As their dinner wrapped up, and everyone had retreated back to their respective spaces, Fallon found herself pleased. Gathering everyone to the dinner table had stirred up conversations that she had been longing to have. She found out that Jonathan and his wife were expecting another grandchild within the next few months, and that Jonathan had spent a good portion of his life traveling with his wife after they got married, he had a story about each place they had visited before they finally decided it was time to settle down and have their family. 

Frank was married, but never had any children. A few years into his marriage, his wife had decided that she no longer loved him and left with his best friend, claiming that Frank didn't make enough time for her. But Frank still talked about her as though they had been together for years and were still madly in love. The thought of how much love could hurt instead of making someone feel limitless bliss, made her reconsider what her definition of love truly was. Frank had just finished a tour in the army when he met Trent and took on the job here. It kept him busy, but allowed him enough freedom that he was still able to live his life. 

Tiffany ended up here by chance. she was fresh out of culinary school when Trent hired her. She said that she was hoping to eventually open her own restaurant, but Trent's offer came with a better paycheck than working her way up the ranks through someone else's restaurant. She figured if she could perfect being a private chef, then eventually she could train some staff people of her own and use the money she was saving to open her own place. Culinary school was a spur of the moment decision for her, and in her previous career, she had worked in business and hospitality, which is why she didn't mind the residual work that came with the cooking. 

It was as if they had all gathered to a holiday meal, and each one of them was as anxious as the last to share their life stories and experience with Fallon. So in turn, she was equally as open, explaining the years that had come and gone between her and Trent. She spent some time explaining how she ended up here and the current decision she had made. There was laughing, sympathy, and what seemed like hope, as each encouraged her to make the choices that made her happy. It felt like home.

Once the kitchen had cleared and she and Trent had wandered upstairs to the bedroom, the looming thoughts of what was coming was gnawing at her daily. "Let's talk about what this all looks like after next week is over," she was trailing a finger up and down Trent's back and shoulders as she sat in his lap, facing him, her legs wrapped around his waist.

"It looks like my room becomes our room," he kissed her cheek. "And it looks like soon enough, your last name becomes McBride," he kissed the middle of her neck, causing her to tilt her head back and groan quietly. "It looks like, we go clean out your apartment and you come home."

She smiled at the thought of home. Because she felt like being here, in this house, was starting to become her home. But she also wasn't stupid, and knew it wouldn't be that simple.

"I have a lease on my apartment Trent, granted it's almost up because we were planning on moving anyway, but it's not that easy. And I have a job, and my friends, and my life, everything is there. But this place really is starting to feel like home." She gazed around the room.

"I'm gonna come back with you. We'll sort it out." He caressed her cheek, rolling his thumb over the space where the bruise once was. It had since healed, only a small mark left behind from the cut that came with it. "If anything, just to make sure you're okay."

"I'll be okay, you don't need to drop everything just to come with me." Her hand met the one he had on her face. She interlocked her fingers with his and held it.

"I'm coming with you." His tone was serious now. "Matt has a key to that apartment, you're not going back alone. Things will run fine here while I'm gone. You're more important. And if we need to stay for while, we will. Until we figure it out."

She nodded, "okay," she paused briefly, "you want to marry me?" She smiled, her cheeks warming as they blushed slightly.

"I've wanted to marry you since we were fifteen."

Her nose wrinkled, "you've known me since you were six..."

"Well, there was someone else in those early years," he chuckled.

She gasped, "who is she?!"

"I thought I could marry my kindergarten teacher for a little while. Then there was a girl in my second grade class named Macy, I thought she was so cute, and then when I was in the fifth grade..."

She cut him off, bringing a finger to his mouth, "okay, that's enough information, thank you."

He smiled and kissed her hand, then her, "we were fifteen and you asked if you could ride my skateboard. And when you couldn't, I helped you learn until you were better at it than me. That's when I decided I was going to marry you."

"I am a much better skateboarder than you are."

"You absolutely are. And even if it's all out of order, I'd like to date you for a little while, all the fun stuff happens when people date."

"Yeah, like breaking off an engagement, moving into someone's house, finding out your best friend kills people for a living, all that." She stared at him questioningly.

"Hey, again, in all fairness, I don't kill anyone." He put his hands in the air. "But I'll take responsibility for the rest." Her face seemed full of an emotion that he couldn't pinpoint. "What's wrong?" He tucked a stray hair behind her ear, "what's happening in your mind right now?"

"A lot." She answered dryly.

He kissed her forehead, "you should call Allison."

She looked up at him, "what?"

"Call Allison, your friend from work. Tell her to come here if she wants, if she can. I know how you work, you need someone to talk to that's not me, because you want to talk about me. Call Allison."

She smiled, "I don't talk about you."

His grin, devilish now, "yes you do, and you love talking about me, last time you did, I felt it." He slid a hand up her thigh and into the opening of her shorts. "Do you want something else to talk to her about?" His fingers grazed over her underwear.

There was a slight moan trapped in her giggle, "I'll text her, I'll text her to call me if she has a chance," she said, exhaling a little quicker as she looked at him.

He withdrew his hand from the spot it had been, making a point to tickle her inner thigh, causing her to jump. "Good, spend some time gossiping."

She laughed, " I don't gossip and I don't talk about you!"

"Now you're just lying." He combed his fingertips through the bottom of her hair, which she had been making a point to take better care of when she realized just how often Trent would touch it. She knew that people loved having their hair touched and played with, but never understood the appeal until now. "Fal,"

"Hmm?" She hummed, her eyes closed now as she leaned into his hand.

"I love you."

Her eyes shot open and she lifted her head to attention again. "You do?"

"Why do you seem so shocked?" He chuckled, "yes, of course I do. I'm just not very good at saying it. But I wanna make all these plans with you, you need to know I wanna do all these things because I love you."

She smiled, her body filling with the warmth and adrenaline she had felt the first time she had seen him after their years of disconnect. Her heart beat faster, and her face felt stuck in an oversized grin. But despite the feeling of ecstasy, the response wasn't what she expected.

"I don't want to still be engaged to someone else when I first say that to you. I want to be fully and rightfully yours. I'm going to hold on to mine for a little longer."

He nodded, "I can respect that."

"You are my favorite person though, I will tell you that. Everything about you, the way you talk, your smile, when you play with my hair, everything is just, the way it feels like it's meant to be. Like I'm-"

"Home?" He finished the sentence for her.

"Yeah," she moved in closer to him, resting her head on his shoulder, "home."

"Do you want to stay here? Would this be pulling you too far away?"

"You wanna sell your million dollar home and come live in my nine hundred square foot apartment?" She laughed at the thought.

"If that's really what you wanted, I would try and make it work."

"That's not what I want, I just want you with me, we'll figure it out."

He stood up, lifting her effortlessly and then placing her feet on the ground, "come on, I wanna show you something." He took her by the hand, and led her out of the room and down the hall. They descended the stairs and through the kitchen; Trent stopped in front of the living room, pulling the blankets from the couches. "Come on," he continued with Fallon behind him.

"Where are we going?"

"Just come on," there was excitement in his voice now.

They made their way out the back door to the patio, then back further to the garages where Trent kept his cars.

"More shiny cars?" She asked.

"Better. Hang on to these for a second," he handed her the blankets and began making his way towards the side entry door to the four car garage, he disappeared into the structure and Fallon saw the light inside flicker on. Then, a few moments later, the very last door in the line opened, "feel like reliving prom night real quick?"

Fallon's eyes sparkled with excitement when Trent revealed his 1989 ISUZU red pickup truck, a relic from their high school days. The memories of countless adventures in that truck came flooding back, and she couldn't help but grin from ear to ear.

"Trent, you still have the old beast?" she exclaimed, running her fingers along the side mirror.

Trent chuckled, the corners of his lips curling into a warm smile. "Yep, she's been sitting in the garage for a while, but I figured it was time to bring her out for a spin, especially with my favorite co-pilot."

Fallon eagerly hopped into the truck, the familiar scent of leather and engine oil instantly transporting her back to their teenage years. Trent revved the engine, and the old pickup roared to life, the sound filling the air with nostalgia.

"There's a lake not that far from here."

"Let's go!" She shouted back eagerly.

He rolled down both of their windows and handed his phone over to her, "pick something that doesn't suck," he smiled as he pulled out of the garage and up the long driveway. The sun was just starting to set and pinks and oranges painted the sky in front of them.

Fallon couldn't stop herself from laughing as they reminisced about the adventures they'd had in the truck during high school - late-night drives, impromptu road trips, and the time they got lost when Trent trusted Fallon to read a map. But most of all, it brought back the memories of Trent's prom night.

"Do you remember kissing me that night?" He asked, his eyes locked to the road.

"I do," her cheeks reddened with embarrassment, "I don't know what made me do it."

"Probably my unwavering charm and irresistible good looks."

Fallon rolled her eyes and stared out the window, the wind making her hair dance around her face.

"I'm sure that's it."

The truck rumbled along, carrying them to what seemed to be an identical spot to the one that was familiar to the serene lake they used to visit during their school days. They parked by the water's edge and eagerly jumped onto the tailgate, their feet dangling above the calm lake.

Grabbing one of the blankets he had brought with them, Trent wrapped it around her, laying the other flat across their legs after returning to his place next to her.

"Thank you," she moved closer to him as he wrapped an arm around her.

"You're welcome," there was a brief silence between them. "Why did we never talk about that kiss?"

"I don't know," she shook her head, "it was so long ago, I can't remember. We just kept going like it never happened. I do know I liked you a lot then, but I don't think I loved you. We were probably just drinking and it felt right."

"Us drinking always got us into some deep shit," he laughed lightly.

Fallon closed her eyes, "please don't bring up the frat house," she covered her face with her hands.

He pulled one away and then slowly the other, "I'm bringing up the frat house." His smile was more cunning than innocent now.

"You took responsibility for that," she reminded him.

"I definitely did, but that doesn't change the fact that you slept with me then."

"It was once and I loved you so much by then, but you were so fucking nonchalant about it, it was like it didn't even matter."

"It was twice."

"No, it was definitely only once," she pushed back.

"It was twice, once while we were drinking, and then once the morning after when you called Matt to tell him that you were so hungover, you weren't able to go out with him, and then we did it again." He cocked his head sideways and smiled at her.

Her face twisted a little bit, her eyes trailing back and forth as if they were scanning for any memory of that night.

"My memory is a a little hazy, maybe you're right. But that doesn't change it, we had sex, everything was great, and then suddenly you pulled away from me. I literally loved you, and you just," she paused, a flood of emotions behind her eyes. "You just weren't there anymore, I wanted you to love me so bad, I would have done anything for you Trent. It felt like you were just so far away. It really fucking hurt me. So I ran to Matt." She shrugged, unsure of the reaction she was supposed to have.

He took her hands in his and locked eyes with her.

"I'm sorry. I never meant to push you so far away that it would put years between us. But I meant what I said the second night you were here. I realized I couldn't give you the life you wanted. I didn't know if I wanted to get married, I didn't know what my future job would be, I didn't know if I would ever leave my mom's house. I just knew that Matt made you happy and I was getting in the way. I just wanted you to be okay, so I took myself out of it. But I loved you more than anything by that point. I loved you enough to let you go and I loved you enough to know that one day you'd find your way back. Granted, this is not exactly how I saw it unfolding," he smirked at her, brushing her cheek with his thumb. "There was not a day that went by that I didn't think about you. Every text you sent me, I would mull it over for days if I was going to respond. There was never a plan for how to get you back to me once I moved out here. But I sorted things out, that's the thing when you're mostly alone, you have a lot of time to think and make the moves you want to. I did. But I never should have waited this long, I just wanted to see you again, I don't think I ever anticipated, this," he gestured to the two of them.

"You still ramble when you're nervous," she smiled.

"Always have," he shrugged, pulling her closer now.

She closed the space between them as she planted a kiss on his lips. "Let's go home, I want to curl up with you on the couch and watch a movie, for old time sake."

"I can make that happen," he hopped down from the truck bed. Then lifted Fallon off and to the ground before closing it up. He found his way to the passenger side door, opened it and allowed her to step in as he smiled at her, "it's like time stopped here in this truck."

"What do you mean?"

"Looking at you here and now, this moment, all I see is us in high school. Like when we drive home we'll appear at your house or mine, one of our moms will have left overs in the fridge for us, and we're going to go sit down and do our homework together. It's just something about looking at you right now."

"Do you miss homework and leftovers?"

He grinned, "sometimes," he closed her door before getting into the driver's seat. "Sometimes I wish the most I had to worry about these days was homework and dinner left overs. I'd like to feel that freedom again."