A/N: the time has come. i should just say it: ICS&CC has been completed. this will be my last post... :(

ICS&CC was the very first fanfic i started to write and it has honestly been amazing trying to rediscover the love i used to have for writing when i was younger. i know i've said this over and over again, and it always sounds so cliché when you hear it from other people, but this wouldn't have been possible without everyone's support through these past couple of months. you guys are just so awesome and i'm grateful for everyone who's taken a few seconds out of their day just to leave a comment, even just to say they've been reading it. it means a lot -- really. so, before i get any more sentimental, i guess this is it.

i dedicate these last two chapters to everyone who's been there since the beginning. xoxo

CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE - Matters Of The Heart

"Wow. And that's all I can say... wow." Becca's eyes were practically bulging out of her head by the time I finished telling her what happened the night before. I joined her on her bed, plopping my head down on the pillow next to her.

"It's just so... surreal," I said, trying to find the right word. "What the hell have I gotten myself into, Becca?" I groaned and grabbed another pillow to cover my face with. I screamed into it, the muffled sound the only evidence of my aggression.

I had barely slept the night before, tossing and turning over the decision I knew I had to make... soon.

After seeing Byron that night, and knowing what he saw, I knew I had to explain. I tried calling him over and over again, but he wouldn't come to the phone. I wanted to say I was sorry for calling him a liar and for believing that everything about our relationship was false. I wanted to know why he was there last night... did he want to try and work things out? Did seeing me with Jeff make him want to regret that?

"I'm screwed, Becca."

"You're not," she assured me. "We make the matters of the heart too complicated. It really should be one of the easiest things in the world."

"Ugh, you're just saying that because you already have Jordan," I retorted. "You already with the one you're supposed to be with." I was starting to get irritated.

"Buddy," Becca replied warily. "Don't take whatever's going on in there out on me." I groaned.

"I'm sorry. It's just so frustrating." I sat up and buried my head in my hands. Becca sighed and sat up next to me.

"Think about it, Char. Who makes you feel like nothing can go wrong when you're with them? Who's the one who makes you feel like you can't breath when they're not around? Who loves you because of your imperfections, not despite them?...." I shook my head slowly, not knowing the answer.

"What if I end up choosing the wrong person?" I asked quietly. "What if this is going to be one of the biggest regrets I'm going to have the rest of my life?"

"I can't answer that for you, Char," Becca replied softly. "In the end, you have to know that you're making the right decision. Above everything else, it has to feel right for you. You can't live the rest of your life regretting anything. I guess this is a one shot deal."

"Yeah. No pressure, huh?" I scoffed. She gave me a half smile and reached out to me.

"You deserve to be happy, Char," she said. "When it all comes down to it, who makes you happy? Who makes you feel that everything is right in the world because you're with him?"