Picture: Fanart of the 4M made by pekgna (same user for Instagram and Twitter)

Important Author's Note in the end about the future of TGGBB! (Cue dramatic music)

Previously on TGGBB:

Bennett and Jordan have gotten a bit suspicious with Naomi and Declan after they babysat Delilah. Valentine's Day may be fast approaching but that doesn't mean Naomi will allow the day to control her- rather than going to the dance, she would want to be with her friends. After leaving school, Bentley is there waiting for Bennett for another family meeting that only rises suspicion in the others.

And that's what you missed on GLEE!

~

I was dancing with Bennett.

We were back at the Christmas party, but the people, the lights, everything faded out to the background. None of it mattered. It was just us. I was back in that skirt dress with a black spaghetti strap top and knee-length ruffled black skirt. Bennett looked dashing in his suit - a navy-blue three-piece suit with a dark blue tie, with his hair styled back with gel.

He pulled me closer to him with his hand around my waist. I looked at him, my cheeks feeling warm, questioning but not resisting the action.

"Is something wrong?" I asked him.

"No," he said. "Everything is perfect."

I smiled back at him. "Even despite coming into this party against your will?"

He chuckled to himself. "Not anymore because it gave me this chance to dance with you."

"Since when were you so smooth, Bennett?" I asked, hoping the redness in my cheeks wasn't giving myself away as I tried to slide past what he said. "You're only showing how cool you are."

The confidence in him seemed to radiate outwards because, despite the faint blush on his cheeks, he gracefully avoided my futile attempt and let out a soft laugh.

"I have learned to accept who I am."

Bennett suddenly had us stop dancing. I looked at him and saw that he was smiling. But it wasn't a smile I have ever seen. It felt empty, forced, perhaps even pained.

"Have you?"

The floor suddenly caved in under only my feet. The only thing keeping me from falling was his hand holding mine. I cried out to Bennett as I tried to fight against it.

But then he let go.

My head was ringing as I was bombarded with the loud explosions of the fireworks, the colors filling the sky. I was in the Ferris wheel cart from my time at the fair with Jordan. I looked beside me to see Jordan looking wistfully at the sky, unfazed by the ear-piercing booms from the sky.

"Yeah, the colors," he said quietly with a sad smile.

I moved forward to Jordan and pulled him into a hug. He sat still for a moment before wrapping his arms around me. My body trembled as I tried to hold back the tears. Why couldn't I see it sooner? If only I was there in the beginning, he wouldn't be suffering like this.

He began to softly stroke my hair, his hold tightening around me. Jordan suddenly pulled back, looked at me with kind eyes, and began leaning forward to me.

Suddenly, the cart's safety bar suddenly vanished and the cart itself dipped forward. The large teddy bear won from the fair game fell, then Jordan and I followed after. Jordan pulled me to him and maneuvered himself in the air so that if we were crash on the ground, he would be the first to create the impact, not me. But then I realized that instead of falling towards the ground, we were suddenly flying up to the sky with the fair just small lights beneath us.

For a moment we hung in the air, our arms extended in front of us with our hands still grasped together before we began falling back down.

"You're amazing Naomi," Jordan told me with a pained smile. "If only I could be more for you. For everyone."

"Don't say that!" I shouted as the air whistled past us, barely allowing us to hear each other. "You're enough!"

"No, I'm not!" He yelled. It hurt seeing him pained, angry. "I'll never be enough!"

The wind forced one of our hands apart and we were left barely holding onto each other as we continued falling through the sky.

"It doesn't matter Jordan!" I cried out to him. "None of it matters!"

I looked at him and I no longer saw Jordan. Instead, I saw myself. Where was he? Where was Jordan? Was I talking to myself the whole time?

In an instant, we stopped falling and we were frozen in the air. My mirror looked at me without any trace of emotion.

"Then why does that matter to you?"

I was left falling by myself.

I was sitting on a couch. Declan gently put a sleeping Delilah into my arms. We were sitting next to each other on the couch of his living room. It was a quiet night when I helped him babysit his sister.

"She's beautiful," I whispered.

Declan reached out and tucked my hair behind my ear. He smiled at me, a smile that made my heart ache. "You're beautiful, Naomi."

He didn't give me a chance to respond as he looked back down at Delilah and softly placed his hand on top of mine that was holding Delilah's head.

"And even despite that, you still got hurt," he said, still holding the same smile. I found it disturbing how he looked unfazed from what he was saying. "Delilah doesn't have a chance. The world won't give her a second thought."

I glanced down at my arms to see Delilah no longer there. Declan turned his attention towards the TV that stood in front of the couch. I glanced back and Declan was not sitting beside me anymore.

A home video began to play and we watched a montage of Delilah growing up. She celebrated her birthday, giggling with her loving family. In the playground, she was playing and dancing with the other kids. At school, she laughed with her friends at the cafeteria. She grew up to be so beautiful, with gorgeous thick curls and a kind smile.

The video suddenly changed and she was pushed against the lockers. Laughter surrounded her as she ran away with her hands covering her ears, crying out for them to leave her alone.

I stood up from my seat. "Stop it!" I cried. "Leave her alone!"

Hurt me. Please hurt me instead. I'd rather have it with me instead of her. I can take it but she- She should never have to.

Then the screen showed Delilah with a slightly older Declan, smiling and nodding happily when he asked if she was alright. When Declan hugged her, he couldn't see the pained expression Delilah wore.

I fell to my knees, crying as I knew that expression because I have worn that same smile to my own parents.

Lynn grabbed my hands and pulled me up from the ground. She took my hand and we began running together.

"It's just a game, Naomi!" Lynn laughed.

Suddenly, Lynn leaped out and I followed after. It was then I realized that there was no ground beneath us. We were falling, falling from nowhere, towards nowhere. Lynn had let go of my hand and I tried to reach out to grab it once more.

Lynn turned around and was facing towards me as we were falling. She smiled brightly without a care in the world. Her arms and legs were spread out as if she was embracing everything.

"And you're losing."

I shot up from my bed, breathing heavily, my heart pounding. My hand went up to my face and my fingertips following the still wet tear track down my cheek. I was crying in my sleep during that dream. But like any dream, any attempt to remember and process it made it grow further away from me.

I fought against myself, struggling to try to remember anything. I think the guys were there. Was Lynn there too? There were fireworks. I was dancing. A video was playing. I felt like I was in an endless sensation of falling and crying. I clutched the fabric of my shirt on my chest. What's wrong with me?

As I wiped my tears with my sleeve, I reached for my phone. At least it was a Saturday today.

"Oh no..." I muttered to myself.

It's Valentine's Day.

-

I heard running coming towards my direction. In the last second, I stepped backward and watched Jordan lunge towards nothing and crashed onto the floor.

"Oh, Naomi," he said dramatically, quickly recovering from that and was now posing on the floor with the back of his hand against his forehead. "I know you're only holding yourself back for the others but you shouldn't deny your love for-"

"Here's some chocolates I bought for you guys," I said as I handed Declan chocolate-covered strawberry truffles and Bennett a pack of different sorts of chocolate truffles.

I told Declan I made sure that there was a bigger strawberry to chocolate ratio and that for Bennett there was a variation of different types of chocolates in the pack. They thanked me and each opened the box to have a bite of their treats.

Jordan collapsed back on the floor, devastated.

He was able to recover quickly once again. He stood up and went up to me, circling around and studying me. "Are there any for me?" He asked eagerly.

I laughed. "For someone who nearly killed me just a moment ago? Of course not."

Jordan eyed the small box in my hand. "Then what's that?"

"Chocolate for myself," I told him, hiding the box behind my back. "These white chocolates are a treat for myself."

I think I heard a sound like something dying inside of Jordan.

He pouted, giving me a puppy dog look. "So there's nothing for me?"

"Well since I'm feeling generous today..." I frowned and looked away as I handed him the box. "I'll give it to you. I have more chocolates back at home anyway."

Rather than taking the chocolates, he hugged me. "Thank you, Naomi."

"You're welcome," I said with a smile. "I hope you guys enjoy it."

When we entered the building, we were stopped by the host.

"Welcome to the Mad Hatter Cafe," Harvey said deadpanned, looking at the clipboard. "We have a special- Oh no, not you guys."

"Glad to see you too, Harvey," I replied. "I see you've managed to keep a job for once."

Before Harvey could retort back, Cameron put his arm on Harvey's shoulder, showing the difference in their height. "If you're going to be rude, you can go back to being the busboy, Harv," Cameron told him.

Harvey made a pained look that looked like he was a horrible flashback. Harvey suddenly had a smile plastered on his face. "Welcome to the Mad Hatter Cafe and Happy Valentine's Day! We have a special just for couples!"

Cameron patted Harvey's head, making Harvey's ears redden in embarrassment. "That's better." He then left to go back to his duties believing his protege had learned his lesson.

Harvey ignored him and turned back to us. "Why are you guys here? The Valentine's Day dance is tonight isn't it?"

"Just because it exists doesn't mean we have to go," I told him.

He thought about it and shrugged. "That makes sense. I wouldn't care for it either. At least I'm making money while I'm here." He then looked back at his clipboard. "So what will it be? Couples get a dessert special."

"Couples," I chimed happily.

The others looked at me in disbelief.

I returned them that look. "You're really giving this up?" I whispered to them.

"Yeah but then who will-"

"Declan and Jordan have been looking forward to this night out for weeks," I said with a grin.

As the two of them began to interject, I told them two words: "Dessert special."

"It's our anniversary!" Jordan said excitedly, linking his arm with Declan's. "We've been together for a few seconds now and we're here to celebrate!"

Declan pushed Jordan away and gave him a look in disbelief at how quickly he could transform. "No, I can't do this. There's no way."

"I know you're just being shy," Jordan told him with a wink before whispering to Declan. "You're not like this when we're alone."

"Please stop," Declan begged.

"That's not what you say in b-"

"So does that mean we'll be the second couple?" Bennett asked me curiously.

I reddened at that, realizing I didn't think that far ahead. I was too busy relishing on how fun it would be to see Declan and Jordan be a couple for the evening.

"I guess so..."

"That's unfair," Declan interjected. "Why do I have to be stuck with this guy?"

"I'm double hurt," Jordan said in defeat. "I've been rejected by two people now."

"So are you guys a couple or not?" Harvey said, tapping his foot impatiently, not amused by our antics. "I'm not giving you guys the option of the dessert special otherwise."

"C'mon Harvey," Jordan said with his easygoing smile. "We're friends. Can't you just give us the special without having to any of us actually have to be a couple? "

Harvey smiled. "No."

Jordan looked away, scratching his head. "I was sure my charm was going to work..."

"And you can threaten me all you want, but it's not going to work. You guys might be scary, but not as scary as toilet duty..." His eyes seemed to glass over as if something came back to him.

Bennett looked at us warily then, hesitantly, patted Harvey's shoulder.

Jordan and Declan shared a wary look. "We're a couple..." they said together in defeat.

Harvey suddenly grinned. "Plus, I get a bonus based on how many couples I can bring in," he said with a shrug. "Follow me to your seats."

Bennett and I followed after him while Declan and Jordan were left as a bubbling mess. He set up two tables closer to each other in order for the four of us could sit next to each other. Seeing that the restaurant wasn't swamped a the moment, Harvey got our orders for us.

"Why are you more annoyed than usual?" I asked Harvey.

"What do you think?" He demanded. "I'm stuck at work on Valentine's Day," he complained, raising his hands up in exasperation.

"It's not like you have anything better to do," Cameron chimed in as he passed by with a table's food.

"Yeah, I do!" Harvey snapped. "I could be doing... I mean there's this thing that-" Harvey stopped. "I don't have to tell you what my plans are!"

"Relax," Cameron said with a laugh. "I'm here because I don't have anything to do either. So you aren't alone in your suffering. But it isn't so bad if we're together, right?"

Harvey frowned and looked away. "You're right..."

"I always am," Cameron said with a boyish smile before walking away.

"Do you not like working here then?" I asked him, trying to stifle the smile fighting to show at the set up I was making. "I would imagine so if you don't want to see couples enjoying themselves on a night like this."

"I never said that. The work can be tough sometimes but I love working here," Harvey defended. "If I have to be honest though, the only thing keep me here is Cam-" He stopped himself and glanced at Cameron who was looking at him curiously. "Camping!"

"Camping?" Bennett repeated.

"This job is letting me save up some money for a camping trip after I graduate." Harvey loosened his collared shirt and cleared his throat.

He then looked at us and narrowed his eyes. "Why are you guys smiling?"

"No reason," we said together.

"I have half a mind to get your orders wrong," he muttered.

"What was that, Harvey?" Cameron asked him as he was cleaning up a nearby table. "You want to go back to toilet duty already? You must really love it."

Harvey smiled kindly at us that it was almost disturbing. "Thank you for your order. I'll be bringing your drinks shortly." He then quickly left for the kitchen.

"I'm here less for the food and more of seeing Cameron messing with Harvey," I admitted with no hint of shame.

"Or is really of you messing with Harvey?" Bennett asked.

I let out a forced laugh. "Don't call me out like that, Bennett..."

"But the food ain't something to forget," Jordan pointed out.

"It's the only thing keeping me together tonight," Declan said with a sigh.

"How are you doing Bennett?" I asked. "You've been having more of those family meetings lately." I frowned. "I don't mean to be press..."

"No, you aren't," he assured me. "I was meaning to tell you all about it. And like I said before, it's nothing serious."

"Your brother seemed to say otherwise," Declan told him.

"He was being dramatic," Bennett said. "We were only discussing the future of the Frazier company."

The table went silent.

"I don't think he was being dramatic," I said slowly.

He wore a small smile. "And it's nothing to be concerned about. There are plenty of other candidates who are far more capable than me of heading the company after my father."

"I'm glad that he was able to finally understand you," I told him.

He paused for a moment. "Yeah, me too."

"So what do you think?" Jordan asked him. "You're going to start your own chain of restaurants?"

Bennett rubbed the back of his neck. "That would be the dream. I had applied to a couple of culinary schools. Our college acceptance letters will be coming out in a month right?"

Declan groaned and put his face in his hands. "I completely forgot about that. After I submitted my college applications, senioritis hit me like a truck."

"Or equivalently, one of your punches," Jordan said before flinching and holding up his hands like he knew karate. However, Declan didn't move at all. "Sorry, I thought you'd hit me at that and I was mentally preparing myself."

"Well I took it as a compliment, so I don't mind," Declan said. "If it weren't for Naomi helping us out in our college essays, I wouldn't have stood a chance."

"Or make it to even 50 words," Jordan said. When he saw the glare he was receiving from Declan, he held up his hands in defense. "I'm on the same boat. I don't even have 50 words in my vocabulary."

"I think I need to tutor you in math again, Jordan," I told him.

"Oh ha ha," he said deadpanned. "It was a hyperbolic curve," he said matter-of-factly.

He grinned when he saw me cringe. I told him, horrified, "I-It's called a hyperbole."

"That's what I said."

I learned my lesson and decided to ignore him. "It was better for us to work on our essays together anyway," I told them. "Peer review is the best review."

"Well I don't have a literary bone in my body, so I'm glad you helped me find the right... words," Bennett told me.

I smiled at him. "I'm happy to be of service."

Declan then asked Jordan, "What about you? You're not chickening out of your plan, are you?"

Jordan grinned. "I'll bet you my self-built PC. I think I can handle majoring in computer engineering with a minor in art. I barely sleep anyway." He laughed, casually waving it off.

"Yeah he's totally not going to last," Declan said, shaking his head.

"How about you talk after you release a hit single?" Jordan mocked. "You're going to just thrive in any music program you get into."

Jordan eyed Declan who was looking away, but not being able to hide his ears reddening. Jordan's signature grin appeared on his face. "Are you feeling... flustered?"

"S-Shut up!" Declan bit back, suddenly becoming conscious of the other people in the room looking at us. "I haven't figured it out yet, but I know for sure I want to go into music. That doesn't mean I have to win the next Grammy's, but as long as it's with music, I know it'll be something I love."

"I support you in whatever you decide, sweetie," Jordan said.

Declan glared at Jordan, not being able to make it if Jordan was being sincere or just making fun of him again.

"Well I for one can't wait to hear anything you sing," I told him. "How about for my birthday you serenade me?"

"Naomi..." Declan said, frowning. "You can't kick a man while he's still down." He glanced away. "But if you really want to, I'll consider it."

Jordan suddenly stood up from his seat and leaned over the table towards Declan. "Can you sing for me?" he asked excitedly.

"Never," Declan said, pushing Jordan's face away.

"Are you hoping for any particular college, Naomi?" Bennett asked me.

"I chose several with great law schools," I said. "But I'm hoping for one in particular because the university also has a well known creative writing program."

"If Naomi becomes a lawyer, I can get away with anything," Jordan said proudly.

"No, you won't," I told him with a laugh. "Even if I had a chance, they'll take me out for having a conflict of interest."

"He'll probably make it to the Most Wanted List at the pace he's going," Bennett said thoughtfully.

Jordan frowned. "I thought I already did. I better up my game then." He took his phone and whispered, "Hey, my FBI agent, you're next."

We all laughed at that, then slowly our laughter died down as we glanced at our phones.

"I do hope we end up going to the same college," I admitted shyly. "The probability isn't very high since only a few of our college choices overlap. But I can't really imagine not being with you guys... any... more... Are you guys crying?"

"N-No," Jordan blubbered as he snatched some napkins and covered his eyes like a mask.

Declan put his head down on the table. "I'm just thinking about life. Don't worry about me."

I looked at Bennett who used his hand to shield his face while he looked away.

"What's wrong Bennett?" I asked as I felt a smile on my face. "Don't tell me you're too cool to show your feelings."

"Why do you guys just get more ridiculous every time I see you?" Harvey asked as he set our drinks on the table.

Bennett cleared his throat. "Thank you," he muttered as he drank some water.

"And stop wasting our napkins," Harvey scolded Jordan. "I'm the one who has to pack them into the napkin boxes." 

Jordan mumbled out a sorry to Harvey.

"What are your plans after graduation, Harvey?" Declan asked, having composed himself.

Harvey shrugged. "I'm not the best student. I might do community college to save some money. Cameron has kinda been mentoring me of that sort of stuff since I started working here. I might just be undeclared, but Cameron's been set on getting me into his college."

"What's Cameron studying?"

"I'm in my second year studying Physics," Cameron chimed in then suddenly shooed Harvey away. "Let me bother the customers for a bit, you're having too much fun."

"I'm just being nice to get some extra tips," Harvey said with a shrug.

"They grow up so quickly, don't they?" Cameron said, crossing his arms and watching Harvey checking in how another couple was doing.

"That's amazing," I told him. "Majoring in Physics would be great," I said wistfully.

Cameron pushed up his glasses, grinning proudly. "Well, you never know what happens down the road. I came into college undeclared and changed my major to Biochemistry before settling down to Physics. Although, I'm still considering if I want to go be an Applied Physics major or Theoretical. Until then, I'll keep working here to pay the bills."

"I heard people change majors at least three times on average," Declan said.

"I was almost there then," Cameron said with a laugh. "But just know that there's always the start and the end, but you never can know what happens in the middle."

We all looked at each other, smiling at the great advice.

"Now I expect you guys to be a tad more generous on the tip seeing that I've imparted with you such wondrous knowledge."

"Don't worry Cam," I assured him. "At this rate, you might earn more money becoming a college advisor for high school students."

Cameron's let out a light laugh. "Don't tempt me. The manager would kill me if she found out I was considering my options."

"We're here! We made it!" Someone exclaimed when they rushed into the building.

I waved out to them and called out, "Glad you could make it!"

Brennan and Lynn walked to our table a bit out of breath.

"Just-" Lynn paused and gasped for air "-just saying, it was her fault," she said as she pointed at Brennan.

Brennan gasped. "I couldn't find my favorite heels! And I drove you here." She huffed, "I expect nothing but compliments and praises the rest of the night."

"We did tell you a bit last minute," I said in embarrassment.

"Declan, get off your chair," Jordan hissed at him before looking at Brennan sweetly. "Declan here was nice enough to warm your seat for you. You can sit here with me."

"How about you leave?" Declan retorted back in a half-whisper. "No one wants you here anyway."

"I apologize for not having greeted you at the door," Cameron told Lynn and Brennan with a salesman's smile. "Thank you for joining us for your Valentine's Day. We have a special dessert for couples and-"

Jordan had already gotten up and tried to pull Declan off his seat. Of course, such an attempt was futile, and Declan wouldn't budge. "We're a couple. Brennan, let me show you a night you won't forget."

Brennan smiled kindly at him. "Oh, I most certainly won't, but I would wish I did."

She turned back to Cameron. "I am on a date with this lovely lady here who will worship me like the goddess that I am since I'm benevolent enough to pay for the meal."

Lynn laughed. "Now that's a religion I can get behind. Your wish is my command."

Cameron had brought in another two-person table next to Bennett and my table, away from Jordan and Declan's. Lynn had pulled out the chair for Brennan at their table before sitting at the seat next to me. Jordan and Declan looked devastated and started arguing with each other on whose fault it was that they really will be stuck with each other for the rest of the night.

"I was sure to order your meals," Bennett told them. "It was a good idea that Naomi asked you to choose what you wanted ahead of time in case you guys are late."

"We wouldn't have been if-" Lynn stopped herself and smiled sweetly at Brennan. "Did I ever tell you how lovely you look tonight?"

"Good girl," Brennan said curtly before letting out a sigh. "It's just a pity I couldn't be with my boyfriend. We have to settle with a videochat. But at least I have this cutie with me," she said.

Jordan choked on his drink. "You have a what?"

Declan leaned over the table and patted Jordan's shoulder. "It's okay, there's other fish."

Jordan painfully nodded in agreement. "I love seafood," he muttered.

"I got your food-" Harvey stopped, put the one tray of food on Jordan and Declan's table, then went around to Brennan and Lynn's.

He looked so starstruck by Brennan. "Welcome to Starb- I mean the Mad Hatter Cafe. I'm Harvey, your waiter this evening and you can ask me anything and I'm willing to give you everything that I own-"

"May we have our food then?" Brennan asked, cutting Harvey's speech.

Harvey reddened. "Y-Yes of course."

Cameron massaged his forehead at the sight of this disaster. He then handed the rest of us our food that Harvey so kindly forgot. How dare Harvey forget about our food.

But it was great to have some entertainment while we ate to which that entertainment is watching Harvey crash and burn.

"So do you come here often?" He asked.

"No, this is my first time here," Brennan said. "I have been told that the food here is great."

"It is!" Harvey said eagerly.

"I'm so glad I can enjoy my dinner with my date," she said, now looking at Lynn who was quietly sipping on her water.

Harvey had a bewildered look on his face. "Oh, I'm sorry."

"Well just my date for the evening," Brennan continued. "Lynn was kind enough to accompany me for the couple's dessert special you have."

He saw this as his chance. "Then I have a-"

"I'll be sure to bring my boyfriend here the next time we visit together."

Harvey stumbled back, needing the help of a table behind him to stop him from falling. Cameron then grabbed Harvey by the back of his collared uniform shirt and had to practically drag him away from their table before he could further embarrass himself.

"I just want to eat," Brennan muttered before finally beginning to eat her meal.

"I have to admit, when I saw what you ordered, I had to get it for myself too, Lynn," I told her as I continued eating.

She looked at my grilled chicken caesar salad and back at her own. It may have been a salad, but it was loaded and not just a plate of leaves. Salads never were my first choice, but I wanted to support Lynn anyway I can.

"Oh, it's a bit small though," she said, reddening a bit. "You sure it won't fill you up?"

I smiled at her. "I think it's a great meal," I said before adding with a snicker, "Be careful or else Harvey and Cameron might get offended."

"We aren't that soft," Cameron said as he passed by our table. "But our cook is."

We looked at the cook from behind the counter who was eyeing us suspiciously.

Jordan eyed my meal. "What, did you have a big lunch?"

I glared at him. "What does that have to do with anything? Salads are great."

Jordan laughed. "My dinner eats that," he said as he points at his burger.

You're no help.

Bennett looked at my salad. "Salads are great- there's a variety of salads that you can pick and choose what to put in them. However, they shouldn't compose your entire diet. If anything, salads are overrated as there are plenty of other dishes that are healthier and tastier. Counting calories is an ineffective and unhealthy approach to a diet."

"It's the same with exercising," Declan told us. "You can have a great workout plan, but you won't see any change if you don't have a proper diet- calories are important, yes, but also portion control and balanced meals."

Lynn blinked as she took a small bite of her salad. "I never really thought about that. I always thought the less you eat, the better."

"Different bodies have different based on outside factors such as your diet and exercise, as well as your health and metabolism." Declan smiled. "But that doesn't mean you should have strict limits and deprive yourself of eating foods you enjoy- it will only drawback after such withdrawals."

"Declan's the perfect person to talk to if you want to start working out," Jordan said. "Look at those muscles."

Declan laughed and flexed. "This is a product of years of work." He took a bite of his sandwich, proud of himself.

"You can also talk to me if you want to learn about more healthy dishes to try," Bennett said. "Being with these three, all they have me do is bake desserts. I feel like I'm going to lose my touch."

Lynn smiled. "I might do that." With that, she took a bigger forkful of her salad.

I felt relieved and thankful that Bennett and Declan were able to offer some input in this.

I had tried to do some research on people who were bulimic. However, the biggest obstacle was crossing that boundary. Anyone would have believed that if they were in my position, they could've just walked in and forced someone to stop the mentality they have been trapped in for who knows how long. There was that risk of being pushed away and having them sink deeper into that pit they were in. Lynn was a beautiful, confident person and deserved much more than what she is putting herself through.

It pained me how I could say that for her... but not for myself.

"We were talking about college," Jordan told Lynn. "Have you applied for it?"

Lynn grimaced. "This is a day about love but you're talking about something that's the complete opposite."

She then smiled. "Regardless, I couldn't really decide on a major so I applied mainly for Psychology among other majors depending on what the college offered. Psychology seemed like a good route to take in case I couldn't find any other career path that interested me. I'll let fate decide on the rest."

Jordan laughed. "I like that way of thinking."

"I don't believe you'd live to see the next day if you settle with that mindset," Declan told him.

"I see that you guys are a couple for the night," Brennan mused at her brother. "Or is it more for just this night?"

"It's not like that," Bennett told his sister. "It's just for the dessert special."

"Yeah, just for the dessert!" Jordan agreed. "Or else why would I be putting up with him?"

"Took the words out of my mouth," Declan said dryly to his partner.

"Excuses," Brennan said as she rolled her eyes. "At least it was more lively than the family dinner the other night. It was absolutely suffocating being in the same room as you and father. I still cannot believe that-"

"Now is not the time to discuss such unimportant things," Bennett said abruptly.

Brennan glared at her brother with an unappreciated look of being cut off. She then looked at each one of us and looked away at her drink. "I should buy a nice bottle of wine tonight," she muttered to herself.

Harvey and Cameron then came back to our table with the dessert special- a cake sampling with cuts of different kinds of cake. I enjoyed having the variety: red velvet, vanilla, and strawberry.

As everyone raved at how excited they were, especially between Jordan and Declan for having put up with each other for the night, I looked at Bennett. Once again I was not being able to read anything from him. Bennett looked up and stared back at me. He then smiled.

That smile, that cold, empty smile, was the only thing I could remember from my dream.

I believe that was my first dream scene. I usually do flashback scenes when I realize I never did a dream one. I felt it was really important seeing more of the unconscious mentality Naomi is currently in. I actually wanted to make it like an otome, or for-girls dating simulator game, but I found it difficult describing it through writing so I settled for this.

I want to thank pekgna who made this great fanart of the Four Musketeers from how I imagined them. Bonus is the Jeclan showing there.

Several points must be made in this author's note.

Paid Content/Publishing:

As you read from my Q&A, I turned down the offer to make TGGBB a paid story. TGGBB is a meaningful story not only for me but for you. I have received messages about how the story helped you during tough times, and I'm grateful I was able to do such a thing. That's why I didn't want it to be paid because it would be accessible for those who need this story (whether for fun or for personal reasons) and for those who can't afford it. As a bookworm - whether it be books, comics, or manga- I understand you wouldn't want to pay for a story and would want to make things free.

My dream was to make TGGBB big, to perhaps get a series or anything of the sort. My dream was to go on book tours and meet all of you in person. I wanted to see you wear TGGBB merchandise as we discuss theories about the book. I believed that Wattpad would be able to get me through that especially after seeing the success of stories such as "The Kissing Booth" and "After".

I had planned on making a new version of TGGBB, put it through the paid program, and go through the steps of becoming successful on Wattpad to see my book leave the internet. I have spoken to Wattpad about it and they have explained to me that I cannot have different versions of the same book. But I don't want to delete TGGBB if it means I can keep the new version.

What really worries me is that if I posted the new version of TGGBB- which will have a different title and plot- no one will read it as much as the original TGGBB at least up to 88.8 million reads. So I would really appreciate it if you rereaders to continue what you do when I put up the new version of TGGBB so that it can see success.

So I have made two options- one in terms of publishing the new version (1,2) and the start to pave the success of the book (A,B). I would like to hear your opinions on it. I would appreciate it if you avoid talking about the obvious "I don't want to pay for a story". I have read those messages already. I would pay for my story if it meant it can reach more people to learn about the message behind my book. Here are the options:

1. NEW BOOK: Create an entirely "different" book. I will try to make it it's own stand-alone book so it wouldn't count as a different version of TGGBB so that the original TGGBB won't have to be taken down. This is risky because I will need to depend on you guys to make it as successful as its predecessor.

1A. NEW BOOK + PAID STORY: I make this into a paid story and hopefully it will go through the path of success through Wattpad. But I will need the same support shown from the original TGGBB.

1B. NEW BOOK + SELF PUBLISH: I self-publish through Amazon. It's a quicker route in terms of publishing, but I won't be getting any deals. I would have to pitch my story to publishing companies but it's difficult compared to already being with Wattpad.

2. COMBINED BOOK: I write the new version WITHIN the original TGGBB. It will be added after the original book, introduced as the new version. Therefore it will still hold the number or reads if not grow, and hold its success.

2A. COMBINED BOOK + PAID STORY: I make that TGGBB (containing the original and new version) into a paid story with the risk of them having me heavily edit it.

2B. COMBINED BOOK + SELF PUBLISH: It would be the same as 1B. I will only publish the new version.

Despite the success TGGBB already has with this great fanbase and that amount of reads, I'm not guaranteed any success going through the Paid program. It would still be a rough road.

I really just want to meet you all in person. That's why I continue writing this series. I also really trust and value your opinions, so I want to know your take on this. I believe you are the best to talk to as you are currently following and have caught up to the series so you can have your input on this decision rather than it be my own.

Social Media/Support/Merch:

I have become more active in my social media and I have Twitter and Instagram @rubixcube89201. There's also a Facebook TGGBB Fan Club where readers share fan art, memes (so many beautiful memes), and discuss theories.

I have also created a Kofi which is a way to make one-time donations to show your support for me and the series. I'm no longer receiving ad payment for my book, so I'm just writing for the sake of writing, the story, myself, and of course, you all. This is for any of you wonderful readers who just want to give something back for me taking the time to create this series. I would greatly appreciate it as it would help me continue writing.

I will also create a Patreon. I will make an announcement once I set it up after my finals are over. I will try to make it so that you have the choice to just make one-time payments rather than monthly. You can receive benefits from a shoutout in the chapter, a writing critique or ship scenes that will NOT be put into the book, but instead, sent directly to you for your own personal enjoyment. Ship scenes can either not have a kiss, have a kiss scene, or be customized with or without a kiss scene. Such an example is that you want to see Naomi go to the beach with one of the guys and it would have a kiss scene in the end. HOWEVER, there would be NO MUSKOMI. My heart won't be able to take it- or I'll have to charge you way more for that.

I'm also looking into making some TGGBB merch. I was thinking of just going basic on clothing, mugs, stickers, and pins. I might make my own art to make things easier and I will be using RedBubble. Be sure to follow my social media and watch out for my announcements about it. Also please comment if you have anything you'd like to see either from character art or iconic lines. I might post them on Instagram and Twitter first to get approval before posting it.

You can find all of my social media on my About page in Wattpad. It would mainly be with my usual username RubixCube89201.

Editing:

I have also come across a problem with editing TGGBB with my editor friend Sean @guaimoreto. Be sure to thank him!

As you know, there are line comments and there's practically a comment on every line. HOWEVER, when I edit the line those comments disappear on that line but still exist in the overall comments at the end of the chapter. So I have decided that I will only be editing obvious spelling, punctuation, or syntax errors. Depending on the number of comments on a line like hundreds or even thousands, I have to decide if it's worth editing to lose those lines. This honestly hurts me because what really makes TGGBB great is you guys and the comments you make. So if you happen to see a line with no comments on it, please PLEASE fill it up once more so first time readers and re-readers can enjoy them. BUT with no "first" comments. I rather see heartfelt words or reactions in the comments.

I hope you enjoyed the chapter and I'll see you next time.

Rubix