Thayer pulled the door to his home open to reveal Emma standing there. It was the last person he'd expected to see standing on his doorstep, but there she was looking at him expectantly.

"Emma?" Thayer greeted, "Are you here for Mads?"

"No," she admitted, "I want to talk to you about Sutton."

"What's there to say?" Thayer responded defeatedly, turning away from her and walking back into his house. He headed for the living room and wasn't entirely sure he wanted Emma to follow him.

"I don't think it has to be over," she called as she chased after him.

"What are you talking about?" He questioned, turning to face her again.

"I think she ended it because she thought it would be less painful for you."

"Less painful than what?"

"Her breaking your heart again."

"How could she break my heart again? I've already admitted to myself that she doesn't love me the way I love her and I'm okay with that. I've tried to show her, but…"

"Are you still angry with her for what happened in LA?"

"Maybe, but I don't want to be. I was wrong to act like nothing happened. It wasn't fair to have her do that for me, but I don't understand why she walked away when I was finally honest with her. I mean it's what she wanted."

"Did you tell her that you gave her your heart and all she did was break it?"

"Yeah," Thayer responded guiltily.

"That's your answer."

"What do you mean?"

"She knows how much pain she caused you and she doesn't want to keep hurting you. When you finally admitted it to her, it was her final straw. She couldn't handle hurting you anymore and she's afraid that's exactly what she's going to do if she doesn't let you go."

"But I don't want her to let me go. I need her, but she doesn't think we fit together anymore. How am I supposed to argue with that?"

"She said that the two of you don't fit the way you used to," Emma began, "But she never said you didn't fit at all."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You say that Sutton can't break your heart, because you've accepted that all you'll ever be is friends, but maybe the reason Sutton doesn't think the two of you fit together that way is because she doesn't think that's true."

"But I have accepted it."

"That's not what she thinks isn't true."

"What are you saying, Emma?"

"Don't give up on her so easily, Thayer. She's trying to make you happy and she feels like she's the reason you're not."

"But that's not true."

"It doesn't matter, Thayer. This is Sutton Mercer we're talking about. A feeling is practically fact in her mind."

"So what am I supposed to do?"

She smiled and for a second she reminded him of Sutton. It was devious and cunning, like she was planning something. Sometimes he forgot the two girls were identical twins, but it was moments like these that made him remember. As her eyes darkened, he knew she had a plan and that he better go along with it.

She only said one sentence before stalking out of his home. It was the thing he'd ever expected her to say. He was so shocked that he couldn't even form the words to keep her from leaving. There was no possible way that was true and yet part of him knew it was. He closed the door to his house and tried to accept the fact that he didn't Sutton nearly as well as he'd thought.

Sutton was sitting on the couch flipping through the channels when she heard arguing coming from the hallway, "I really don't think she's up for it," she heard her mother warn.

"I don't really care," Thayer's voice cut through and made her blood run cold, "I need answers and only she can give them to me."

A moment later he was in the kitchen making a beeline for her. She stood quickly, instantly regretting it. It took everything she had, but she fought back the pain and faced Thayer like he was her latest enemy.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

"Why did you really end our friendship?"

"We've been over this. Too much has happened for us to ever go back to the way things used to be. Things are never going to be the same between us, so why should we deny that any longer?"

"But you didn't want things to be the same, did you?"

"Of course I didn't, Thayer. All I did was hurt you. I used you, I manipulated you, and I made you believe that there was a chance for something more. Why would I ever want to go back to that?"

"That's not what you wanted to be different," Thayer stated, "That part of it is different. You're different. So, in your own words why don't you stop lying to yourself and me and tell me what's really going on?"

Sutton sighed and shook her head, trying to fight back the tears. She was going to kill Emma for this. There was no possible way he had figured this out on his own and she had left almost immediately after their conversation. She still wasn't back, but she assumed that's because she was with Ethan, hoping that Thayer would go immediately to Sutton to talk. She took a deep breath and tried to figure out how to explain what she'd been trying to say for months now.

"All I do is hurt you," she stated, hearing her voice already begin to crack, "Everything you said was true. I did break your heart and I don't deserve the chance to break it again. You deserve to be happy and it's obvious that can't happen if I'm still in the picture."

"You're not the reason I'm unhappy, Sutton. In fact, you're probably the only reason I've managed to keep it together this long."

"You can't lie to me, Thayer. I saw the pain in your eyes when you told me how I broke your heart. I'm tired of putting you through that. I'm tired of disappointing you. I'm never going to be the girl you want me to be."

"And how do you know what I want, Sutton?"

"You deserve someone who loves you, who'll never break your heart, who'll be there for you and never let you down. I'm not that girl. I never will be."

"I don't want that girl," Thayer practically spat, "I want a girl who is so sure of herself she can tongue-tie a boy at seven years old. I want a girl who'll do something just because everyone said she couldn't. I want a girl who can act so tough that she makes me forget her heart breaks just like everyone else's. Don't you see, Sutton?"

"You deserve more, Thayer, so much more. You deserve someone who makes you happy, who makes you laugh and smile when all you feel like doing is crying, and who loves you as much as you love them. I can't give you that and—"

Thayer grabbed her upper arms and pulled her close to him, kissing her as if they'd been in love for years. There was nothing forced about it, not like the last kiss they'd shared. She wanted to push him away and tell him they couldn't do this. She wanted to tell him that all this would lead to was heartbreak, but she couldn't. As soon as Thayer's lips touched hers the sparks between them melted away any opposition. By the time they parted she was fighting the urge to pull him close again instead of push him away.

"You are that girl. You make me happy, you make me laugh and smile when all I want to do is cry, and from that kiss I'm pretty sure you love me as much as I love you. You were right that we don't fit together the way we used to, but it doesn't mean we don't fit together at all. I love you, Sutton, and I know you love me too. So stop—"

It was her turn to interrupt him with a kiss. This time there were even more sparks and even more passion. She loved him. She really did and she was tired of trying to deny it for his sake. Emma was right. He got to decide whom he gave his heart to and after everything that had happened he still chose her. He loved her. She'd always known that. Now it was her turn to return the favor.

They released each other and Sutton wondered who cranked up the heat in the room. She looked into Thayer's eyes and watched the smile stretch across his face. She smiled back and for the first time in her life she understood what it felt like when time stood still. They just stood there staring at each other, grinning from ear to ear, wondering how it took them so long to get here.