Ash was waiting, slightly bouncing his knee up and down, before the emergency room door opened with Dawn closing it from behind. He stood up, anticipating some sort of good news. However, he noticed Dawn's expression to be somewhat…unreadable. He glanced at her fumbling fingers and she seemed to be in some sort of daze as she looked towards the ground.
"Dawn? Is everything okay?"
No response.
"Dawn!" He repeated as he snapped a finger to pull her out of her trance.
She jumped as a reflex, finally registering reality. "Wha-"
"What happened? Is your mom okay?"
Her mother's words wouldn't leave her mind. The fact that this guy standing in front of her, someone whom she barely even knew, was going to be her potential husband, was unfathomable. She didn't have anything against Ash; in fact, in the few days that she got to know him, she could instantly tell that he was insanely selfless and caring. But the thought of marrying him after only knowing so little about him didn't sit right with her.
The question finally registered in her head after what felt like forever. "Yeah, yeah, she's fine." She sat down on the convenient little bench situated nearby and began fumbling with her fingers absentmindedly.
She felt a warm supportive hand touch her shoulder, before she glanced towards Ash, who looked at her concerningly. "If she's fine, then why do you look so worried?"
She escaped a long sigh, realizing that she needed to be honest with Ash. She wasn't intending on hurting his feelings, but she also knew that she didn't want to provide him with false hopes. "Ash, look…I know that my family wants us to hook up."
Ash paled. He hadn't expected that at all, let alone in a hospital of all places.
"I want to be perfectly clear. I really don't…um-"
Ash could see where this was going, not that he was surprised. "Let me guess. You don't want to marry me."
Dawn blinked awkwardly, glad that he finished for her, but now she was unsure of what to say. She noticed that he seemed rather nonchalant about the situation, as if he was expecting it in some way.
Ash continued, attempting to ease the thick tension with a heartless chuckle. "I mean, there's no way it would have worked out anyway. I mean, a girl like you, with a guy like me? That kinda stuff only happens in the movies."
"Ash," Dawn intervened, "Don't sell yourself short. I think you're a great guy. Hell, you came all this way just to check up on me and my mom. No guy's really ever done that for me. I just…" Dawn trailed off, choosing her words carefully before continuing, "I just feel weird about this. I mean, we barely know each other. I guess I thought that my family would consider hooking me up with a guy that I know. I wasn't expecting them to choose you. Marrying someone I don't know that well seems quite fast for my taste."
Ash nodded. "I get it. I think that's completely fair. What if we get to know each other a bit more?"
"You mean like a date?"
Ash's cheeks turned visibly red. "Uh, yeah sure. If you want to."
Dawn smiled sadly. "I appreciate it, but…I don't think I'm interested."
He shrugged off his disappointed look with a sarcastic smile. "Well, can't say that's the first time I've heard that from a girl I like." He blurted out stupidly. Once he registered Dawn's slightly shocked expression, he debated on sprinting out of this hospital just to avoid this situation from getting any more embarrassing.
"You like me?"
Ash coughed, rubbing his nose as he laughed awkwardly, deciding that it was futile to hide it any further. "Yeah. Actually, I've had a crush on you since high school. Sounds incredibly cheesy and lame but I can't help myself."
Dawn felt extremely guilty. She couldn't imagine how devastated he was feeling getting rejected by supposedly the woman he had harbored feelings for literal years. "I'm really sorry." She offered.
"Don't be. You aren't obligated to like me back just because I have feelings for you."
She smiled thankfully, appreciative that he was being understanding. "I'm sure there's someone else out there."
He scoffed playfully and almost let out a snort. "I swear, if I had a dime for every time I've heard that…" he trailed, as Dawn watched him in a curious manner. "I haven't exactly had the best luck with dating. I've been trying for so long, but no one's really held interest for that long. I mean, I guess I can't really blame them. I'm really not that great."
Dawn frowned. She could instantly infer that he was struggling with his own insecurities. The fact that he constantly insinuated that he didn't think he was good enough hurt her. "Personally, I think it's their loss. Sure, I may not know much about you, but what I do know is that you're incredibly sweet and supportive. Based on that alone, I think any girl would be really lucky to be with a guy like you."
Ash was taken aback by her words, staring at her incredulously, as his heartbeat increased by a mile. Now he could say for certainty: that was a first. He felt genuinely appreciated; they didn't feel like words that were said just to appease him and make him feel better. The icing on the cake was that those words were spilling from Dawn of all people.
He glanced at her lips, the urge to kiss her right then and there, growing every second. He immediately looked away, not wanting to be caught, especially after she had declared their boundaries.
"Dawn!"
Ash blinked, pulled back into reality from the sound of Serena's voice. He glanced to his right, where the two sisters began talking. He sighed to himself, quickly deciding that he needed to get out of here. The longer he'd spend time with Dawn, the stronger the urge would grow to overstep their boundaries, something he had no intention of doing. He respected Dawn's decision, after all.
He stood up before proceeding to walk away.
"Ash! Wait!"
He turned around just as Dawn approached him with the cutest concerned expression he had ever seen. He was so screwed; this woman could break his resolve entirely with little to no effort at all. "What's up?"
"Are you leaving?"
Ash's stomach soared at how disappointed she looked and sounded, indicating that she wanted him to stay. "Uh, yeah I figured that I'd leave now since your mom's doing okay and you know…we're not gonna work out and all."
Dawn escaped a few giggles, covering her mouth with her palm, only to leave Ash bewildered. "Ash, just because I'm not interested in being your girlfriend doesn't mean I don't want to be friends."
His brows raised in curiosity. Being friendzoned by the woman of his dreams wasn't the most ideal situation, and would most likely be really difficult for him since all he wanted to do was kiss her senseless.
Though, being friends with Dawn was way better than not having her in his life at all.
He was willing to put in the effort, just for her. "Yeah? Okay."
Dawn's eyes beamed in excitement. "Of course! I mean, like I said, you've been so nice to all of us. So yeah, I'd love to be friends. We should definitely hang out sometime."
Ash nodded in agreement, letting a small smile grace his features. "Yeah, for sure."
A few hours later, Johanna was discharged from the hospital. The two sisters were immensely grateful that their mom was out of harm's way for the most part. If losing their father at such a young age had emotionally scarred them, they couldn't even imagine what it'd be like if they lost their only parental figure.
Dawn was currently in her room, pacing around, as scrambled thoughts soared throughout her mind. She knew she had to eventually confess to both Serena and her mom that she wasn't interested in dating Ash, or let alone anyone at the moment. Ever since Kenny had broken up with her on a somewhat sour note, she didn't feel emotionally prepared to start dating again, at least not until she worked on herself.
Dawn turned her attention towards her closed door where a knock was heard. "Come in!"
Serena and Johanna entered her room, and noticed her distraught expression. "Hey sweetie, is everything okay?" Johanna asked concerningly.
Dawn let out a breath she didn't even realize she was holding and stepped a bit forward, glancing between the two of them. "I need to tell you guys something." She started, and they both nodded, prompting for her to continue. "Look, I know you guys want the best for me, and I really appreciate whatever you're doing for me so that I can find someone I'm happy with. But…mom, after what you told me in the hospital earlier, you know, that you want me to eventually marry Ash…" She suddenly stopped, carefully assessing their reactions, which indicated nothing but curiosity and support. "I…I can't. I really don't wanna marry Ash, or anyone for that matter. I don't even think I'm in the right mental space for dating either."
Dawn watched as the two looked back and forth between each other before looking towards her again. "I know that's not what you wanted to hear, but I really think I need a break from this whole dating ordeal. I hope you guys can understand."
She was expecting to get reprimanded in some sort of manner, but instead, the exact opposite happened when the two just started laughing. Dawn placed her hand on her hip accusingly. "I'm not trying to be a comedian, you know!"
The two eventually ceased their laughing as Johanna reached out to brush her bangs and slightly caress her face lovingly. "Sweetie, you only seem to remember one thing from what I told you in the hospital, but you forgot what else I said." Dawn raised an eyebrow questioningly and pursed her lips in slight confusion, waiting for her to elaborate. "Remember? I said that no matter what happens, this is your choice. Whatever you want is more than fine with us, Dawn. Actually, what you want is most important."
Dawn parted her lips in realization, a small smile threatening to form. She had forgotten that. "You really mean that, mom?"
"Of course, silly." Johanna pushed her shoulder in a playful manner, resulting in Dawn grinning.
Serena reached out to engulf her sister in a tight hug. "We'll support you no matter what you decide, sis. If you want to take a break from dating then go for it. Besides, I think you're right. You don't necessarily need a partner to be happy!" Dawn smiled at her sister's words. She was really grateful for the immense amount of support she was receiving.
"Thank you guys so much. You have no idea how much this means to me."
Serena waved her a hand of dismissal. "Don't even mention it. Now, let's go have dinner. I'm starving here!"
The three escaped a few laughs as they proceeded to walk downstairs for quality family time. Dawn sighed to herself in satisfaction, a smile forming on her lips once again. She wasn't sure what the future was going to hold, but one thing was certain - with her family's love and encouragement, she had an inclination that everything would work out eventually.
A week later, Ash found himself not being able to concentrate on work. His mind always seemed to be preoccupied with Dawn and how he'd be able to get over her. Trying to get over a crush since high school was definitely next to impossible.
He still remembered the first time he saw her in freshman year and how his heart beat rapidly out of his chest; she was in his introductory English class. The teacher had told everyone to introduce themselves, and Dawn was the first one to do so. She had walked in front of the class and confidently told everyone that she didn't really care about the class, or school in general - all she was really invested in was makeup, clothes and fashion. The teacher had reprimanded her for her answer, and everyone had laughed…except for Ash. For some reason, he had found that answer endearing. And definitely cute.
He remembered she hadn't been the best in academics, which given her introductory speech, made a lot of sense. She excelled more at making a statement. She was passionate and confident that she was going to still lead a fulfilling life just with a high school degree, even if it meant not having stellar grades. She had stated several times that she was not going to give in to the current accepted norms of the education system, because it was way too stressful for her liking.
He liked how she wasn't afraid to voice her opinion, even if barely anyone took her side. He especially liked how bold she was, and how she wasn't fazed by anything remotely embarrassing. Most of all, he liked that she seemed powerful.
He had exhausted countless attempts to work up the nerve to talk to her, but she barely even knew he had existed, considering he always sat in the back of the class and rarely participated. The only time they had interacted was when she had sat next to him and sneezed, allowing him to follow up with a quick 'bless you'.
He knew he had little to no chance with her, considering he couldn't even form a single coherent sentence. Ash considered himself to be painfull average and dull, compared to Dawn or anyone else for that matter. He always stuck by the rules, valued education to the point where everyone considered him a nerd. Dawn was always going to be way out of his league for him.
It got even worse when she had started dating Kenny in their senior year; that was when he gave up entirely.
After graduation, he assumed that since they were heading on different paths and that he wouldn't see her again, that his feelings would eventually fade away. But ever since Dawn crashed literally into his life again, those feelings resurfaced.
Despite the fact that he told Dawn he was okay with just being friends, he knew he was screwed.
He groaned to himself before he heard his phone ring
His eyes slightly widened once he saw the caller ID. Dawn was calling.
Once he got over his slight shock on why she was calling him randomly in the middle of the day, he picked up his phone. "Hello?"
"Hey Ash! So, if you're free tonight, do you wanna hang out?"
Ash bit back a smile, hardly believing this was happening, considering that he was thinking about her not too long ago. If someone told him that Dawn, the girl whom he barely spoke a full sentence to in high school, would ask him to hang out, he would have laughed unbelievably. "Uh, yeah, of course. Got anything in mind?"
"Yeah, actually, have you ever been ice skating?"
"Can't say that I have."
"Perfect! There's this new ice skating rink in the city, and I think it'd be a lot of fun. What do you say?"
Ash smiled to himself, his heart fluttering at the thought of seeing her later. "Sure. I don't mind."
"Awesome, let's try to make it around seven tonight."
"Sounds good, Dawn. See you tonight."
"Bye!"
Ash took a sip of the scorchingly hot cocoa, assessing his surroundings. He was currently seated on the bleachers, staring at the large frozen body of water in front of him, petrified. In all the excitement of seeing Dawn again since a week ago, he forgot how mortifying he assumed this was going to be for him. He envisioned himself falling on the ice several times and cringed at the thought.
"Hey! I got the ice skates." Dawn pointed towards the footwear in her hands before Ash nodded in response. She handed the respective skates towards Ash before crouching down to tie the laces.
Ash was still deep in thought, to which Dawn took a note of as she raised her brow curiously. "So are you going to put on your skates or…?"
Ash sighed before rubbing the back of his head sheepishly, and walked down from the bleachers to face her. "I'm not the best skater to be honest."
Dawn smiled curiously, not getting what he was insinuating. "Yeah, you did say that you haven't been before."
"Yeah…maybe you could teach me?"
Dawn stifled a laugh. "Me teach you? I'm definitely not the person you should ask."
Ash cocked his head in confusion. "What do you mean?"
Dawn shrugged, as if the answer was obvious. "I mean, this is my first time skating too."
Now that was something he hadn't been expecting. "Wait, what?"
She laughed in response, before finishing up the laces. "Yeah, look." She attempted to propel herself in a steady position, as Ash watched as she struggled to keep her balance as she tried to skate forward.
Her arms were flailing about as her body swayed slightly to the right, about to fall, before Ash promptly reached out to grab her waist swiftly to keep her steady. She laughed before resting her hands on his shoulders.
"See? I'm a complete noob too."
Ash chuckled, suddenly feeling a lot better. "Wait, so why'd you want to go ice skating if you've never done it before?"
Dawn shrugged in response. "Like I told you, I figured it'd be fun. I've always liked trying new things and this was definitely on my bucket list. Did you think I was some professional skater or something?" She teased.
Ash could definitely feel his cheeks burning. "I mean, no but I just assumed that you've had some experience."
Dawn raised her eyebrow. "Even though I never said that?" She grinned.
He laughed embarrassingly. "Yeah, a bit of a stupid thought on my end."
"Only a bit?" Dawn smirked, as Ash bit his lip to prevent his smile breaking into a grin. "Kidding, kidding."
It was only now that Ash had registered what position they were in; his hands were still on the side of her waist and her palms still laid lazily on his shoulders. He looked at her, absentmindedly tightening his hold of her, as his eyes scanned her face, eventually reaching her lips. He fantasized pulling her closer against his chest and kissing her, as his hand dragged slowly upwards to the small of her back.
"Ash?"
He parted his lips in surprise before he abruptly let go of her and stepped back, allowing Dawn to fall on her back. "Ow!"
"Shit, I'm so sorry, Dawn!" He exclaimed in worry before he offered her his hand. Once she took it, he guided her towards the bleachers once again where they sat down.
"It's okay, Ash, I mean we're definitely going to end up falling a lot." Dawn stated, but Ash had no idea if she was aware of the double meaning behind that.
He sighed to himself, looking towards her. "Look, I have to be honest…this is harder than I thought."
Dawn shook her head and gestured towards the rink. "All we have to do is practice, I mean you can't exactly expect to perfectly skate on the first try-"
"No," Ash interrupted. "I don't mean ice skating. I'm talking about…us." He watched her as she grew curious. "Dawn, I've had a crush on you for a long time, and it's really difficult to be your friend when I have certain…thoughts."
It looked like she was hesitating to reply. "Thoughts that aren't…friend-like?"
Ash sighed before he nodded, admitting defeat. "Yeah…I'm pretty sure most friends don't have thoughts of kissing each other."
It was silent now, but it wasn't a comforting silence. It was just aggravatingly tense. Ash looked towards Dawn for a reaction, but she appeared to be lost in thought. "I told you already that I don't want to be in a relationship." Ash was taken aback by her tone; she seemed a bit agitated.
"I know and I respect that-"
"Do you, though?" Dawn intervened. "Because I don't think you do. You can try to control your little crush but you won't because you're selfish."
Ash wasn't liking where this was going. "No, that's not it at all, Dawn. And controlling my feelings is a lot harder than it sounds, okay? I'm trying to be as considerate as possible for what you want."
"Oh really? Then what was that just a few minutes ago?" Ash looked towards her, his eyes widening at the realization that he had been caught. "You didn't think I'd know that you were trying to kiss me?"
"I wasn't intending to, I just thought about it." Ash countered, "and I'm sorry. But please try to understand. I've liked you for a really long time, and it'll take a lot of effort to get over you."
It took slightly longer for her to reply until she finally sighed. "...I'm sorry too. For snapping at you. I just…I'm just not ready to be in a relationship right now, and I guess I freaked out when I noticed you were trying to make a move, or uh, well, thinking about making a move. I know this isn't exactly what you wanted from the woman you've liked for so long."
Ash slightly smiled and placed his hand on her shoulder in a supportive manner. "No, it's not…but that's not your fault. I don't want you to have to apologize for not feeling the same way about me. Your wishes are entirely valid too, so don't ever feel bad for not liking me."
Her smile grew bigger in appreciation. "Thank you…that means a lot. Because I still want to be your friend."
"And I still want you in my life."
…"How are we going to make this work?" Dawn asked.
"I don't know…maybe destiny will find a way." Ash glanced towards her, noticing the small smile forming. "I'm sure we'll find a way." Dawn eventually nodded in agreement and the two remained in silence for a bit. "But, before we do that, shall we go and embarrass ourselves out there? I mean, that's what we came here for anyway." He gestured towards the rink, a grin forming in the process.
Dawn matched his grin. "Absolutely. Let's go!"
A week after, Dawn was sitting at the bench in a local park, bouncing her knees in the process. She had done a lot of thinking during this week and had ultimately found the foolproof solution in order to make her relationship with Ash work. She grinned when she saw Ash walking towards her and stood up. "Hey."
He smiled. "Not that I don't appreciate you calling me, but out of curiosity, why here?"
"Because I want to talk to you about something important!" She exclaimed suddenly before realizing that sounded vague. "Remember last week when we were wondering how we were going to make our friendship work?"
"Yeah?"
"Well, it's really hard for you to control your feelings at the moment but we also want to be a part of our lives and be friends, so there's only one logical solution, and that is, for you to be dating other people! That way, you can eventually get over me, and we can continue being friends without your feelings getting in the way." She elaborated, grinning in excitement at her idea.
Her grin slowly faded when Ash didn't seem impressed. "Yeah…I already tried that, remember? Several times as a matter of fact."
Dawn frowned at his constant pessimism. "I know, but you can't be telling me that no one wants to be your girlfriend?"
Ash sighed disappointedly. "Not long term at least. I did say that I was really unlucky when it comes to dating. The longest lasting relationship I've ever had was about a month."
Dawn frowned, feelings of sympathy forming in the pit of her stomach. She couldn't believe that there hadn't been anyone out there interested enough to be with an amazing and sensitive guy like him. "Well, they're missing out. Like I said before, anyone would be really lucky to be with you." Ash smiled gratefully as Dawn returned the smile. "But I'm still onboard with setting you up."
Ash shook his head. "Dawn, it's not going to work-"
"Not with that attitude it's not!" Dawn defended. "Maybe you just haven't met the right person yet, I mean, there are so many people out there. You've gotta keep trying. There has to be someone out there."
Ash had to admit, he admired her persistence. "You think so?"
"Of course. In fact, I can set you up with a few friends, you can get to know them and see where it goes from there. Okay?"
Ash figured giving this another shot couldn't be that bad. "Yeah, why not?"
"Great!"
Dawn was walking down the stairs in the middle of texting Ash. She unconsciously started grinning to herself before she felt herself bump into someone, dropping her phone in the process. She looked at her sister in awe, who picked up her phone and handed it towards her. "Sorry about that, Dawn. Is the screen cracked?"
Dawn turned it over and sighed a breath of relief. "Thankfully not. I was right in the middle of telling Ash to come over."
"That's the third time this week alone." Serena pointed out.
Dawn gestured for them to sit on their couch together. "Yeah, we've become really good friends. And besides, I finally found someone that wasn't already in a relationship to go out with Ash!"
Serena was surprised; she didn't think that Ash would be willing to let go of Dawn that easily. Though, considering Dawn wasn't in the best condition to be in a relationship at the moment, it added up. "Wow, that's great. And he's okay to go out with her?"
"You'll see. I have something planned out." Dawn hinted vaguely, a smug smile on her face. Before she could elaborate further, the doorbell rang. "That must be Ash."
Dawn sprinted towards the front door and fervently opened the door, practically dragging Ash inside, not noticing his perplexed expression. "Great, you're here right on time like always! Now, I have a proposition." Dawn started, faintly recalling the same words her sister echoed a while ago.
"Oh, I'm doing fine, Dawn. Thanks for asking!" Ash sarcastically added as Dawn playfully punched his shoulder, as he chucked. "Okay, what is it?"
"I've set you up on a blind date with an old friend of mine and it's tonight! She's super sweet and pretty, and just got out of a relationship a month ago, which means…she's available!" Dawn grinned enthusiastically.
Ash didn't expect for her to find someone for him that quickly, to be quite frank. Although he was thrilled at the idea of meeting someone new, it pained him slightly as well. He had to remember that they were doing this for each other. With that in mind, he smiled. "Wow, that's awesome. It's tonight?"
"Yeah! She's going to be at the local restaurant in town tonight at eight."
"Sweet. So, what's her name?"
"What part of 'blind date' don't you understand?" Dawn rolled her eyes, looking towards Serena in a 'can you believe this guy?' look. "What I can say is that she's honestly amazing. She was one of my only friends in high school and really one of the only people in my life that understood me. I know, hard to believe that I never had a lot of friends in high school, but no one really agreed with my views on school and all."
Ash briefly imagined what it would have been like if they had been friends since high school. He'd bet that things would be so much different now. He had understood Dawn perfectly back then; he had just never been bold enough to voice that to her. "If she decided to be your friend, then I'm sure she's amazing."
"Great, now let's get you ready for your date."
Ash paled. "Uh, I'm sure I can get ready myself."
Dawn looked at him dubiously. "No offense Ash, but your fashion sense…kinda sucks."
"I can't imagine what you'd say when you'd want to offend me." Ash laughed lamely.
"Just let me pick your outfit for tonight! I can promise that when I'm done, she won't be able to resist you." Dawn winked.
"Yeah, plus we have plenty of clothes here. And since Dawn's your friend and all, that means you get all of it at no charge." Serena added, a hint of smugness in her tone.
Dawn nodded approvingly towards Ash at her sister's statement. When he only laughed in response, she knew that was the green signal for her to plan his fit for tonight.
"You know you didn't have to drive me there, Dawn."
Dawn glanced towards her right, where Ash was seated, before refocusing her attention on the road. "I wanna see the look on your face when you take your first look at my friend. And don't worry, I'm not gonna crash your date or anything. I'll leave right after you meet."
He nodded in understanding. "I really appreciate what you did for me tonight, by the way."
Dawn scoffed in reply. "Come on, it was nothing. Besides, I did it for both of us." She emphasized.
They entered the restaurant after fifteen minutes of driving, as Dawn looked around curiously for her friend and noticed her at the back with her head behind a menu. She slightly squealed in excitement, patting Ash's arm. "She's here! Okay, let me take a final look at you." She faced Ash and briefly took a while to admire what he was wearing; a plain white button-down shirt covered with a sleek black coat, followed by dark black jeans and light blue sneakers. At first glance, it seemed like a simple outfit but it worked for Ash.
She smiled before taking a note of his hair which seemed to have gotten messy amidst the car ride. She gestured towards his hair, indicating that she wanted to fix it, and Ash nodded in approval. She brushed his hair slightly, adjusting any strands that seemed to be sticking out. Once she was satisfied, she took a step back and smiled. "Perfect."
Dawn didn't notice that Ash was about to say something before she grabbed his arm. "Okay, let's go introduce yourself to her," she said before pulling him forward as he walked with her, laughing in the process.
They approached the table, where the woman still had her head buried behind the menu. "Hey girl!"
The woman removed the menu at the sound of Dawn's voice, grinning, finally revealing her face. Her eyes trailed towards the man next to her, and her grin slowly faded away and was replaced with a stunned expression. "Ash?"
Ash matched the stunned expression. He didn't think they'd cross paths again. She'd been the last person to expect sitting here. "Fiona?"
...How long has it been?
Hey everyone. Long time no see. Gotta admit, I missed writing for my fics. A lot has happened throughout the years and I don't even know if my readers are still here. But I still do want to finish my stories, no matter how long it takes lol.
I do recommend giving the previous chapters a read before reading this new chapter. I know I had to.
I gave a lot of thought of where I want to take this story forward, and I think I have a solid idea compared to the ideas I had...I don't know, four or five years ago? I've definitely changed the direction of where this fic is headed. So, if my readers are still here, then please feel free to let me know what you think on this chapter!
As for when I'm going to update again...yeah, I can't give a conclusive answer, really. I wouldn't say that I'm officially back, but I will say that motivation has finally hit me after years of looking back at my stories and considering them cringy. So I can say that I will definitely try to keep updating.
With that note, I want to thank you for all the supportive comments and support you guys have provided me for years on end. You guys are part of the reason why I write, and all the comments really help with motivating me to continue as well. Seriously, thank you so much!
Hopefully I'll see you guys next time. Take care!