A/N: Thank you L3Writing for your review! Thank you to everyone still reading. Enjoy and review!

Chapter 23: Allison Age 18

Leo (19), Megan (17)

Allison inspected her freshly straightened hair in the mirror of her dorm room making sure she didn't miss any strands. She had moved into Gonzaga last weekend and was loving it.

"Ugh, I wish I had your hair," Emily, her roommate, envied.

Allison laughed. "What are you wearing tonight?"

Emily showed Allison the cute skirt and tight fitting top she had picked out for their first weekend at college. There were house parties going on off campus that she and her newfound friends were all going to.

"I don't know what to wear," Allison admitted, ruffling through her closet. Emily took a look with her. They decided on a pair of black jeans, a maroon off-the-shoulder top, and black combat boots.

Once they were ready, they met up with their other friends and headed down the street where the parties were. They went to the first house that they saw other students going to. The girls got their drinks, even Allison who was cautiously ready to try drinking for the first time. She knew that it was illegal but wanted to fit in. It would be too awkward to be at the party without at least holding a drink.

People started dancing to the music as did Allison and her friends. Her friends were getting a little too drunk for her liking but she knew that this was just part of college.

"Allie, there's a guy totally checking you out," one of the girls said. Allison looked at where her friend described and saw Brian. She waved at him and he waved back, a redness coming to his cheeks at the fact she had caught him looking at her.

"Oh, no, he's just a friend from high school," Allison explained, tucking a strand of hair behind her hair.

"Nope, he's definitely into you," Emily encouraged. "Go talk to him. He's adorable."

Allison insisted that he was probably just looking at her to figure out if he was going to tell Leo that she was drinking at a party.

Eventually, Allison finished her first drink and went to get another. When she came back to her friends, they were nowhere to be found. Allison panicked for a second, not liking that she was off-campus with nobody she knew and didn't even really know how to walk back to campus since it was still new for her. But, she did know one person there. She went to find Brian who was hanging out with a group of guys.

"Hey," she said shyly.

"Hey, Allie," he greeted.

"Could you tell me how to get back to campus?" she asked him. "I think my friends switched parties."

"I'll walk you," he insisted, putting his beer down.

"No," Allie argued, not wanting to make him leave the party. "If you just tell me-"

"You're not walking back this late by yourself," Brian urged. "Come on."

"Get some!" the group of guys Brian was hanging out with called out to him as he led Allison out of the party.

"Sorry, those aren't actually my friends," Brian apologized once they were out of the loud house.

"Who are they then?" Allison asked.

"I play ultimate frisbee with them," Brian explained. "They're just teammates. Who were the girls you were with?"

Allison shrugged. "My roommate and some other friends I've made."

Brian shook his head. "No, they aren't your friends if they left you alone at a party."

Allison nodded. "I guess not."

Brian walked her back to her dorm and they talked about how Allison was liking the school so far.

"I'm really sorry that you had to leave the party," Allison apologized as they got back on campus.

"Honestly, I wasn't having much fun. I'm going to go hang out with my actual friends now."

"What will you guys do?" Allison asked.

Brian considered it for a minute. "Why don't you come hang out with us? We'll probably get some late night pizza and play pool."

"I don't want to intrude," Allison told him.

"You're not," Brian insisted. "Come on."

Allison followed Brian to the lounge of his dorm where a group was playing pool and watching TV.

"What's up party animal?" one of Brian's friends joked, knowing that he didn't love going to those parties but that he had to every now and then to appease the frisbee team.

"Everyone, this is my friend, Allison," Brian introduced. Brian introduced Allison to his friends Tyler, Oliver, Cassie, and Layla.

"Oh, you're Allison," Layla greeted, smirking at Brian. Allison noticed this but wasn't quite sure what it meant. Had Brian told his friends about her before?

"Alright, Allie, have you played pool before?" Brian asked, changing the subject. The boys explained how to play and let her take a few practice shots. Brian helped her figure out how to hold the pool stick, standing behind her and placing his hands on top of hers to position them correctly. Allison hoped he couldn't feel her breathing increase as he helped her, his body pressing against hers from behind. Once she got the hang of it, he stepped back.

Then, they played pool, him and Allison on the same team. After a long, intense, and playfully competitive game, Allison sank the last shot, despite missing so many before, allowing her and Brian to win the game. Allison was so excited that she hugged Brian and he lifted her off the ground for a moment in celebration of their win. When he put her down, they stepped back from each other shyly, both of them pretending like it hadn't happened.

When everyone agreed that they were too tired to continue the fun, Brian walked Allison back to her dorm. Once again, Allison felt like if it were any other guy, they would kiss before saying goodbye after having such an amazing time together. But, this was Leo's best friend. Allison said a quick goodnight and went into her room, not wanting the moment to become awkward.

The next morning, Cassie and Layla texted her asking if she wanted to get breakfast with them. Allison smiled, happy that they obviously liked her enough to extend the invite. Allison met up with them in the dining hall.

"So, how's freshman year so far?" Cassie asked her.

Allison shrugged. "I love my classes. But, honestly, it's a lot harder to make close friends. I feel like everyone wants to hang out in these giant groups which are hard to coordinate and ends up with nobody really getting to know each other and people get left behind pretty easily."

Cassie and Layla nodded.

"That goes away after the first few months. People start to figure out who their core groups are," Layla told her.

"But, now you have us to hang out with," Cassie told her. They told her about the times they go for breakfast and lunch each day together and their dinner time which they always went to with the boys. They told Allison she was always welcome to join them.

As they ate, a guy waved to Layla as he passed their table and she blushed.

"Who was that?" Allison asked.

Cassie giggled. "That's Ian, her lab partner for chemistry. She loves him."

"No I don't," Layla defended. "He's an idiot."

"Yeah, but he's a very muscular idiot," Cassie teased.

"Okay, maybe I find him objectively good looking but I don't like him," Layla admitted. She turned to Allison, not wanting the attention on herself anymore. "So, Allie, any guys in your classes that you're interested in?"

Allison shook her head. "No. I haven't noticed or really been looking."

"Oh, do you have a boyfriend back home?" Cassie asked.

"Nope," Allison answered. "The last time I had a boyfriend was the summer before senior year."

"Still hung up on him?" Layla questioned.

Allison shook her head insistently. "Absolutely not."

"So, you're open to dating again?" Layla continued.

Allison shrugged. "Maybe. If it's the right guy."

"Who's the right guy?" Cassied probed. Allison became nervous that they knew about her crush on Brian.

"Well-no, I just mean- like if a good guy happens to come along, I'd be open to it. But, I'm not actively looking for anyone. But, nobody in particular-just-"

Cassie and Layla changed the subject, not wanting to make their new friend that uncomfortable. They understood that she didn't know them well enough to admit that she had a crush on Brian. But, they both knew it. They also knew that he had talked about liking her for a long time. They couldn't help but root for these two getting together.

Allison walked back to her dorm after a long day. She had taken three tests that day and been assigned two papers. After her classes, she went to the library and got started on the papers, not wanting to save the assignments for the last day. She had even skipped dinner with Brian and his friends to do her work. She had been going to meals with them every day and they even waited for her to meet up with them before going into the dining hall. She was getting closer to Cassie and Layla to the point that she would call them her closest friends. She was also enjoying the quality time with Brian.

Now, she was finally on her way to her room, ready to curl up in bed. She was slightly annoyed because she knew her roommate would be coming back to the dorm at some insane hour of the night, inevitably waking her up. The fact it was a Thursday night had no effect on Emily's schedule. She partied every Thursday through Saturday night.

As she walked into her building, she got a text from Emily.

Don't come back to the room. I have a guy here.

A string of eggplant emojis followed and Allison groaned. Where was she supposed to go at midnight?

She considered texting Cassie and Layla to see if she could crash on their floor but remembered that they went to bed early because of a test at 8 AM. She sighed. The only other person she could think of was Brian.

Hey. Could I sleep on your floor? I've been sexiled and I'm exhausted.

She waited for a response back which came almost immediately, telling her to come over. She walked to his building and he met her at the door to let her in. She had to force her jaw closed when she saw that he was wearing just pajama pants with no shirt. She hadn't seen him shirtless since they were much younger, Brain having gone with them to the beach once. She didn't remember him being so muscular before.

"Sorry if I woke you," she apologized as she saw him yawn.

"It's okay," he promised. She followed him to his room.

"Will Oliver mind me staying?" she asked.

"He went home for the weekend since he doesn't have classes on Fridays," Brian explained, as he opened the door to his room. "You can take my bed. I'll take the floor."

"Oliver wouldn't let you sleep in his bed?" Allison asked.

"Oh he would," Brian told her. "But, I've been sexiled quite a few times and I've never seen him wash those sheets."

Allison crinkled her nose in disgust. "In that case, you are sleeping in your own bed and I'm taking the floor."

They argued about it until Allison was too tired to argue anymore. Of course, she wouldn't back down even when she was ready to give up.

"How about we just share the bed?" Allison suggested as a compromise. They were both adults. They could share the bed without it being weird.

Brian looked surprised at first but realized that would be the best option over someone sleeping on the cold, hard floor. "Deal."

Seeing that Allison was still in jeans and a nice top, he offered her a pair of sweatpants and a T-shirt. Allison went to the bathroom to change, feeling much more comfortable in those clothes. She liked that the clothes smelt like him too.

"Alright, you get in first," Brian insisted. "I don't want you falling off."

Once Allison was in, Brian joined her. The bed was small, not meant for two people, making their bodies have to touch in order to fit. They both laid on their sides, facing each other. They could both feel the emotional tension between them as they looked into each other's eyes in the darkened room. Allison rolled to her other side, facing away from him, thinking it would prevent them from kissing. She soon realized that this was maybe even more uncomfortable since they were now spooning. But, at least without looking at each other, they were able to fall asleep.

When they woke up in the morning, there was no space between their bodies. Brian had one arm draped across her waist. She rolled back to her other side facing him, catching only a glimpse of him sleeping before he woke up at the feeling of her moving.

"Morning," he mumbled.

"Morning," she replied.

"Did you sleep okay?" he asked.

Allison nodded and smiled. It felt nice sleeping cuddled up to him with his hand draped over her protectively. "Yeah, did you?"

Brian nodded, instinctively pulling her closer with the hand that was still on her hip. "I did too."

It almost felt natural, as if they woke up like this every morning. Neither of them knew who initiated the kiss, but their lips met each other's slowly. It was just a quick good morning kiss before they pulled back. As they looked into each other's eyes, they knew that they both wanted more. They kissed again, this time more passionately but still softly. Brian ran his thumb across her jawline, deepening the kiss. Allison ran her hand down his chest, feeling each muscle as she did.

"Mmm," he sighed, pulling out of their kiss and practically jumping out of the bed. He was out of breath. "Allie, we can't do this."

Allie's face dropped in disappointment. The kiss had been the best she ever had and her feelings for him had soared even higher. She turned red trying to hold back tears at the rejection. "Right. Sorry."

She got out of bed and started collecting her things.

"You don't have anything to be sorry for," Brian assured her, watching as she frantically tried to throw her stuff into her bag.

"I just thought you felt that way. But, you didn't," she said, trying to pretend it didn't bother her. "It's fine."

"Allie, stop," he pleaded, grabbing her arm to stop her from moving, allowing him to look into her eyes. "Of course I feel that way. I wouldn't have kissed you if I didn't. But, we just can't. Leo would hate me."

Allison nodded, having forgotten about Leo. She sighed. "You're right."

"I'm sorry," Brian apologized.

Allison smiled sadly. "I should go."

Brian sighed as he watched her leave, wishing that things could be different between them. But, he knew he couldn't date his best friend's sister. Leo was fiercely protective of her. He was constantly telling her not to date his friends. And his friendship with Leo was so important to him. But, so was Allison. He laid back in bed, unsure of what to do.

Allison went back to her dorm before crying, hating that she had finally gotten what she wanted just for it to be taken away in only a few minutes. She managed to dry her tears and fix her makeup in time for lunch with Cassie and Layla.

Allison was quiet at lunch which didn't go unnoticed by her friends.

"What's wrong, Allie?" Cassie asked.

"Nothing. I'm good," Allison assured her.

"Oh, come on, you've been crying," Layla pointed out. "What happened?"

Allison sighed. "I'm not so sure I'll be hanging out with you guys much anymore."

"What? Why?" they asked, wondering if they had done something wrong.

"Was it something we said?" Cassie asked. "Because I know we can be a little too sarcastic sometimes but you seemed to be the same way so I thought we were good."

"No, no, it's not about you guys," Allison insisted. "It's - I can't hang out with Brian anymore. It's too awkward."

"Why is it awkward with Brian now?" Layla asked, suspiciously.

"Did something happen?" Cassie probed.

Allison looked down. "I stayed the night with him last night."

"What?!" the girls said simultaneously.

"It wasn't what you're thinking," Allison clarified. "He let me stay cause Emily kicked me out of my room. I stayed with him. And, we shared a bed."

"Did you two have sex?" Layla whispered.

Allison shook her head. "No. But, he kissed me this morning."

"So, you two are finally together!" Cassie exclaimed.

"No, he stopped the kiss and reminded me that we can't date because my brother would be pissed."

"Ugh, Brian," Cassie groaned. "Why does he insist on being such a damn good friend?"

Allison and Layla laughed.

"Anyway, I just feel disappointed and I don't think I'll be able to hang out with him anymore without it hurting that we can't be together," Allison explained.

"Okay, well that doesn't mean you can't hang out with us," Layla insisted. "We can spend plenty of time together without the boys."

"Promise?" Allison asked. They nodded and hugged her.

When Allison got out of her last class on Friday, she stepped out of the classroom and smiled when she saw Brian standing there. She thought maybe he was waiting for her, but then saw the flowers he was holding and looked behind her wondering if there was some other girl in her class that he was waiting for.

"Hey," he greeted.

"Oh, you're here for me?" she asked, surprised.

"Yeah, I - um, got you these," Brian said, holding out the flowers. Allison reluctantly took the red and orange flowers that were perfect for fall and smelled them. "I know you love this time of year. And, there's a pumpkin patch close by. They have a corn maze and haunted hayride and cider donuts. Would you want to go this weekend?"

Allison looked at him confused. "Are Cassie and Layla going?"

"Well, no," Brian said. "I was thinking just us. A date?"

"I thought-"

"I know," Brian interrupted. "But, I really like you. I have for a long time, Allie. I can't stop thinking about you. So, I want to be with you."

Allison smiled. "I feel the same way."

"Is that a yes, then?" Brian asked.

Allison nodded. They agreed to go after Allison went back to her dorm to change. Allison changed into dark jeans, boots, a sweater, and put on a little more makeup. She was thrilled that Brian had changed his mind about the possibility of them dating. Leo would just have to deal with it. She met Brian at his car once she was ready.

"Wow, you look beautiful," he told her.

Allison blushed. She looked at him in his checkered shirt and smiled. "Thank you. You look nice too."

Brian got her door for her and then drove her to the pumpkin patch.

"So, I was thinking we'd eat first when we get there," Brian suggested.

"Hmm, you wanting food first, that's not too surprising," Allison teased.

Brian laughed. "Wait until you eat the food here and you will understand."

When they arrived, they went to an area where tents were set up serving food. They got fresh corn on the cob, soups, apple cider donuts, and more. They talked while they ate, catching each other up on their past week as they hadn't seen each other since their kiss.

Next, they did an apple slingshot where they had a bucket of apples and a slingshot and were attempting to hit targets. The slingshot had quite the kick back that nearly knocked Allison to the ground. Brian made sure to hold her on her next shot so she wouldn't fall back.

They then went to the corn maze which was a lot harder than they thought it would be. They got unbelievably lost but were just laughing at themselves over it.

"I'm never going camping with you ever," Allison joked, as they passed the same fork in the maze for what seemed like the 100th time.

"You don't strike me as someone who camps anyway," Brian replied.

Allison shrugged. "Well, I'm not going to start now after all this."

Eventually, they saw an opening. They headed towards it, only to realize that it was actually the entrance. They laughed at how badly they failed the corn maze.

"Wow, even little kids are coming out the exit," Brian commented.

"We suck," Allison said.

Finally, they did the haunted hayride, both of them laughing at the other when one got scared just to be scared themselves the next time.

Brian drove them back to campus. He had one hand on the wheel and Allison held the other one, both of them smiling at how well the date went. When they got back to campus, Brian carried the very heavy pumpkin that Allison had picked out to her dorm.

"I'm so sorry," she apologized with a slight laugh. "I wasn't thinking about the fact we had to bring it up four flights of stairs."

"We?" Brian teased.

"I'm helping by getting the doors for you," she said sweetly, hoping that he didn't mind carrying it too much.

Once he got the pumpkin to her room, they said goodnight. Brian kissed her and Allison felt her heart flutter. She was all smiles after he left, unable to imagine a more perfect first date.

"You really are the greatest girlfriend," Brian told Allison at breakfast, thinking that she looked adorable despite the messy bun, lack of makeup, and the baggy sweatshirt of his that she was wearing. They were at a 24/7 diner getting breakfast at four in the morning.

"Hmm, I bet you say that to all the girls," Allison said.

"Well, yes, but with you I mean it," Brian joked. Allison laughed, knowing full well he was kidding. "Really, you didn't have to come to breakfast with me this early."

"I know, I wanted to," Allison insisted, taking hold of his hand across the table. "I'm going to miss you this week."

"Me too," Brian agreed. "I wish I was home for Thanksgiving this year so we could at least see each other."

Allison sighed. The reason they were awake at this ungodly hour was because Brian had to leave soon for his flight to Texas to visit his grandparents for Thanksgiving. Allison didn't want him to leave without seeing him first. She knew it was only for five days, but she had gotten used to seeing him every day.

They had been dating for over a month now, but it felt longer since they spent most of their days together. They went on dates but also just kept each other company while doing homework or going to the gym. They also enjoyed just snuggling in bed and watching movies together whenever Oliver went home for the weekend.

After breakfast, Allison and Brian silently said goodbye to each other in the car, their lips saying everything they needed to tell the other. They wished they could get closer to each other but the center console of the car prevented that, until Allison climbed over the center onto Brian's lap. Their kiss deepened, Brian's hands running down her sides and then over her butt.

"You're going to make me not want to leave," Brian told her.

"That's kind of the point," Allison informed him, kissing him again. They let themselves enjoy it for another minute before knowing that Brian had to leave.

"I have to go," Brian said, kissing her cheek.

"I know," Allison agreed. They said goodbye and Allison hopped out of the car and went to her dorm room.

She packed her bag, knowing that her mom would be there to pick her up for break as soon as her class was done. She wanted to waste no time getting home. She missed her family. She had been home a few times to see them this year which had been really nice. But, with school being so busy, she hadn't been able to go home in a while.

She wasn't sure how to tell them that she was dating Brian. Specifically, how she was going to tell Leo. It would be the first time since summer break that she would see Leo and she really didn't want to upset him. But, things with Brian were serious and she felt happier with him than she had in her whole life. She knew she had to tell him.

Allison went to her last class of the day, and like everyone else, could only think about getting home. She practically ran into her mom's arms when she saw her waiting by her dorm building.

"Hi Mom!" Allison greeted, hugging her tightly.

"Hi baby girl," Teddy responded, hugging her even tighter.

"I missed you."

"I missed you too," Teddy agreed. They went up to Allison's dorm to get her bags. "It looks nice with all your decorations up."

"Thanks," Allison said, just throwing a few last minute things into her bag. Teddy approached her bed and saw an oversized sweatshirt that was definitely not hers.

"What's this?" she asked. "Or should I say, 'whose is this'?"

"Um," Allison stuttered, taking Brian's sweatshirt and putting it in a drawer. "Well, technically it's mine now."

"Allison," Teddy said, wanting her to answer the question. It wasn't like her to hide a boyfriend from her which made her concerned that maybe there was no boyfriend and she was fooling around with random guys who left clothing in her room.

"It's Brian's," Allison answered, trying to hide her smile. Teddy was surprised and ready to ask a million questions. "Can we talk about it in the car, please? I want to go home."

Teddy nodded and helped her carry her things to the car. Once they were on the road, Teddy wanted answers.

"So," Teddy started. "You and Brian are - what exactly?"

Allison smiled to herself. "We're dating. For a little over a month now."

"How did that happen?" Teddy asked. "You never mention him on the phone so I figured you didn't see him around much."

Allison explained how she had been accepted into his group of friends early in the year and simply hadn't said anything because she wasn't sure how to tell Leo. She didn't want her family telling her that this was a bad idea because she was so happy.

"Brian is a really great guy," Teddy told her. "I couldn't have possibly told you not to be with him. Especially because I know you've liked him for a while."

"But, what about Leo? Is he going to be mad?" Allison asked.

Teddy shrugged. "Maybe a little. But, once he sees just how happy you are, he's going to cave."

Allison nodded, hoping she was right.

"Leo!" Megan shouted as Leo came through the door. He hugged her and the rest of the family, happy that he was home for the first time since the summer.

Leo caught them up on his time at school, telling them all about his late nights trying to figure out organic chemistry. He loved his physiology class, confirming that he still wanted to go to med school.

"How's school for you, Allie?" Leo asked her, noticing that she seemed quiet.

"Oh, you know, I go to class and hang out with friends," Allison told him. "Nothing crazy."

Leo looked at her confused but let her fall back into her quiet state as Megan told him about her senior year of high school.

That night, everyone had gone to bed except Leo and Allison who were used to staying up late with college. Leo knocked softly on Allison's door and went in, finding her tucking her phone under her blankets as if she were hiding it.

"Hey," she greeted.

"You're acting weird," Leo told her. "Everything okay?"

Allison sighed. "I have to tell you something. Please don't be mad at me."

Leo nodded. "Just say it."

Allison looked nervous. Leo sat down next to her, concerned.

"I'm dating Brian," Allison blurted out. "I know you always say not to date your friends. But, we get along so well and he's really sweet and we like a lot of the same things and I'm so so so happy. Please don't be mad."

"You're an idiot," Leo told her, sounding relieved. "Jesus, Allie, I thought you were going to tell me you were pregnant or that you screwed things up with Brian to the point where he won't want to come around here anymore. I've known about you two since right before you started dating."

"You have?" Allison asked.

"Yeah," Leo told her. "Brian sent me an obnoxiously long text about wanting to date you and asking if I'd hate him for it."

"Seriously?" Allison questioned, surprised that Brian had already talked to Leo about it. This whole time she thought they were keeping their relationship a secret to prevent Leo from telling them not to be together. Now she realized that Leo was the reason Brian had gone from telling her that they couldn't be together to bringing her flowers after class the following week. He had obviously texted Leo sometime between then. "So, you were okay with it?"

Leo shrugged. "It's not as big a deal now that I don't see him or you everyday. It also would have been really hard to say no to his text. I didn't realize he's liked you since 8th grade."

Allison grinned. "I didn't either."

"So, things are going well?" Leo asked.

Allison nodded. "It's been great. I'm going to marry him."

"It's been a month," Leo reminded her.

She shrugged. "Not right now obviously. But, he's the guy. I just know it."

"You can't possibly know that quickly," Leo said skeptically.

Allison shrugged. "I don't know. Papa knew he wanted to marry mom from the first time they talked."

She and Leo talked a little more before Allison's phone rang. She saw that it was Brian calling. Leo said goodnight and left the room to let her talk to him.

"Hey," she answered.

"Hey," he greeted. "How's being at home? Miss me yet?"

"I'm sorry, who are you again?" Allison teased. Brian laughed. "I do miss you. Home is nice though. How's your grandma's?"

"It's fine," he answered. "Lots of arguing and yelling. Nothing new."

Allison felt bad for Brian. She didn't know until recently that Brian's parents argued all the time. It's the real reason he spent so much time at their house growing up. "Sorry."

"It's alright," Brian told her. "It's like background noise at this point."

"Hey," Allison said playfully, knowing that he was ready to change the subject. "You could have told me that Leo knew about us."

"Yeah, of course I told him," Brian replied, thinking that had been obvious.

"I thought we were dating behind his back this whole time," Allison explained with a laugh. "I've felt like an awful sister. So, I tried telling him today and he already knew."

Brian laughed. "Allie, you're amazing but I couldn't have dated you without Leo being okay with it."

"I should have known that," Allison admitted. The two of them talked on the phone until they fell asleep.