She was anxiously biting her fingernails as they stood in the elevator together. He had a firm grip on her other hand and was swaying it a bit absentmindedly as they rode up to his floor. Neither of them spoke, but the tiny room was filled with an air of anticipation and nerves.

He only let go of her when he needed to unlock the door, holding it open as she walked in. He flicked on the light switch and there she was, standing in his living room, staring at him with wide eyes.

It was then that he really took in her appearance for the first time tonight. His eyes involuntarily panned up from her feet to her face, taking just a moment longer than appropriate to appreciate her bare legs. She was wearing a black lace dress that was short and tight and nothing like he had ever seen her in before. She didn't look like Princess Mia and she didn't look like his old-girlfriend Mia. She looked like the new adult Mia he was getting to know.

"Erm, you look amazing. Not very prom-like though, is it?" he teased, finally meeting her face. Her cheeks flushed a bit. He could feel his own face heating up.

"Ha, no, it's not." She was restlessly twirling the plastic crown in her hands. "Honestly? It felt like the right thing considering what we did yesterday."

He opened his mouth to apologize, worried that she was saying it with regret, but Mia just giggled and put the crown down on a nearby table. He gave her a smirk.

"Well, it looks really good on you." His eyes did another scan without him meaning to and he cleared his throat. "Are you hungry? I've got some Chinese leftovers"

Mia smiled at him and nodded. "Starving."

He took her hand again and led her into the kitchen. He pulled out the food he had from yesterday, including a full box of cold sesame noodles. He had ordered them more out of habit than anything else because no one in his family was really a fan. It was somehow too perfect that fate had led them here.

They sat on opposite counters to each other, eating from the leftover food boxes. They fell into easy conversation. He teased Mia about the bruise that her tiara would leave him with, and she teased him right back about eavesdropping on her. They quipped back in forth, laughing and giggling with an air of content.

"So, have you decided what college you're going to?"

Mia grinned at him, putting down her empty container. "Sarah Lawrence. It's got a great writing program and they don't care about SAT scores."

He beamed, picking up the trash and putting it into the bin. "I knew that there was no way you didn't get in anywhere. I can't believe people actually believed that."

Mia looked at him with mock offense, "Hey! I am a very accomplished liar."

"Yeah, I'm well aware of that," he winked at her as they made their way back into the living room.

Wordlessly, they both sat down next to each other on the couch. It was only then that Michael allowed himself to take in the fact that they were alone. They were really truly alone for the first time basically ever. There was no risk of them being interrupted this time. There were no bodyguards, parents, friends, roommates, or anyone who could possibly disturb then. It was painfully aware that Mia had come to the same realization as him as they both sat in utter silence.

The elephant in the room had certainly made itself known.

They looked at each other meaningfully. This was their moment. Michael needed to seize their moment.

But instead, he blurted out, "You don't mind that you're missing any after-prom parties, right?" He mentally cursed himself. His nerves had gotten the better of him.

She looked at him a bit startled, but also amused. "Oh, no, ha-ha. No one's really doing afterparties, they're all probably in their hotel rooms doing…" she trailed off, looking embarrassed. She was fiddling with a finger. The elevators. With that guy. Midnight.

He took her hand gently and spoke with the softest voice he could muster, "hey… I don't care about any of that. It's not my place to wonder about what you've been doing these past two years. I'm just happy that we're finally here, you and me." And he meant it.

She was bright red and whispered, "I never… We never…" she trailed off again. Huh? …Oh. OH. Even though he knew he didn't have a right to, Michael felt a wave of relief wash over him. He tried to hide the delight from his face as she glanced back at him. His expression seemed to give Mia some type of confidence though, because in a much stronger voice she teased, "I'm surprised you don't know that though. Considering you've had Boris spying on me all this time."

Busted. Her smirk was widening while his face flushed. "Hey, no, it wasn't spying! I just implied for him to keep an eye on you."

"Yeah, yeah, sure." She grinned as she stuck her tongue out at him.

He playfully rolled his eyes. "I was worried! We broke up and you didn't answer me for weeks. I didn't know what else to do."

Her smile faltered and her face became solemn all of a sudden, "Yeah, I was in a bit of a bad place after our breakup…" She looked away from him again and didn't elaborate. He wouldn't push it; that was a conversation for another day.

He gently pulled her chin to meet his face. "Trust me, I was too." She looked up at him and gave a small smile. "But then I saw the photos of you and J.P. and felt like I needed to let you go. At least, just for a little while. I kept hoping that we might be able to get back… But then Boris kept telling me about how madly in love you were with J.P. and I… I convinced myself that I was okay with that." She was looking at him thoughtfully now and he was surprised by his own candor.

"I guess I might have looked like I was in love… But I can definitely tell you now that I wasn't." He felt the corners of his lips curl up.

She squeezed his hand as he nodded. "But then I saw you at Columbia, looking so beautiful and so… shy." Michael let out a laugh while Mia blushed. "You were so awkward and couldn't speak. And that is what made me realize that maybe Boris was wrong. Maybe you weren't as over us as he thought." She was smiling again, listening dreamily to his words.

"But then J.P. gave you that stupid ring for your birthday," she frowned. It was almost funny to see how quickly her facial expressions kept changing. "And I knew that drastic measures were called for. I needed to do something to blow him out of the water and show you what I really wanted. So, I left your party." He gave Mia a mocking look and she grimaced in embarrassment, "not because I didn't care. But because I had to go make the arrangements to send the CardioArm to your dad."

"Yeah, I've figured that out now…" she muttered sheepishly.

"And because I knew I had to leave before I wiped the floor with that guy's face." They shared a look before laughing together.

After they settled down, Mia sighed. "My dad sent me an article about you coming back a few days before your ceremony and I- I freaked out. And I didn't know why. Well, I guess did know why, but I couldn't admit it…"

He gave her a cheeky smile, "and then…" She scrunched up her nose in the most adorable way.

"And then Lana convinced me to go see you at Columbia and I freaked out even more. You just looked… You look so grown up and then I saw your family and… And I went to hide out in the bathroom so I could leave without seeing you and ruining the whole thing. But, lo and behold, Lilly catches me in the bathroom and drags me off to see you. I guess she must have seen my feelings before anyone else did."

He grinned, "thank God for Lil."

"She really has always been the one helping us out, hasn't she? …I can't believe that I spent the last two years fighting with her… I was so incredibly stupid."

"Can't argue with that logic." She wiped the smirk off his face with a pillow.

"Shut up, you could have just told me how you felt. Like at Caffe Dante."

He gave her an incredulous look. "Are you kidding? I flirted with you the whole time! And you kept brushing it off. And if you recall, I did try to tell you yesterday…"

The mention of their lunch caused an air of seriousness to pass over them. They were looking intently at each other.

Mia spoke with a delicate voice, "Michael, I'm so sorry about that… I was overwhelmed because I still didn't really think that 'we' were a possibility… I mean, why would you want me when you're you?"

She was looking down at her feet in a way that Michael had only seen a few times before. She looked… Ashamed, embarrassed… And sad. This was their true moment.

He moved closer to her on the couch and grabbed both her hands, pulling her to look back at him. "Mia, I want to say something that I never want to have to repeat. A few years ago, I was an insecure kid who was constantly worrying about never living up to his princess girlfriend." She started to speak, but he squeezed her hand to signal her to stop. "I went away for a long time to prove my worth and succeeded in accomplishing something that I'm proud of. And that's great, and I'm thankful, but I also realize that you never thought I had something to prove. You didn't care then, just like I don't care now. What you've done is just as important as what I've done. You're amazing, Mia, and not just because you were born a princess. I thought you were perfect before, just like I think you're perfect now."

He had removed one hand from hers and was now gently cupping her cheek. She beamed as her eyes sparkled with tears.

"Mia, I never stopped thinking about you while I was in Japan, and even though I wouldn't have admitted it two weeks ago, I never stopped loving you either. I always had a small hope that everything would fit back into place when I came back." She was now holding the hand on her cheek.

Mia opened her mouth to speak, but Michael remembered something suddenly. "Wait, hold that thought." She shut her mouth with a confused frown as he jumped off the couch and into the hallway. He emerged a few seconds later holding something behind his back.

As he sat back down, his voice had a melodic quality, "Now, I don't have some big fancy diamond ring or anything. But I hope that this will be even better…" Mia's eyes became massive as he presented the small box to her.

"Uhm, Michael…" He laughed when he realized why she looked so terrified.

"Oh no, definitely not. There's no way I'm ready to give up my last name just yet."

He pushed the small box into her hand and she slowly opened it, glancing at him with cautious eyes.

Mia sucked in a large breath when she saw it, two tears flowing down her cheeks. He felt tears of his own forming as he automatically wiped hers away with his thumb. "Oh, Michael…" she gushed, delicately picking up the necklace. "Where did you get this?"

He softly took the chain from her and clasped it around her neck. "I found it after you left the hotel that night. And I've kept it ever since… I guess I always hoped that I'd see you wearing it again." Michael gave her a small, embarrassed smile. The only person he could ever imagine being this sappy for was the beautiful girl in front of him. This was really their moment now.

"Mia, I love-"

"I love you, Michael," she interrupted before he could finish. He looked a bit taken aback and let out a bit of a snort. She grinned. "Sorry, I just wanted to be first for once… I love you, Michael Moscovitz. I've loved you for as long as I can remember. And I've never been happier than I am right now."

This time, there were no longing stares or gazing eyes. They didn't pause to look at each other or ask for permission. Without a second's hesitation, they both leaned in and kissed each other deeply. Mia's arms went seamlessly around Michael's neck, and his arms slipped around her waist. They only pulled apart just long enough for Michael to say, "I love you too, Mia Thermopolis. Always have, always will."

They stayed on the couch for a while, lips interlocked and hands re-discovering each other. It was Michael who leaned back first, gasping for air. Both of their chests were rising and falling viciously. "Do you want to…" he nodded towards the hallway.

"Yes," Mia breathed. There was a blazing look in her eyes that was causing every muscle in his body to burn. He was trying incredibly hard to keep a clear mind.

He grinned as she stood up immediately, holding a hand out to him. But he had more control than he had two years ago. He was an adult now, and he could be patient. "Are you sure? Because if you're not-" She grabbed his hand and yanked it, roughly pulling him up.

"Michael, just shut up and take me to your room."

Well, he wasn't that patient. Without another word, he scooped her up in his arms bridal-style and practically sprinted towards the hallway.

Their moment was finally here. Really and truly here.

There's something incredibly strange about waking up and realizing that you have everything you've ever wanted. Surreal is the only way to describe it.

That's exactly how Michael felt when he woke up and felt something warm leaning against his chest. He stared up at the ceiling for a moment, trying to figure out if he was stuck in some cruel dream or not. But he could feel her breath tickling him. And her fingers gently grazing his stomach. This was real life.

He peeked down at the figure and saw a mess of blonde hair in the morning light. He moved his arm over her back, stroking a bit of bare skin softly. He could see just a hint of her cheek right over his heart. Was it even possible to be this happy?

"Michael," he felt her voice vibrate against his chest that caused a fluttering throughout his body, "I can feel your heart beating and it's so freaking loud."

He laughed, "I bet that's not the only thing you can feel. Now turn around and come smell my neck or whatever."

Mia moved her head so that she could now look at him clearly, eyes still squinting with sleep. He almost let out a gasp at how beautiful she looked, even with the smudgy makeup and messy hair. She somehow looked better than ever to him. "How do you know about the neck thing?"

He shrugged, wrapping both arms around her. There was a small smirk teasing his lips. "It's just kind of noticeable when you dig your nose into it at every opportunity."

Mia sighed, relaxing into his arms. "Well, if the secret's out." She took a large whiff, and the air gave him a familiar excitement.

"Alright, stop! Stop, you creatin." He pulled her face up to kiss her lips. "You're so beautiful in the morning you know," he mumbled, plastering her face with soft kisses. "So, incredibly beautiful…" His kisses were moving down her jawline and onto her neck.

"Mmhmm," was all she could manage to reply.

Mia was writing wildly in her journal while Michael prepared some kind of breakfast for them.

"You're not going to include everything in there, right?" he asked as he cracked some eggs in a pan. He was half-joking, half-serious. The thought of Mia writing out details made his face burn.

She giggled, "no way. That's our secret…" He swore he heard her mumble, "for now," before going back to her journal. They continued with their tasks in a comfortable silence.

"Oh my God!" Mia exclaimed so abruptly that Michael almost dropped the toast he had been holding. He looked at her expectantly, trying to catch his breath. "The election!"

The two of them scrambled over to his laptop and looked up the results.

"Dad won!" Mia squealed, jumping and giving Michael a big hug. "Wait…" she gave him a suspicious look, "You didn't rig the Genovian voting machines, right? In an effort to win back my affections?"

He rolled his eyes, "How desperate do you think I am? Mia, I would never go that far." She gave him a look. "Okay, fine, whatever. But just because I'm a computer genius does not mean that I'm capable of rigging voting machines in a small European country many thousands of miles away from here… And they use Scantron anyway." He gave her a wink and shrugged.

She pointed to her eyes and then to his to indicate 'I'm watching you' before whipping out her phone to call her dad. Right before he picked up, Mia panicked, "what if he asks where I am?" Michael heard Prince Phillipe's voice before he could answer with more than another shrug.

"You won by a landslide?" she repeated for Michael, and he grinned and gave her a sloppy kiss on the cheek. She rolled her eyes and wiped off the spit, gently pushing him away. She turned the phone out a bit so that he could hear.

"Yes, a significant majority voted for me. The reason everything was so delayed is because voter turnout was so much higher than expected. It took them a long time to count everything." He sounded thrilled.

"Yes, yes… So, what I'm hearing is that the people of Genovia like being given the chance to vote?" She had a gloating tone.

"Yes, I suppose you were right in giving them the choice," Michael almost laughed at the smugness in Mia's face. "But there was also a delay because René demanded a recount and that took some time as well." She rolled her eyes.

Michael whispered, "tool," and Mia had to cover her mouth to avoid giggling into the phone.

"It's alright though. I offered him a seat in cabinet as the Vice-Chairman of tourism. I thought he'd like that."

"That's very kind of you, Dad." She mouthed too kind. "Are you going out celebrating tonight?"

"I am, actually. I'll be attending my daughter's graduation in a few hours."

Mia's mouth dropped open and Michael kissed her to put her out of her shock. She stuck her tongue out at him. "Dad! I can't believe you flew out here!"

"I wasn't going to miss out on today for anything in the world. I'm at the Plaza with your grandmother, and we'll be meeting you all at Central Park."

With a large grin, Mia said goodbye to her dad and hung up the phone. She looked up at Michael speechlessly.

He wrapped an arm around her waist and gave her a kiss on the head. "Come on, our eggs are burning."

Over breakfast, Michael commented, "you know, I can't believe how much of a cliché you are."

Mia looked over at him with a small frown. "What do you mean?"

He raised his voice about an octave higher than her own, "I'll be ready on my senior prom. I'll be the prettiest prom queen and my knight-in-shining-armor will come save me from the evil pompous prince."

Mia scoffed and threw a piece of toast at him, "I never said any of that stuff! Okay, maybe about prom… But the rest was purely coincidence!"

He grinned cheekily, "so you're saying that the knight in your story wasn't based on me?"

"… I knew I shouldn't have let you read it," Mia grumbled, pushing around her eggs with a plastic fork. He still needed to go shopping for real utensils.

Michael laughed and pulled her out of her chair and onto his lap. "I'm glad you did, it even inspired me a bit… But I have one more serious question for you." He put on a solemn face and she looked at him with worried eyes.

"Do you love-love me, or do you love me like a friend?" He smirked as her eyes widened with recollection and she lightly hit his shoulder.

"Michael, shut up or I swear to God that you'll never get past second base with me again."

He stuffed a forkful of eggs into his mouth.

They spent another hour milling around the loft until Mia declared that she needed to go home and get dressed.

"Alright, let me go change and we'll head over." She gave him a stunned stare and he frowned. "What?"

"You want to come with me to my house… After I've been out all night… Even though my family watched me leave the house with another guy last night?"

Shrugging, he considered, "better they find out sooner than later. Not their fault you're loose with your men," he gave her a wink and slipped away before the pillow she had thrown hit him.

Mia looked nervous as they took the limo over to her apartment, tapping her fingers against her thigh. She was still wearing her prom-attire from the night before, but at least her face was now clean. Her fidgeting was starting to make Michael nervous, but he knew that this had been his idea and he needed to look sure of his decision. He flashed her a confident smile and kissed her knuckles. "It'll be fine. Great even." She gave him an uncertain smile. Yeah, she definitely believed that.

Although Helen and Mr. G definitely looked surprised to see that it was Michael attached to Mia's hand when she walked into the apartment, neither of them said anything. In fact, they both gave him warm greetings and Mia's mom even hugged him. He wasn't sure if she was happier to see him or relieved to see Mia's bare ring finger.

Luckily, there was no time for awkward questions because Rocky ran over to hug Mia. And even though he didn't seem to remember Michael, the little dude was already showing his drum set off when Mia left to go take a shower. There was no chance of interrogation as the toddler kept running back and forth to Michael, who was sitting obediently on the floor, showing him toy after toy.

While Mia got ready, the only thing the adults spoke about was the election. There was definitely something awkward in the air, but it pretty much went as well as it could have. There seemed to be some sort of unspoken acknowledgement that Michael and Mia were back together.

When Mia came out and the five of them headed downstairs, Michael discretely whispered, "you look beautiful," in her ear.

She flushed pink and gave him a kiss on the cheek, mumbling, "shut up." He could almost see the memory of them earlier that morning flashing across her eyes.

They all got into the limo and Michael sat next to Mia. The rest of them chatted as she wrote in her journal, and Michael almost snorted when he peeked over her shoulder and noticed his name written out without any effort.

God, he was so happy. And her permanent smile told him that she was too.

When they arrived at Central Park, Michael gave Mia a kiss on the cheek and left to go sit with his own family. His mom saw him and waved him over to their seats. "Hey, sorry I couldn't meet you guys this morning. I hitched a ride with Mia," he threw in casually as he sat down next to his father. He figured that he might as well tell them now, and honestly? He was too excited to not mention it.

He was met with confused looks from his parents and a smile from his grandmother. "But… Didn't we watch her get engaged to that boy at her birthday party?" His mother had a concerned expression on her face as if he was one of her delirious patients.

Michael bit back a laugh. "Yeah, kind of. But all you have to know is that I'm happy and she's happy. We're back together."

Neither of them replied, but his grandmother leaned over to give him a pat on the knee, nodding approvingly.

The ceremony was long and incredibly boring. Kenneth gave the dullest speech imaginable and it was clear across the entire audience. Dozens of people were dozing off, and Michael could clearly see a majority of the graduates texting on their phones. Even Lilly was texting, and it was her boyfriend who was droning on!

The only good part was watching everyone walk across the stage. He cheered extra hard for Lilly, Mia, and Boris, and even clapped politely when Lana Weinberger went across. He had a certain fondness of her now that he knew that she was the one who pushed Mia to see him. He also remembered how utterly stupid she looked on that rowboat a few days before.

When the ceremony finally ended, Michael gave Lilly an uncharacteristic hug, which she unusually returned. "Congrats, graduate," he flicked the tassel on her cap.

"And congrats to you too," she smirked at him before their parents engulfed her in a hug. He was able to play off the redness in his cheeks because Kenneth and his family joined them.

The entire graduating class and their guests walked across the park to the restaurant for the official post-graduation reception. There was excited and happy conversation all around. There was a lightness in the air until an earth-shattering scream pierced through the crowd. There was a great rush towards the parking lot.

It was a freaking pony. Lana Weinberger was being given a pony. Michael caught Mia's eye across the way, and they shared a knowing grin. She had mentioned something about a pony over breakfast.

He spent a few polite minutes with his and Kenneth's families after being seated until finally, Lilly rolled her eyes, "Oh, just go already. I can't watch you and your puppy-dog eyes any longer." She tried to look annoyed, but there was some satisfaction evident in her face.

Giving her a bashful shrug and a toothy grin, Michael assuredly made his way over to Mia's table. She smiled when she noticed him approaching but then gave a warning nod in the direction of her grandmother.

Although he wasn't thrilled to see the old bat, he didn't care in the slightest. He approached them without a second's hesitation and planted a short kiss on her lips, taking the open seat next to her. Everyone was now staring at him, but he gave Mia's father and grandmother a large smile. "Hi, it's nice to see you guys. And congrats on the election."

There was a long moment where nobody spoke. Mia, Helen, and Mr. G were looking between the two sides of the table, a mixture of anxiety and amusement radiating from them. The only source of relief was Rocky playing with some toy cars.

Immediately, Clarisse pulled a familiar expression of disgust, but it was quickly replaced with something else. A begrudging respect it seemed. She was definitely remembering his generous donation.

Phillip's reaction was quicker. He seemed to accept the situation right away and extended a hand to shake Michael's. And that was that, no questions necessary.

They all chatted politely as speeches were told around the room and toasts were made. Mia was absolutely beaming, and whenever she smiled his way, Michael's heart danced in a way that only she could spark.

They both shared a funny look when there was some shrieking coming from his own family's table. It sounded like Kenneth was going to Columbia, his first choice, after all. "Oh God, so I'm going to have to deal with my sister and her boyfriend in the city?" he mumbled jokingly, and Mia covered her giggle with her hand. At least he knew that she'd be around too.

At one point, while Mr. G was deep in a story about his college days, Mia turned to Michael and quietly declared, "I'm going to go over and say hi to your parents."

She had this incredibly comical determined expression and he realized that she must have been deliberating about her decision for some time. He gave her an equally determined nod, suppressing the laugh that was coming up. He didn't bother telling her that they already knew as she strode over to them. She gave Lilly a warm but hesitant hug as she came over, and then he saw her leaning in to speak to his parents and grandma.

She returned a few minutes later looking incredibly relieved and Michael laughed as he gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. He gently held it on her lap.

His grip only tightened when he saw J.P. with his family approaching the table.

Mia gave Michael a nervous glance, but he just returned a composed smile. J.P. honestly didn't bother him that much now. Sure, he hated his guts and would still happily wipe that permanent smug look off his face. But it was now Michael who was holding onto Mia while the other guy stood awkwardly and watched.

He kept that same smile as J.P. looked at him while his dad spoke. J.P. Reynolds-Abernathy the Third mentioned something about Hollywood and Michael relished the alarmed looks that spread across Phillipe and Clarisse's faces. Mia had definitely never mentioned the possibility of going to California with him.

Michael almost laughed when Mia sat up and quickly intercepted the conversation by mentioning Sarah Lawrence. He felt a surge of pride as she credited the point he had made about SAT scores and Mia's father gave him a quick glance of gratitude. "And it's so close to here, so I'll be able to pop in and visit Fat Louie and Rocky." He also noticed her glance in his direction with a tiny smile.

Her entire family was thrilled, but surprisingly, it was Clarisse who was the most delighted. She started going on about how she was meant to go there or something, and then started saying something about having "buttercup yellow walls" with a far-off look in her eyes. Michael's eyes were starting to glaze over when he quietly interrupted the monologue to ask Mia to dance. She looked more than happy to have an excuse to leave the table and accepted.

They were one of the first couples on the dance floor, giggling as he twirled her. "Did I mention how beautiful you look today?" He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

Mia rolled her eyes but couldn't hide the rising corners of her lips. "Yeah, yeah, I know. Now shut up before I make you shut up." She gave him a playful scowl.

"And how do you plan on doing that?" he teased. She pretended to contemplate for a moment before pulling his collar so their lips could meet. It was quite a successful method in shutting him up.

They were soon joined by more people, including Helen, Mr. G, and Rocky, Lilly and Kenneth, and Tina and Boris. Lilly and Kenneth were doing quite an eccentric interpretive-styled dance, and Michael had to avoid looking at Mia to stop himself from laughing. Tina and Boris were looking at each other so gaga-eyed that Michael would have gagged if he wasn't feeling so sappy himself.

He was absentmindedly watching Rocky jump around in circles when Mia abruptly stopped dancing and he almost stepped on her foot. "No. Just… no," he heard her mumble. He looked down to ask what the matter was, but she was frozen. Following her stare, he saw Mia's dad with Ms. Martinez and almost laughed. This again? Shouldn't she be used to this by now?

He tried to get her to start swaying again, but Ms. Martinez slapped Mia's father out of nowhere and it seemed like everyone was now watching them. Philippe looked as bewildered as Mia looked horrified, urgently calling him over. Michael kept a reassuring hand on her back, but he was stifling a laugh.

It seemed that the prince had told his daughter's former English teacher something that was apparently only appropriate for a lingerie model, as Mia so elegantly put it. Her father said something about her being intoxicating and Mia immediately buried her burning face into Michael's neck. Her breath tickled him in that all too familiar way.

Phillipe was calling after Ms. Martinez, yelling stuff like, "Karen, come back! We can talk about this!" Michael was chuckling as he narrated it all back to Mia. The prince had managed to catch up to her in the parking lot, and she was now holding his hand. Michael couldn't help but tease Mia about whether she would be able to call this stepparent by her first name.

She kept breathing in his neck, not even attempting to hide her odd compulsion now. It was entirely endearing to him now.

"Hey, quit sniffing me a minute and lift your head up."

She removed her face and looked up at him with a pout. "Why?"

He grinned, pulling her closer to him. "So I can do this." He firmly kissed her. He used to hate PDA, but he honestly didn't give two flying shits about who saw them now.

He was disappointed as Mia pulled away with a small smirk. "So… Are you going to ask me to be your girlfriend yet, or what?"

He rolled his eyes before dramatically taking a deep breath. "My lady, my light, my Mia," one of her eyebrows quirked up, "Will you do me the greatest honor in agreeing to be my girlfriend, nigh, my life-partner?" He gave her his most gallant of smiles.

"Hmm…" she pretended to consider for a moment. "I suppose I could manage it. But you may owe my father a goat or two."

They laughed and Michael spotted Mia's dad frantically kissing Karen in the parking lot. "I think that can be arranged."

He bent down and leaned his forehead against hers as they swayed to the music. This was no longer their moment. This was their forever. Or, at least, what Michael hoped would be forever.

Surreal.

And, finally, the End! Probably, maybe... There's always the potential for more with me. If you have any suggestions for a new story (and liked my writing style), let me know! And favs/comments are always appreciated if you got through this entire story and enjoyed it!

But for now, that's it. Special thanks go out to Meg Cabot and Miss Taylor Swift for the Evermore inspiration (particularly "'Tis the Damn Season" and "Long Story Short"), and of course, to you for reading this. xx Sofiya