18 Letters to You [Completed]

SEVENTEEN

Stella

He's okay. Caleb is awake and looking at the three of us with eyes that match my own. I'm relieved and so scared to ever leave his side again.

Accident. They keep saying. An accident is was got us all into this mess in the first place. But he's okay and that is what matters.

"Caleb, I'm going to have a baby. You're going to be an uncle. Crazy, isn't it? That just a few years ago we could barely afford groceries and now I can have this baby and live a life I've always dreamed of.

"I'm so sorry that you can't live out your dreams. Caleb, I am more sorry than you will ever know for that. I'm sorry I wasn't here when you fell and I'm sorry I wasn't there when you fell into the lake all those years ago.

"I'm learning how to forgive myself and I hope you've forgiven me too. I have done my best for the two of us even if it doesn't seem that way."

I wipe away a stray tear and feel Rory's hand on my shoulder, "he never blamed you, babe. I promise."

I turn and smile at him because he might be right. We were the only ones that ever needed to figure out how to forgive ourselves and I think we finally have.

"I'm not sure I can leave him," I say resting my head on his chest. Rory kisses my head and stays silent. Caleb is sleeping again. The silence is calming.

"Come with me?" Rory asks.

I nod and let him lead me out of the hospital and to the rental car.

"Where are we going?" I ask.

He doesn't say anything just pulls out of the overcrowded lot and heads in the opposite direction of our old apartment.

"Remember when we used to make fun of the people that lived up on the hill?" He asks.

"Yes, we used to give them accents and terrible backstories as we'd walk to school."

"Yeah," Rory laughs, "we'd have to pass those giant houses every day and we would say that they were up there so they could look down on all us poor kids."

"The poor kids had to live on the ground and the rich kids got to live in the sky," I say looking at those same houses as we drive by them.

Rory turns up the narrow hill that leads to those houses and stops in front of one. It's yellow with dark green shutters and a wraparound porch.

He gets out of the car and walks around to look at the house. I follow and do the same.

He turns to me a smile playing at his lips, "Stella, will you live in the sky with me?"

I can't seem to catch my breath. I look at him, at his beautiful blue eyes and his crooked smile.

"Here?" I ask my voice barely a whisper.

"Here," he answers, "we will fly to Nashville when we have to and stay with Perry. We can still tour but this is our home. This will always be our home."

I can't help the tears that are falling freely from my eyes, "yes," I say and kiss him because he's right. This is home.

This town with the worst and best parts of us sprinkled around like confetti after a concert.

This is where our story started and this is where our story will end.

"I love you," I tell him.

"I love you too."