Aiden nods confidently, kissing her again. “It did before.”
Leila’s smile brightens, and I know she’ll say yes whenever he asks, even if that day happens to be tomorrow.
“Anyone else making any life-changing decisions?” Grayson asks.
I bite my lip, glancing at Chris, who meets my eyes and nods. “I’m moving to New York,” I announce.
“You are?” Madi asks, raising her eyebrows in surprise, joined by Rosie and Leila. Only Chris knows, as I found out just a week ago.
I nod, unable to suppress the smile spreading across my face. “I received the acceptance letter from my dream dance school last week.”
“Wow,” Rosie says, her eyes lighting up. “That’s amazing. So, I guess we’ll be close by, then.”
Grayson shakes his head, running a hand through his hair. “Just when I thought we’d finally got rid of you,” he teases with a smirk.
“Don’t worry,” I reply, pressing my lips together in amusement. “I’ll be right there to annoy you.”
Grayson sighs dramatically, turning to Rosie. “Are you sure about New York, angel?” he asks, his tone teasing. “We could go anywhere else. Paris is far.”
Rosie laughs, knowing he’s joking, and leans back into him. His arms wrap around her waist, and he drops a kiss onto her blonde hair, closing his eyes with a smile.
“Are you going to New York with her?” Madi asks, glancing at Chris.
Aiden scoffs and shakes his head. “Dumb question. That guy will go anywhere with her.”
Chris doesn’t hesitate to confirm. He lifts our intertwined hands and wraps his arm around my shoulder, smiling down at me. “I made the mistake of leaving her once, and it was the worst decision of my life. I’m never leaving her again,” he says, his eyes locked with mine. “Wherever she wants to go, I’ll be there.”
I love him.
I love him so much I can’t even put it into words.
All I want to do is jump into his arms and kiss the hell out of him because the emotions inside me are so overwhelming.
But since we’re surrounded by our friends, I won’t.
“I can’t believe this is the end,” Rosie says, her face falling into a frown as she swallows.
“It’s school. It had to end sometime, angel,” Grayson says, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.
She sighs. “I know. But… I’ve had so much fun with you guys,” she says.
We all nod, understanding exactly how Rosie feels.
Leila rolls her eyes, and opens her arms wide. “C’mon. Let’s hug it out.”
We gather around her, wrapping our arms around each other in a tight embrace.
“Wait for me!” James slides in beside me, and we make space, welcoming him into our group hug.
I close my eyes, feeling a wave of emotion welling up inside me. I blink back tears, trying to keep my composure.
Grayson clears his throat. “Can we join, or—”
“No,” I reply, cutting him off.
He sighs, and I can’t help but laugh as I pull back from the hug.
“Do you guys want to go to Murphy’s?” I ask them. “One last time?”
