I owe all of you the biggest apology ever, I am so sorry for taking way too long to update but this whole year has been so stressful and I just forgot where I wanted this story to go and I also got more into writing a bit of poetry o:) Anyway, I decided to get myself together and finally write again :) Thank you so much to everyone who's still sticking with this story.

Jo's POV

Life had been pretty uneventful since the detention thing at school. Cheerleader's still gave us dirty looks sometimes when passing us in the halls and the virginity pledges obviously had problems with seeing Patrick and I kiss but who cared right? Since then Patrick and I have also been on a few dates and once he even took me out of town to a concert to see one of his favourite bands, Arctic Monkeys. That had been one of the highlights of the past few weeks.

Another thing that has happened is that I have tried to get an interview for a job at the music store where Patrick and I met. Patrick knew the owner of the store, Jimmy, so it was quite easy to get an interview set up. Apparently Jimmy had mentioned looking to hire someone because of some personal things and not having enough time to run the shop. Luckily for me, the interview had gone pretty well and seeing as nobody else bothered to apply for the job I got it! This is why I was currently standing next to a pile of CDs trying to sort them out, first into genres and then alphabetically, before separating them into the appropriate sections of the shop. Nothing interesting ever happened at this store and I've been here for almost two weeks. Most of the time it was practically empty except for the odd two or three customers. Most of them were teenagers or university students. I liked this job, not because of how chilled it was but I loved the moments when I could discuss music with people who shared a similar music taste to me. Those were the best times. Usually Patrick visits me when he has time since he knows this shop almost as well as the back of his hand so he helps out but it's not really necessary because everything is always in place.

The small, yellow bell rang as the door opened allowing a soft breeze to blow through the store. Dark hair. Black Jeans. Washed out denim jacket. I was actually expecting Patrick but here was Will standing before me.

"Will?" I quickly blurted out.

"Jo? I didn't know you worked here…"

"What are you doing here?" I asked, placing the still unsorted CDs back into the box.

"Looking for you actually. Music stores like these were your favourites back in Cali so I thought I'd ask around." He replied as if it was the oh-so-obvious fact.

"Could we go somewhere to talk?" He asked.

"I'm sorry I can't, nobody else is here to watch the store for me."

A few seconds of silence passed.

"Anyway I just wanted to see you one last time before I left."

"You're leaving?" I asked sadly.

"I can't stay, you know that. Your whole new life is here. What kind of person would I be if I just decided to push myself into it?"

"Will. I don't want you to go. You're the only thing that reminds me of Cali and sometimes I just don't wanna move on into this new life. But in a way you're right, I guess. I have friends here and Patrick…"

"So he finally asked you out has he?" He gave me that smirk of his. I remember when his smirk would make me laugh after some of our fights right after I would admit that he was right. God I'll miss Will.

I smiled a little at his words. "Yeah."

"Well, if he knows what's good for him he won't let you go and he'll treat you right. I'm not afraid to come back here and take care of anyone who's not treating my Princess right."

Tears pricked at my eyes as Will spoke. Princess. My old nickname from him which brought back such amazing memories and made me run back to him almost every single time. But not this time. This time I'm happy and I have so many people who care about me here. Who knew that moving would actually prove to be one of the best things that ever happened to me?

"I'm sure he knows. He probably feels the same way, to be honest." I spoke slowly.

"I hope so. Is he here by any chance I kind of wanted to chat with him also?" He chuckled nervously.

"No. Not yet anyway. He should be here in…" I took a quick glance at the clock behind the counter. "About 20 minutes if you want to wait?"

"Yeah, okay. You need any help with those?" He asked pointing to the stack of CDs I had been previously trying to sort out.

"Sure. They go alphabetically but they're also sorted into individual genres. There's metal, indie etc. There are labels on top of each shelf." I said pointing to individual sections of the shop before returning back to work whilst Will and I chatted about his plans at his new school back in Cali.

Patrick's POV

On weekends I spent most of my time at the music store with Jo or hanging out with Sam or Charlie. Or both. Or all three when Jo wasn't working. Life was good at the moment. I had the most unbelievably amazing girl and everything between Charlie and Sam was good. Everyone was happy. I wasn't even bothered by the looks that I've been getting from Brad whenever I was with Jo. Like I said, life was good.

I was driving back from meeting Sam as we were planning to organise a small-ish party or gathering due to the fact that our parents were going away for the week so we had a free house. I say small-ish as the number of people who were meant to be invited and the number of people who were actually coming was very different. Maybe small-ish wasn't the best way to describe it. I guess a party it is. I still had to tell Jo about our plans and make sure she could make it. Sam and I only came up with the idea two or three nights ago but the plans weren't finalised until yesterday evening and I haven't seen Jo yet. That's why I was on my way to the music store where she worked. Along with a small tub of vanilla ice cream which I knew was her favourite.

I finally pulled into the parking lot and switched off the engine to the car. As I walked through the entrance of the music store I quickly stiffened at the sight of the ex-boyfriend. Will. A.k.a. the guy who I am still blaming for Jo's attack and the scar on her shoulder – which she still feels self-conscious about even with me.

"Patrick!" Jo ran up to me and gave me a small hug and a quick kiss. "Will was just here to say goodbye. He's leaving to go back to California tomorrow." Her eyes dropped to the floor after the words left her mouth and I could tell she felt sad about losing the only person who linked her to the place she missed so much. I almost felt bad for hating the guy.

"Hey, Patrick. I just wanted to have a small talk if you don't mind." Will said. Our awkwardness could not be mistaken by anyone but we tried to avoid making it too obvious.

"Umm… Yeah sure. That's fine." I couldn't hide the curiosity in my voice but it was laced with hostility which I'm sure he picked up on.

We walked out of the store and walked a few blocks before he started talking.

"Listen, Patrick. I know you probably blame me for what happened to Jo and trust me I blame myself for it, too. I mean, the whole incident is the reason I lost her." He paused.

"But that's not the reason I'm here. I'm not here to get her back. I just wanted to see that she was okay and that she knew what actually happened. I can see that she's happy with you and I am so grateful that you've given her someone to trust here and someone she can rely on. Anyway, before I left I just wanted to thank you for looking after my Princess."

I took a couple of seconds to process what he was telling me. And maybe I hated him a little less. That doesn't mean I didn't blame him. I still blamed myself for the car accident and Jo being in the ICU not so long ago. I won't forgive myself and I won't forgive him. Not yet. But I wouldn't be a complete jerk about it.

"Will… I may blame you, but it's also that I blame myself for her car accident. And I can see that you still love her. Maybe you always will. Jo's just that type of girl. She's too amazing to let go to be honest with you, I can see that now. You don't have to thank me. She's got Sam, Charlie, Bob and I and numerous other people who care about her here. So you don't have to worry. We'll look after her."

I gave a small smile at the end to show that we're on the same page.

"And anyway," I continued, "You never really lost her. She's still here. You just had to let her go. And she's gonna be here with us so just get your ass down here and visit her a few times a year because I can tell she really cares about you too. Don't cut off her only connection to her previous home. I know she misses you. Even before she knew what happened and she told me about you, I knew there was some unfinished business there. You both just needed the closure, I guess."

"Thank Patrick. You're right, I may always love her. But it's time for me to move on and for me to finally let her go. But, man, if you hurt her...I'll be here. And I won't be the same Will that she's told you about." His tone lowered in pitch but I wasn't bothered by Will's sudden change in demeanour.

"Don't worry I'm not planning on it, ever. Save your threats." I chuckled and he joined as we both knew that we only wanted one thing for Jo and that was to be happy. "When are you leaving anyway?" I questioned.

"I have to drive down to the airport in a few hours."

"At least come say goodbye to her properly this time."

We slowly walked back to the store where Jo was busy talking to a customer.

"Please come again!" She waved at the visitor as he left the store.

"Oh, you guys are back. Did you have a nice chat? Your testosterone is just filling up the room." She stuck her tongue out at the both of us.

"Oh hush, you. I just came to say my last goodbye before I finally leave."

"I'll leave you guys alone." I said as I walked to the back of the store.

Jo's POV

"Your last goodbye… You make it sound like we're never gonna see each other again." Tears prickled at my eyes and I swear I tried to stop them from falling.

"Hey. Princess." Will put his hands on my face and wiped the slowly flowing tears. "I'm still going to come and visit, you know. This isn't like last time, okay?" He put his arms around me and pulled me into him whilst I silently cried and hugged him back.

It was so hard to let go the small touch of home that I just got back.

"I love you, Jo." He whispered.

"I love you, too. It's just different now, I guess."

"Yeah." He kissed me on the cheek softly before finally releasing me from his embrace.

I wiped my cheeks and smiled as Patrick walked back into the room.

"See you later, man." Will said as him and Patrick shook hands. An unspoken agreement between them could be seen in their eyes as Patrick slowly nodded his head at Will.

For me, this was it. The mystery of my accident was gone with Will. Patrick put his arm around my waist as we walked Will out and waved when he got into his car and drove away. I buried my face in Patrick's chest and laced my hands around his back.

"Jo, you're gonna be okay." We both knew it.

"Yeah. I know."

"Well, if you're looking for a pick-me-up, Sam and I are planning a small-ish party for next week."

I laughed.

"You always had the best timing at informing me of things like this."

We smiled at each other as I looked up at him and he kissed me passionately.