Sorry it's been a while getting this chapter up. I had written it's ages ago, and it was perfect, but then I lost it in the washing machine incident and had to re-write it, and it just didn't want to work. But here it is, it's the final chapter.
Disclaimer: Meg Cabot owns all characters.
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Mia's POV...
Suze left abruptly after her little announcement, and all I could do was look at the ground, my face bright red, I'm sure. I noticed Michael had a look of dumbfoundment on his face too though.
Lars chuckled to himself, "I'll, uh, just be in here if you need me..." he said before walking off to the kitchen, shaking his head as he went.
I need to sit down. This is all too much. I walked over to the couch and sat at one end of it.
Michael looked over at me, but I couldn't bring myself to meet his eyes. "Um, I think we should talk," he suggested.
Talking is the last thing I want to do right now. I just want to run to my room, curl up and die. But somehow that doesn't seem like a feasible option. Damnit.
He sat at the other end of the couch; you could fit a giant penguin between us. And not just any giant penguin, but the huge one that haunted Adam Sandler in Billy Madison. THAT'S how much space he put between us, certainly confirming what Suze had just told me about him feeling the same way. Not.
"So, um... about what Suze said..." he started, I can tell he's nervous too. What does he have to be nervous about? It's not as if it's true or anything! At least not the bit about him, anyway.
"Yeah, she's pretty whack, right? Ha ha, she should be sent to Bellevue." I tried to sound carefree, as if it didn't matter what she'd said because it's not true.
"Yeah, right." He paused. "So you're saying none of what she said is true?"
"Of course it's not! No, I mean, it was completely ludicrous... wasn't it?" I held my breath.
"I dunno, I mean... maybe it was true..."
"Maybe?"
"Yeah." Michael inched a little closer on the couch. No room for that giant penguin now. Maybe a few fairy penguins, but not a giant penguin.
"So, what bit was true then?"
"You tell me."
"Uh..."
I looked up into his eyes; I can't talk. I just can't tell him that everything Suze said about my liking, no loving him, was true. I just can't! Because what if he says that what she said about him wasn't true? I'd just die of humiliation!
"What if I told you what she said about me was true?" Michael asked me.
"What if I told you what she said about ME was true?" I asked him.
"Is it?" He inched even closer. Room for only one fairy penguin now.
"I don't know. Maybe. Is it true about you?" I am going to have a heart attack. Seriously, my heart is racing, I can barely breath.
Michael took a minute to answer; it was the longest minute of my life. "... Yes..."
"Then maybe it's true about me..." I replied, trying desperately not to collapse from heart failure.
"Just maybe?"
And suddenly there wasn't any room for any kind of penguins at all. Michael had narrowed the distance and was kissing me.
Suze's POV...
Finally. I have delivered Lilly's message and can now get back to my ghost-free vacation.
But when I walked into the guest room back at Gina's, having sneaked past her parents so they didn't have to question my attire, I could see that wasn't going to be the case. It wasn't going to be the case at all.
"Suzannah," Jesse greeted me, standing up at the same time. What a gentleman.
"God, what do you want now, Jesse?"
"I think we should talk."
"Talk? Now you want to talk? You didn't want to talk after the last time it happened. What's different now?" I walked over to my bed and fell back on it.
Jesse didn't say anything. After a few minutes I wondered if he was still there. I leant up on my elbows and was surprised to see him still there, looking at me strangely.
"What?" I asked, my tone quite harsh.
"You seem angry with me," he said, as if he didn't know why. As if it was unexpected that I be angry with him.
"Really? I am? You don't say." My sarcasm was wasted on him, he didn't get it. That's the thing about 19th Century guys, things just go straight over their heads.
"Listen, Suzannah, the thing is... we can't do that again."
"I know," I told him. "I don't know what your problem is though, if you go around kissing girls you don't like." I flopped back onto my bed.
"What? Suzannah, I do like you. I like you very much."
"Yeah, but not enough to want to be with me." I didn't even look at him as I said it. Really, it's embarrassing enough being told someone doesn't love you like you love them.
"Suzannah, I DO want to be with you..."
I sat up straight. "What?"
"Did you think I would kiss you like that if I didn't feel that way about you?"
"Well, I just thought you were being a jerk... So you do like me?" My heart stopped beating completely.
"Yes, but... But we can't do anything about it. It would be wrong."
"Why? I like you, you like me, what's wrong with that?"
"I'm a ghost, Suzannah." He said it as if I hadn't realised.
"Duh, Jesse. I know that. But I don't care. I... I love you, Jesse."
"Oh, don't say that, querida," he whispered.
"Why not? It's the truth." No point in hiding it now.
"But... But it might make me do something I promised myself I wouldn't do again." He looked away from me.
I stood up and faced him. "Like what?" Like I didn't already know!
"Like... kiss you." Then he did it. Against his better judgement, he gave in and swept me off my feet. Literally.
"You realise you can't turn back now, Jesse," I told him in between kisses.
"I know," he pulled away and sighed. "But maybe I don't want to." Then he kissed me again.
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Thanks for reading. That's all for this story. And for now.
Disclaimer: Meg Cabot owns all characters.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mia's POV...
Suze left abruptly after her little announcement, and all I could do was look at the ground, my face bright red, I'm sure. I noticed Michael had a look of dumbfoundment on his face too though.
Lars chuckled to himself, "I'll, uh, just be in here if you need me..." he said before walking off to the kitchen, shaking his head as he went.
I need to sit down. This is all too much. I walked over to the couch and sat at one end of it.
Michael looked over at me, but I couldn't bring myself to meet his eyes. "Um, I think we should talk," he suggested.
Talking is the last thing I want to do right now. I just want to run to my room, curl up and die. But somehow that doesn't seem like a feasible option. Damnit.
He sat at the other end of the couch; you could fit a giant penguin between us. And not just any giant penguin, but the huge one that haunted Adam Sandler in Billy Madison. THAT'S how much space he put between us, certainly confirming what Suze had just told me about him feeling the same way. Not.
"So, um... about what Suze said..." he started, I can tell he's nervous too. What does he have to be nervous about? It's not as if it's true or anything! At least not the bit about him, anyway.
"Yeah, she's pretty whack, right? Ha ha, she should be sent to Bellevue." I tried to sound carefree, as if it didn't matter what she'd said because it's not true.
"Yeah, right." He paused. "So you're saying none of what she said is true?"
"Of course it's not! No, I mean, it was completely ludicrous... wasn't it?" I held my breath.
"I dunno, I mean... maybe it was true..."
"Maybe?"
"Yeah." Michael inched a little closer on the couch. No room for that giant penguin now. Maybe a few fairy penguins, but not a giant penguin.
"So, what bit was true then?"
"You tell me."
"Uh..."
I looked up into his eyes; I can't talk. I just can't tell him that everything Suze said about my liking, no loving him, was true. I just can't! Because what if he says that what she said about him wasn't true? I'd just die of humiliation!
"What if I told you what she said about me was true?" Michael asked me.
"What if I told you what she said about ME was true?" I asked him.
"Is it?" He inched even closer. Room for only one fairy penguin now.
"I don't know. Maybe. Is it true about you?" I am going to have a heart attack. Seriously, my heart is racing, I can barely breath.
Michael took a minute to answer; it was the longest minute of my life. "... Yes..."
"Then maybe it's true about me..." I replied, trying desperately not to collapse from heart failure.
"Just maybe?"
And suddenly there wasn't any room for any kind of penguins at all. Michael had narrowed the distance and was kissing me.
Suze's POV...
Finally. I have delivered Lilly's message and can now get back to my ghost-free vacation.
But when I walked into the guest room back at Gina's, having sneaked past her parents so they didn't have to question my attire, I could see that wasn't going to be the case. It wasn't going to be the case at all.
"Suzannah," Jesse greeted me, standing up at the same time. What a gentleman.
"God, what do you want now, Jesse?"
"I think we should talk."
"Talk? Now you want to talk? You didn't want to talk after the last time it happened. What's different now?" I walked over to my bed and fell back on it.
Jesse didn't say anything. After a few minutes I wondered if he was still there. I leant up on my elbows and was surprised to see him still there, looking at me strangely.
"What?" I asked, my tone quite harsh.
"You seem angry with me," he said, as if he didn't know why. As if it was unexpected that I be angry with him.
"Really? I am? You don't say." My sarcasm was wasted on him, he didn't get it. That's the thing about 19th Century guys, things just go straight over their heads.
"Listen, Suzannah, the thing is... we can't do that again."
"I know," I told him. "I don't know what your problem is though, if you go around kissing girls you don't like." I flopped back onto my bed.
"What? Suzannah, I do like you. I like you very much."
"Yeah, but not enough to want to be with me." I didn't even look at him as I said it. Really, it's embarrassing enough being told someone doesn't love you like you love them.
"Suzannah, I DO want to be with you..."
I sat up straight. "What?"
"Did you think I would kiss you like that if I didn't feel that way about you?"
"Well, I just thought you were being a jerk... So you do like me?" My heart stopped beating completely.
"Yes, but... But we can't do anything about it. It would be wrong."
"Why? I like you, you like me, what's wrong with that?"
"I'm a ghost, Suzannah." He said it as if I hadn't realised.
"Duh, Jesse. I know that. But I don't care. I... I love you, Jesse."
"Oh, don't say that, querida," he whispered.
"Why not? It's the truth." No point in hiding it now.
"But... But it might make me do something I promised myself I wouldn't do again." He looked away from me.
I stood up and faced him. "Like what?" Like I didn't already know!
"Like... kiss you." Then he did it. Against his better judgement, he gave in and swept me off my feet. Literally.
"You realise you can't turn back now, Jesse," I told him in between kisses.
"I know," he pulled away and sighed. "But maybe I don't want to." Then he kissed me again.
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Thanks for reading. That's all for this story. And for now.