There’s a knock on the door.

“ Come in.” I say. Carter walks in.

“ Hey, loner. How you feeling?” He smiles. I laugh.

“ I’m good. My stomach hurts but I’m pretty sure that’s because they just dug around in there.” I say, smiling. He laughs and sits down in the chair next to my bed.

“ Glad to see they’ve put this back up.” He sighs. I look up at him, then back down at the bed. “ Shay, I’m sorry. How I acted and what I did, it was fucked up. I know that the heart wants what it wants and it wasn’t fair of me to get mad because of what you thought was best for you.”

“ I get it, Carter. I do. I mean, hell I’m still trying to wrap my head around it.” I sigh. He looks up at me and gives a dry smile.

“ So I guess that means you’ve made your decision?” He asks. I look up at him, then back down. I nod. He nods back.

“ Carter—”

“ Shay, it’s okay. I—”

“ It’s you.” I interrupt. He looks up at me in disbelief.

“ What?” He breathes.

“ It’s you, Carter. It always has been.” I say, just realizing it myself. “ I love you.” I say looking up at him. He looks at the floor and just stares. I give him five minutes and when he doesn’t say anything I scoot closer to him.

“ You love me too. Right?” I say, resting my hand on his arm. He turns to me. He crashes his lips onto mine. He kisses me like I’m his oxygen and I do the same. He pulls away, panting.

“ Of course I love you too.” He says, looking up at me. I kiss him again.

“ Okay, as much as I would love to continue this, I should talk to Jaime.” I say, panting.

“ Yeah, yeah. Of course.” He says getting up. “ I’ll go get him.”

“ Ok.” I nod.

Jaime walks in moments later.

“ Hey, Carter said you wanted to talk to me.” He says.

“ Yeah.” I say.

“ You okay?”

“ Uh, depends on how you take this.” I reply.

“ What’s wrong?” He asks, concerned.

“ I made a decision. And—”

“ And you chose Carter.” He finishes.

“ Jaime, please—” I start.

“ It’s okay. Shay, it’s okay. It’s not like I don’t understand why. I mean, I don’t even deserve you talking to me. Shay, I know you. I know that you’re going to feel guilty and second guess yourself. Don’t. Don’t feel guilty. I’m the one that’ll do that and please don’t second guess yourself. Carter’s an awesome guy. He deserves you. Every bit of your wonderful self. I also know Carter, and he’s going to feel guilty about for what I did to you. Tell him it’s not at all his fault. It’s all me.”

“ You sound like you’re leaving.” I say.

“ Yeah, uh, I got a call from my dad in the lobby. He, uh, he got a job in LA. I’m moving the end of the summer.” He says. Tears start to form in my eyes.

“ Woah hey, why are you crying?” He asks.

“ Cuz I’m gonna miss you.” I say, voice breaking. He laughs a breathy laugh.

“ I’ll miss you too, Shay. Be happy, okay? And, treat Carter well. Lord knows he deserves it.” He walks over to me. He places his hands on either cheek and kisses my forehead. “ I love you. Always and forever, Shay Marshall. Always and forever.” He says and leaves the room.

“ I love you too.” I say, knowing he didn’t hear me.

Part 26? Should the series end after these last two or so chapters, or should I write more than that? Are you guys happy with her choice? Was it what you guys expected? Thanks for reading another chapter!💕❤️