Hi guys and welcome back to the penultimate chapter of this story! Thank you for following this story so far, and I hope these last couple of chapters wrap it up nicely! That being said, let's crack on!

Two Weeks Later-Carlos POV:
"Yeah, I'm just settling in now. I need to unpack all my stuff, but it should be ok" I said to Ben down the phone. Unfortunately I was moving in on a Monday, which was rather weird, so Ben had to work as much as he wanted to be with me.

"Ok, and have you met your flatmate yet? I hope he's nice!" Ben replied, as I held the phone between my shoulder and my ear as I transferred my clothes into my chest of drawers.

"No, not yet. He's coming later today. And I told you, I've already spoken to him over text and he seems really nice" I replied, loving his overprotective side of Ben. No matter where he was, he always made me feel safe. "And I still can't believe you paid for all this! Ben it's ridiculous here" I commented, looking around my room. I don't know what strings Ben pulled, but he got me into the fanciest accommodation.

There was only two of us in the flat, each with our own en-suite and three-quarter bed. We did share a kitchen, but even that was huge, with a fridge and freezer for each of us.

"C, I told you that I wanted to pay for you. You deserve the best, and I want your university experience to be amazing!" he replied, and I just chuckled. "I have to go. Got a meeting with the board and that shareholder, you know the one that almost backed out. Turns out that with the reforms I made, we don't actually need her anymore. We're going to offer her, her old deal but if she doesn't take it then we're kicking her out." He continued and I nodded, not that he could see.

"Alright good luck, and I love you" I replied, hearing him say "I love you too" before he hung up. My university experience was finally beginning, and I was so excited for it.

6 Months later:
"What about next Sunday?"

"I can't do next Sunday, I've got my society meeting. It's the charity event remember?" I replied, causing Ben to groan on the other end of the phone. "I've got Wednesday off though"

"Can't do Wednesday, it's the AuraTech conference in Camelot, remember? I promised I would reveal the watch officially to the public. I could fly you out, and you could spend the night" he replied, and I shook my head, not that he could see.

"No, I've got a presentation on Thursday that I can't miss" I replied, causing him to groan again even louder.

"So when can I see you? You're always so busy!" he barked down the phone, which only angered me more.

"I'm busy? You're the one that's always at work! I try to come see you, but you're always in a meeting or dealing with someone else. And then when I try to see you on Sundays, you just complain you're tired and don't want to meet up!" I yelled back, trying to vent my anger to him.

"It's not my fault that I'm running a worldwide business!" he retorted, which caused the both of us to go quiet.

"So what now. We don't see each other, and all we ever do is argue. Maybe we should…" I replied, and he quickly interrupted.

"Don't say it!"

"I don't want to Ben, trust me. But this clearly isn't working. Maybe we should take a break, and when I finish university we could try again" I continued, and I heard him let out a thoughtful huff on the other end of the phone.

"Ok" was all he said, so I just repeated him

"Ok."

"Wait, did we just break up?" he then questioned, and I nodded, not that he could see.

"Yeah, we did. I'll see you around Ben" was all I could think to say with the rush of emotions flowing through my body.

"I'll see you around Carlos" he repeated, causing the phone line went dead.

That when my mind decided what emotion it wanted to feel-Sadness. I broke down into my hands, essentially dropping the phone onto my bed as I sobbed. Two light knocks were placed on my door, followed my Liam opening it.

"Hey" he said, as he slowly walked into my room, sitting next to me on the bed.

"Hey" was all I could manage as my sobs continued.

"So, I heard you on the phone. I'm sorry Carlos" he said, as he wrapped his arm around my neck, pulling me into a hug. Liam had become a great friend in the past six months, probably due to the fact that he was my flatmate and I saw him every day. I didn't respond to his last statement, instead I cried into his shoulder, not caring if I got it wet. He just allowed it, and even offered to cook me some dinner, which was thankful for.

The next few weeks were tough, but slowly I got over Ben. I helped that I didn't have to see him every day, although it was the little things that reminded me of him, like my laptop which he let me keep. After a few months, Liam said that I should get myself back out there, and even offered to take me to the gay bar, which was fun. Watching him get hit on my gay guys was hilarious, as he just went all awkward and shy, which caused me to laugh.

I met up with a nice lad named George, and we really hit it off with each other. We must have lasted two years together, but at the end of the day, George wasn't Ben. If anything, he was as far away as possible. George had completely black hair, brown eyes, and an amazing physique. But he was a bit of a lad's lad should I say. The time we spent together was great, and it was clear that he cared for me, but it was the little things he did which annoyed me, so at the end of the day, I called it off. I was finishing university single, but completely happy with myself.

Well, that's what I thought.

3 Years Later-Graduation Day:
We all funnelled into a marque that the university had placed on the sea front, which was really nice, if a little bit unnecessary. We were all wearing our robes and hats, which both Liam and I were laughing at, considering we looked ridiculous. We took our seats, and as expected, the president of the University got up to make a speech. I wasn't really paying much attention, especially with Liam making the odd sarcastic comment in my ear, which caused me to chuckle.

But I tuned in, as soon as I heard him say. "We are very fortunate today, as one of our most successful alumnus is joining us, and agreed to make a speech. So, please put your hands together for Ben Adams" the president said, as Ben walked up onto the stage. As you could expect, my jaw dropped, especially after not seeing Ben for close to three years.

"Carlos, why have you gone pale?" Liam whispered into my ear, and I continued to stare at Ben.

I was able to stutter "That's my ex", causing Liam to gasp.

"I didn't know your ex was Ben Adams. I mean, I knew his name was Ben, but I didn't know it was that Ben!" he whispered back, and I just nodded as Ben began his speech.

"Three years ago, I was in the same position you are in now. I had just graduated from university, and was about the begin the rest of my life, feeling exciting and also a little bit frightened. Just remember that you are entitled to whatever you want, as long as you work for it. If you believe in yourself, and work hard, then you can achieve anything, as cheesy as it sounds. But most importantly, hold onto the friends and memories that you have made these past few years. The people you are sat with now will probably be your friends for life, and you've probably got some great memories as well. I know I did. So, when you leave here today, please remember that" Ben finished, and everyone clapped as he walked off stage.

I kept my eye on him the whole time, but from his position, I don't think he could see me. Eventually, we were called up one by one, and with my surname, I was always last, especially with everyone using 'Vil' as what they recorded in the registers. After what left like an hour, my name was called, and I could see that Ben stood up as well.

Before I could reach the podium, he had already whispered to the University President, and receive my diploma. I walked up to him, seeing that he had the biggest smile on his face when I did so, and it was infectious. I looked into his eyes, and remembered all over again why I fell in love with him.

"Carlos, congratulations on your hard work" Ben said, trying to be as professional as possible while I shook his hand, me chuckling slightly. He moved the tassel on my cap, and I met up with the rest of the class, where we stepped outside, and threw our hats into the air, just like the movies! A few photos were taken, especially with me Liam, Dylan and Rosie, from my course, and Mal, Evie and Jay, who accompanied, my mum. The four of us went to different uni's but stayed in contact.

Anyway, once the whole event was done, I was stood around with everyone, chatting and whatnot when I heard someone clear their throat behind me. I turned to see Ben stood there, a rather nervous look on his face and the whole gang went silent.

"Could we talk?" he asked, and I nodded, hearing the whispers from my friends. Ben led me to a secluded area of the sea front, which didn't contain many people, and we sort of stood there in an awkward silence for a moment. Remembering what he had done to me once, I went for it.

"Oh fuck it!" I said, as I pulled him into a deep kiss, one that he was quick to return. We both fought for dominance, with him coming out on top like usual and as weird as it sounds, I savoured every moment of it with him. When the need for oxygen became too much, the pair of us pulled out but remained in a hug. "Hey" was all I said, causing him to chuckle.

"Really, after that, all you have to say is 'hey'" he replied, and I chuckled into his chest.

"I missed you?" I said it more like a question, hoping that was what he wanted to hear.

"Yeah, that's better" he replied, resting his chin on my head.

"You know, that was some speech. Made me tear up a little" I said rather sarcastically, causing him to chuckle. "And imagine how lucky you were to deliver it on my graduation day, some coincidence huh?" I continued, causing him to chuckle more.

"I missed you too. Is that what you wanted to hear?" he asked, and I giggled.

"Maybe" I said, pulling out of our cosy little snuggle and staring up at him. I placed a kiss on his lips before pulling out entirely, and continuing to question him. "So what did you want to talk about?" I asked, quirking my eyebrow as I did so.

"I'm here to re-offer you that job as Generalist Director, as forward as it is. But with you being Valedictorian, I thought I best get in there quick" he replied, and I just smirked.

"So quick that you hosted my graduation? God, I must mean a lot to you" I responded, the smirk on my face growing even further.

"You know, you've changed. You're a lot cockier now" he joked, a smirk now growing on his face.

"Well, a lot can change in three years" I replied, but his response caught me off guard.

"My feelings for you haven't" he declared, with all seriousness. I was taken aback for a moment, but quickly recovered when I found myself wrapping my arms around his body, and pressing my lips onto his. Another passionate kiss occurred until we needed oxygen, and he just chuckled. "I'm guessing it's the same for you then" he smirked, and I just rolled my eyes. "So what do you say? You want the job?" he repeated, and I decided to toy with him slightly. Pulling myself away and turning away from him, I started my little game.

"Oh, I'm not sure. Working for the biggest tech company in Auradon, with this really cute guy I know. I mean sure the job is great, but that guy is a bit of a jerk, and he would be my boss" I remarked sarcastically, which he picked up on quickly.

"Well, if not it's fine. I'm sure someone else out there would want it" he pressed, and that was enough for me to cave in. I quickly spun around, seeing him with a smirk on his face, obviously knowing he'd won.

"I'll take it" I smiled, causing his face to light up as well. I pulled him into one last kiss, before stating that we should make our way back to the other's. We'd been gone a while, and knowing them, they'd started all sorts of rumours. Walking back, I felt Ben intertwine his fingers into mine, which I smirked at as well.

"Ben?" I said, looking down at my hand and then back up to him.

"Carlos" was all he replied with, not budging at all. Knowing that he was completely serious about this, I snuggled up into his chest as well walked. "I love you" I heard him say first, and it made my heart flutter.

"I love you too" I replied, the pair of us both content with everything that was happening.

So there we go! A shorter chapter than usual, but I think it worked well. So we had Carlos begin his adventure into University, and then break up with Ben, and then three years later, get back with Ben. I know it was a little bit...rushed, but I thought it worked well. Also, I know nothing about giving speeches and I've never had to do one, so I know that Ben's speech sucked, but again I think it worked.

Also, I'm really excited cause we've got snow! Where I am in the UK for university hasn't had snow yet, and now we got loads! It's safe to say I went out and enjoyed it yesterday (Wednesday), and I'm pretty sure we're going to get more today, so I'm super excited! Yes, snow makes me act like a child, but so what? :D

Thank you to White Collar Black Wolf for leaving a review on the last chapter, and the next chapter is a bit of a eppilogue, so I might post that sometime over the week end, ready to begin our new story on Thursday! But first we have Water Under The Bridge on Monday, so until then

TTFN :D