A/N: So...you guys were right. I couldn't just leave it hanging. So back by popular demand, here's chapter 23 :D I'll upload the epilogue (yes, there's an epilogue, too) as soon as it's finished. That'll probably be up by the end of the week (hopefully!)

Enjoy :)

Chapter 23

"Hi," Andy muttered.

Steph folded her arms and rolled her eyes. "You're a freaking huge bastard, do you know that?"

Andy nodded slowly. "Yeah. I do."

Steph shook her head and went to shut the door. "Just go."

Andy put his foot there to prevent the door from closing. "Hear me out."

"No," she protested. She was pushing her shoulder against the door, attempting to force it shut. Of course, she was no match to Andy. "I don't care anymore. I'm over you."

Andy faltered, resting his forehead against the door. "You're lying."

Steph stopped pushing the door and opened the door again. "How do you know?"

"Give me five minutes," Andy whispered. "Five minutes to apologise."

Steph paused. "Five minutes," she said sternly as she opened the door and moved into the lounge without looking back at him.

He followed her through and she finally turned to look at him. "I'm sorry," he murmured.

"For what?" she snapped.

He shrugged. "Everything. Ignoring you these past few years, leaving you alone the other week. I'm sorry for everything."

"Yeah, why did you leave me?" she asked, folding her arms. "Did I miss something that night? Was I so naive that I actually thought that you'd noticed me as me and not your best friend?"

Andy took a deep breath. "I left because I was scared. I was terrified. Steph, I was freaking petrified."

"Scared of what?" she snapped.

"You," he yelled. "I'm terrified of you."

She faltered. "What did I do?"

"You made me fall in love with you. That night you told me you're leaving. I don't know why I noticed on that night but all I know is that I love you and it terrifies me," he whispered.

"Why does it scare you so much? It can't be because of your dad because he's said before that he and your mum were never in love," she exclaimed.

"It's not about my dad. For once in my life, I'm not thinking about him. Steph, when I was thirteen, I realised that girls weren't so bad after all. So I made a rule to myself. I made myself promise that I would never, under any circumstances, fall in love with you," he muttered. "As it was, it was kind of easy at first. I mean, you were kind of clumsy and awkward and a bit of a know-it-all, too."

"Hey," she protested.

"But, then we had the bright idea of losing our virginity to each other in the back seat of my truck," he exclaimed.

"You avoided me for weeks after that time, too," she accused.

"Hey, I'd just lost my virginity to my best friend. At seventeen, getting a girl pregnant was the end of the world," he exclaimed.

"Oh, so you're like your mother? If I had gotten pregnant, you would've run away? My bad. I must've assumed you took after Uncle Troy who actually wanted to raise you on his own," she retorted.

"Steph, that's not what I meant and you know it," he protested.

"Then what the hell did you mean?" she cried.

"If you had gotten pregnant, it would've been okay. Sure, it wasn't part of my plans but I would've stayed by you," he exclaimed. He ran a hand through his hair.

"Why is it that after every time we sleep together, you run away from me?" she whispered.

"I don't know," he admitted. "Well, I guess I do. Both times, for one reason or another, I was scared. This time, I'm scared that I'm going to screw this up."

"Don't you think it's a bit too late for that?" she muttered as she sat down on the sofa, looking at her lap.

He paused for a moment before he sat next to her and tentatively took her hand. "Yeah, I do. But, Steph, I've been with girls before. And every single time, it ended and I never saw her again. I didn't want that to be you and me."

She sighed and crossed one leg over the other. "Andy, how do you that would ever be us? You're not going to know unless we try. Every relationship you have is going to be wrong until you find the one that's right. Besides, it's already gone wrong, hasn't it, really?"

Andy frowned. "Steph, I love you, I do. I can't stop thinking about you. I know it took me a while to realise it but I do love you. That night you told me you're leaving you just looked so beautiful and I don't know how I ever missed you becoming a woman."

"Andy, that's sweet but I'm leaving. I'm not staying and nothing you can say is going to change that," she murmured, a hurt look flashing through her eyes.

He nodded. "I know. I'm not asking you to stay."

"But, you know I don't believe in long distance relationships," she exclaimed.

He nodded again. "I know that, too." He paused, watching her as she looked at their hands. "Which is why I quit my job and I'm going with you." He faltered. "If you'll let me."

She slowly moved her eyes to his. "What?"

He shrugged. "I don't want to let you go. And I'm not going to force you stay. You stayed here for me. Which is amazing. But, now it's my turn. I'm leaving for you."

"You're being serious?" she murmured.

He shrugged. "As a starfish."

She cracked a small smile. "You're not forgiven."

He nodded, a smile pulling at the corners of his mouth. "I know. Dad said you'll forgive me when we're eighty and living in a nursing home."

"If you're lucky," she whispered. "You're a really big idiot, you know."

He chuckled. "I know." He moved one of his hands to push her hair behind her ear. "Please give me a chance."

"Andy, I can't live my whole life just giving you chances all the time," she whispered.

"Just one," he murmured. "I'll make it up to you. I mean, I'll screw up sometimes but I guess that's because I'm a guy. It's in my genes. Please, Steph."

She finally smiled and nodded. "Okay. One chance. You bette start packing for the end of the summer. I have a flat picked out and everything."

Andy grinned and leaned forward and kissed her. When he pulled back, realisation dawned on his face. "I'm going to have to get a job. A job that isn't at my dad's place. I have to grow up."

Steph touched his cheek. "You'll be fine, I promise."

He leaned in to kiss her again. "It's funny. All of my life, I've wondered who I was going to spend the rest of my life with. And now that I'm here, I realise it could never have been anyone else."

She smiled and squeezed his hand. "Took you long enough."

"Yeah, yeah, I should've noticed you sooner. Hey, where's your mum and dad?" he asked.

She shrugged. "Work?"

"When will they be home?" he persisted.

"Maybe two, three hours?" Realisation suddenly dawned on her face and she broke out in a smile. "Just won't promise you won't run away this time."

He chuckled as he took her in his arms. "You have my word."

Andy pushed the door open and covered his eyes with his hands. "Are you both decent?"

Troy chuckled. "We're dressed, I promise."

Andy walked into the flat, his hand in Steph's to see Troy and Gabriella sitting together on the settee. Gabriella was sat with her legs spread out, over Troy's lap and they were both nursing cups of coffee. "Is everything okay?"

Troy and Gabriella looked at each other and then nodded. "Everything's fine. Can I assume you guys worked things out?"

Steph blushed and nodded. "I hope you don't mind him coming to Edinburgh with me?"

Gabriella laughed. "We're just glad you both worked things out. We were both really worried about you. But, when you're in Edinburgh, will you come back for the wedding?"

Andy frowned. "What wedding?"

Gabriella held her hand out, showing them both the engagement ring which sat proudly and, in some way, just right on her oil stained finger. She saw Andy meet her eyes and she smiled at him, shrugging.

Celebrations erupted and Troy and Gabriella's coffees lay forgotten on the coffee table. Andy hugged his father as Steph admired Gabriella's ring. After weeks of fighting, arguments and awkwardness, the air was filled with laughter and an easy relaxation which only ever comes with celebrations. Gabriella watched Troy move to the kitchen and pour what she could only assume to be sparkling fruit juice. No alcohol.

Andy placed a hand on her shoulder. "Can I talk to you? It's nothing bad," he added hurriedly.

She smiled and shrugged. "Sure," she replied as they headed to Andy's room.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Troy called over. "Unless you want to catch a fatal disease or anything."

Andy frowned. "My room isn't that bad."

Steph raised her hand. "I have to disagree."

Andy rolled his eyes. "Fine. Dad, we're in your room."

Once inside Troy's room, Gabriella and Andy sat down next to each other on the bed. After a few moments of silence, Gabriella felt the urge to break it. "Is everything okay?"

Andy laughed and nodded. "Everything's great. I mean, Steph's my girlfriend now which is incredible. We're going to be in Edinburgh for a year. She's going to study starfish and I'm going to find a job, hopefully."

"Are you coming back? Not just for the wedding, just generally," she murmured.

He nodded. "We'll be back. I mean, we'll be here for Christmas and Easter. And then after that it really depends what Steph wants to do. For all I know, she's planning to do her doctorate as well. Which is fine, you know?"

"You'd go to the end of the world for her, wouldn't you?" Gabriella whispered.

Andy ran a hand over his face. "Yeah. I would. I mean, when she's done learning about starfish, we'll probably come back here, find a place of our own and stuff."

Gabriella smiled. "You two are going to be together for a really long time."

"I wish I'd figured everything out sooner," he admitted.

"You can't help that. And now you're together and that's all that matters," she assured him. "So what did you want to talk to me about?"

He paused for a moment, twisting his hands together. "Gabi, I've never had a mum before. Not really. I guess the closest I got to a mum is Aunt Kels. And, honestly, she's only mum-like. Does that make sense?"

"I think I'm following," Gabriella muttered, frowning. "But what has this got to do with me?"

"Everything," Andy admitted. "Gabi, you're really good for my dad and I know he's good for you two and I'm hoping that this'll be it. I'm not sure I can cope with any other women wearing just one of my dad's shirts."

Gabriella blushed. "That was one time."

Andy laughed. "It's okay. But the point is, I don't know if you want to and if you don't, that's fine. But I'd really like it if I could call you Mum?"

Gabriella across at him. "You mean that?"

Andy nodded. "Yeah."

"Of course I'll be your mum. I'd love that," she whispered as she hugged him. When they separated, she looked down at her hands. "Andy, there's something you should know about me. It's something your dad knows but he hasn't told anybody and I'm thankful for that. The reason I'm an alcoholic is that when I was married, we had a daughter, Alyssa. She, uh, she was diagnosed with leukaemia and she died not long after her fourth birthday. After that, me and my husband didn't talk, we got divorced and I found comfort in alcohol.

"I sometimes wonder what kind of person she would've been. She was always so happy and she always cheered me up." She looked at Andy. "I hope she would've been like you."

Andy gave a reassuring smile. "And now you won't be able to get rid of us."

Gabriella laughed. "I'm glad. I wouldn't want to."