One year later

I couldn't focus on the papers I was editing for the millionth time to make sure they were perfect before I'd need to hand them in. I kept looking at the clock every five seconds, waiting for the phone to ring.

Aria was coming home today. She'd told me that she'd let me know when she actually arrived, but after a year of being on an entirely different continent, she was finally coming home.

I was so relieved that I'd be able to see her, hear her, hug her, and just spend time with her again. Sure we'd kept in touch. We'd talked pretty much every day still, mostly trading e-mails but we'd made sure to Skype at least once a week. But her being home would just be so much better.

When my phone finally went off, I practically tackled it.

Guess who's back?

I grinned enormously, not that anybody could see me.

I was running out the door as I texted her back.

Coming over. Now.

I couldn't help it if I was overly excited that my best friend was home. I mean who wouldn't be? She was my other half, and with her gone I hadn't been complete. Add into the equation that I'd been secretly in love with her, and it was a wonder I hadn't been waiting at her front door for her. Not that I hadn't considered it.

I sped to the Montgomery house, which had been entirely too empty for too long, getting there in what was probably record time. I slowed down when I got close to the house, I didn't want to seem too eager, I suppose.

"Spence!" Aria squealed when I got out of the car.

"Hey Ar," I said. I looked her up and down. She looked better than ever. She'd gotten the pink streak in her hair removed, not that I hadn't already known that; she'd done it when she first moved to Iceland. It's not like I hadn't seen her through Skype, but seeing her in person again, God, she was beautiful. I was checking her out a little too obviously, but then, I had anticipated that I would before she'd even come home, and I'd prepared the perfect line for a cover-up. "Did you get shorter while you were gone?"

Aria glared at me playfully. "Hardy-har-har," she said, not really amused at all, but not mad either.

I smirked at her.

"Come here and give me a hug," Aria demanded.

I was only too happy to oblige. I wrapped my arms around her, reveling her warmth. I was whole again; my other half was home, and it was like nothing I'd ever felt before. I hadn't ever felt so lost than when she'd be gone. I suppose that made her return that much more satisfying, but I wasn't sure I could handle it if she left for that long again. I just missed her so much.

"I missed you," I told her, "I've never gone that long without seeing you before."

My parents had forced me to go to this camp when I had been twelve. It was a month away from home where I did nothing but enhance my knowledge. Melissa had gone to it for five years, but I'd missed my best friend so much that when I'd come home a month later, I'd told my parents that I never wanted to return to that "horrid place." It hadn't been that bad of a camp. In fact, if Aria had been there, I probably would have loved it. But Aria would never go to such a place and so neither would I.

"I missed you, too, hun," Aria replied, making me feel all fuzzy inside.

I kissed her gently on the cheek. It had been so long since I'd done that, but then I'd done that for years, it was one of the ways I'd subtly tried to tell Aria how I felt, but had then turned to habit.

"So you want some help unpacking?" I asked.

"Uh yeah," she said, picking a box up from the ground and handing it to me. "Can you take this to my room?"

"Of course," I said, taking the box into the house. I'd do anything for you.

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