, how do you think I got you?"

That made her smile. That made her smile a lot. Parker always knew the right things to say.
She couldn't help but wonder about all the other girls he's going to be making smile in the future now that their romance was soon to be over.

"You alright?" He wounds his arms around her bare flesh. She wore a white bikini top today and some blue shorts, something she'd never dreamt of wearing before. She felt comfortable. His naturally tan skin had turned so brown over the course of the summer that it closely resembled the tone of Zacchias' skin. Harley breathed in the fragrance of his cologne mixed with the strawberry smoothie he had earlier.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

Suddenly, he sits up and grabs a small box out of the pocket of his grey Nike shorts. "Happy birthday, HB." Harleys jaw dropped open. How did he know? She never told anyone about her birthday as she doesn't normally celebrate it.

"Remember when I told you I was going to take my time to learn you? I'm forever going to make you smile even when I'm not there." he leans forward and his warm breath tingles on her nose. "Open it."

She opens the little box and inside contains a silver locket with a tiny pencil and spider engraved on it. She opens it up and inside was the photo they took on a date at the National Portrait Museum in London. They were both smiling in the camera, cheeks squishing together. They looked happier than ever. She remembers that day vividly.

Parker slips behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist. "It's brilliant, isn't it?"
She gazed at the painting of a woman looking down upon her child who was tugging at her hand. A tile next to the painting read a brief story about the artist and the origin of the painting.

"It's beautiful, " she held his warm hands and turned to face him. He had a little bit of stubble on his chin and she felt like he had grown taller somehow. He still had that look of amazement in his eyes when he finally looked at her. She could see how excited he was to be surrounded by art.

"One day," he said, his teeth as white as pearls when he smiled down at her. "My paintings are going to be on these walls."

She smiled back up at him. She believed that he would. That's why she had to let him go. Let him chase his dreams. She knew then that the relationship between Parker and his art was bigger than her, it was bigger than life itself. She would never forgive herself if she got in the way. Even if her heart breaks, the pieces will be fixed once she sees that smile again.

"This locket..." she sniffles back a tear. She couldn't even finish her sentence; she was so overwhelmed with happiness.

He tucks a strand of loose hair behind her ears, "This way, I'll always be with you, even when I'm not here."

Even if he had to put his future first, he still thought of her. He thought about her eyes, the way they crinkle at the end when she smiles. He thought about her ability to make everything feel alright even when it was evident that it wasn't. He thought about how she always put everyone she cared about before herself. The way she laughs at the stupidest jokes and seems to know everything he doesn't.

He didn't want to leave. Some people would say it's just university. It's only a few years. But they both knew it was more than that. It would be the end of them. Broken boy meets broken girl. Broken boy fits the pieces of broken girl and they become whole together.

But what happens after they become whole? Does that mean they don't need each other anymore?

"Thank you, " she strokes his cheek. "I love it."

She was about to lean up and place a kiss on his nose when a massive brown dog came leaping over her lap. She yelped in surprise. "What was that?"

She calmed down when she realised it was just a dog. She rubbed the caramel brown fur of the American Akita. "Who do you belong to, buddy?" She says in a mellow voice.

"Doggett! Doggett, c'mere boy!" A boy in a white vest top which accentuated the muscular tone of his biceps and camel coloured cargo shorts came running across the beach after the dog. "Oh, hey Harley."
He rubs a sweaty across his shorn down blonde hair.

Parker could see the way the boy was looking at Harley. That's the same way he looks at her. Like she was the only girl in the world.

The dog jumped from Harley-Blair's arm and ran back to its owner, tail wagging happily. "Hey, Dane. This is Parker, my boyfriend and over there grilling burgers is Zachy and Jasmin and in the water currently making out is Cassie and Sander."

Parker then recognised him as one of the twins in Harley and Cassie's year group. The ones who were always doing pranks and causing mischief. Or maybe it was his brother? Who knows?

Parker reaches out his hand to Dane who looked at him in surprise as if he only just noticed that there was another person there. "Hi, I'm Parker."

Dane takes his hand and firmly shakes it with a friendly smile on his face. He had really light eyelashes which were almost impossible to see and the greenest eyes ever. "Dane. The sane twin."

Harley laughs. "Do you always have to say that?" She says with familiarity in her voice. Parker noticed how her body language was much more comfortable with this person than anyone else outside of the group. She wasn't panicky or hesitant. She was calm and her normal self. This must mean he's not a stranger to her. "He sits next to me in photography and we worked on a project together. He's almost better than me!"

She smiles at him. Parker could feel a small pang of jealousy but he brushes it away. "Your dog's called Doggett?"

He blushes, "My Grandpas name is Duggett so my twin and I decide to call him that. It was either that or Doug the dog." He shrugs. He uses one hand to give the dog a treat to which the Doggett jumps up happily. "Sorry about him jumping over you, Harley. He gets a bit excited around pretty girls."

Harley blushes and glances at Parker. His expression was far from what she imagined. Instead of scowling, he was actually smiling at Dale. "Yeah, she is pretty, ain't she?" He looks at her wistfully.

He knew he had to let her go. Dane seemed like the perfect guy to catch her. He had kind eyes that looked like they'd never hurt a fly and a reassuring smile. He'd look after her for Parker.

"Don't let her go," Parker says. "Keep her close or she'll fly away."

"I won't let her fly away." Dane replies, staring directly into Parker's eyes. Harley had no idea what was going on but before she could say anything Zacchias announced that the food was ready.

"Join us?" She says to Dane.

He looks away from Parker and smiles at Harley. "I thought you'd never ask."