Hey everyone. I'm sorry it's been so long, but I just started college and I'm completely swamped :) Forgive me? Anyway, here is the second chapter. Let me know what you think, so you gotta review! More chapters to come whenever I can get them typed up! Thanks to my bestie SunnieChampagne for giving me some ideas and her imput!!

Disclaimer: I don't own it. Sarah Dessen does :)


Chapter Two

When we arrived at the restaurant, Eli got out of the truck and came around to my side and opened my door for me, helping me out by offering me his hand. I gave him a smile and said thank-you as my feet finally touched the ground, and he shut the door after I was out. Still not letting go of my hand, he led me into the restaurant and asked for the 'West party' and the hostess led us over to a table where my family was sitting, waiting for us.

"I was about to send out a search party, maybe even the Coast Guard," my father said from where he sat next to Heidi.

"Oh please, dad, we're five minutes late," I told him as I sat down in a chair, Eli taking his seat next to me. "There was traffic."

"Uh-huh," Hollis said with a teasing smile. "I've used that excuse before."

I rolled my eyes in response. Leave it to Hollis to make wrongful assumptions, resulting in implied information that I would prefer he retained.

"Well at any rate, we're here to celebrate," my dad said, smiling proudly at me as the waiter appeared with the menus, passing them around the table.

I opened mine up and looked at all the different choices I had. Of course, they all pretty much revolved around Italian food since we were in an Italian restaurant.

There was some chatter around the table, Laura sitting up as straight as my mother was, her expression nearly foreboding. God, she really was like my mother….

Soon enough the waiter came back and took everyone's orders. When the food arrived, the plates were set down in front of the correct person and everyone began eating while the conversation mostly revolved around school, philosophy, or my plans for job hunting next week. It was a daunting task, but it was unavoidable, of course.

Then, suddenly, Hollis stood up, looking serious but in a goofy kind of way. "Everyone, we have an announcement."

Everyone around the table got silent, looking up at Hollis, clearly burning with curiosity. Laura just stayed sitting where she was, her expression stony and very serious.

"What is it, son?" my dad asked him.

Hollis absolutely beamed as he said, "Laura and I…we're having a baby!"

My parents just stared at him and Heidi froze where she was cleaning up Isby's little messy mouth.

My mother was the first one to speak up. "Hollis…a baby's a big responsibility."

Hollis and Laura had been married for a year. I had actually expected this to happen much sooner, especially with how 'responsible' Hollis was.

"Congrats," Eli said from next to me and my mother glanced at him almost incredulously. Leave it to her to find the bad in this situation. After all, they'd been married for a year and it was to be expected at some point.

Hollis looked at my mother and father after saying thanks to Eli. "Well?"

"That's great, son," my dad said, giving a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes, but it was clear that he was trying to get used to the idea.

"Yes," my mother said, obviously trying to swallow her pride and accept it – or at least pretend to. "Congratulations." I could tell that she was less than pleased with my brother's announcement, and Laura, honestly, didn't look all that thrilled to have a human life inside her. Go figure. That was nothing new. Laura usually wasn't thrilled about much of anything.

"What do you think, little sis?" Hollis asked me, absolutely beaming proudly.

I blinked, "It's great, Hollis. Really. Congrats."

"Thank you all," Laura said in her usual tight manner and she actually managed a small smile for everyone's benefit – or maybe just Hollis'.

My father waved down a waiter and asked to have the check brought to the table and the waiter obliged, soon coming back to the table with the check booklet. Dad slipped his credit card into it and the waiter took it to be swiped. Dad signed the slip the waiter brought back and soon we were all standing up. "Auden? You coming home with us?" my dad asked me, grabbing Isby's diaper bag. She was working on being potty trained, currently, but she had her accidents.

I looked over at Eli and I saw something in his eyes that made me not want to leave him for the evening just yet. "Actually, dad, I think I'll just get a ride with Eli. We have a lot to catch up on."

Even though we saw each other almost every weekend, I still wanted to spend at least a little more time with him. After all, things had been just a little bit hectic for us lately.

My dad nodded his head, telling me it was okay with him, and he walked out to the car with Heidi and Isby. My mother hugged me and said that she would see me tomorrow while she went out to her own car with Hollis and Laura in tow.

Eli led me out to his truck and got in and drove down the main road from the restaurant. "So where would you like to go? The night is ours," he told me as I leaned back in my seat, smiling softly.

"Hmm," I said, thinking. "Let's go to the beach."

Eli nodded wordlessly, smiling all the while, as he turned down a road a few minutes later that would take us in the direction of the beach.

When we got there, we got out of the truck. I had taken off my shoes so that I could walk barefoot and he did the same thing, tossing his back into the cab of the truck.

Eli came around the front of the truck and took my hand in his before we started walking on the sand down towards the shore. As we walked along the beach, we let the waves that were rolling in wash over our feet, the cold water feeling nice.

"So," Eli said quietly, looking over at me. "It's been a long two years, hasn't it?"

I nodded my head, heaving a sigh. "It has been," I said, looking up at him from where my gaze had been directed out at the water. "I can't believe we've made it this far."

Eli gave a low chuckle and he nodded his head in agreement with me. "Me too, honestly. And you're going to be an aunt. That's pretty big."

I grinned suddenly. "I can't believe they're having a baby, you know? Hollis has never been responsible…I'm surprised mom and dad didn't freak out at him."

"Your mom's a scary lady sometimes," Eli said with a laugh, removing his hand from mine to wrap his arm around my shoulder as we walked.

I leaned by head against his shoulder, my arm slipping around his waist and turn to make our position more comfortable for the both of us. "Sometimes she most definitely is," I agreed lightly.

We walked in silence for a bit longer. It wasn't one of those silences were it was so uncomfortable that you tried to say anything that would come to mind just to break it. It was one of those comfortable ones, where you just enjoyed each other's company. And that's what we did.

Unlike other people, we didn't need to have sex to let each other know how we felt, and those three important words sometimes didn't even have to be spoken. We just knew that we loved each other, and we expressed it in our own ways. I guess that's what makes us so similar in the end.

Though, some other things we didn't understand about each other. It usually depended on what those subjects were…like the crash, or how messed up my family is. But we stood by each other and helped in whatever way we could.

Finally, we just stood there, looking out at the water sparkling in the sunset. He put his arms around me and I leaned my head over against his chest, letting out a relaxed breath. I felt his lips brush against my forehead, and his whisper of, "I love you, Auden."


Okay, so there it is! Chapter 2! Send me lots of reviews to let me know with you think! No reviews, no chapter 3. :)