So this is it guys, I hope you throughly enjoyed this. I know that I did when I was writing it, and I hope you guys did too. Like I said, there will be an epilogue, so look out for that. In the mean time, enjoy this this chapter. I had fun writing it. :)

Chapter Twelve: Mine

I couldn't breathe.

I watched my thumb hover over the little arrow on my iPhone. All I had to do was slide that arrow over, and I would be able to hear her voice again.

I got up from the couch and walked to the bathroom. Any second now, her picture would disappear, and my phone would read, "1 Missed Call: Spencer Carlin".

I couldn't let that happen, so I answered.

"Hello?" I said quietly.

"Ash?"

I sighed and closed my eyes. Her voice instantly made me feel ten times better.

"Yeah, it's me."

"Uh… Hi. How are you?" She was very quiet too. I could picture her, sitting on the edge of her bathtub in San Francisco, phone pressed to her ear, and one of her arms curled around her tiny waist.

"I've been better… why are you calling me, Spencer?"

"I… I guess I just wanted to hear your voice."

"Really?"

"Yeah. And… I wanted to tell you how sorry I am." I could tell she started to cry then. It was so hard to listen to her cry.

"For what?"

"Everything. Everything that happened when I was in LA. It was all my fault; I shouldn't have allowed myself to get close to you again. And I shouldn't have allowed you to get close to me again. Because it obviously ended badly for the both of us."

"Well, clearly it ended badly for me again, Spence. You came here, made me fall in love with you all over again, and then left."

She sighed.

"But I'm kind of confused. How did it end badly for you? I mean, you're the one who got to go back to your perfect girlfriend, and perfect life."

"It's not perfect, Ash… not at all."

"Can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"Are you happy? Because even I'm not, I can okay knowing that you are."

She didn't say anything. The only sounds I heard were the ones of her soft crying.

I could barely make it out, but she whispered, "No."

I took a deep, shaky, breath. "I can't do this. I can't sit here and talk to you, knowing that you're not happy. And that you would be if you were here with me," I sighed and put a hand to my face. "I would make you so happy, Spence…"

"I know you-"

"Spencer? What are you doing? It's almost 2:30 in the morning."

I didn't know what else to do, besides hang up when I heard Sam's voice.

Why did I have to answer the fucking phone?

She never called me back.

Silly me. I thought that the conversation I had with Spencer when she was still in LA was going to be our last. Little did I know that I was going to speak with her again, and end up being hurt more than I had ever before.

She wasn't happy with Sam. She wasn't fucking happy with her, but she's still with her. I will never be able to understand that. Never.

I spoke to no one for the rest of the weekend. I actually went home after I hung up with her that night. I probably shouldn't have been driving but I did anyway, because I didn't want to have to explain anything to Aiden and Glen.

I was feeling lonelier that I had ever felt, so on Saturday I did something that I never thought I would have done.

I got a dog.

I don't particularly like animals really. They shed, and stink, but a dog was the only thing I could think of to cure my loneliness.

And plus, the puppy at the pound that I chose was to too freaking adorable to pass up.

She was a black and white border collie, and I named her Bailey. I decided that all my effort was going to be put into her and work now. For the rest of my life actually.

I knew I was never going to get over her, but there was no use dwelling on the past. I told myself that ten times a day.

On Monday I went to work and spoke to no one again. I was numb. All I thought about was how I was going to carry all of the puppy chow I had in my car all the way up to my loft.

When I walked through the hallway of my building, carrying all of that damn dog food, I didn't even realize that someone was sitting outside of my door with their head down until I got close enough.

The red chucks stood out the most, but the blonde hair got me.

The person lifted her head up, and I was met with the most beautiful blue eyes anyone would ever lay their eyes on.

I dropped the bag.

"Whaaa? What are you doing here?"

Spencer Carlin stood up, and looked me straight in the eyes. "I broke up with Sam."

"What?"

"I broke up with her, packed as much as I could," She gestured to the two pieces of luggage by her feet. "got on a train, and came straight here."

"I don't know what to say."

"Don't say anything. Not yet at least. Just listen to me, okay?"

I nodded, dumbfounded.

"When I got back to San Francisco, all I could think about was you. Your eyes, and your smile, and your voice. I tried to go back to my life, but it just wasn't working. Everything made me think of you. The guitar playing at the coffee shop Sam works at, this guy I saw wearing aviators because that's all you wear, and I guess it probably didn't help when I would just stare at the picture I have of you in my phone," She laughed. "Visiting LA again made me realized that I'm still so completely in love with you, and that even though you've hurt me in the past, I want, no I need to try this again with you. So what do you say? Will you be with me, even though I left you already once?"

The tears that were down her cheeks were enough to make me want to just hold her forever.

But the way she was looking at me, with so much love, made me want to kiss the hell out of her.

And that is exactly what I did.

After we pulled apart, she laughed. "Is that a yes?"

I nodded. "That's hell yes, Spence."

She swallowed. "Okay. But, Ash, listen. If we do this, than this is it alright? This is us, no more screwing up, okay?"

"Okay. No more screwing up. I promise. I will never hurt you, Spencer. Never again."

She smiled that smile that I love oh so much.

As we stood there, looking into each other's eyes, I realized that even though we spent five years apart our love for the other never stopped.

It may have been put on hold for awhile, but it was always, always there.

She was mine. All mine this time, and I almost didn't believe it until she kissed me again.

Everything fell into place in that moment, and it felt like time stood still for awhile.

Until this, "Awwwww! Spencer you came back? That is SO CUTE!"

I turned around and saw Kyla with her hands together in front of her.

I rolled my eyes, and pulled Spencer closer to me. "Kyla…"

"It's like a movie!"

Spencer laughed, and just the sound of it made me smile like crazy.

Like she had said, this is it. This was us. And I made a vow right there to make sure this lasted, because no matter what, I needed Spencer in my life.

And I was pretty sure she needed me too.