Chapter 8: With A Little Help From Family


No!!! Why is Zack here? Why right now? Just seeing him reminds me of his brother, my boyfriend. It also makes me remember how much I love Cody. Right before I was about to call Jamie…

Oh my god! I was going to ask Jamie out! I almost cheated on my perfect boyfriend! Cody will never forgive me for this… Seeing Zack brings back so many memories of the few days Cody and I spent as boyfriends. And how much Cody means to me, how much I love him more than anyone in the world. I realize now there is no way I'll ever be able to be have anyone but Cody as a boyfriend. Jamie could never have made me as happy as Cody makes me.

I'm not sure I'll be able to forgive myself for what I almost did. Just thinking about my betrayal brings tears to my eyes. I try to wipe them away before Zack sees them.

"Is something wrong, Max? Aren't you happy to see me?" Apparently Zack has noticed my upset expression.

"No, of course not. I just… I mean… I…" This is so stupid! I take a breath and try again. "No, I'm happy to see you, Zack. But what are you doing here?"

"It's about Cody," he explains.

Of course it's about Cody. Why else would he be here? I hope Cody's not trying to break up with me. But I'm pretty sure he isn't. Although I would deserve nothing more than for him to dump me, Cody still would never send his twin to tell me the bad news. If he really wanted to break up with me, he would do it in person.

"Can we talk somewhere, Max?" Zack asks me in a solemn tone. "It's really important."

"Um… sure," I answer, wondering what this is about. I'm not used to Zack being that serious. "Let me ask Dad first, since my shift is about to start."

"Okay, I'll wait for you over there." Zack points to an empty table. "And um Max, while you're there, can you make me a sandwich?"

I nod and walk over to my dad to ask for permission to start work a little bit later. Fortunately he understands that I really need to talk to Zack right now and says it's okay. I quickly grab a sandwich for Zack and pick up my cellphone, which is still lying where I dropped it when Zack showed up. Before putting it away, I notice I have a text message from Jamie. He's probably wondering why I called him and then didn't say anything. I guess I'll read and reply later, once I know what Zack wants from me.

After I give Zack his sandwich, I sit down next to him and look at him questioning, but he seems to be too hungry to explain himself. So I let him eat his sandwich first and wait expectantly for him to tell me why he's come all the way to New York. Since I thought he and Cody were still on the ship, seeing him here is pretty out of the ordinary.

While Zack is finishing his sandwich, I read Jamie's text quickly. He was indeed asking why I called him and if I could call him back. I can let him know soon enough because Zack is finally done eating and ready to start explaining everything to me.

"Come on, Zack, why are you here?" I just need to know, and fast!

"I'm coming to save your relationship!" he smirks.

"What?! What the hell are you talking about?"

"Your long distance relationship with Cody isn't going as planned; you must have realized that, too. And I'm here to help the both of you make it work."

That's not really news to me, of course. Long distance is definitely not working out. That's why I almost went out with Jamie in the first place. But I wonder what he meant by helping us out? What can he do for us? The problem is that I'm in New York and Cody's on the ocean.

"How? And how did you get here in the first place? Aren't you supposed to be somewhere on the ocean?"

"No, not really… We were called back home for a family emergency. Didn't Cody tell you?"

"No, what happened? Is something wrong with your mom?"

"She's OK, don't worry about her. It's our aunt who died, so we had to go to her funeral." Zack pronounces it "ahnt" with a typical Boston accent.

So maybe that's why I didn't hear from Cody all week —the unplanned trip back to Boston! And maybe he doesn't have a computer at the Tipton, or Internet access, or something. I might have been a bit too fast jumping to conclusions.

"Oh my god!" I exclaim, feeling pangs of sympathy for my bereaved boyfriend. "Was she close to you guys?"

"No, not really. She and Mom had some fights in the past, so we didn't see her a lot. I think it's been almost ten years since we saw last her. But still, a death in the family is always hard and our mom is pretty upset."

"I'm sorry," I respond, looking to the floor. "But why are you here now?"

"Yeah, well… to surprise Cody! We had to leave the ship in a hurry, and basically didn't have time to pack all our stuff, including our cellphone chargers and laptops. Cody has been down ever since the funeral. I think the combination of our aunt's death and not being able to contact you is really hard on my brother."

Okay, here comes the guilty feeling again… I was so stupid to think Cody stopped emailing me 'cause he didn't want to be with me anymore. But now it turns out that's not true. And I almost cheated on Cody with Jamie! Why did I have to listen to Alex and Justin? For once they didn't ignore me, didn't neglect me. No, they finally seemed to care about how I feel. Except that now their advice almost screwed everything up for me. Isn't it ironic?

"And now all he does is mope around all day and cry. Yesterday I'd had enough so I decided to help my little brother by making him forget about the funeral and getting his boyfriend to visit him at the same time," Zack continues.

I nod to confirm he can go on with his story. But inside, I'm shedding tears myself. It really hurts knowing that Cody is feeling that bad. It's nothing compared to how I've been feeling the past week. I wish I could have been there for my boyfriend when he had to go to that funeral! But thanks to Zack, at least I'll be able to comfort him.

I have to admit, though, that it's very sweet of Zack to think about his brother's happiness so much. I still remember the shocked guy who spilled his smoothie over Justin when Cody announced we were boyfriends. This Zack seems like a totally different guy; he must be the best brother Cody could wish for.

"Mom and I got together and decided to surprise Cody by setting up a date for you and him. Mom is in charge of the date itself, while I'm responsible for getting you to Boston."

"Your mom?"

"Yeah, she said it would take her mind off losing her sister."

I'm perplexed. Zack has done many nice things for us in the past. Like setting up our first date together and being our waiter at that same date for example. But what he has planned now is really impressive. I think he may be right. This could be just the thing to save my relationship with Cody.

"Anyhow… Max, want to come with me and be Cody's knight in shining armour?"

"Of course I will!" I don't even have to think about that. "I gotta ask Dad first, though. If you don't mind?"

"Not at all, go ahead, dude."

I sprint over to my dad, who has just finished serving a customer. Before I can ask him anything, I'm jumping up and down with excitement. I'm going to see Cody again!

"Whoa there, Max, stop jumping around like that!" Dad exclaims when he sees me. "What's gotten into you?"

"Nothing… Dad, Zack asked me to come back to Boston with him to visit Cody. Their aunt just died and Cody's really upset. I want to be there for him, I think he really needs me right now. So is it OK with you if I go? Can I, please, please, please?" I keep rambling on.

"Easy there, son. Yeah, you can go if it's OK with your mother, too," Dad replies, searching out Mom to see if she'll give me permission.

I look at Mom straight away with pleading puppy dog eyes to make sure she'll agree.

"Sure, Maxie, you can go," she consents. "I think it's wonderful that you want to be there for Cody at a difficult time, and I'm so glad you've cheered up. It really hurt to see my baby so sad," Mom adds before she pulls me into a hug.

When I finally release myself from my mom, who practically strangles me with this hug, I want to get over to Zack to leave for Boston as soon as possible. But before I can do that, Dad grabs me by my arm and pulls me into the sandwich making area so we can have a quiet conversation.

"Um son… You can visit Cody for now, but we have to discuss some things. I'll come pick you up in Boston tomorrow, together with Justin. That is, if you want to go through with this thing with Cody, of course," Dad explains to me.

"Of course I want to," I exclaim. There is no doubt for me anymore: staying with Cody is worth it, and I'm willing to do whatever it takes to make this relationship last.

"You really are sure, Max? Only a few minutes ago you wanted to ask Jamie out and now it's Cody again?"

And there is the doubt again. But this time I quickly shrug away those thoughts. It's Cody who I want as boyfriend, not Jamie. But I don't want to lose Jamie as a friend either. I definitely need to call him to tell him I won't be able to go to the Gay Film Festival. And to make sure we're still friends, even though I'm choosing to stay with Cody.

"You don't have to answer that, son. Just go to see Cody now. Justin and I will be there tomorrow. If you're definitely sure Cody is your guy, we can work something out for the two of you. Because this long distance relationship is obviously not working."

Yes, we've established this by now. I have to admit, I'm a little curious how we can solve the situation without using magic. But I guess I'll find out later. Now I just want to get to Cody as soon as possible. But first I have to call my best friend.

"That's OK, Dad. I'll be waiting for you," I reply. "I guess I'll be off with Zack, after I go pack my bag and call Jamie."

Dad nods in agreement, and maybe even a little bit of pride, as he goes to the counter again, while I grab my cellphone and try to call Jamie for the second time today.

"Hey, Jamie," I say when he answers.

"Oh, hey Max! So, why did you call me before?"

"Um, nothing really. I just wanted to tell you I can't make it to the film festival today."

"OK… but I didn't know we were going?"

Damn! He's right about that, we didn't actually make plans to go. This is slightly awkward…

"Well, no, but… look Jamie, I'm going to visit Cody in Boston," I tell my friend.

"Cody? You heard back from him at last?"

"Yeah. His twin is taking me to Boston for a romantic date with Cody."

"Oh… Um… That's… awesome, Max," Jamie manages to reply. It's so obvious he's just trying to be a good friend. But he must feel really bad on the inside.

"Yeah… So I won't be here this weekend…"

"That's OK, Max," Jamie replies, but I can hear the sadness in his voice. I feel pretty bad for him. This guy is not only my best friend, but it's clear now that he really did like me as more than a friend. I just hope we will still be friends after this phone call.

"So, we're still friends, right, Jamie? Even though Cody is my boyfriend?"

"Of course. Why not? This doesn't change anything for us. You know that, and anyway, buddy, you've always been up front about having a boyfriend."

I have to confess my respect for Jamie as a person has never been this big before. This whole situation must be awful for him. He must be aware that I know he has feelings for me, which makes it even harder for him. Because I've basically just told him that he has no chance with me, ever. Given that he's being so understanding, I guess Jamie is what you would call a true friend.

"Thanks, man!" I tell him. "And I'm really sorry, Jamie, but Cody is… well, he's just…"

"I know. He's your true love. Now don't be sorry and just go after your boyfriend. You should be in Boston already, dude!" Jamie responds, sounding a bit more confident now.

"Haha, I will. C ya later, man!"

"C ya! And be sure to let me know how it went, Max!" he says before ending the call.

I have to say, I'm very relieved Jamie still wants to be my friend and took the news about Cody pretty well. Although I'm afraid he's bawling his eyes out over me now. But as bad as I feel for him, I also have to do what he told me: get to Cody as fast as possible! So I run upstairs, grab my sports bag, throw some clothes in and dash back down to where Zack is waiting for me.

So this is it, I'm off to finally see Cody again. I quickly wave good-bye to my parents and pull the older twin out of the sub shop with me. Outside, Zack assumes control and takes me to where he left the car. Well, where his chauffeur – Maddie, I think it was – is waiting for him. When we reach this Maddie, we jump into the car right away, wasting no time on chitchat. We have a four-hour ride ahead of us in which to get to know each other.

During the ride, it's mainly me and Zack chatting while he tells me about some of the mischievous things he has done at the Tipton, often involving his little brother but mostly his own fault. I also learn about Zack's long-time crush on Maddie. It must have been a funny sight — a twelve-year-old Zack trying to impress a fifteen-year-old girl. While everybody around him knew how hopeless it was. Cute.

As we ride on, our conversation slides to the one topic I'd rather avoid: my strange reaction and almost bursting into tears when I saw Zack standing there in our shop. I knew this was going to come up sooner or later, but I hoped it would be later. I did fix everything with Jamie, but I'm still worried about how Cody could react to this. And Zack, too. He might think I'm a jerk for wanting to cheat on Cody. I can still remember him warning me never to hurt his baby brother.

But Zack seems to think the whole situation is pretty amusing. Because after I explained how I almost went out on a date with Jamie, he starts chuckling, which boggles my mind. How can he be so casual about this? It is a major deal for me, and all he does is laugh? I don't understand this.

"Zack? Why are you laughing? Aren't you mad or something?"

"No, not at all. Come on, dude, it's not like you actually went out with him or anything. You just were exploring your options. And only because my little brother was experiencing technical difficulties," Zack clarifies for me. "I would have been furious if you'd actually found another boyfriend, but this? Nah, it's nothing."

"Really? I feel like I betrayed Cody's trust by even thinking about going out with Jamie," I confess.

"Max, we're men; we can't control ourselves, I totally understand," he exclaims. "I wouldn't tell Cody right away, though. He's kind of emotional now, and he's always so sensitive. He could take it the wrong way."

"But I don't want to lie to Cody!"

"Just tell him later. Sometimes it's better not to tell the truth straight away. Take that from someone who has experience with this stuff, my dear brother-in-law," Zack advises with a smirk.

"Okay, I'll do that," I respond, glad all of this is apparently not an issue for Zack. And I have to say, being called brother-in-law is pretty funny. There is no way we're already on that path in our relationship. But it's nice Zack did call me that. It shows he really believes in Cody and me.

Believe it or not, I'm going to take his advice and not tell Cody yet. I don't want to risk having a fight over this when we can finally meet up again after these long weeks.

Relieved that Zack has taken away all my fears about Jamie and me, I go back to making small talk with both Zack and Maddie. Zack tells more stories of the crazy stuff they did back at the Tipton Hotel. Cody told me some of these tales before, but now it appears that a lot more shenanigans happened around there.

Lost in all this chitchat, we barely notice when we finally arrive in Boston after almost four hours. Only a few more minutes and we'll be able to see the Tipton Hotel where my boyfriend is waiting. I'm getting very nervous at the prospect of seeing him again; shivering and feeling my body sweat all over. It's almost exactly like when we first met, back on the ship.

"Really, Max?" Zack smirks when he sees the state I'm in. "You don't have to be this nervous. It's only Cody you're going to visit. He's already crazy about you, so there's no need to worry about that."

Once again Zack seems to have found the right words to calm me down. It's amazing how this guy can manage that by just saying something stupid. It's a bit odd, but it seems to me that Zack and I are very much alike when it comes to stuff like that.

And there it is, at last: the Boston Tipton Hotel, the spot where I'll be face to face with my boyfriend again. As soon as the car is parked, Zack and I jump out and run over to the doors. Inside it's Zack who leads me through the hotel.

Until we stop in front of a closed door. A door that, I guess, leads to the room where I will get to see Cody again. Before I can ask Zack if this is the case, he grabs his cellphone and makes a quick call. By the looks of it, everything is OK because Zack puts his cellphone away and grabs me by my arm.

"Well, Max, this is it. Just open this door and step inside," Zack orders, giving me a small push.

At the exact same moment I walk into the room, I see someone doing the same on the other side. I get a better look and… it's him! It's Cody! I finally see Cody standing in front of me, in real life. I can't believe this! And by the looks of him, neither can Cody. He's standing there as stunned as I am.

"MAX!"

"CODY!"

We both run towards one another and pull each other into a firm hug when we meet somewhere in the middle of the room. Before either of us is able to say something, we lean in to one another so our lips can meet. Soon we're entangled in a very passionate kiss. And I mean really passionate, 'cause this is a feeling we have been missing for about four weeks. Now that I remember how it feels to kiss my incredible boyfriend, I'm dead sure I never want to miss this sensation again.

After quite a long time we decide to break our kiss and turn to the two people who brought us together. Before I can thank Zack for bringing me here, Cody gives me a small kiss on my cheek and exclaims,

"O Maxie, I missed you so much! How did you get here?"

Again I'm interrupted before I even can say something. This time it's the other twin who stops me.

"I brought him here, bro. Well, Maddie drove, of course."

"You, Zack? You did this? You brought Max to Boston?" Cody asks his twin, full of disbelief.

"Yeah. To be honest, I and Mom organized this. We couldn't stand seeing you so sad, so we decided to surprise you by bringing your boyfriend here. I had to get Max while Mom took care of the dinner," Zack explains to his younger twin, who is staring dumbfounded at him.

"I… I… I don't know what to say, Zack."

"Then don't say anything, bro. You're my baby brother; I can't stand it when you're being that sad."

"Thanks," Cody manages to bring out before he pulls his brother into a hug.

"Really, Cody, it's nothing. That's what twins are for after all," Zack mumbles. "But hey, don't waste your time hugging me. You have a boyfriend standing there. And Mom arranged a romantic dinner for you."

That seems to be the signal for Cody to break this display of brotherly love. He grabs my hand and walks with me over to the table.

"Mom? You prepared this for me?" Cody asks his mother before he sits himself down.

"Yes, just like your brother said, I couldn't stand seeing my baby sad. So we did this for you," his mother says. "And when you guys are done, you can bring him up to the suite. Zack will make up a bed for Max in your room so he can spend the night here. But for now, have fun on your date, sweetie."

With those last words both Zack and his mother disappear from the room. Cody and I sit down at the nicely decorated table and get treated almost immediately to the first dish of this surprise menu Cody's family has chosen for us.

The whole setting here reminds me a lot of the dinner I organized for Cody a month ago when we were celebrating our first day as a couple. Even the dishes are pretty similar. The seafood medley is almost identical. OK, true enough, the chicken was a little different. It was called "Chicken française" on the ship, while the dish is named "Chicken Paolo" here. But to be honest, that's the only difference. The crepes a la mode show this even more. The flavour is exactly the same as the ones we had back on the ship. Not only that, they even look the same. I guess once you've had dinner in one Tipton, you've had dinner in them all.

But this weird coincidence also has a much more significant meaning for us. The first time we had a romantic dinner, it was meant to honour the start of us as a couple. While the second time we have practically the same dinner, it symbolizes the restart of our relationship after this difficult period apart. It's obvious this particular menu means something more to us now than just a delicious meal.

During the evening we talk about almost everything. We avoid talking about his aunt, though. I have a feeling he's not ready for that yet. I don't know how I know that, it just feels like that. I can't explain it, but somehow I think it's better if we don't talk about the death at all and just focus on this happy occasion.

It's almost like we haven't spoken each other for months. While in reality, the last video conversation was only a week ago. Although video isn't the same as seeing Cody in person. Now we can be affectionate with each other again. It goes without saying we take more than a lot of advantage of this opportunity to hug, kiss and just enjoy being close to each other again.

Throughout the evening we also discuss what we both have been doing the last month, and especially the last week. Since I never talked about Jamie to Cody, I mention him as my only gay friend, one who has acted like my mentor. Recalling Zack's warning, I don't talk about how I nearly asked him out or how cute he is. As far as Cody knows, Jamie is my best friend and nothing more. I have to admit, I feel a bit bad hiding this from my loved one, but I think Zack had the right idea. This is not the best moment to talk about that. Maybe later…

Although both of us want this evening to go on forever, the time to go back to Cody's suite comes way too quickly for us. But since we have no choice once the waiter comes in to clear away the plates and table, we make our way to the elevator and go up to the 23rd floor where their suite is located. When we arrive at the door of Suite 2330, Cody stops me and turns me to him so that we are standing face to face.

"Cody?"

"There is something I really need to tell you, Maxie," Cody says, an expression of pure seriousness on his face.

"There is? What's wrong, sweetie?"

"Nothing's wrong, Maxie. It's totally the opposite; I want to thank you for being here. Thanks to you, I haven't thought about my poor auntie all evening."

"That's OK, that's what boyfriends are for."

"There is something else too… Today has been the best day since you left to go back to New York. Four weeks of being on the ship or sitting here in my room without you have been agony and made me realize something. I… I don't want to be without you, I can't miss you anymore. I… I… I love you, Maxie."

"I love you too, sweetie! I love you so so so so much!" I exclaim before I pull my boyfriend into a hug that flows into the kiss of a lifetime. There are no words to describe how happy I'm feeling right now. This is the first time Cody has ever said the l-word to me. I can feel it came from deep down his heart. Knowing we both feel the same about one another, I give everything into this fantastic kiss.

Being caught up in our kiss like that, neither of us hears the sound of the door opening. We don't even notice someone is standing there, looking at us until we hear a cough.

When we hear that, we automatically break our kiss and jump away from each other. Only to see it's just Zack.

"Zack!!" we both scream together.

"Hey Cody, hey Max, how are you guys?" Zack asks, trying to hide a smirk but not succeeding. "Oh wait, I just saw that!"

"Zack!" Cody exclaims, turning redder than I've ever seen him.

"Oh come on, I'm just happy to see you two being so in love," the older twin chuckles. "But it's getting late and Mom's nagging me to go to bed already."

And so we walk into the suite, say good night to their mom and head to the bedroom, where I see a mattress on the floor, which I guess will serve as a bed for me. It's been a long day for both me and Cody – and Zack as well – so we get into bed and fall asleep right away.

When I wake up the next day, I feel a bit disoriented at first. This doesn't quite feel like I'm in my own bed. I look around to see a strange environment I don't recognize at first. There are two beds, besides my mattress, in this room. In one there is someone still fast asleep. While in the other one I discover my boyfriend staring at me with a loving gaze.

At that moment I remember everything that happened yesterday. I'm at Cody's home in Boston and we're still a couple! Happily I get out of bed, throw myself onto my beloved's bed to give him a 'good morning' hug and kiss.

Unfortunately for us, Zack interrupts us yet again. He seems to have a habit of always being the one who catches us all over each other. Must be pretty disturbing for him to be woken up by the sounds of his twin brother making out with his boyfriend. But hey, we can't help it, we're in love.

Anyhow, since we don't want to traumatize the older twin even more, we get dressed and go make some sandwiches for breakfast. We don't spend much time eating, since we'd rather get out of the suite as soon as possible to hang out at the park across from the Tipton Hotel. After all, the weather is very nice today, so why not spend the day outside?

Besides that, I have to spend as much time as possible with my boyfriend. After all, Dad and Justin are going to show up at some point to take me back to New York with them. If I remember it correctly, Dad also said he wanted to discuss some stuff with me, if I was sure I wanted to stay with Cody. It's crystal clear now for the both of us we want to be together in the future, too. Neither of us wants to end this now.

When we arrive at the park, I recognize the faces of two people sitting on a bench. Apparently Dad and Justin are already here. I was hoping this moment wouldn't come so soon this morning, but seeing as we have no choice, Cody and I walk over to them.

"Hey Dad! Justin!" I greet them.

"Hey, son, Cody," Dad replies, giving my boyfriend a brief nod. "Did you have fun yesterday, Max?"

"Sure did. It was awesome! One of the best days of my life," I state and give Cody a small kiss on the cheek.

"Glad you enjoyed yourself, son. Have you thought about what I asked you yesterday?"

"Yeah, and the answer is yes, I do."

"Really? You're sure, Max?" Dad questions me again. It seems he wants to be absolutely sure I mean it this time.

"Totally serious, Dad. Cody and I are meant for each other, we love each other. I don't want to keep on being separated from him."

I take a look at my right where Cody is standing, holding my hand and see he's blushing a little, but nodding anyway. He's quiet for a while, like he's not ready to say anything, but then he opens his mouth and begins to speak.

"Max is right, Mr. Russo. I love him with all my heart," Cody declares, proudly holding my hand. "And I don't want to be separated from Max either. He's the most important person in my life right now."

Dad sighs a little, and I'm afraid he's going to bring up Jamie again to determine whether I am truly certain about Cody. Thankfully he doesn't go that way but takes a deep breath and speaks up.

"Well then, I guess we have some things to settle, son. Would you mind to um…?" He makes some strange moves with his head in Cody's direction as though he wants to get him out of here. I think I know what Dad means.

"Dad, it's OK. Cody already knows I'm a wizard. I felt my boyfriend had the right to know. After all relationships are built on trust." At this, I receive a small kiss on the cheek from Cody.

"You did what?! I… Max… How… Oh damn! You could have at least talked to me or your mother before telling him!" Dad seems pretty flustered.

I shrug my shoulders to show I don't really care. Cody is more important to me than this rule, even if it upsets my dad. But I have a feeling he isn't quite as angry as I expected him to be. Judging from the look on his face, he's even a bit proud of me. I guess that makes sense since Dad is the one who gave up his magic powers to marry Mom. To be honest, I never really understood why he did that, but now I completely understand. This must be how Dad felt toward Mom when he made the fateful decision.

"Well then, so be it… This makes the arrangement we had in mind a little bit easier though. Max, your mother and I have been talking and we agree this relationship is a good thing for you and we want you to be happy. So we've talked to that Mr. Moseby and managed to enrol you for the next school year at Seven Seas High."

My eyes almost pop out of my head when I hear him say this. I'm speechless: me, on the ship with Cody? For a whole year? Sweet!

"We think the change of school might be good for you, along with Cody's help since he's such a good student. But we do expect better grades from you from now on. We know you'll be out on the ocean, but don't think we can't punish you for low grades," Dad explains to me in tone that says he means business.

I nod enthusiastically. Of course I will make sure I get good grades if it means I can spend more time with Cody.

"And what about magic training, Dad?"

"That will be a bit more complicated. But we managed to find a solution to work this out. We – well, Justin – will set up a video link so you can have the same lessons as your brother and sister. I know it's probably not the easiest plan, but at this point, it's the best solution we can think of."

I'm still speechless, grabbing Cody's hand to make sure this is not some kind of dream. But no, it isn't, this is real! The only thing I can think to do is throw myself into my dad's arms and start saying a thousand thank you's. This is so awesome! And so unexpected, too!

"Um, thanks, son. You can let go. Now don't forget you still have a few months of school in New York. So I hope this arrangement might make them a little less hard on you?"

I nod enthusiastically and, letting go of Dad, I turn to Cody and exclaim, "Cody, I'm going to be with you all year! We'll be together on the ship, and at school! I'll never have to miss you again!"

"I know! This is the best news ever! I'll help you with everything, Maxie. School, magic, whatever you need, I'll be there for you!"

The next thing we do is jump into each other's arms and share another very intense kiss.

"Come on, lovebirds, we have a lot of things to take care of before next year starts," Justin says, smirking as the four of us make our way back to the Tipton Hotel.


Author's Notes: With this we almost reached the end of our little love story. There will be only one more chapter after this.

Like always I have to thank Elianna22 for doing such an amazing job proofreading and editing. Even while she has such a busy schedule, she always manages to make time to look over to my stuff. It's highly appreciated, Ellie! :)