"Hey, man! Congrats on getting here alive."

I walked up to Dan and clapped him on the back as Sydney ran off to congratulate Britt. Dan rolled his eyes good-naturedly as Alan walked over to join us.

"Thanks, man. Honestly I'm not sure how she's gonna be leading up to the wedding. We might all die."

"Hey, don't rope us into your issues." Alan smirked, "She's your problem, dude."

"She's not a problem," Dan corrected him, "Just occasionally incredibly passionate about things going the right way." He looked over at his fiance from across the room, his eyes softening when he saw her. "It's a nice quality."

"Us single guys know how to not be saps, right Connor?" Alan asked, raising his hand to give me a high-five.

I wasn't exactly sure how to respond to that, since Sydney and I hadn't said exactly when we would be announcing our reconciliation to our friends. It felt rude to do it at their engagement party, but I also didn't want to pretend to be single when in reality I was back together with the girl of my dreams.

"Well--"

I was saved from continuing that sentence by Katie running over to us, practically knocking over a few of Britt's relatives in the process.

"You're back together?" She exclaimed, eyes wide as she punched me in the arm.

"Ow, Kate."

"Don't be a baby. You and Syd are back together? Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"Did Syd tell you this?" I asked, confused--we had wanted to tell them together.

"No, I can figure things out on my own. You guys walked in here together and there were no claw marks on either of your clothes. I'm not stupid, Connor."

I eyed the drink in her right hand.

"You are most definitely stupid if you're still drinking after being hungover this morning." I laughed, "Didn't Dan have to peel you off of his floor?"

Katie glared at Dan as she answered.

"Yes, and I would have appreciated it if that fact had not been broadcasted all over Twitter, but here we are." She shrugged before turning back towards me. "But stop trying to change the subject. You and Syd are back together, you little lovebirds."

I couldn't help but grin as Alan and Dan clapped me on the back.

"Atta boy!" Dan laughed, "I knew she couldn't stay away."

"Nah, I went back to her." I replied, shrugging off the fact that I sounded like a sissy saying it. "When you know, you know."

"Amen." Alan agreed, clinking his glass against mine before downing the rest of his drink. "I need a refill. Anyone else?"

I looked over and saw Sydney standing next to the bar.

"I could use one."

I accompanied Alan over to the bar while Dan entertained some of his relatives that had flown in for the party. I walked up behind Sydney and wrapped my arms around her.

"Did Katie tell the girls about us as well?"

"You'd better believe it." Syd replied, turning around and planting a long kiss on my lips. "She's even smart when she's hungover."

"If only she didn't cover it up with the bad jokes." I laughed, "Do the girls approve?"

"Is that even a question?" Britt asked from behind Syd, "We've been rooting for you two since day one."

"Day negative one." Mel agreed.

"That's not a thing, Mel."

"I'm allowed to say what I want to say, Britt."

"So," Syd turned away from her bickering friends to face me. "Are you having second thoughts yet?"

"About what?"

"About us."

I rolled my eyes.

"I made that mistake once, and I don't plan on making it again." I looked up as the lights went down and Everything I Do I Do It For You by Bryan Adams came on through the loudspeakers. "Care to dance, Miss Porter?"

Sydney blushed as I led her to the dance floor, placing my hands on her hips as she wrapped her arms around my neck, her head resting against my chest.

"I'm never letting you go again." I whispered, swaying in time to the music. "I can't imagine my life without you in it."

Sydney looked up at me, her eyes starting to tear up.

"I never want to lose you," She whispered, "Promise me that I won't."

I wrapped her tighter in my arms as I felt my heart break in my chest; I had caused that pain that I saw in her eyes. That fear that someday I would tire of her and end things, just like I had done before. I had created that worry in the back of her mind.

"You won't." I promised, "You don't have a choice in this one, Porter. You're stuck with me for the long haul."

Sydney smiled softly and stood on her toes to give me a kiss, drawing away and staring into my eyes.

"I love you to the moon and back." She whispered.

"And I love you to the sun and beyond." I replied, kissing her forehead as we continued to rock back and forth, one of many couples in love on that dance floor. Yet our love story, at least in my mind, surpassed all the others.

***

"I gotta show you guys something."

The party was drawing to a close and I watched as Sydney walked off to talk to her girlfriends, who were all talking to Britt about her massive ring and how adorable she and Dan were as a couple.

Dan, Alan and I were standing by the doorway, trying anything to keep Dan from having to deal with any more of Britt's family members. He had had his fill of touchy aunts and loud uncles for the evening.

"What?" Dan asked, looking at me curiously. "You sound weird."

I rolled my eyes.

"Thanks, man."

"I'm just saying."

"Well, stop saying and listen to me for a second." I muttered, reaching into my pocket. "I have to know if this is alright."

I turned my back on Sydney and the girls before opening the box and showing my buddies the ring. It was bigger than any other gem I had seen before, and it just about screamed Sydney: a thin band with a huge rock in the center, the star of the show--just as Sydney was the star of any room she entered.

"Is that..."

"Yeah."

Alan and Dan stared at it for a moment before speaking.

"It's great, man."

"She's gonna love it."

I nodded, my confidence boosted.

"I'm gonna do it sometime soon. Maybe in the next day or two." I told them, "Before she leaves for New York."

"How long is she gonna be up there?" Dan asked, "Did you decide to try long distance again?"

"Hey, third time's the charm." Alan supplied.

I shook my head.

"She's gonna finish up her season with the Symphony and then come back here until I finish school. Then we're gonna move back to New York so she can continue."

Alan and Dan nodded.

"Wow. Props to you two for compromising. Most couples can't do that, man."

I smiled slightly.

"I don't think Syd and I qualify as 'most couples.'"

If we did, we wouldn't have the greatest love story I knew of.

A/N: I am a LIAR, guys. In the last author's note I said that the book wouldn't be much longer. But I just sat down and planned out the entire rest of the book, and it's looking like there's gonna be 10 more chapters in Part Two and then 9 Epilogues, continuing the trend from Dear Sydney. That's NINETEEN more chapters. So strap in, ya'll aren't done with me yet.

ALSO, since I know I'm gonna get this question, YES updates on TWIMC may be random and sporadic during the next few weeks because I have finals, but the updates of Three's Company will continue to be regular on every Tuesday and Thursday. This is NOT because I am favoring that book and those readers, but because those chapters are pre-written and just sitting in my drafts waiting to be uploaded. Since Three's Company is updated on Radish Fiction (@kathpowell, shameless plug) four times a week, there are always chapters ready to be uploaded for Wattpad. So please don't get angry that TC is updated regularly, it's literally because the chapters are already written and the ones for TWIMC aren't. But hey, at least now you know you're getting nineteen more chapters of this one!

-Katherine