The Moment

Chapter Fifty-Two

Although the night was absolutely amazing and definitely one of the best I've had in a long time, it made me ridiculously sad. To think about going months without a single one of these people by my side was daunting and it was becoming a way bigger issue to me than it probably should have been. These people are my family and have practically raised me and to leave them, just because my name's been under fire recently, is an awful thing to think about.

"You okay?" Noah asked, lifting his shoulder which resulted in my head lifting as well. Nodding my head, I tried to forget about how sad I was and focus on the movie but Noah wasn't having any of that. "Regan..." He pleaded, shifting his body so I was forced to sit up properly. "Talk to me."

"There's nothing to talk about, I'm just sad." I explained...well, I tried to explain. I was sad for your typical reason; I didn't want to leave my friends and there's nothing I could really explain other than that.

As the night continued, more and more people came up to me, wishing me a safe flight and a good time and before I knew it, I had a flight to catch in five hours. Saying my final goodbyes to everyone who had managed to stay late at the movie night, I took Noah's hand in mine and headed out to my car.

"Call me when you land, okay? Just so I know you're safe." Placing his hands on my waist, I placed mine on his shoulders, pulling him closer. With our chests pressed against each other, I held on for dear life. He meant more to me now than he ever has before and I was scared of losing that.

"I love you." I whispered, closing my eyes as the tears began to form.

Hearing him smile from over my shoulder, he tightened his grip on my waist, replying, "I love you too."

Pulling my head back, I connected my lips with his, trying to savour the moment for as long as possible.

"You should go." He said, pulling his head away from mine. "You don't want to be late for your flight." Considering I still had to toss last minute things in my suitcases, he wasn't wrong; I should go...but I don't want to. Placing one last kiss on my lips, he took a step back, letting his hands fall from my waist and allowing me to get into my car. Everything about this moment was sad; it was like that scene in the O.C. where Ryan heads back to Chino and Marissa stands in the driveway watching him leave; one of the saddest moments in TV history, in my opinion.

As I entered my house, I looked around at a parent-less house and I realized...that's how I like it. I enjoy being on my own. I enjoy taking care of myself. I enjoy the situation I'm in and I just know that once I get to Italy, I'll be doing there what I'm doing here. Looking at the note and plane ticket on the side table, I placed my keys down next to it as I headed upstairs and finished packing. It was around 2 in the morning and my flight was leaving around 7 and although I felt like I should be early, I wanted to wait until the last minute. I wanted to enjoy whatever time I had left.

Closing up the suitcases, I began wheeling them out of my room and carrying them down the stairs; it would have been a hell of a lot easier if I had two other people to help...but I barely exist to them. Grabbing my keys and the ticket, I saw the headlights from the Uber shine through the windows and knew it was time.

Mumbling where I needed to go, I handed my suitcases to the driver and climbed in the backseat, beginning to scroll through my phone. It was still so dark out, which only made me more depressed as the scenery passed by the window, making it even harder to think about how this was supposed to help me.

"Wait," I found myself saying about 30 minutes into the drive. "I forgot something." Watching as the car turned around, I suddenly became nervous with myself. How could I do this?

Entering the house, I ran upstairs, trying not to fall as I reached the bedroom door. My heart began to race as I stood there, wondering how I could have ever thought about doing it. Taking a deep breath, I opened the door and watched as his head turned to face me. His eyes lit up, even in the darkest of rooms and I suddenly felt at peace.

"Regan..." Noah said, getting up from his bed and walking over to me.

"I couldn't go." I whispered, pulling him as close to me as possible, finally feeling a genuine smile form on my face for the first time in days.

A/N: And there we have it! The final chapter of The Moment! I cannot believe I wrote fifty-two chapters of this damn thing! I'm so proud of myself. I'm so so grateful for all of you who have read this amazing story and who have stuck by my awkward and sometimes non-existent upload schedule. It's honestly such a blessing to have you guys and know that people actually enjoy my writing. I cannot thank each and every single one of you enough. I love you all so much! And who knows, maybe there will be another story coming soon! (I say that as I've already got ideas in the works LOL) Thank you and I love you!