The pink hue of the neon sign that stood proudly on top of the small family-owned establishment, lit up the night sky of California, and took my time inside the car, watching from behind the wheel, as the stars in the sky glowed in a shade of pink.

"We better get going, Zo." Noah said, interrupting my little stargazing session. I looked at him and nodded, proceeding to remove my seatbelt. He was right. "Mr. Ricci closes at eight on Sundays."

We all chose to meet at Frozen Amore, on what would be our very last day together as a group, as we know it.

It's been three months since Noah got out of the hospital, after the car crash he'd been in, on the night of prom. And, three months later, farewell was upon us with Noah and Ben going off to college tomorrow, and Wyatt going back to the East Coast for his third year at Columbia University.

"The lovebirds just arrived!" Kyle announced out loud, causing every single one of our friends to look in the direction of the front door, where Noah and I walked through to meet them, with smiles on our faces.

As for Harper, she would be spending the next seven days here in California, but in a week from now she would be flying off to New York, in pursuit of her dreams, where she would be joining Wyatt at Columbia.

"I already ordered the raspberry special for you." My cousin announced as she patted on the empty seat next to her, gesturing for me to sit there. I thanked her and did as told, while Noah sat across from me, next to his best friend's girlfriend.

Chloé, on the other hand, would be mine and Kyle's company as we went through the senior year of high school, and we counted on her to help us get through the final year. She followed her heart and chose to not go down the college route; Instead, she would be working on her modeling portfolio while retaking some classes at Davidson High to improve her GPA.

Carter also chose to put off college, at least for a year, so he could be more present and help out at his parents' business, a Mexican food restaurant that seemed to be doing better than ever.

"I have never met two people that are so obsessed with helados." He commented while looking at me and Kyle, me with my raspberry ice cream, and my best friend with his chocolate special, before he took a sip of his vanilla milkshake.

We ate our desserts and talked about everything and anything, cherishing each other's company before time flew by and change would occur. I was never one to like change (I don't actually think anyone does), but I have to assume that sometimes, change is a good thing. Getting out of your comfort zone is definitely difficult and a massive adjustment, but in my particular situation, that was one of the best things to ever happen to me. If it wasn't for that adaptation, I wouldn't be sitting at this booth, surrounded by amazing friends, celebrating each other's wins.

"Alright, is everybody ready to go?" Ben asked, taking a glance at everyone, right after wiping his fingers on the paper napkin and then folding it into a ball that he then tossed to the table.

"If you're not, you're about to be." Mr.Ricci said in a warning tone, but with a cheeky smirk, while he collected the empty ice cream bowls and jars. "Beat it, kids. I got the wife waiting for me at home with a homemade lasagna."

"You know what you could do?" Kyle asked. "Bring us some leftovers tomorrow."

"You're not the one moving away, pretty boy." We all laughed at the way Mr. Ricci always had a witty come back to Kyle, their dynamic was always so much fun.

"I'll set up a box of lasagna for the swimmers," He said as he looked at them. "You'll just need to heat it for a few minutes when you princes get to your new palace."

"So, princesses," Mr. Ricci eyed me and Chloé. "Don't you forget to stop by here tomorrow before leaving."

Ben and Noah actually managed to score the same dorm room, so they wouldn't be sharing their space with a stranger. Chloé and I would be driving to Bakersfield first thing tomorrow morning with our boyfriends, and drop them off.

But, for tonight, while we were all still together, we were having one last bonfire party.

We all got up from our seats and thanked Mr. Ricci one last time before leaving the ice cream parlor. Just before getting to the front door, I took a couple of quick steps and stopped in front of them, holding the car keys in my hand and dangling them.

I winked and a wicked smirk appeared on my face. "Does anybody need a ride?"

* * *

"Ten years from now?" I echoed the question my boyfriend had asked, about where we'd be in a decade, after we all took our seats next to each other, around the small fire we'd built.

"I'll go first." Wyatt started. "I say Chloé's a model for Chanel or Dior. Noah has got at least one Olympic gold medal. Ben has got two 'cause, you know."

We all laughed and Noah patted his best friend's back playfully. "Zoey's trial worked and she's in perfect health and kicking everyone's ass at the female Olympic swim team. Kyle is starring in a major blockbuster." He paused for a second. "And we're all going to the premiere, by the way." Wyatt added, last minute, earning a rupture of laughter from us all.

"Carter is going to own his own bike shop, maybe even compete, and Harper here is going to have her own fancy New York apartment with a view overlooking Central Park."

"You're supposed to be realistic here." Harper said as she playfully hit Wyatt's arm with her elbow, before the two of them shared endearing looks. "What about you?"

"What about me?"

"Where do you see yourself in ten years?" Chloé asked the question again.

"Oh..." Wyatt looked into the fire, the orange waves mirroring in his eyes. "Hopefully, I'll have already made a change in the world. Even if it's small, it's enough."

Tonight was a perfect replica of the night Kyle and I had first hung out with them, at their bonfire party. There was music, there was food and there were drinks. And there was us.

Noah and I.

Everyone else had stayed around the bonfire, eating and drinking and singing along to the song playing, while me and Noah walked, hand in hand to the shore, sitting on the sand and letting the small waves hit our shoes.

"Ever thought we'd end up like this, Barbie doll?"

I smiled at the nickname he'd given me on the day we met, and that he still sometimes called me. And then the smile couldn't be wiped off my face while I thought about our relationship, and everything we'd been through and how we'd changed ever since that day at the hospital. Me, mostly.

"Not in a million years." I looked at him, the moonlight glowing against his skin. "You?"

"Never." He shook his head, before taking my hand to his lips and kissing it. "But I'm glad that's how the universe wanted it to be."

"Me too."

Although Noah had to step back from the final swim competition of Davidson High because of his accident, his scholarship still held up because of the great scores he'd achieved throughout all the previous competitions. CSU did show some concerns about his aptitude and conditions to join the swim team, but he was doing physical rehabilitation every day, as the doctor had prescribed, and Noah was really putting in the effort to get back to his previous physical condition.

"Have you heard back from the hospital about the trial?" He asked. "When are you supposed to start?"

I shook my head. "They said they'd let me know this week, but it'll probably be in the second week of September."

He nodded, silently, before speaking up again. "I still can't believe y'all went on that road trip by yourselves and you actually talked to your birth parents. You're so brave."

"I wish you could have come with us." I said, interlacing my fingers with his. "It would have been so much better."

"We can always take that trip again, all together." Noah suggested, and I smiled.

Although it was very brave of me to track down my biological parents, meet them and ask them about their past, it wasn't something I was planning on doing again. I loved my dads, they were my parents, they raised me and did everything for me, and they wanted me, they were who I looked up to and who I'd call whenever I needed anything, even if it was to just talk. I was not going to play this game where I'd pretend that I'd felt this huge connection with Amanda and Frank, just because they were my progenitors.

They were very nice, both of them, and they were not offended that I'd find them when that's not what they'd signed up for when they gave me up for adoption seventeen years ago, but, I could not find it in me to allow our relationship to be any more than just that. And that's okay.

"Yeah, we can. We can even stop in Vegas on our way back, too." I said, suggesting that we'd repeat the itinerary, which would be ten times more fun with Noah joining us.

There was a pause, a few minutes of silence between, before I broke it.

"Hey, have you looked at the moon tonight?" I asked, as I pointed up at the glowing, crescent shaped moon.

He did not say anything then, he just smirked as he looked up for a while. Until he spoke up. "It represents our future, the beginning of our next stage. The start of something new."

Noah and I were different, and we believed in different things. What he believed was the beginning, I believe was the end, and we politely agree to disagree on that matter. But that difference was actually where we connected and found common ground because, for something to begin, something else must end. It's a never ending cycle.

Like the moon. And it's just like that with anything in life, really. We go through phases, that's how we navigate through life. Some phases are good and some are bad, but at the end of the day, they're just phases. They're fleeting moments and they don't last forever. They begin but they also end.

I shrugged, showing him a sly grin. "It also represents the end."

And then he shot back, with his warm smile, "The beginning of the end."

See, I used to believe love is only worth it if it has no expiration date. But that's where I was wrong - once you fall in love, it lasts forever.

THE END

* * *

author's note: I AM CRYING!!!! this is it, this is the end of zoey and noah's love story <3

i wanna thank you very very much for sticking with me through this story,  i truly appreciate all the support!

one last time - don't forget to vote, comment (let me know what you thought of the story!), and add TBOTE to your reading list or share it with your friends <3

p.s.: a longer note from me will be coming shortly so stay tuned!

xoxo, mars