We didn't care if people stared
We'd make out in a crowd somewhere
Somebody'd tell us to get a room
It's hard to believe that was me and you
Now we keep saying that we're okay
But I don't want to settle for good not great
I miss the way that it felt back then I wanna feel that way again

It was three years before Aubrey and I saw each other again. She was in L.A. for a vacation when I saw her on the street. "Aubrey!" I shrieked, running over and wrapping her in a tight bear hug.

She was caught off guard at first, but she eventually hugged me back. "Hey, Chloe!"

"You're in town!" I wiped my eyes of the joyful tears that were building up. "What brings you here?"

She grinned. "My girlfriend Cassandra and I are on a vacation," she explained.

My heart dropped to the floor. Even after three years, my love for Aubrey Posen had never faltered. "You've got a girlfriend? How long have you two been dating?"

"A few months."

"Exciting! Now, where's the coffee I was promised?" I teased. She looked confused. "Before you left after graduation you said if we ever ran into each other we'd go for coffee," I reminded her. "I haven't forgotten about that." I bumped her shoulder.

She giggled. "How about we just have dinner tonight? Cassandra's going for a tour of Hollywood, but I'm not really up for that."

I smiled. "Sounds great! Let's meet at Uncle Mickey's at seven. It's Italian," I suggested.

Aubrey nodded and entered it into her phone. "I'll see you at seven!" She grinned and trotted off.

So a bit before 7 I was sitting at a table beside the window, the chair across the table painfully empty. I checked my watch. It was 7:18. Aubrey was never late. I sighed and sipped my wine. Suddenly, a beautiful blonde burst through the door. She was a mess. Her makeup was smeared, and her hair was falling out of its once tight bun. She turned, saw me, and ran to the table. Aubrey was exactly on time, as she always had been.

"Aubrey, what happened?" I exclaimed.

She wiped her eyes. "Cassandra dumped me," she sobbed. She buried her face in her hands.

I reached across the table and held her hand. "Oh, honey, I'm so sorry!" I brushed a lock of hair from her face. "Did she say why?"

Aubrey sniffed. "She thinks I still have feelings for you. She said if I came tonight it was over."

"But you came anyway."

She nodded. "I think-" she paused and took a deep breath. "I think Cass might have been right."

I lowered my hand. "Right about me?"

"I know it's weird, but I haven't stopped loving you since we graduated, Chloe."

I smiled. "You don't know how long I've been waiting to hear you say that." I leaned across the table, grabbed her shirt in my fists, and pulled her in for the deepest kiss I'd ever shared with anyone. She wrapped her arm around my neck and held me close. We finally broke the kiss, both of us breathing hard. "So what now?" I gasped.

Aubrey glanced around the restaurant at the stares we were getting. "Maybe we should get out of here," she muttered. We grabbed our purses and hurried out, heads down, fingers laced together like I'd always wanted them to be. We walked to a nearby lake and sat together on the shore. She sighed and let go of my hand. "I love you, Chloe, you know I do, but I did like Cass a lot. I'm still pretty bent up about this breakup."

I nodded. "I completely understand. I waited three years for you; I can wait a bit longer."

Aubrey smiled. "We can still hang out as friends until I'm ready," she suggested.

I cocked my head. "This lake reminds me of the time I went to camp."

She looked at me. "My father never let me go to camp. I always wanted to."

"Oh, this camp was not fun. It was a 'pray the gay away' camp my mom sent me to. I came out to her when I was sixteen, two weeks later she shipped me away for a month," I told her. "God it was awful."

Aubrey leaned her head on my shoulder. "I haven't told my parents yet," she admitted. "My father has never liked people like us. He'd never speak to me again."

I stroked her hair. "I'll be here for you every step of the way."

Chloe held my hand as I cried into her shoulder. "Honey, it'll be okay."

I sniffed and shook my head. "That's just the way he is. He makes everything about him. It's never me."

She rubbed my back. "You can't let it get to you. He'll come around."

My father had blown up yet again after I'd come home a few minutes late to visit. I'd left immediately and come to Chloe's apartment. All I wanted was to be in her arms. I pulled away and took both her hands in mine. "Chloe," I said. "I'm ready."

Four months later, Chloe and I were sitting on my parents' couch, waiting for my mother to come back with the tea. My father was staring at me disapprovingly. My mother returned and I started sipping the tea. "So, Aubrey, why haven't you settled down with a nice man yet?" my father asked. Chloe almost choked on her tea. My father glared at her. "Something the matter?"

Chloe looked at me, a question dancing in her eyes.

I took a deep breath. "Because I'll never find a man that I really love." My mother opened her mouth, but I cut her off. "Because I've already found someone else that I love." I reached over and took Chloe's hand. I stared right into his cold, distant eyes.

"Get out," he whispered, not breaking his gaze. I didn't move. "Get… out," he repeated, spacing his words. He clenched his fist. "You are no daughter of mine. Get the hell out of my house."

I grabbed my purse and stood up, still holding Chloe's hand. "I was never really your daughter," I replied coldly. I left the house with my head held high. Chloe drove me back to our house, where I finally let myself cry. "I hoped he'd react better," I sobbed. "I should have known he wouldn't."

Chloe hugged me tightly. "He doesn't know what he has, Aubrey. He doesn't deserve you. You're better than him, and don't you ever forget that." I looked up, and she kissed me gently. "I love you so much," she whispered against my lips. "You're the best decision I've ever made."

I opened the door to the apartment. All the lights were off. "Aubrey?" I called into the darkness. There was no reply. I switched on the light and went to the living room. There was a note taped to the TV. Channel 11, 5:00 it read. I checked my watch. 4:53. I had a few minutes. I grabbed a glass of wine and flipped the TV to channel 11, the news. At 5:00, someone very familiar came on the air.

"Hello, California," Aubrey said, her smile bigger than ever. "I have something I need to say." She pulled out her phone and dialed a number. Mine.

"Hello?" I said, hearing my voice on the TV. "I'm watching the news. Aubrey, what's going on?"

She giggled. "Chloe, I have something to ask you." She took a deep breath. "We've been together a long time, and I love you to the moon and back. You're my soulmate. Chloe Beale, will you marry me?"

My breath caught. Tears started flowing. "Yes!" I cried. "Yes times a million!"

Aubrey shrieked and threw her hands in the air. Then she ran off the screen.

15 minutes later, she burst through the door and kissed me without a word. "God, Chloe, there aren't words to express how much I love you." She pulled a ring from her pocket. "But maybe this will help." She slid the ring onto my finger. "I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you."

I stroked her blonde hair with a tearful smile. "Nothing in the world could stop me from loving you like I do," I whispered. I kissed her passionately. That night was the first time, even after dating for a year, that Aubrey and I took it to the next level. She wanted to take it slow, and I didn't argue. And it was worth the wait.

I was standing at the doors, waiting for the man who would never come. My father had sent a rejection letter in reply to the wedding invitation. He quite impolitely declined. I was nervous. Someone had to give me away, but no one would. Suddenly, I felt a hand loop through my arm. I looked to my left to see Beca standing beside me. There was deep pain in her eyes, the eyes that stared straight ahead. She wouldn't look at me. "Chloe told me about your dad," she whispered. "So I came to give you away."

I had to blink back the tears welling in my eyes so as not to ruin my makeup. "You're an amazing friend, Beca. Thank you."

She nodded, letting her own tears flow freely. The doors opened, and we began to make out way down the aisle as Chloe had done moments before. Her father was standing beside her, but her mother was nowhere to be seen. Beca stopped and took my hand just before we reached the altar. She stood on her toes and kissed my cheek. I swear I could feel Chloe tensing up. Then she sat back down and I went to stand in front of the woman I loved and tie the knot. We began our vows.

"Aubrey," Chloe began, "I love you more than words can express. But I'll try. I've known I was bi since I was fifteen, but you're the only woman I've ever been with. I guess I never really registered what it meant until I met you. Since our freshman year of college, I've been slowly falling for you. Never in my wildest dreams did I think you could like me back, yet here we are getting married. We've had our share of arguments, but we always get through them. I have absolutely no regrets when it comes to you, and I love you more than anything. I can't wait to start a new chapter of my life with you."

I smiled, allowing a few tears to slip out. I cleared my throat. "Chloe, you are the love of my life, and I don't know what I'd do without you. I've never had it easy; my parents were hard on me, and I never really had any friends. But when I met you, I was able to escape all that, just for a moment. My parents don't speak to me anymore, and I still only have a few close friends, but when I'm with you, I forget all of that, just for a moment. There's not a day that goes by that I don't think of you. I love the way we are together, and I love the way you love me." My voice was starting to crack, but I had to finish. "I can't say how excited I am to spend the rest of my life with you."

The minister cleared his throat. "Do you, Chloe, take Aubrey Posen to be your lawfully wedded wife?"

Chloe nodded. "I do."

He turned to me. "Do you, Aubrey, take Chloe Beale to be your lawfully wedded wife?"

My tears were flowing so fast I could barely get the words out. "I do," I squeaked.

"I now pronounce you wife and wife," she said, earning a few tearful smiles. "You may seal your vows with a kiss." And we did. It was the most passionate kiss I'd ever shared with anyone. I thought back to college, when I was still mooning over Chloe, too afraid to make my move.

She looked so beautiful in that bikini, bathed in the soft glow of the moonlight. I took a step toward her, but stopped. She turned and invited me to sit beside her and look out across the lake. My heart raced, my breath quickened, my legs were wobbling. Chloe wanted me to sit beside her at night. It was one of the best nights of my life. She tossed her hair. "So, you liking college?" she asked, making conversation. The year had just started, and she and I were new roommates. "Meet any boys you like yet?" she added with a heart-melting wink.

I hesitated. "No," I said slowly. I took a deep breath. She might as well know early on. "I'm actually more into girls myself."

Chloe smiled. "Wanna know a secret?" She leaned close and whispered in my ear. "Me too." She reverted back to her original position. "I mean, I like both, but I've always been into the super feminine girls. I find it pretty hot."

I breathed a sigh of relief and excitement, and slipped off the shirt I'd been wearing over my own bikini. "That makes two of us."

"So, meet any girls you like yet?"

I shrugged. "Maybe one."

She scooted closer. "I want the details. All of them. Now."

I shook my head. "I really don't like talking about this sort of thing," I said, trying to cover up my slip-up.

Chloe leaned closer. "Come on, Aubrey. You can tell me anything."

"But how do I know that? I've only known you for two weeks!" I stopped. I'd only known her for two weeks. This wasn't love, this was lust. No one falls in love at first sight. That's just a myth.

She grinned. "I think we're going to be pretty close friends. Don't you agree?"

I paused. I'd like to think we would be, but was it true? "The closest."

We broke apart and I whispered in her ear. "Remember the night when we first came out to each other?"

She giggled. "Like it was yesterday," she replied. She took my hand. "Look how far we've come."

I pointed down the long path to the street, imagining our future together. "Look how far we have left to go."