Real quick: I'm throwing more music at you beautiful people today. Try "Kiss Me" by Sixpence None the Richer. It takes a real man to listen to that song. Then do "The Only Exception" by Paramore. Take these feels, people.

Anyway, this is the final chapter. I hope you'll enjoy it. This has been a lot of fun to write, and hopefully even more fun for you to read.

I don't care if you've read all my crap, or if this is your first time resting your head on my fluffy pillow.

I love you all, and you make this all possible. You have my unconditional thanks.

Please enjoy!

Linka wakes up with a smile on her face. Her dreams were full of memories of Girl Jordan; playing games with her, having her over as a guest at the Loud house, eating weird cheeseless pizza with her in the uni cafeteria…

Snuggling through the night together.

The white haired girl stretches, yawns, and sits herself up on Jordan's mattress. "Good morning, sunshine," she softly says to her bedfellow, looking over to see her bright, shining face.

Okay, she probably has messed up hair and drool running down her cheek, but that's not the point.

However, she discovers that Jordan is no longer in the bed with her.

Linka looks all around for any signs of her, almost in a panic. Was something wrong? Did she do something wrong?

She hurries to grab her phone off the end table, and frantically unlocks it. She finds a few notifications, including text messages from several people.

Claudia, Mom, Luke…

Jordan.

She races her thumbs as fast as they'll go to check the new message, and there's a lot of them.

"Oh no."

…

Hey Stinka. Sorry to up and leave you like that. I got a call saying I needed to come into work early, and I couldn't say no.

Anyway, I'll make it up to the best way I know how. I will buy you food. Lots of it.

But I get to pick from where. I'm not eating friggin' tacos again.

Actually, I'm sick of takeout period.

You know what? I'll fix us up something when I get home. Sandwiches n stuff. We'll go on a picnic at the park and make fun of people like we used to do with your brothers.

Only it will just two girls instead of twelve.

Wait, thirteen.

I always forget about Lars.

Anyway, uh, yeah. I don't hate you or anything. (Anymore than I already do.) So don't freak out about that. Just meet me at the park around 5:00. Text me.

Kiss 3

…

Linka sighs with relief, hugging her phone to her chest.

Where anxiety made her heart race before, there's now the pooling of bliss. Would she have liked to have woken up still in Jordan's arms? Yes. Would she have liked to have talked about what last night meant for their relationship? More than anything in the world.

Even so, this was okay, too. Maybe it would be better. She now has all day to think of the things she'll say, the things she'll ask, the ways Jordan can react…

Normally, that would be bad. Very bad. Linka Loud is her own worst enemy when it comes to dwelling on things, after all. Worst case scenarios would flood her mind's' eye until she needs to go cry in the shower or stuff her face with ice cream. Or both.

But today, this was a good thing. If Jordan's text messages full of the usual sarcasm and the complementary sincerity are any indication, last night was no fluke.

Whatever it was, be it the capstone of their friendship, or a step forward towards… something more…

Linka knows to trust her heart.

5:00. Linka is on the bus, diligently waiting for it to reach its destination. She checks her phone for the millionth time since leaving the dormitory. Unsurprisingly, she has no new notifications from any of her friends or loved ones. None of her professors either. They were pretty chill this semester, only spamming her with reminders for upcoming projects during the weekdays.

There was also no word from Girl Jordan. Linka wouldn't get too anxious though. If anybody knew anything about showing up fashionably late, it was her. And she did say around 5:00. It wasn't the end of the world. Not yet at least.

Between reading some Ace Savvy, doing a little drawing, forcing herself to finish some of Andrews' sociology assignments, and even making time to web chat with some of the boys and the 'rents; she has plenty of time to anticipate her next meet with Girl Jordan.

Strangely, she isn't even nervous. Well, maybe a little. But a good nervous. Like, she knows it will go well. It just has to.

She's more nervous about how much she'll get to say, and what Jordan will have to say. She knows not to get her hopes up too high. There weren't going to be church bells ringing or anything at the end of the night.

But there might be more snuggling. And that's more than okay with Linka Loud.

As her bus comes to its stop, she feels her phone buzz in her purse. She reaches in for it, and pulls it out to find that it is now 5:06, and she has a new text message from Jordan.

I'm here now. Come to the pavilion by the viewfinders and I'll set us up a spot.

Linka reads it, but just as she's about to put her phone back, it buzzes again. And, it's Jordan.

Oh. Uh. You smell weird. Yeah. smth

Linka just smiles at this. "You're an idiot," she softly thinks aloud.

She follows the other passengers off of the bus, and places her earbuds in her ears before shuffling through her playlist for something to help make her walk to Byrne Park a little more enjoyable.

She decides to just put it on random, and waits for the music to play as she starts her stroll.

*Kiss me... out of the bearded barley, Nightly... beside the green, green grass. Swing, swing... Swing the spinning step. You'll wear those shoes and I will wear that dress…*

"This is pretty lame," she jokes to herself with a little smile crossing her face.

Yeah, it is lame. Because she's really happy. Anytime a person is this happy, it's like there's something wrong with them. College and living with ten boys had conditioned Linka to be realistically cynical, and, truthfully, Jordan's leaving all those years ago didn't help much.

So this was pretty new for her. Being the one carelessly wandering along a street, practically frolicking with the way she feels like she's weightlessly floating along, rather than being the one laughing at such a person.

And she'd laugh with Jordan. The girl who, ironically enough, makes her feel so free.

She comes to the park entrance, and speedily makes her way along as she checks the time again. 5:11. Late enough for some of Jordan's signature chop-busting. Which, really, would happen anyway. It's a win-win situation with her, which seems to be the new norm.

Perfect timing. The song playing in her earbuds comes to a close as she walks through the park grass over to the pavilion by the viewfinders, just as Jordan instructed her to do.

The French braided brunette is seated at the table, a downcast expression resting on her tired face.

Dang, maybe Linka should've tried to make it a little earlier after all.

She takes out her earbuds and puts them away as she starts to jog over. She stops herself though. No need to seem too spazzy, even if they did share a bed last night.

And there lies Girl Jordan with a serene smile on her face. She looks worn down from a long day of work and Saturday class, but not enough to keep her from enjoying the last days of summer weather, the ones that slowly bleed into autumn.

The first time Linka ever saw the girl, she felt something similar. It was the nervousness that comes with meeting anyone new. Without a first impression, nothing could make sense.

But then, she saw a smile just like this one, and she knew then and there that she was worth getting to know.

If only she knew then what she knew now. Maybe she would have tried harder to stay in touch.

But it doesn't matter. They're here now, and Jordan looks up to see her friend coming over.

"Hey gorgeous," she greets.

Gosh… That makes Linka blush.

"Hey," she simply says, preening her hair behind her ear as she sits down Indian style by the brunette. As promised, there's a picnic basket full of deli delicacies, and to the side of it, a Bluetooth speaker playing…

*Oh, kiss me beneath the milky twilight… Lead me out on the moonlit floor… Lift your open hand, strike up the band, and make the fireflies dance silver moon's sparkling… So kiss me…*

Of course.

"What's up with you?" Jordan playfully asks.

Linka softly shakes her head. "Nothing. Just… You're funny," she almost thoughtlessly says.

Jordan teasingly furrows her brow. "What? I'm funny for trying something nice for once? Jeez. I swear I've spoiled you," she jokes.

"On what? Snarky comments and food?" Linka ripostes.

Jordan thinks it over. "Yup."

Linka laughs. "Yeah… That's why I keep you around," she says as she opens up the picnic basket to grab herself a snack.

Jordan just watches her for a moment, blissfully resting her head on her hand.

Linka doesn't say anything as she takes a bite of a sandwich that was packed for her, but after a few seconds, she can't help but laugh with a cheekful of food.

"What?!"

Jordan simply smiles. "Nothing. You're just funny."

After getting their bellies full, discussing the latest season of their favorite show, and debating over whether or not the rocker is cooler than the jock, the girls rest on their backs, looking up to the clouds.

It's been nice. As expected, jokes were made, stories were shared about loved ones and experiences from the day,

And yet, nothing has been said about the night before. Sure, Jordan was acting a little… different. Like, she wasn't acting like it never happened, but she wasn't pressing on it, either.

Her eyes were glossier than usual, though. And her smiles and laughs were more frequent. She was clearly happy, but…what did it all mean?

The only bad thing about all of it, for Linka Loud at least… was the thought burrowing it's way into her mind.

"Should I say something?"

She keeps it to herself as they lie side by side, watching the sky shift and shape into anything they find desirable. No matter what Linka sees though, it can't distract her from the girl by her side. Here, there, anywhere; this was one unchanging variable in her crazy life.

She was crazy about Jordan, and whatever this feeling she got from being with her.

After an ad for Dr. Gregger, the "superior soft drink," finishes up, the familiar harmony of a guitar strumming plays over the speaker, and a woman begins singing.

*When I was younger I saw my daddy cry, and curse at the wind… He broke his own heart and I watched, as he tried to reassemble it…*

*And my momma swore that she would never let herself forget… And that was the day that I promised I'd never sing of love, if it does not exist, but darlin'...*

*You… are… the only exception…*

Normally, Jordan would make some snide remark about how lame something so sickeningly sweet is. But she doesn't. She just smiles more as she looks up to the sky above.

"You know what I'm thinking about right now?" Jordan asks.

"What? Last night was amazing? We should do it again tonight? And every night after this?" Linka wants to respond. Instead, she buries that down deep, and settles for the following.

"What?"

Nice work Linka.

Jordan looks to her now with those amber eyes of hers, the ones that shine with her diamond smile.

"After this, we should go check out Gus' Games N' Grub," she answers.

Linka raises her brow. That was unexpected. "The arcade? You mean like, the one back home? In Royal Woods?"

Jordan rolls her eyes as she sits up. "No, the one in Argentina. Yes, the one back home, you idiot!" she playfully tells her.

Linka considers it for a moment before sitting herself up as well.

"So, wait. You mean you want to drive all the way to Royal Woods just to go to the old arcade?"

"Well, not just to go to the arcade. But yes. I wanna go home tonight," Jordan explains.

Was she being serious? It's so hard to tell anymore. But Linka decides to play it off like she isn't, simply because it's easier for her.

"You're crazy," she says.

"I'm not crazy," Jordan responds with widening eyes.

Okay, she is serious.

"You're so crazy!" Linka retorts through stifling laughter.

Jordan meets her with incredulousness. "Is it really though? I mean… It's a Saturday night, we don't have anywhere to be tonight. I say let's do it!" she excitedly says, standing up now.

"I don't know, Jordan…" Linka says with a downcast expression.

Jordan smirks. "Come on! We can take turns driving. You need practice anyway. You suck."

A heaviness comes over Linka. Why did she suddenly feel so wrong? Was it really because she felt a duty to stay behind and get caught up on homework?

Would she feel this way if last night had not of happened?

"You're guilt tripping me now," she says, the wind taken from her.

Jordan deflates as well, the glossiness in her eyes changing into something somber.

"No. No I'm not…" she states. "Linka… God…"

She walks away, and over to the nearby veranda where the viewfinders can be found. The sudden display of despondence weighs on Linka now, filling her with an unpleasant new discomfort.

"What?" she simply asks Jordan, just audibly enough to he heard.

"I hate feeling like this!" Jordan snaps. But, Linka can sense it. There isn't as much anger in her voice as there is... pain.

"Feeling like what? Are you good?" she asks, now standing up to meet her eye level.

Jordan just stares at her for a moment before forcing herself to look away. She defensively folds her arms, almost shamefully, as she faces the ground.

"I… I suck at this. I really do. I feel like if I try to say anything to you that's not just- you know, messing around... that you're going to think I'm stupid," she confesses.

Seeing the way Jordan closes herself off, hearing her say those words... It brings a actual pain to Linka's chest.

"I don't think you're stupid," she softly says, taking but one step forward towards the other girl.

And for a moment, they're both quiet as they let their words linger in the air. Something has to give. It was time for siege against the pretense, a break for a new understanding.

Linka doesn't overthink it anymore. She just comes out and says it.

"Jordan, what was last night, about? You holding me like that?"

She freezes, anxiously anticipating whatever sort of response Jordan will have for her.

The brunette with the bow in her hair heavily sighs before turning back to face Linka. A blend of pity and woe can be found on her face, but somewhere between the creases of her lips, and the corners of her eyes… there's a hint of desperation. The fear of rejection.

"Did you like it?" she asks, the apprehension trembling in her voice.

Linka is careful not to make haste, but again, she decides there's no sense in overthinking. Honesty and transparency were their friends here.

"I loved it," she admits with a weak smile.

Jordan returns the gesture, but she turns away again, looking out at the people beyond the veranda balcony, heavily sighing once again.

"Linka, can I tell you something kind of important?" she asks.

"Anything, Jordan," Linka tells her with conviction.

She takes a moment to consider her words, and once she has found some inkling of confidence to voice them, Jordan begins.

"For a long time after leaving Royal Woods, I just felt... lost. Like, depressed even. I just didn't feel like I belonged anywhere, and I didn't feel like I could ever be fixed. Something was just broken, and I couldn't be fixed. I really wasn't happy."

She turns back to Linka again, the anguish resonating on her face. But somewhere in those eyes of hers, the ones that have been burned into Linka's dreams… there's what could almost be considered relief.

"But then you came back into my life. It was a feeling… I've never known. I don't know how to describe it. I don't wanna say… You know…" Jordan continues, shrugging, gesturing her hands around, searching for just what she's trying to get to.

But it doesn't matter. Because, Linka already knows. It's the exact same feeling she tries to describe when she rode the bus here, daydreaming of how this day would go. It's the same feeling she got waiting all day to hear from Jordan, thinking of what kind of things they would talk about next. It's the same feeling she got laying in Jordan's bed last night, feeling her forgiving arms wrapped snug around her waist as she drifted off to sleep.

It's a feeling she's come accustomed to, and one she could guess the name of. But it's a label with tremendous weight. One that indicates… they can't go back to the way things were before. For better or worse.

"It's love?"

After the words escape Linka's lips, she steels herself, nearly paralyzed. A million conflicting feelings rush through her nerves, some of them pleasant, but most of them equating to the things that kept her from calling, texting, or trying all together for four long years.

Even so, they had been spoken. There was no turning back now. And, for Linka, there was a great deal of fear in that.

But there was release. It had to be said, it had to be done. She can't hold it back anymore.

They're both silent for a little while. Linka fixes her eyes on Jordan, holding out for her response, but the other girl can't face her. She turns her head anywhere where she can't see those blue eyes beckoning for her.

She eventually turns back to the balcony, and looks out to the world around her once again. Linka can hear her sniffle from where she stands.

"I just keep telling myself to be happy with what we have. I don't want to screw it up," Jordan begins again. "I feel like, no matter what I say or do, I'm going to find a way to ruin things between us. Whatever this is."

She lets out a tired sigh.

"I'm sorry Linka. I know this was supposed to just be a fun little thing. I'm sorry I brought it up. Maybe we can just… pretend it didn't happen…"

"Jordan," Linka softly says, unsure how to accept that, and worse yet- unsure how to let her know there's nothing to apologize for.

But Jordan only seems interested in giving up on the conversation. She doesn't turn back, stubbornly facing forward with a tense posture.

"God… I wonder if any of them even know what we're doing up here," she says regarding all of the people she can see below. "That asian guy probably doesn't even realize I see him picking his nose."

That was to be expected. Linka would have done the same thing. Even when all she wants to do if open up the floodgates and let it all out, she feels the same anxiety.

But for the first time, she doesn't feel alone. In this moment, it's obvious.

Jordan is just the same.

Even if she isn't, even if she's brave enough to stand up to bullies, or the best in the world at dodgeball, or even if she's the idiot who likes vampires more than Smooch…

She couldn't be anymore perfect.

And it was time to let her know that, even if she said she wanted to drop it.

Without a word, Linka timidly steps towards her, ever so cautiously, thousands of doubts racing through her mind. Maybe this would be a big mistake, maybe it wasn't worth taking the risk.

But the one best case scenario seems so clear compared to the rest. Gus' Games N' Grub wasn't so far away, really. And neither is Jordan.

With her heart pounding in her chest, and her cheeks warming up like the last day of summer, Linka paces over to her best friend, admiring her statuesque shape shimmering with the golden hour of the sunset.

Just as Jordan realizes how close the other girl is to her, she feels two arms carefully wrapping around her waist, and a warm embrace pressing against her back.

Linka skittishly looks to the side as she brushes her head against the back of Jordan's neck, feeling her heart drop like a New Year's ball in her chest.

Jordan tenses up, freezing at her touch. "Wh- what are you doing?" she nervously asks.

She's not fighting it. If she was going to, she would have. Like Linka the night before, she's stunned- amazed, even. This was what these feelings were meant to be… everlasting, powerful, spontaneous… and they were supposed to feel good.

"Look at me," Linka quietly says before reaching her hand up to gently cup Jordan's chin. She coerces the girl into facing her once again, this time inches away from her own eyes.

She can see Jordan's flushed cheeks, and her eyes somewhat watering. It brings her a solemn kind of sadness, but not so much sympathy. No, this feeling is mutual.

Maybe it is love.

Done with overanalyzing the doubts, and dwelling on the obstacles, Linka decides to speak from her heart. She was knee deep in the water anyway, so why not try to swim?

"Jordan, I'm so tired of hiding how I feel. I'm tired of it. I don't know what this all means for us, or how it's gonna change things… But I do know one thing…"

She finds herself choking on her words, flustered. She'd find them, of course she would. It was just harder than those corny romance movies made it out to be.

But like those corny movies, Jordan seems to know just what to say.

"What's that?" she weakly says, staring vehemently back into Linka's eyes.

She swallows the apprehension. This was it.

"I care… so much about you. I think about you all the time. When I'm not with you, I think of being with you. All I wanna do is talk to you, and be with you, and just… have all of you. You're the most amazing person I've ever met. You make me feel alive the way I never have before…"

"Linka…"

"I'm so scared to say any more…" Linka admits, her own eyes welling up just slightly.

Jordan carefully releases herself from Linka's arms, and takes her pale hands in her own. She holds her fingers against hers, rubbing her thumbs across her knuckles as she looks down to them.

She looks back into her eyes again, and softly smiles.

"Thank you."

Linka raises a brow. "For what?"

Jordan sighs. "For feeling the same way…"

She serenely closes her eyes, as if to savor the words, before opening them to cast them upon her… whatever she was now. Friend, best friend… Something else…

"I know I'm the biggest idiot in the world, and I'm just one stupid joke after another. But, Linka… There's no one I've ever been able to be myself around the way I have with you. I'm not sure it's healthy, even," she jokes. Because, of course she would.

But it makes Linka smile wide. Because of course she would.

She nervously preens her hair behind her ear before taking Jordan's hand again, and for a moment, they just gaze at one another, studying their smiles, admiring their eyes, reaching a new connection they only dreamed possible with their hands held together.

The enjoy the calm silence for a moment, perhaps to consider their professions of feelings, maybe just to appreciate how real it's become.

But, it's Linka and Girl Jordan after all…

"You're so gay," Linka flirts, and they both laugh.

"News flash, Loud. So are you," Jordan says.

The laughter wanes, but the smiles do not. After a moment longer to cherish this moment, Jordan warmly welcomes her arms around Linka, and Linka returns the gesture with a hug of her own.

It's an amazing embrace.

But Jordan takes it a step further. After just the slightest hesitation, she decides to give herself just enough room to look at Linka's beautiful face one more time before kissing her forehead.

Linka beams from ear to ear as she feels her soft lips pressing against her head, blushing all the while.

Jordan finishes the kiss, then leans back to meet Linka's eyes once more. "So… All that stuff aside, what do you say?"

It doesn't register for poor Linka just what she even means, and she isn't shy to let her know.

"Huh?"

Jordan rolls her eyes. "Do you wanna go home?"

Linka ponders her suggestion. No, she doesn't mean their crummy dormitory fifteen minutes away. She means their home of Royal Woods, where their old friends and family are, where Gus' Games N' Grub can be found, where they spent the best years of their lives playing Don't Look At Me.

And... playing a secret game of Look At Me for so long.

Sure, maybe it was crazy. And maybe it was irresponsible. But it would fun and exciting, just like even the smallest activities with Jordan were. And it could be the start of the first of many adventures.

Spending nights together, catching up with those friends and family, filling them in on what they did spending so much time with one another…

Finding out what to call it, or mustering the courage to admit what it really was that they both knew.

Love.

…

No matter what would happen though, it was all certain now. Nothing could get between Linka and her karate kicking, French braid wearing, tasteless nerd of an other half in Girl Jordan.

And that was all that mattered anyway.

"Royal Woods… Here we come," she answers.

Jordan smiles at that, and Linka does too. The brunette frees one of her hands to check the phone in her pocket though, and smirks upon seeing the time.

"Alright. But, ya know, we got all night. Maybe we can just… hang out here for a bit. Enjoy the sunset a little longer," she suggests.

Linka pretends to think it over with a mock thoughtful expression, then shrugs. "Eh, sure. You know I love a good view," she says with a grin.

Jordan smiles at that too, then wraps her arms back around Linka before they turn to face the horizon.

And damn if it isn't the most perfect sunset there ever was.

Damn if it wasn't the most perfect moment there ever was.

So perfect in fact, that it was begging for that Midas touch that only Linka and Girl Jordan could provide one another. The white haired girl knows just what to say, just how to show the girl holding her how much she really cares, and how much things could change.

For the better.

She turns her head just enough to look back to Jordan.

"Don't look at me," she says with a sly grin.

Jordan laughs, "I hate you!" she jokes with one of the widest smiles Linka has ever seen from her.

She just faces the golden horizon again, allowing herself to bask in the glory of making Jordan smile the way only she can.

"Good."

THE END.