It's the last days of August and the summer that changed everything for us is finally coming to a close, and even though I've never been happier than I've been this summer, I do not fear it ending, because I know that our future holds even more for us.

It's nearly two a.m. and Autumn's head is in my lap laying across the couch as we watch reruns of a sitcom in the dark of my living room. The screen flashes, illuminating the dark space so every few moments I get a glimpse of Autumn's beautiful face below me.

Lately, The Mother's have taken to leaving us alone, giving us the time together that we'd been missing for years. I'm not complaining. After the time spent without her, I could spend the rest of my life with her and only her for company and never tire of it. I think they understand this, because it seems since we got together, that Mom has not-so-subtly basically moved into Auntie Claire's house.

Jack, and most people probably, think it's bizarre that our moms let their two eighteen year olds move in together and didn't freak out when they announced a rapid plan for marriage. But, besides Autumn and I, The Mothers are the only ones who truly understand the dynamic Autumn and I share. I think they knew it was inevitable that this is where we were going to end up. And if I'm being honest, I think they're realized we figured it out now, instead of years down the road.

But we figured it out. And because we did, Autumn, the girl I've loved my entire life, the girl who's going to be my wife soon, is laying down on my lap while I play with the dark strands of hair tumbling from her beautiful head. Every few moments, the sitcom makes her laugh and I'm rewarded with the most glorious sound in the world.

This is how it was always meant to be.

"I love you," I tell her. I tell her every chance I can get. It feels like I can't go more than a half hour without reminding her. But she has to know, for all those years I thought she did. For all the time spent where she lacked the crucial knowledge that she is the centerpoint of my universe.

She beams up at me with a smile that I'm pretty sure could alter the course of wars. "I love you, too, Finny." She says, and I can feel it radiating from her how much she means it.

It's something I never thought I could have, her love. Something I didn't believe I ever deserved. But here she is, giving it freely and willingly with every breath. How did we ever end up here? How is it even better than I ever thought it could be?

I can't help myself, so I lean down and kiss her forehead before I move my hands to her arms to squeeze them. It's a habit I'd fallen into, a way to reassure myself that she's really there with me. She smiles and closes her eyes, relishing in my touch. It still blows my mind that she craves me the way I do her. How could it be that I'm able to touch her like I have wanted to for so long, not only because she allows it, but because she wants it?

"You know," She says, pulling me from my thoughts, "Those times when we used to watch TV together, sitting so far apart… I always used to wish we were doing something like this."

She says things like this sometimes, and I still can't wrap my mind around these little admissions. She wanted me back then. She wants me now. For as long as we've been alive, we have mutually wanted each other.

It colors all of our prior memories completely differently. Now, when I look back at those times when I longed and pined for her, I don't have to suffer, because now I can think that the entire time, she had been wanting me too. We had still been each others.

"Autumn, that's the only thing I thought about when we'd been sitting here. I don't think I paid attention to a single second of anything we watched." I still don't.

"It used to be painful," She says. "Those few feet of distance between us, when all I wanted to do was curl up right next to you and touch you. I wanted you to be mine."

My heart clenches and it's a feeling I can feel in my chest. "Autumn," I say softly. Beloved. "I have always been yours."

She sighs in contentment at my words and after a few minutes, her eyes flutter closed. We spend the rest of the night there on the couch, just like that.

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