I'm alive! To make up for the lack of updates, I made this chapter extra long. Enjoy!
******************

All week, I had been the first one out the door, primarily to avoid the stares and whispers that followed me everywhere. But today, I was out of my seat and with my hand on the door handle a millisecond after the bell rang for a different reason. Today, my father left, and I was eager to go home to say goodbye. 

I skipped a visit to my locker and went straight for the school's front doors. The sunshine has barely begun to graze my skin before I hear someone call my name from outside, but before I can turn around, I feel an arm wrap around my waist and pull me backward. 

"Slow down there, Collins," Nathan's deep voice whispers in my ear, sending goosebumps down my arms. "Where are you going so fast?"

With a lot of reluctance, and only because students began pouring out of the doors behind us, I pull away from his hold and turn to face him. Nathan was smirking, as I had assumed he would be, and I was positive that my cheeks were flushed from his mere touch. 

"I have to go home," I explain. "My dad is leaving tomorrow morning to go back to Florida. I'm meeting him at home to say goodbye." 

His smirk falls as Nathan nods, no longer amused. "It's nice you get to say goodbye this time." 

"Yeah," I smile. "He said he had something to give me." 

Nate smiles with me and scoops up my hand. "Then you can't be late," He insists as he pulls me toward my car. "Or else he'll give Luke your present instead, and let's be honest, Luke probably doesn't deserve it." 

I chuckle as we reach my car, and stop to smile at him. When I saw his electric eyes studying me thoughtfully, I wondered if he didn't want me to leave like how I didn't want to leave him.

"Call me later, okay?" Nate murmurs. 

I can't help my gaze from dipping to his lips as I nod slowly, and I watch as a smirk forms. When I lift my gaze back to his, Nate is already leaning toward me, his hand reaching out to grab my chin lightly to angle my lips toward his. In one swift motion, Nathan leans down and closes the minimal distance between us, and I feel his lips move against mine. 

I didn't realize how much I missed kissing him until his lips were on mine. Something about having Nathan so close to me, his musky scent surrounding me, savoring the feelings of his hands on my face, tasting his minty breath... It was all perfect. 

When he pulled away, I was in a daze, only able to stare at his lips and murmur, "Definitely."

Nate chuckled, his eyes alive as they float from my eyes to my lips. "You better," His gaze meets mine again and he smiles, taking a step back. "Go on, before I keep you all to myself."

With a full heart and a wide smile, I say goodbye and start the drive out of the school parking lot and toward my house. As I'm driving, my thoughts shift to my father, and I feel a small amount of sadness settle in the pit of my stomach at the notion of saying goodbye when I had just gotten him back. 

He wasn't there by the time I got home, so I went inside and made a sandwich to busy myself. Plus, thanks to the eventful lunch hour I had, I didn't get to eat much before it ended. I practically inhaled the sandwich and a bowl of watermelon before I heard a knock on the front door. 

"Hey dad," I greet as I open the door and see his smile. 

"Hey honey," He greets with a grin that lit up his entire face. "How have you been?" 

I step aside and let him come in, and as he does so, I grin wider. "As of a few hours ago, I've been doing great." He gives me a look, and I just mutter shortly: "Long story. But Nathan and I are back together and peace has been restored."

He chuckles and smiles at me. "As long as you're happy, sweetheart, I'm happy."

I return his smile wholeheartedly and assure him, "I am."

"Good," Dad reaches in his jacket pocket and withdraws a short stack of photos. He looks from the worn images back to me, showing me his misty gaze. "I have a few photographs that I wanted to give you."

As I lead him into the kitchen for better lighting, curiosity bites at me regarding the contents of the photos. We sat down at the kitchen table together, me at the head and dad beside me, and he spread out the photographs in front of me.

"Look through them," He encourages with a smile. "Sorry about the bent edges."

I shoot him a curious smile before looking down at the arrangement of photos, taking most of them in my hands. My eyes scan the worn images fondly; first a photo of Luke and I when I was six, sitting in a large armchair together, our feet dangling off the edge.

Next, a black and white image of my mother and I when she was younger and I was a baby. She was holding me up in a way that resembles how Musafa holds Simba up in the air, as if I were the most important baby being introduced to the world.

I continued sifting through the photos, which were mostly images of Luke and I when we were younger, until I came across a specific image that made me grin widely. In all of its colored glory was a photograph of me sitting in the drivers seat of my fathers old cherry red Mustang.

The vibrancy of the red had worn with age, but it was still clear enough to make out the shiny spots on the side of the car. I was grinning toothily in the photo, both hands firmly on the steering wheel, which was taller than I was at the time.

 I looked at my father and see he's smiling at me, and that's when I realized I was grinning so widely that my cheeks hurt. "I had a feeling you'd like that one."

"The old Mustang," I breathe out a laugh. "I remember this day."

He grinned wider. "You do?"

Sure. It was the last day of the month in May of 2004, when my dad had taken me to the car show. We drove the old Mustang, the beauty of the car so great that people thought it was supposed to be in the car show. I remember walking hand in hand with my father, reveling at all of the cars, eyes wide and gleaming as I took it all in. It was he that taught me the difference between a good and bad car, like how he taught me the difference between good and bad music.

My mom stayed home with Luke, who was four at the time, while my father and I went out. We stayed out all day; we went to the toy store before the show, we got dinner after the show, then ice cream after dinner, then went to the playground and played, even after it got dark. It was one of the earliest memories I had, and looking at the worn photograph in my hands, I was reminded that it was also one of my fondest.

"The day we went to the car show," I say simply, my lips still quirked into a smile.

Dad laughs heartily, something I haven't heard in awhile, and leans back in his chair. "Nuh uh, that's not the only thing we did. I spent about two hundred bucks that day on you, kid."

I grinned, well aware that he didn't say 'no' to a single thing I asked of him that day. "We got dinner and ice cream too, and we went to the park."

"Tell me you're not forgetting the bear," He groans mockingly, and I can no longer stifle my laughter.

He was referring to the fifty dollar, oversized, stuffed bear that I begged for at the toy store.

"I loved that bear! I could never forget about Beary," I defend through my laughter, while simultaneously scolding myself for naming my stuffed bear Beary.

Very original, I know.

While we laugh over the memories, I hear the front door open and shut. Luke bounds in the kitchen a moment later, and a goofy smile grows on his lips when he sees us. Something about the genuinity of Luke's smile makes my heart warm, and I knew why. He was happy that he finally got his family back together.

It was odd, the way things changed so fast. When I came home to see my father in my living room a week ago, I screamed at Luke for even thinking that I would ever forgive Richard. But now here we are, leaning over the kitchen table, looking at old photographs, laughing until our stomachs hurt.

I guess I could thank Luke for forcing my father back into my life again, but really I should give Nathan credit for forcing me to want my father back in my life again. I smile at my dad, who got up to hug Luke, and suddenly I'm more thankful than I have ever been for the men in my life.

Luke, dad, and I all sat in the kitchen for another hour before we finally said goodbye. Luke and I walked him outside and to his car, where we said our final goodbyes until next time. I let Luke go first as he hugged our father tightly, his shoulders shaking with laughter when my father says something in his ear.

When Luke pulls away, I see his teary eyed smile, and I smile sadly at him. I take my turn embracing my father, wrapping my arms around him and giving him a hug as tight as the ones I would give him when I was a child. My heart hurt increasingly more as the moments passed, and the time for me to let him go lurked closer.

"I'm so proud of you, honey. You're a very smart girl; don't let anyone make you think otherwise." He whispers, and then pulls back to smile at me, but it's mixed with a smirk. "Try and keep Nathan around, yeah? I see the way he looks at you. I know that look. He's going to make you happy."

I blush a little but smile more, and hug him one last time. "I'll miss you, dad."

When I let go, he smiles sadly. "I'll miss you too, sweetheart." He looks at Luke. "And I'll miss you, Lucas. Take care of the girls for me, would you?"

Luke chuckles, and with one last smile, my dad climbs into his rental car. As he pulls away, I feel Luke's arm come around my shoulder in an attempt to comfort me. My arm wraps back around him, and I lean my head on his shoulder, watching our fathers car get smaller and smaller, until it altogether disappears.

Like I said; it was weird how quickly things could change. One second, I loathed the existence of my father, and the next, my eyes were brimming with tears as I watched him drive away. But even though the change was fast and unexpected, I welcomed it with open arms.

"Come on," Luke says eventually. "Let's go inside."

We head inside, and I have an inkling that Luke is feeling the same thing that I am. I wasn't necessarily sad or upset, but rather light hearted. I knew that I would see my father again, and that he wasn't making the same hasty getaway as he did ten years ago. Now, he was leaving with the intention of coming back.

I took the photographs he gave me and brought them to my bedroom, where I stashed other old photographs. Until now, they were disregarded as useless memorabilia, but as I sifted through the new photos, I grew more sentimental. I took the photos and placed them carefully in an old box where I kept the other loose photos, but kept one in particular out of the box.

As if on cue, my phone began ringing, and I saw Nathan's name sprawled out on the screen. I answer it with a smile and say, "Yes?"

"I'm sorry if I'm interrupting, but I couldn't stop thinking about you," Nate admits.

My smile grows tenfold. "Aw, you are a big softie!" He chuckles, and I add, "You aren't interrupting, so please continue with your cheesiness."

"Kitten, we already went through this." Nathan's voice is so sexy and low, and I grip my phone a little tighter. "When it comes to you, I'm the biggest sap on the goddamned planet. I'll say whatever I can just to make you smile."

I can't hold back my grin, but I still tease, "How do you know I'm smiling?"

He chuckles again, the sound so sexy that it makes my heart flutter. I hear two loud raps come from the other side of the room, and when I glance over, I see Nathan's face in the window. My eyes flew open and my jaw dropped at the sight of his cocky smirk coming from behind my window.

"Are you going to let me in, or do I have to tell you that you're the most beautiful girl I've ever met?" Nate teases through the phone.

I regain composure and drop the phone on the bed as I get up to stride toward the window. Swiftly, I yank it open, and come face to face with Nathan himself. He's standing on his toes on the roof to match my height, and I can't help but laugh when I confirm that Nathan Rhodes was about to sneak through my window.

"Watch out, sweetheart," Nate winks at me as I back up, and then he effortlessly hauls himself through my window.

When he lands swiftly on my floor, I finally question him. "Why the hell did you sneak in through the window? I would've let you in the front door, you know. My mom isn't even home."

He grins boyishly, his grey eyes shining with mischief. "Where's the fun in that?"

I laugh again, unable to contain the laughter bubbling up my throat because of this boy, and when I settle my gaze on him, I'm pleased to see his dimple indenting his cheek in his famous half smile. He takes a step toward me, slowly but confidently, his eyes as soft as his expression.

"I was going to tell you anyway, whether you let me in or not," Nathan says casually.

I tilt my head to the side slightly in confusion. "Tell me what?"

His eyes follow the movement, and his smile widens a little bit. He takes another step closer, so I'm close enough to reach out and grab a fistful of his shirt. But instead I stay glued to the floor, holding my ground as confidently as he was as he neared closer.

"That you're the most beautiful girl I've ever met," Nathan murmurs quietly, his eyes floating all over my face.

He takes a small step closer, close enough to feel his breath against my skin. Although I'm particularly distracted by our proximity, I still open my mouth to form some sort of objection to Nathan's words, but he quiets me before I even begin.

"You're beautiful when you smile, and even more when you laugh. Somehow you even look beautiful when you're angry, which is bad for me, because while you're yelling at me, I'm just thinking of kissing you," My cheeks warm at his words, and he chuckles upon seeing it. Nate raises his hand to brush the pad of his thumb across my bottom lip, a ghost of a smile haunting his lips. "You don't even realize the affect you have on me, Lauren."

My heart pitter-patters when he says my name so tenderly, his voice as smooth as silk. My gaze bore into Nathan's captivating greyish blue eyes for what felt like an eternity as my heart hammered against my chest.

"I think I do," I somehow manage to say softly, a smirk tugging at my lips. "I mean, I'm almost certain you weren't this cheesy before."

Nathan laughs, a beautiful and sexy and devilish and incredible sound. I want to kiss him- I mean, I always want to kiss him, but this was different. My body was filled head to toe with an overwhelming amount of love, and I was almost scared that if I kissed him, he would find out that I was in love with him.

So I flashed him a shaky smile and, with as much willpower as a human being could ever muster in the history of ever, I took a step away from him. I floated over to my bed and picked up the photo I had purposely left out of the box specifically for Nathan, and smiled when my eyes skimmed it.

I turned around and saw Nathan watching me thoughtfully, as if I were a puzzle that he just couldn't quite figure out. I smile secretively, the image in my hand, and sit on the edge of the bed. Shortly after, he joins me, sitting close enough for our legs to press against each other completely.

"My dad gave me this, and I thought you would like it," I explain.

Nathan's eyes leave me for the first time since he climbed in the window so he could look at the photo in my hands. I passed it to him and watch his expression as he takes in me, in all my six year old glory, sitting in my dads old Mustang.

Almost instantaneously, a grin breaks across Nathan's lips, and his eyes study every inch of the photo. I remember him saying something about wanting to see photo evidence of the Mustang, and I couldn't help but think of him when my father first gave me the photo.

"You were so cute!" Nathan coos and then smirks at me mischievously. "What happened?"

I feign appall and argue confidently, "Excuse me, but a minute ago you were telling me how-"

Nathan cuts me off with his lips as they crash onto mine, his hand grabbing the back of my head to keep me where I was. I gasp, caught off guard, and I can feel him smirking into the kiss. He pulls away before I can even move at all, my eyes fluttering open when I hadn't even realized they shut, and see him smirking at me.

"I told you," He murmurs quietly, his eyes shining with a boyish gleam. "Beautiful, even when you're mad."

I laugh softly, nudging him with my shoulder. "If thats your way to calm me down, then feel free to do it more often."

Nathan grins and leans forward to press his lips against mine again. We spend the rest of the night like that; lying in my bed, whispering amongst each other, kissing occasionally and laughing frequently.

As I fall asleep curled up to Nathan, I can't help but think about change again. All I can think is that if he hadn't found a change of heart about me, and if he hadn't given me a second chance, I don't know what id do.

I'm just very, very thankful that change exists.

***

Boom boom boom.

I ignored the sound at first, deciding that I could still get away with falling back asleep if I didn't pay attention to it. Unfortunately, the banging increased, and when I fully came to, I also heard my moms voice.

"Lauren, get up! School starts in fifteen minutes. I let you sleep in, but you need to get up now!"

I shoot up in my bed and my eyes immediately land on the boy beside me, who somehow was sleeping through the obnoxious banging and my mothers shouts. Nathan was lying on his stomach with one arm sprawled across my waist, which fell down to my thighs when I sat up. His eyes were shut and his face was calm.

The banging starts up again, and I manage to call, "I'm up, mom!"

She stops knocking on the door and leaves me to deal with the boy in bed. At the sound of my voice, he groans and wraps his arm around my waist again, pulling me down beside him. I fall down right beside him, my face inches from his, and he smiles sleepily.

"Go back to sleep babe," Nathan murmurs tiredly.

I can't help but smile at how adorable Nathan looks when he's sleepy. I want to fall back asleep beside him and get up later on, then spend the rest of the day in bed with him, but I couldn't. With a sigh, I sit up again and shake Nathan.

"Nate, we're going to be late for school," I tell him as I climb out of bed. "You have to get up."

He groans, "School? I don't want to go to school."

Hurriedly, I grab a pair of shorts and a tee shirt from my drawers. I didn't care much for the tight, form fitting clothing that Stephanie had me wear for the past few months. From now on, I would wear what I wanted to wear, and right now, that included my favorite Jimi Hendrix shirt.

Without a second thought, I shimmied out of my shorts and peeled my shirt off. I cast a glance at the clock to see we had thirteen minutes now. My gaze also fell on Nathan, who was now very much awake, and staring wide eyed at me from the bed.

"This is a good way to wake up," Nathan says, his voice husky from sleep and the lust that sparkled in his eyes.

I squeaked and grabbed the tee shirt and tugged it over my head. My face is flushed as I pull my shorts on, and I look at Nathan through my lashes, my