Nothing felt right anymore. As the countdown neared its end, I felt myself moving, but it wasn't me. Then my world stopped. I heard glass shatter and murmurs echo among the gathered people. None of it quite reached my ears.

Everything just stopped. I saw the look in Maia's eyes, confusion and hurt swelling into fury. The entire room grew silent, even Minx stopping mid-sentence.

"George. Henry. Davidson." Her voice was low and grew louder as she continued. "What the fuck was that?" She demanded.

"I- I don't know." I looked at the ground, tears blurring my vision. 

Not one, but two good things ruined.

She inhaled sharply and pinched the bridge of her nose, then glanced at the door where Dream had exited. 

"I'm not done discussing this." She said firmly, before turning around and disappearing through the exit. I watched her go, weariness dragging at my mind. I heard footsteps and I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned to see Tubbo, his gaze kind. 

"Come on, George. Why don't we go sit somewhere and talk a little bit? You seem like you need a friend." I let him guide me away into the cafe. My head was spinning and I felt dizzy as I sat down in a chair. Tubbo handed me a glass of water and sat down in a chair opposite of me. "Can you tell me about something you love?" He asked softly.

"Um- sure, there's this lovely park near my flat in London. It's near the edge of the city, and it's not usually busy." I stumbled on my words, remembering how I wanted to go there with Dream one day. "In the spring, lilacs bloom and the air is so sweet. One of my friends, their name is Oddity, I think. They play the guitar and I love to sit and listen to them play. I watch the birds flit around and sometimes I get to see the younglings learn to fly." I smiled.

"They fall and fall over and over, but every time they get up and try again. I want that kind of determination." I said wistfully. I recalled how Dream had kept trying on the ice, no matter how many times he fell. 

"Tell me about the lilacs." Tubbo prompted, noticing I was losing focus. 

"They're uh, white and purple, I think. One time I brought my Enchroma glasses and they were such pretty shades of purple. And they smell sweet, but almost sickly sweet if you get too close. I brushed up against one of the bushes and my flat smelled like lilacs for days. I picked a few, but I was scared I would get stung by bees." I laughed a little, and Tubbo grinned. 

"Yes, bees are adorable in Minecraft, but not so much in real life." He hummed, his brown eyes holding my gaze. 

"Indeed," I yawned. 

"Thank you, for talking to me. Talking about things I love always calms me down, and I hope I made you feel a little bit better, George. You have had quite a bit of champagne though, and I think you should get some rest." I nodded, standing up. He walked with me to my room, and opened the door for me. 

"Tomorrow is going to be hard, do you understand?" He asked gently. I nodded, my eyes on the floor. "But you can deal with tomorrow when it comes, and if you need me, just ask." He hugged me and glanced back at me one more time.

"Sleep well, George." 

I turned and collapsed onto my bed, tiredness holding me like a dead weight. 

Oh, Dream. What have I done?

~

I awoke to Wilbur and Niki calling my name. My head was pounding.

"Wha-" Wilbur ran his hands through his hair. 

"George, we can't find Dream." I stood up, panic flooding through me. 

"What do you mean, you can't find Dream? Did he leave?" I asked, my voice distraught.

"I mean, we can't fucking find him. Everyone is still out of it from last night."

"What if he left- this is all my fault." I covered my mouth. Niki drew closer to me.

"No George it's not your fault, and we're gonna find him." 

"I mean if he hadn't-" Wilbur objected, but Niki shot him a glare that could cut through steel. 

We scoured the house, but it wasn't very effective. Most everyone was either hungover or asleep. I ended up wandering out onto the beach as the clouds colored the sky a pale orange. The sand was soft beneath my feet. 

I felt hot tears roll down my cheeks. He was gone. Dream was gone. 

I lost him. 

I saw a figure farther down the shore, laying flat on the warm sand. I slowly made my way towards the person. As I drew closer, the person sat up, dirty blonde hair flopping in his face. 

A smile took shape on his lips as I sat next to him.

"Good morning, George." He said carefully.

"Good morning, Dream." I replied. Waves crashed on the smooth sand just a few paces away. "I was worried."

He turned to look at me, and the world slowed. Our silhouettes were reflected on the peach toned sand. The world seemed to quiet, just for us. 

My eyes met his, and I got lost in the sea of green. Had he always been this gorgeous?

Before I knew what I was doing, my face was mere centimeters from his. All the voices in my head were gone. And I closed the gap. 

I pressed my lips to his. 

And good god, it was like fire. 

He tasted like coffee, sweet with a bit of sharpness. And god, he smelled like home. 

Like the forest on the mountain with the faintest hints of vanilla. 

I love this man with everything I have. 

Happily ever after isn't our story. But our story is ours, and I'll tell it over and over until my voice is gone.

Thank you for walking with me through this journey. It isn't over yet, but it's still a fever dream to me. 

I never once imagined I'd be kissing my best friend, but I'm happy I did. 

And with that, farewell until another chapter.

~

inspiring song(s)

bubble gum - clairo

keep you mine - notd

slow hands - niall horan

18 - one direction

unsteady - x ambassadors

tie me down - gryffin

candles - daughter

gemini - evergreen

love is fire - freya ridings

~

an: ok so

a few things,,,

- that was the climax of the story, it's all resolution from here,,, well kinda

- thus far george has been the main focus of this story, but dreams character be kinda flat tho,, so now comes his character arc

- the author is,,, now,,, in a situation where they are in a past friends relationship with their best friend,,,,, guys can we get a pog he likes me back and ive liked him for almost a year

- that being said ive been very busy juggling everything and yall are lucky i finished this before finals week

- he might also read this story which would be pog except he wouldnt understand most of the references nd shit

- umm,,, yeah,,, and i think with the peak of this story out i might start releasing the first chapters of 'Losing You', which is the prequel to this story

- would anyone enjoy it if i made a spotify playlist with all the inspiring songs? i could make one and link it in the desc of the story :0 if you'd like that just comment on this sentence lols

- i think that's it,,,, ily guys sm and thank you so much for all the support, i feel so blessed and i love all the comments

stay safe, and afri out <3