Author's Note: I'm back! I don't think I'm actually going to get through all of my songs (at this rate), but I will still try for you guys!

Day Nineteen: Penguin by Christina Perri

I looked obsessively for those stupid notecards to help me study. They seemed absolutely nowhere to be found.

As I leafed through my Chemistry textbook for the flashcards, I heard the back door open behind me.

"Toby," I said, acknowledging his presence, but going back to looking everywhere.

"What's wrong? Why are you freaking out?" he asked as he watched me flip over everything on the table to find those damn cards.

"I can't find my notecards anywhere. I have a huge European History test next week and I was hoping you could help me study when we came back after our date," I answered.

"It's going to be really late by then," he reminded me.

I smiled, turning around to face him. "Well, then I guess that it's a good thing that my parents are going to be out of town for the weekend and you can stay here," I responded, flirting with him a bit.

"Is that really a good idea?" he asked, though he couldn't contain the smile on his face.

"I'm in love with it, almost as much as I'm in love with you," I answered, wrapping my arms around his neck.

He looked at me for a moment before finally giving into my pleading brown eyes. "Fine. I'll stay here with you, especially since I know how you get when you're alone."

I gave him a small bittersweet smile, thinking back to A. "Yeah," I agreed quietly. "That's why you're my best friend," I added, the smile returning before we left.

The next morning, when I woke with the bed sheets tangled all around our intertwined bodies, I wondered how much I actually needed to be this close to him at all times.

And then I felt a really stupid smile come across my face as I disengaged myself from him. I thought of last night, the first night we really got to spend together in a while. And as usual, it was amazing. I really missed being so close to him, feeling his skin on mine, hearing him whisper sweet nothings in my ear.

Before I could really think about what was happening, I felt him pulling me back down on the bed with him. I yelped. "Was that really necessary?"

"If it got you to stay next to me, then, yes," Toby replied, Eskimo kissing me.

I sighed in pure happiness, just thinking about it. "I wish we'd never need to move," I thought aloud.

"So let's not, for a while," he suggested.

And so that's how we sat, for a while, just talking about nothing much, really, but enjoying every second in each other's company.

I didn't really believe in that whole "a woman is created from a man" concept, but I thought, if Eve really did come from Adam's rib, I guess I came from Toby's.

"Do you want to watch a movie?" he asked, breaking my reverie.

"Um, sure."

I was just about willing to do anything to extend his trip. I nodded.

We looked through all of the channels, but the only movies that were on were March of the Penguins and some really dumb chick flick that even Hanna and Aria wouldn't watch. We ultimately decided on watching the first movie.

As he held me, I felt myself getting kind of emotional at the whole story. When I suddenly snapped out of it and realized that it was just a part of nature, I started to appreciate the luck in it all.

"This movie is making me really sad," I said absentmindedly. "It makes me sad that not everyone is lucky," I muttered as I placed my head on his shoulder.

"There's no such thing as luck," he answered quickly. "'Luck' is just 'fate' by another name. The two of us falling in love isn't luck. It's fate," he insisted.

A small smile crossed my face as he began to play with my fingers. "I like knowing that."

As I became more engrossed in the documentary, I began thinking of all the metaphors. A penguin, it seemed, was so faithful until it couldn't be anymore. The life of the penguins' young depended solely on faith (and fate, it seemed). The parents of all of the baby penguins worked together and were fateful to one another.

So I guess, even though penguins are "serial monogamists", as scientists call them, they were soulmates.

I looked over at my own soulmate. We had been through so much together. And now we were here, and nothing could be better.

"Do you really have to go?" I asked him the next morning, putting on a pout for emphasis.

"Aren't you getting tired of me?" he inquired.

"I could never get tired of you," I replied.

He sighed. "Yeah, I have to go. Besides, you should hang out with your friends and maybe study for that test you were freaking out over," he insisted.

I still couldn't hide my disappointed face. Helping Aria rearrange her earrings and being tortured by the Holy Roman Empire wasn't exactly my idea of a "fun day".

I walked him over to the door, not really wanting to let go of his hand.

"I love you, Spencer," he said as we stood in the doorway.

"I love you, too, even though you're going," I said, retaining a bit of bitterness from his choice not to stay.

Still, he kissed me and I got those stupid seventh-grade butterflies I knew all too well when I was around him.

I thought, as I watched him leave, how amazing it was that love still existed. Yes, it was incredibly sappy thing to think about, but it was really amazing. How exactly did people in this day and age manage to make time and just let go of all their reservations and just give themselves to another human being?

At least, I thought it was amazing. It was a one in a million-type thing. Those who were fateful enough to experience it savored every moment. Sometimes, it was all I really felt like I wanted in life.

And I just knew, somehow, that he and I had that. We were the lucky ones.

And I'm always right.

NewEnglandMuggleGirl: Joby, Jenna and Toby, whoever...it's creepy and I'd prefer not to think about it. Thank you!

AL3110: Girl, you know I love you and Marina. By the way, I finally did that Marina tumblr! Yay! I actually like it and maybe I can finally stop spamming my non-diamond followers (XD).

dreamcatch3r: Review, review, review! Just kidding. It's okay. I am a horrible fanfiction reader. I never look when I get a story alert and I am really horrible about constantly leaving reviews. Reviewing is a job in itself. I have no idea how some people do it so consistently. In short: I understand. Still, feel free to drop a review (when you get the chance). Marina's amazing, okay, bye. I am really happy because now, I think I have turned 2 more people (you and Maria) into Diamonds, which is fabulous, like Marina. I love her :) Thank you (and I think I'll assume you celebrate it, too, so Merry Christmas as well). I'm half-Catholic and half-Jewish, so I celebrate Christmukkah. It's a fun time.

eveningshades1107: Tell your friend to come to the dark side; we have cookies. I SO agree. I hate that people hate Toby where they're like "Well, he moans about his mom and his family and he's just a big baby". Pause. Are you kidding me? So you mean to tell me that if you were raped by your step-sibling, your mother died, you were being bullied by some blonde bitch, you were being treated as an outcast, and your father pretty much neglected you and moved onto another family (in essence), you wouldn't be really pissed off at the world, too? I don't know anyone who wouldn't. Me, being the volatile person that I am, probably would've murdered someone, killed myself, and probably set like ten houses on fire. Like please. Don't tell me you wouldn't be upset. Sorry, that's my mini-rant for the day. Anywhoozies, I would delve into the origins of that story (because I actually stole it from a different project of mine that I will hopefully be able to tell everyone all about one day), but I cannot because it is top secret. I hope you will eventually see a scene like that coming from me again in maybe...a year and a half? I don't know exactly when this will make its debut (in a different form). But it'll be fun :)

I think I just go diabetes from writing that one-shot, it was so sweet. It was like a One Direction song. I seriously think someone needs to come and cut off my fingers now.

This is definitely going to be my last post in 2013 :( It's so bittersweet! I can't help but feel tears coming on! What a great year with fanfiction! Thank you guys so much!

Okay, so before I start crying, I will tell you that the next one-shot will definitely be on the sexier side, especially when I tell you the song: Hold It Against Me by Britney Spears. Don't judge me, okay? Love her or hate her, Britney is revolutionary (trust me, I am not the biggest Britney fan, but she has influenced pop music SO much).

I'm so sad, but I'm going to upload this anyway! Kisses (from 2013)! -Kayson