There wasn't supposed to be a part two, but oh well. You guys know how I am when I get an idea stuck in my head...

Good in Goodbye

It'd been years since Zach last thought of her—even longer since he'd seen her.

The day of her wedding. That was the last time he'd been in contact with her.

He hadn't meant to up and leave her, but watching her with Josh was too hard—much harder than he'd thought it would be—and he knew that if he was going to get over her, then he needed to let her go.

It was hard, mainly because she'd been his best friend for so long that he didn't even know if a life without Cammie was possible. But he managed to do it.

Seven months went by before she stopped calling, her attempts to reach out to him always having gone unanswered or ignored.

After eleven months, he realized he hadn't thought of her for a while, and although the thought was depressing, it showed progress.

Suddenly, five years had come and gone since she'd walked down the aisle and he'd pretended to be happy for her...and they still hadn't talked.

It'd been years since Zach last thought of her…and suddenly, there she was.

He was outside the restaurant they used to go to for lunch on the weekends back in high school, when he heard a laugh that stopped him in his tracks.

She looked good. Really good. So good, in fact, that he wondered if any time had passed at all. She looked exactly like she did when she was a teenager—sunny blonde hair, crystal blue eyes, and a dazzling smile that lit up her entire face.

He couldn't breathe for a moment as he watched her work her way through the crowd on the street, talking to an older Bex like she hadn't a care in the world. He hated to admit it, but she looked happy. Really happy.

He was about to turn around and disappear into the crowd when she happened to look up, and her hauntingly beautiful eyes locked on his.

"Zach?"

He froze, his body tensing at the sound of her voice. He wondered how she was going to react, considering he basically abandoned her with no explanation or even a goodbye. Would she be mad? Would she make him feel even guiltier than he already did? As if that were possible.

Cammie glanced back at Bex, who looked just as surprised to see him as he was to see them.

When she turned to face him again, he noticed her cheeks were painted pink, and she struggled to even look him in the eye. If he hadn't know any better, he'd say she was feeling guilty for what had happened between them.

"Let's do lunch tomorrow," she suggested, catching him completely off guard. "We can catch up on the past five years."

He knew he should've said no. That his sanity and well-being depended on it.

But then again, he never could say no to Cammie.

"You look good."

Zach nodded uncomfortably. "You too. You look happy, Cam."

A sweet smile spread across her lips. "Do you know how long it's been since I've heard you call me that?"

"Five years."

"Almost six, now."

Had it been almost six years? Zach could've sworn it had only been five. He guessed the fact that he lost track of how long he'd been without her was a testament to how successful he'd been in getting over her.

But then why did his stomach still flip like it did the day of her mom's wedding, when he was mere seconds away from kissing her?

He swallowed hard, hoping she couldn't tell how awkward this was for him.

Her eyes softened, and he knew he'd failed miserably.

He cleared his throat, if only to break the tense silence. "So are you? Happy, I mean?"

She nodded, smiling. "The happiest I've been in a long time, actually."

He nodded again, feeling like a freaking bobble-head doll. He hated that this was what she was to him now—an awkward stranger he didn't know how to talk to.

"Good," he told her when he decided that he should probably say something. He almost added that he was glad she was happy and that he was happy for her, but he stopped himself. He knew she'd hear the lie in his voice if he tried.

"What about you? Are you happy?" she asked him. It was sweet the way she asked it, her voice soft and innocent. Like she was really hoping that he'd say yes.

"Yeah, Cam. I'm happy."

She smiled again. "So, do you have a girlfriend?" she asked casually. But the innocent question made his mind race with reasons why she was interested. Automatically, as if his eyes were acting on their own accord, he glanced at her left hand, but she had it resting in her lap under the table and he couldn't see if there was still a ring on her finger. He looked away, feeling guilty for even thinking (and slightly hoping) that her and Josh were no longer together. Being married had always been Cammie's dream, and here he was wishing ill of it.

"I just always assumed someone must've snagged you up," Cammie continued, giving him another one of those smiles that had made him fall for her in the first place.

"Nope," he replied shortly. "Still single."

Her smile faltered at his brusqueness. If it had been five years ago, she would've called him out for being so rude. But instead, she let the silence grow between them. Just another reminder of how distant they'd become.

"I'm sorry," they said simultaneously, causing them both to look up and share a quick laugh.

"What're you sorry for, Cam?" Zach asked, astounded by her apology.

"This awkwardness between us…it's my fault," she said with a frustrated shake of her head.

"Your fault?" he gasped. How could it have been her fault when he was the one in love with his best friend? His best friend who had gotten married, no less.

"If I had just realized sooner…" She shook her head again. "I know why you stopped answering my calls, Zach."

He flinched, not just because she thought she knew his reasoning for cutting her out of his life, but because he hated the reminder.

"Why didn't you ever tell me?" she asked quietly.

"Cammie, I don't…you were…"he stammered, not really sure what she wanted him to say. What he wanted to say.

"I wasn't always married, Zach," she argued. "How long had you had feelings for me? Since we were kids?"

He shrugged. Honestly, he knew she already knew the answer to that.

"So why didn't you ever tell me?" she asked again, more forcefully this time.

"I tried," he argued. "After your mom's wedding when we almost…" he cut himself off, frustrated and hating that talking to her was so difficult now.

Her eyes softened again. "Kissed?" she finished for him.

He nodded. "But you never brought it up, and I thought that meant something. Like maybe you regretted it."

"I didn't regret it," she offered. "I was just young and dumb, and I didn't understand…"

He waited for her to gather her thoughts and resume talking, because he didn't really have a response to that.

She looked up into his eyes. "I was in love with you too, Zach. I just hadn't realized it until it was too late. Until you'd already cut me from your life."

He blew out a breath. "Seeing you with Josh was too hard. Believe me, I wish I could've been stronger so I didn't have to give you up, but—"

"I'm glad you did what you did," she told him. His eyes grew wide at her confession, and again, he was left speechless. "Sometimes, Zach, there's good in goodbye. If you'd have never left, I never would've realized that I'd made a huge mistake." She placed her hand over his, and immediately he noticed what was missing.

She wasn't wearing a wedding ring.

His eyes snapped back to hers, afraid to give away what he was thinking, but also begging for it to be true.

"Josh was great. And I truly did love him." She shook her head and gave Zach a smile that brightened her eyes more so than that day at her mom's wedding. "But it was you I couldn't live without. And I should've realized it sooner. I'm sorry, Zach."

"But…you said you were happy? The happiest you've been in a long time?"

She nodded, a small giggle escaping those lips he'd never gotten to kiss. "I am happy. After I realized my feelings for you, I was miserable with Josh. I still loved him, but I knew it would never be the same now that I couldn't stop thinking about you. So we got a divorce, and it felt like a huge weight had been lifted off my chest. I didn't have to pretend to be okay and put on a brave face for him anymore, you know?"

"When did you divorce?" Zach asked. He still couldn't believe what he was hearing. Cammie, the girl who'd always wanted to get married, had gotten a divorce. Because of him. He wasn't sure exactly how to feel about that.

"It was finalized two months ago," she answered, and his jaw nearly dropped to the floor. "I was planning on looking for you, but then you showed up yesterday out of the blue. Like a sign."

Her hand still rested on top of his. He turned his over so their palms met, and he laced his fingers with hers. "So…what now?"

She smiled again, and this time, he let his heart stutter at the beautiful sight. There was no reason to fight his feelings anymore.

"Now…I remedy the one thing I've always regretted not doing." She leaned across the table and placed her lips on his.

She'd probably meant for it to be a sweet first kiss—the kind that should've happened ages ago—but Zach couldn't help the desire pulsing through him. He laced his fingers in her hair and deepened the kiss, letting her know everything he was feeling and practically pouring out his heart.

"Does this mean you'll start answering my calls now?" she whispered against his lips, giggling when he smashed his mouth back into hers.

"You ready?"

Zach turned to see Joe standing in the doorway, dressed more impeccably than the last time Zach saw him. For some reason, that made him feel better—like maybe Joe approved of him more.

Zach nodded. "Have been since I was ten."

Joe smirked. Then he led Zach out into position.

Everything was so familiar. So similar to the last time. But this was Cammie's dream, so he did his best to ignore the fact that they were out in the country with magnolias everywhere just like before.

Unlike before, he stood in front of everyone—not hidden away in the back. He still took a shot of whiskey right before the band started playing, but not because he wanted to drown out his sorrows. When he caught sight of Cammie, walking down the aisle towards him in another beautiful white dress with more tears in her eyes and the biggest smile on her face, he didn't bother holding back tears of his own.

Yes, everything was the same as last time, but it was all so different, too.

Because this time, he was the one saying, "I do."

There...a happy ending for all Zammie lovers! When I had written the first chapter, a part of me was wondering if I could pull off writing another one where Cammie and Zach met again years later and Cammie revealed she left Josh. But I wasn't entirely planning on writing this until a few days ago...so hopefully I didn't just ruin this story by adding this last chapter to it :/

This chapter was sort-of, kind-of, not-really inspired by Carrie Underwood's "Good in Goodbye". Really the only part that was taken from the song was them meeting "outside a restaurant they used to go to", and him hearing a laugh that "stopped him in his tracks". Everything else has nothing to do with the song. But it's a beautiful song, so I'd suggest giving it a listen lol.

Thanks so much for reading! Hopefully you liked this ending and I've redeemed myself...?