Chapter 27: I love you

NOTE: THIS CHAPTER WILL BE WRITTEN DIFFERENTLY THAN THE REST! PAY ATTENTION IF YOU WANT TO UNDERSTAND! At the end of the chapter, you will receive an explanation as to why that is. Thank you.

Namine

Roxas

I knew what he expected to hear, but I couldn't go through all that again. Bringing back those memories would be painful for me, now. I decided, instead to answer his question as I felt now. "I like you a lot. I care about you very much."

I had expected nothing more than that, and yet, it still hurt more than anything I had ever felt.

But I couldn't quite bring myself to say what I meant. "And what about you? What do you think of me?" I asked, returning, more or less, to what should have happened.

My turn, and now was the moment. "I think... I know," I amended. "That I love you." It was finally out, finally said. Now, I would have to measure her reaction. It didn't take long for her to stop breathing, and I felt her freeze behind me. I turned, to make sure she was going to be okay. I hadn't expected the news to physically... disable her. I looked at her, and she stared at me, gawking. And still, I loved everything about the moment, because I had told her that I loved her, and she hadn't yet rejected me.

I couldn't comprehend what that meant. The words stuck in my mind, with absolutely no meaning for the longest time. Roxas loved me. As surely as I had given him my heart, I now held his. And I couldn't move. I couldn't tell him that I loved him, too. I couldn't close the distance between his lips and mine, even as his were moving ever closer...

Just one more second, and our lips would have met, and then–

His phone rang.

My phone rang. In all honesty, I had forgotten completely about it since I nearly broke my other one. Sadly, my second phone resided in my pocket, still.

I looked from his pocket to his face, and he looked at me, and we both broke down laughing. Knowing the intensity of the situation, disruptions happened in our kisses far too often for this not to be funny, and still

Even as we laughed, together... I waited for her answer.

I couldn't say anything.

Just as I was about to answer my phone, the ringing stopped. I went from my knees to a sitting position as I dug through my pocket to retrieve the phone. If this was Hayner, I would never speak to him again...

But when he finally fished the phone from his pocket, it was far too late to have answered. I sat, unmoving, patiently awaiting whatever should come next. But instead, he thrust the phone in my face. I might have fallen back, had I not been sitting, already, but I stared blankly at the little screen.

"Do you recognize the number?" I asked her, when she didn't respond. She shook her head. Then the phone beeped once, and I switched it from her face, to mine. One new message. Still thinking that the number might have something to do with Namine, I scooted closer to her. I held the phone up between us, and both of us tilted our heads in to hear.

I think what we heard in the message surprised us, both, because I know I hadn't been expecting it.

"Roxas," Began a pretty, female voice. My eyes narrowed automatically.

I knew this voice well. Although, I hadn't heard it in the longest time. I remembered clearly the last thing I had heard this voice say, as well.

"Roxas, baby, wake up. I'm leaving, honey, but don't worry. No matter how far apart Gad makes us, He'll see how much we love each other, and He'll bring us back together, some time. I love you, and I always will. Good night, angel. Mommy will miss you."

"I know I have no right to contact you, after all these years, but," The woman hesitated. Some internal conflict was tearing her up. "But I love you, and I miss you. I want to see you again." I don't know what I thought about that. But I knew I didn't like it much, at all.

I could hardly believe what I was hearing. Even in the silences, just the sound of her breathing made me happier. "I'm sure by now you know who this is," Her enchanting laughter filled the air for a moment before it vanished. "But just in case you don't, I'll give you a hint."

"You'll always be my angel." Said the voice, and then she repeated again that she loved him, and the voice was gone, replaced by a beep, and the time and date the message was recorded, reminding me again that it was Christmas Eve. I folded my hands in my lap and began to lean my head back the way it should have been when Roxas's lips found mine.

My mother's call had only strengthened my already flawless mood, and before I could really offend Namine, I pulled away.

But, without pausing to think,

She followed me as I moved away.

I leaned with him, never allowing space between our lips. I followed him as long as I could, until I ended up falling into his lap, for lack of better balance.

Again we laughed together, and when I looked down at her, she was staring up at me.

"Roxas," I said, still smiling. "I love you, too."

And I believed her.

And I was happy.

THE END!

Finally! Done!

I hope you guys enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it! It killed a lot of time for a me, and it was a lot of fun, even though im not very happy with the way it turned out. Maybe someday ill go back and re-do some of the parts I don't like, just to make it a little better. Thanks for finishing! I really appreciated it! Sorry if the ending (or the story) wasn't what you wanted. I tried my best to make it turn out well for the both of them, and I think I did a half-decent job. Anyway, if you want to know why this chappy was different...

I realized halfway through writing chapter 16 that I couldn't do this chapter like all the rest. It wasn't that the other style of writing didn't suit me, or that I wasn't pleased with it, but these were my thoughts, warped as they may be. If you anticipated the end to a story like this, you would be happy and relieved and whatever else when Namine said she loved Roxas, right? Well then... why would you take the time to go over the exact same details all over again in a different perspective? I mean, I realize that I did that with the whole story, but that was a little different. How anticlimactic would the ENDING be, if you read it twice?! The thrill would be gone, and the surprise (however little of it there was) wouldn't make you smile, or make your heart beat just one more time that it should have. Sorry this is such a long thing... I look forward to getting more stuff up soon!