Authors Note: I struggled with this chapter. Be sure to let me know what you thought. ;)

When I met you on the outskirts of town;

And I said,
"Romeo save me, I've been feeling so alone
I keep waiting for you but you never come
Is this in my head? I don't know what to think"

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

I had been staying in a little dinky hotel on the outskirts of town. It'd been six days since I had talked to Tim, and let me tell you, it wasn't for lack of trying. I didn't understand what in the hell had happened. How do you go from kissing me goodbye to setting my bag outside the door without so much as a 'Go to Hell.' I was angry. How could he just ignore me? Did he listen to my voicemails? Read my texts? Did that week I spent with him mean absolutely nothing to him at all? Hell, if nothing else I at least thought we were friends, weren't we?

And then, I was just confused. I didn't understand what had happened. It took a visit to Riggins Riggs and an impromptu meeting with Billy for me to understand exactly what went wrong between us. My father and my husband, an impenetrable duo, specializing in being a pain in my ass. I tried to get Billy to listen to me, but apparently I was satan reincarnate and nothing I said was good enough to pay any attention to. The conversation ended with me drawing a few stares as I flipped off Tims brother and stalked from the garage shouting obscenities I'd rather not repeat.

Mostly though, the emotion that encompassed me these last few days was hurt. My heart hurt. My head hurt. My stomach hurt. Damn it, it just hurt. I stopped calling him two days ago. Aside from going to the game tonight, I hadn't left the hotel room. I had to regroup. I had to figure out where I needed to go from here. I had put all my eggs in the Tim Riggin basket. He did something to me, for me, that made it seem okay for me to do that. I was safe with him. But now what do I do? Should I go back to Chicago and try to get my job back? Should I stay in Dillon? Maybe apply at the local newspaper? Maybe I should try my hand somewhere completely different? Start over completely.

But the more I thought about leaving Dillon, the more depressed the idea made me. Coming back here had truly been coming home. Not just because of Tim either, even though the idea of living here and not being with him killed me. My stomach growled, reminding me that I had forgotten to eat that day. I grabbed my purse, planning on running to the vending machine for a snack or two. I opened the door and jumped back, not expecting who was awaiting me on the other side.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

I'd been staring at the door to her hotel room for awhile. I felt like the biggest asshole on the face of the earth. I skipped the Applebees party and went home, where after a few minutes of brooding I decided it was time to listen to the messages and read the texts that Julie had sent me over the last 6 days. If I didn't feel like an asshole before then, I definitely did after the fact.

I was stubborn. I was hurt. And I let my own shitty attitude and stupid pride stop me from hearing her side of the story. No wonder she gave up. The texts and calls stopped two days ago. I could only hope that I wasn't too late to make up for it. I did what I always did. I just pushed her away, telling myself that she'd be happier with Saracen anyway. In what universe would Tim Riggins ever be good enough for Julie Taylor?

I missed her. I missed her every second since she'd been gone. I was such an idiot. Why did I always have to fuck up anything good that came into my life? I thought I was over that shit. I guess old habits die hard.

One last breath of courage, I pushed open the truck door and headed toward her room, silently thanking the Coach for sharing her whereabouts. I was grateful to the coach for a lot of things, crediting him more then a little for helping to mold me into the man I had become. I wasn't much, but I wasn't nothing, either. And to know that he approved of my relationship with Julie, it definitely took a large weight off of my shoulders, too.

I raised my hand to knock as the door swung open, and Julie in all her perfection stood staring at me wide eyed.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

I didn't know what to say. Apparently, he didn't either. He let his hand fall, and then we just stood staring at each other. I broke the hold first, the silence becoming too much to bare. I stepped back.

"You uh…Want to come in?," I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. He went to step inside and then seemed to think better of it.

"Actually, you wanna take a walk?," he asked as he ran his hand over the back of his neck, hanging his head slightly to the side with a soft half grin on his face. I shrugged and stepped out into the muggy night air, closing the door softly behind me. We walked silently for a few minutes down the silent highway, surrounded on either side by trees. Tim had his hands tucked securely in the pockets of his boot cut blue jeans, his red flannel half buttoned and flowing in the dry breeze. He had a hint of stubble gracing his cheeks, and he looked a little tired, sad maybe. But, God, he was still beautiful.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

I knew that sooner or later one of us would have to start talking. In the mean time, I was just finding comfort in the fact that we were together. She hadn't slammed the door in my face, and as far as I was concerned, that was a good sign.

We walked slowly, and I stole a glance or two in her direction. Her dark hair was pulled to the side in a messy braid, and her black tank top hugged her chest in a very flattering manner. She was wearing a pair of jean shorts and white sneakers, her face free from makeup, but still completely mesmerizing. Even though I could tell she hadn't been sleeping as well as she could've, and I could see the hurt etched in her perfect features, Julie Taylor was absolutely beautiful.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Tim stopped in his tracks, and so I stopped as well. He turned to me and I looked up at him, biting my bottom lip, waiting for him to speak.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, looking down at me. "I'm an idiot, Julie. A complete and utter idiot. I should've known better. I did know better. I guess I just thought that you being with someone like Saracen made more sense," I went to stop him, but he shook his head. "No, Jules. That's not what I meant. Let me get this out." I nodded and crossed my arms over my chest listening. "What I meant was, I thought you deserved someone more successful, with more money, the fancy life outside of Dillon, Texas, that I could never give you. When Seven told me you two had gotten back together, I didn't question it. Even though I know I should've, I didn't. I didn't because in the back of my mind I thought that I wasn't good enough for you in the first place. That whatever it was that had happened between us was just a fluke, and that you'd finally come to your senses and realized what I knew all along. I look at you and all I see is sunshine. I see your kindness, and I see your grace. I see a pure heart and a loving, forgiving, person. I know what everyone used to see in me, Jules. What they still see. I'm still a fuck up. I'm still just that Riggins boy. You deserve so much more. I'm never going to be good enough for you, Taylor."

And damned if I didn't notice his eyes water at his words. It just about killed me, knowing that he thought so little of himself, when all I had ever been was proud of him. I reached up and gently ran my fingers down his cheek, getting his attention and bringing his eyes back to mine before I took his hand.

"Timothy Riggins, let me tell you what I see when I look at you. I see a man who has picked himself up and made the Riggins name something to be proud of. I see a man who fights hard for his town, his beliefs, and his friends. When I look at you, I see kindness, compassion and the biggest heart of anyone I have ever meant. When I look at you, Timothy Riggins, I see the man I love."

He smiled at me then, a full smile, all white teeth and dimples. He took a step forward and rested his hands on my waist, looking down at me.

"You love me, Taylor?," he questioned. I rolled my eyes and playfully batted his chest.

"That's all you got out of that, Riggins?," I joked back.

"Well that was the most important part, wasn't it?," he responded. "Since you love me, that means you gotta forgive me for being an idiot, right?" I laughed lightly.

"I suppose. But I might throw it up in your face from time to time."

"And since you love me, you're gonna come home with me, right?," he said as he rested his forehead against mine. I sighed.

"Hell yes," I replied. "That bed was giving me a back ache."

"And since you love me, you're gonna get naked as soon as we walk in the door, riiiight?," he teased, causing me to laugh and push him away.

"Seriously, Tim? Don't push it." He laughed and pulled me close once again. I wrapped my arms around his waist as he pressed a kiss into my hair.

"I love you, too, Taylor," he said on a sigh, as I pulled my head back and he met my mouth with his.

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

A/N: One more chapter and an itsy bitsy epilogue. Don't forget to review guys! If you know the song, you can only imagine what's going to happen next. But you don't, however, know how it happens next in the FNL Universe. Thanks for reading ya'll!