This is the last part! *sniff* I hope you all enjoy! :)

Gordo was in the kitchen making them a bowl of popcorn while Lizzie was setting the movie up in the living room. The ending ding of the microwave signaled that the popcorn was done and that Gordo would be appearing soon. Lizzie fast forwarded all the previews and paused it right before the movie actually began.

Lizzie fidgeted by the couch, but didn't sit down. No, it was crucial that Gordo took a seat first. When he arrived with the bowl of popcorn in his hands, she beamed. "That smells awesome!"

"Popcorn always smells awesome," Gordo replied with a smile of his own.

"Go on and sit down. I have to grab the remote." Lizzie knew it would look a little weird if she stood beside the couch and waited for Gordo to sit, so she had purposefully placed the remote back on the TV, giving her an excuse not to take a seat yet.

"So, what are we watching?"

"You've asked like five times, Gordo." Lizzie rolled her eyes. "You'll see very soon."

"Hey, can you blame me? I'm secretly afraid that you're forcing me to watch a chick flick." He popped a few fluffy kernels in his mouth and chewed.

"Oh, Gordo, when have I ever done that to you?"

He fixed her with a look.

"Oh...right."

Finally she retrieved the remote and walked back to the couch. This was it. Lizzie took a deep breath and sat right next to Gordo. That wasn't the hard part, they always sat next to one another when they watched movies. However, this time, instead of the normal few inches between them, Lizzie was almost plastered to his side.

Lizzie acted as if everything was normal and reached for a handful of popcorn. "Ready?" She looked up at him, surprised at how close they really were. Gordo's blue eyes were wide and he could only nodded.

"Great." Lizzie pressed play and then, tossed the remote on the other side of the couch.

The movie started and Gordo lost his shocked look at having Lizzie so close, but when he saw what the movie was, a different surprised look emerged on his face. "Gladiator?" He asked. "I didn't think you would ever watch this kind of movie. I mean, it's about as far from a romantic comedy as you can get."

Lizzie shrugged. "It's one of my dad's favorites and I just thought you would like to watch it. Hopefully, it'll make up for all the times Miranda and I dragged you to sappy love story movies."

"More than makes up for it. It's one of my favorites." His eyes went back to the TV screen and he became engrossed in the movie while Lizzie smiled secretly to herself.

Lizzie found herself somewhat enjoying the movie (okay, she was liking it a lot. Don't tell Miranda!). Outside it was growing dark and Lizzie found herself curling into Gordo's side. They had finished the popcorn a while before and the empty bowl sat on the table in front of them. Now, Gordo's hands fidgeted in his lap and Lizzie wondered how he would react if she were to grab one and hold it. But she didn't.

As the end credits rolled, Lizzie was disappointed that only their shoulders touched and neither one had been brave enough to hold hands. She had one last chance. Grabbing the empty bowl, she stood. "Ready for dessert? Wait for me out on the deck and I'll bring it out."

"Okay," he said, voice soft. Without looking at her, he made his way to the sliding doors and slipped outside.

"All right, McGuire," she said to herself and placed the empty bowl on the counter. "This is your last chance, you got this." Lizzie grabbed two bowls and filled them up with raspberry gelato she had asked her mom to get from the store a few days ago.

"Here." Lizzie walked out onto the deck and takes a seat next to Gordo on the stairs. He took the offered bowl. "It's raspberry gelato. I hope its good." She took a bite and looked at Gordo, whose brow was furrowed and eyes distant.

"Something wrong?"

Gordo shook his head and looked at her. "No, I was just thinking about something."

"What?" She asked, sounding a little hopeful. The kiss?

"Nothing important."

"Oh."

Together, they sat in silence and ate their desserts. Lizzie knew that she had only about an hour until her parents came home, meaning she had an hour to bring up the kiss. Of course, that could be done in five freaking minutes if she would just open her mouth!

"All we need now is a great view and some fireworks," she muttered and started morosely into her empty bowl. If only she hadn't allowed them to walk off the roof without talking first. Things could have been different, their relationship could have been different. But at the time, she had been so confused. So many things had happened in her life in those few days in Rome, she didn't know what to do.

"What did you say, Lizzie?"

"Nothing," she sighed.

"Lizzie. I have to ask you something."

Lizzie looked up. "Yeah?"

"The spaghetti for dinner and the gelato for dessert, there's a reason for it. Isn't there?"

"You forgot the movie, too." Finally! It looked like Gordo was catching on.

"The movie? Oh! The Coliseum, gladiators...Rome."

Lizzie smiled. "And I thought you would like it better than Sabrina Goes to Rome and When in Rome with the Olsen twins." Both movies had been on her mind before she saw Gladiator on the shelf.

"I did. So, all of this was to remind us of Rome. Why?"

Lizzie fidgeted with the bowl in her hands and refused to look his way. "It was to hopefully help you remember something that happened while we were in Rome."

"You singing on stage?"

She shook her head.

"Paolo?"

"No!" She cried. "I never want to remember him again. Ever!" Gordo looked relieved at this, but still was confused about the whole thing.

"Then, what?"

"The kiss, Gordo! The kiss we shared on the roof." It felt so good to finally let that out. It had been bottled up inside her for the past month and she had been surprised she hadn't exploded because of it.

"Oh. That. I thought you wanted to forget about it." This time it was Gordo not making the eye contact.

"What? No!"

"Well, you never really said anything about it that night or the fourteen hour flight home. I figured it was just a thank you kiss." The way Gordo's shoulders were slumped, Lizzie knew that it being just a thank you kiss wasn't something he wanted.

"It was a thank you kiss, but it was also so much more." She reached for his hand and Gordo finally turned to look her way.

"Really?"

"Yes! Gordo, the whole time you were so sweet. You covered for me, you got kicked off the trip for me and you made sure I didn't make a fool of myself on stage." Tears came to her eyes. "You've always been there for me, telling me how pretty and great I am. I was an idiot for not seeing what was in front of me my whole life. You."

"So...what are you saying?" He looked incredibly hopeful.

"I did all of this so we could talk about the kiss and I want to be something more...with you. You're my best friend, Gordo. I love you and I'm sorry that it took me awhile to see that I didn't love you like just a friend anymore."

Gordo didn't say anything. Instead, he cupped her cheeks gently and kissed her full on the mouth. It was more of a kiss than the one on the roof, but it was still too chaste for Lizzie. Pulling back, she took the bowl from her lap, moved closer to Gordo and threaded her hand through his dark curls to pull him close once more. This time, she tilted her head to one side and opened her mouth just slightly.

Neither one had much experience kissing. But this was the best kiss they had ever had.

They pulled back again, but Gordo didn't allow them to be apart for long before he was pulling her mouth back to his.

A little while later, they were lying on the grass of the McGuire backyard and gazed up at the stairs. Their hands were clasped between them. Neither had ever been so happy. Gordo rolled to his side and looked down at Lizzie.

"Can I ask you something?"

She smiled. "Of course."

"Remember when you hosted Ethan's Murder Mystery Party?"

"Yeah." That had been the first time Gordo's feelings for her had been made known. "I remember."

"Remember when we were on your porch and I was going to ask you something before your dad interrupted?" He gulped. "I'd like to try again."

"Okay. Go on." Deep down, she knew what he was about to say and felt giddy. Maybe if her dad hadn't interrupted, they would been together and Rome would have gone much differently. But that was all in the past and they were here now.

"All right. Uh, Lizzie McGuire, will you go out with me?"

"I thought kissing you a little bit ago was an answer to that question." She squeezed his hand. "Yes, I'll go out with you."

Gordo smiled a full smile before leaning down to kiss her some more. His hands were on either side of her head on the grass while both of hers when in his hair. They didn't separate until they heard the front door open and Jo McGuire call out for them. Gordo quickly rolled to his back and placed his hands on his chest. Lizzie did the same.

When Jo and Sam walked out to see the couple, they saw that they were gazing at the stars with inches between them. However, Jo noticed the dreamy look on her daughter's face and knew what must have happened between the two. She was happy for them.

Lizzie walked Gordo to the door. He had turned down Mr. McGuire's offer of a ride and decided to walk. He didn't live very far from the McGuire house.

Lizzie closed the door behind them and pulled him into a hug. Immediately, he wrapped his arms around her and smelled her wonderful scent. He still couldn't believe the events of the night. Lizzie's plan hadn't hit him until they had dessert and he had to smile at her inventive way of reminding him of the kiss.

"So, I'll see you tomorrow?" She asked, arms wrapped around his neck while his hands were on her waist. He was glad that they were the same height now.

"Sure. Maybe we could go to a movie or something."

"Like a date?" Her smile was mischievous.

"Y-Yeah."

"Can't wait, then." She kissed him. God, he didn't know if he would ever get used to her kissing him.

"Great! Uh, I can come by around noon. We can have lunch at the Digital Bean and then, head to the theater."

"Sounds great!" She was running her hands through the hair at the back of his head. "Now, we have about five minutes before my dad opens the door. So, how should we spend it?"

Instead of using words, Gordo just pulled her into another kiss.

He guessed he didn't have to be in Rome to experience a magical romance with the girl he loved.

The End

Hope you all liked this three parter! I had sooooooo much fun writing it and didn't want it to end. I think I will be writing more Lizze/Gordo fics in the future! Thank you all for reading! :)