a/n: wait, the author's not dead? the story's not finished yet? can i get an amen?

hi, sawyer simps! so sorry for taking a sudden and prolonged break from writing in general; i just wasn't feeling it anymore. i'm hoping to complete this story in the upcoming month, but we'll see. i'm thinking of ending it with a nice, even 50 chapters (or somewhere around that)!

thank you for sticking with me, and thank you to those who were worried about me while i was away. you guys are so nice. i hope you're all doing okay, and that you enjoy this chapter—

  It was their three month anniversary, and they were the living embodiment of bliss.

  After picking up the food she ordered, he drove them to a vast field where they would watch the sun set together. She watched in amusement as he popped open the trunk of his hatchback car and hastily prepared it for them.

He stretched out his hand to help her climb inside once he was done, and she took it with a smile. They began eating their food in silence, listening to the hums of nature around them. When the sun started to gradually sink, their eyes were captivated by the warm colors that were painted across the sky.

  Ali pushed away the empty wrappers and snuggled closer to him, stuffing her head in the spot between his neck and his shoulder—her favorite spot. Sawyer leaned his head on hers and rested his arm along her back, feeling just as comfortable.

  After a moment of peaceful sky-gazing, she reached for his other hand and played with his fingers. "I feel like we're in a music video."

  "That's what I forgot," Sawyer sighed in frustration with himself as he started to detach himself from her. "Hold on, let me turn on the radio—"

  "No, no, no. I never thought I would say this, but I don't want music right now," Ali reassured him, quickly pulling him back to his previous position. He looked down at her with an awestruck expression, and she chuckled. "I know it sounds crazy, but take it as a compliment. I like the sound of your voice more than anyone else's on the radio."

  Sawyer averted his gaze from her, returning to the colorful sky, while a smile that could only be triggered by her formed across his face. She, too, stared at the sky for a few moments as her mind thought back to when she first moved to town. Her life had changed so much since then, merely by meeting this cryptic yet lovable boy.

  "Hey," Ali said as she pulled away from him to look him in the eyes. "Did you know I originally promised myself I wouldn't get into any relationships while I was in town?"

  He shook his head, and she smiled. Ali leaned forward and pecked his lips once, then twice, then one more time. When she was about to lean back, he planted one last kiss on her nose, an action which still managed to make her cheeks flush every time.

  "I'm glad you didn't listen to yourself," Sawyer remarked, while her eyes dipped down to their joined hands.

  "Yeah," she chuckled quietly. "Me too. For a lot of reasons."

  "Hm?" he murmured curiously, and she shrugged, giving him a lopsided smile.

  "I don't know. I really only moved to this place to take care of my grandma, and I thought it would be an easy transition for myself. But it wasn't. It was kind of lonely at times."

  He nodded in understanding; loneliness wasn't a foreign concept to him anymore, now that he knew what it was like to feel the opposite.

  "But you," Ali said in a singsong voice, raising her hand to point at him. "You, Sawyer Price, helped me with that. I genuinely think I would've been a bit lost without you. So... thank you."

  Sawyer blinked, taken aback by her words. All this time, he thought he didn't do enough, that he didn't give her as much as she gave him. He never realized that they were on an equal footing, but it was such a relief to know that now.

  "Thank you too, Alice. Thank you," Sawyer whispered softly before wrapping his arms around her. She grinned and squeezed him tightly, rocking them from side to side. He laughed when the car began to shake as well, then gave her a heartwarming kiss that made chills run down her spine.

  They were too distracted with each other to see the sun finally disappear, but perhaps the moon was more appropriate anyway.