When Our Stars Aligned

Chapter Seventy-One

*Fast-forward 2 and a half years*

They say that after high school your life changes drastically. You're put out into the real world and have to make do for yourself. You get all sorts of new people who come in and out of you life.

Truthfully, I have to agree. My life after high school brought change and many new faces, but in a sense it remained the same. I still had my friends from high school, well the ones I bothered to keep in touch with, my family was as crazy and caring as ever, and I still had the most important person in my life: Kendall.

The summer after I graduated was full of fun and exciting little adventures. Kendall and I went to the beach for a week with the guys the morning after I graduated. Thankfully, he was able to stay in North Carolina for a week after the beach but then he had to go back. During that time I spent everyday with either my family, Matt, or my best girl friends.

By the time my birthday rolled around in early July I was spending my spare time packing and getting things ready to take to school. The morning of my birthday I awoke to find my entire family in the kitchen of my parents' house making a special birthday breakfast. Right in the middle of everyone was Kendall who had a stick-on bow on top of his head with a sign taped to his stomach that read 'Happy Birthday!'

We spent the next two weeks getting everything ready for my big move. Neither one of us really wanted to sell the house so we came up with the idea of Matt staying there while he went to community college. He would keep everything up and running while sending us $100 a month for rent and that also kept us a place to stay when we visited my family.

The time finally rolled around for me to go back to LA with Kendall and I don't know which one of us was more excited. When I got there we got everything unpacked and in place at Kathy and Kent's house, I got registered for my classes, and everything settled down.

Now here we are almost 3 years later.

It's almost the end of November and I'm on my way home from tennis practice and I'm absolutely exhausted. Being on the team has been great but the three hour practices every day are killing me.

Thankfully that was our last one, or my last one at least, until the new semester. Exams finished up early for me today so that means I have plenty of time to start Christmas shopping and get Kendall an anniversary gift.

Did I mention our 3 year anniversary is in a little less than a week?!

This year we'll be spending Thanksgiving and our anniversary in LA again and then we'll go to my family's for Christmas. I haven't been home since my dad's birthday in April; that was 7 months ago and I was only there for a few days, needless to say I'm so ready to go home.

As I pulled up in the gravel driveway I tried to shake the busy thoughts from my mind as I slung my tennis bag over my shoulder and slowly walked up the drive.

"Hey, babe! I'm home!" I called as I walked in the door. I drove Kendall's car today and he hadn't texted saying he went out so I knew he had to be home. Sissy came running out of the kitchen with Yuma trailing behind her.

"Hey girls" I greeted as I loved on them for a minute. I stood up and called Kendall's name again. "Upstairs, babe!" he yelled in response. I groaned as I made my sore legs walk up the stairs to our shared bedroom.

When I walked in the room he wasn't in there but there were suitcases and clothes all over the floor. I merely groaned and plopped down on the bed, burying my face in the fleece blanket.

A few minutes later I heard his footsteps and a piece of clothing landed on my head. "Excuse you!" I said sassily only it was muffled by the blankets.