Forever [COMPLETED]

Chapter Twenty Six

Summer didn't last long. It went faster than any summer she has had since being in school. Forty-eight hours until move-in day, and she had a flight to catch at eight. Her father just shipped all her things ahead of time, and she already missed half the things she owned. An almost empty bedroom didn't seem real. Leaving her friends didn't seem real, and neither did being so far from her parents.

Things felt final, and the only thing that was left was the worst part of the entire experience.

"Tell Chandler we're going to miss him. It was such a pleasure having him over for dinner almost a hundred times a week." Dana rolled her eyes at her mother. "Ok, fifty times a week."

She gave both of her parents a huge hug since this would be the last time she sees them until they take the time to go visit. She and Chandler chose their flights at similar times so they could arrive at the airport together and finalize their goodbye.

Her parents waited for him to answer the door before making their exit down the street. His smile was soft like usual, and his arms around her felt sincere and familiar. She gave him a tight hug before they separated. "I'll take your bag inside." He stepped out of the way as she came inside, and he followed after her.

In this moment, there was no backing out. She took in the smell of his home for the last time and wiped her sweaty hands on her shorts. The sound of his front door closing made her heart drop, and it could be felt throughout her body. They both knew exactly why she was here and what they agreed to talk about.

They didn't go to his bedroom right away. Dana faced him as he settled her suitcase in the corner and with shaky hands. She could see the nerves rushing through his body as if he wasn't prepared for the discussion. What he didn't know was that she rehearsed her lines all night.

"Do you, uh, you want something to drink?"

"No," she said thinly. "I mean, no... thank you." Her smile forced with a twitch.

"Then come on. Let's go to my room."

She followed him hesitantly as if she didn't know exactly where to go. His room looked the same, but a little more bare. He still had a few boxes stacked near his desk. His guitar was tucked away in its case beside his bed. His Northwestern folder lay perfectly on his nightstand.

Dana took her seat at the edge of his bed while he sat right next to her. Their hips were touching, and their hands were tucked on their person. It was silent for a minute and then another one. Dana swallowed hard.

"So..." Chandler smiled as he halfway turned to her. "We're going to pretend this is normal for both of us, right?"

She let out a soft laugh. "I would like it to be... but we know it's not." Her smile turned straight, and so did his. "It wasn't supposed to feel like this. It definitely went way differently in my mind. It's just.. When I got to your front door, it felt more real."

"Dana," he smiled weakly, "I know. It's okay. We're here because we don't want to hurt each other."

"And we're not-"

"But we might," he said almost immediately. "We don't know what the workload is going to be like. The environment is different, and we're going to a completely different state." He was now more animated than seconds ago, and Dana knew he rehearsed his too. "I don't want to be the guy who texts once a day to remind you that he can't reply because he's busy."

Dana pulled back enough to look at him. His eyes were wet, and she hadn't gotten there yet. Chandler Beckett, a man who was always composed, looked like he couldn't even hold it together.

"I spent so many weeks wishing I could go back in time and meet you sooner. Maybe it would hurt a lot less, or maybe we'd have more time to change our paths. Regardless of it all, tomorrow is coming, and there is nothing we can do to stop it. I even looked it up." He slowly dropped down to his knees in front of her. "I don't want to break up, but you deserve to live. You deserve to have everything."

"But, Chandler, you are my everything."

"I don't want you to resent me, Dana."

She rested her forehead on his as the first tear slipped from her eye and right onto her lap. "Say it then. Honestly."

He exhaled slowly; it came out shakier than before. "I love you. I love you so much... that we need to wait." Chandler caught each one of her tears with his thumb. "I believe we can find our way back to each other. We just need to grow first."

The moment she locked eyes with him, he pulled her into a tight hug. It was enough to take her breath away. Her mind didn't even know if he was ever going to let her go. Neither of them cared if they would break the other, as long as their bodies were on the verge of merging into one.

Chandler lay her down in his bed for what would hopefully not be their last night in each other's arms.

The sound of him tuning the strings to his guitar kept Dana's heart at a steady pace. Her ear rested against his chest as she listened to every hum in his voice. The soft glow of his lamp illuminated their bare skin but both their eyes were closed softly too notice.

"Since we aren't together, can I still call you?"

The question caused Chandler to chuckle. "Always."

"Can I still... miss you?"

"You better."

"Hm," she tapped her chin. "Can I still love you?"

Chandler gave her forehead a light kiss. "I'm not ever going to stop loving you."

"We need to get dressed. Our flight leaves in two hours." She propped herself up wth her elbow and used her free hand to keep the covers on her body.

Chandler let out a groan with an attempt to pull her down. "What's the rush? I feel like we just got here."

"We just got there like twice. I think sleeping on a plane would be a nice finishing touch to the night."

He looked at her and smiled, and she looked down at him to return the gesture.

"You are so beautiful."

Those words made her melt in her skin. Getting up felt like moving without bones as they went to opposite sides of the room to collect their clothes from the floor. She watched him put on his jacket and sling his guitar across his back. He then watched her slide her shoes on and throw his hoodie over her head.

"Don't let anyone steal that from you," he warned.

"Boys don't steal hoodies from girls. It's the other way around." She sent him a wink before she snuggled deeper in his clothes. "Weirdly enough, I don't think I'm ever going to take it off."

He pulled her in with one arm as they made their way out of his room. He effortlessly used his free hand to snag her suitcase from by the door on his way out.

"And what are you going to do with your super cool and awesome car?" She asked sarcastically, but also out of curiosity.

"Uh, parents are going to pick it up from the airport and possibly sell it. I'm then going to use the money to buy another ridiculously super cool car because I need one of those, or I just might die."

"Don't let a girl ride in the passenger's seat," she warned.

"Girls don't like cars, Dana. It's the other way around."