Diego, Alec, and I sit on a grassy hill, staring into the distance at the volcanoes.

The mission is almost over. We're flying home tomorrow, and I have mixed feelings about it.

I went from hating the place where I am to loving it. Nine months change a lot. It's hard to be unbiased toward yourself, but I think I changed, too.

For the first time, I have plans for the future and know what direction to move in. I'm looking forward to starting my studies and seeing the people I love.

That second thing also scares me. I know my family will understand why I needed to travel. Mac, Annie, and Leah are a different story.

Leah's silence said more than words would. She's probably angry with me still, and knowing Mac, I will get an earful about leaving the way I did.

"I will miss the view," Alec says, lying back on the soft grass with his arms folded behind his head.

"Same," I say. "And I'm not sure I will be comfortable sleeping on a soft bed."

"It was quite an adventure." Diego looks at the two of us and winks. "I'm going to miss you two."

"You can visit," Alec offers. "No, scratch that. You should visit. Doctor O'Brien and I will show you around."

Laughing, I punch Alec's shoulder. "Easy, dude. Don't jinx it by calling me that. I have a long way to go."

"You're not the same whiny baby anymore, so I'll risk saying you will be okay as long as you do your best and keep your head out of your ass, preferably on your shoulders."

The three of us laugh.

"I will visit," Diego says. "But first, I will spend some time with my children. I missed them."

Alec and I know Diego lost the love of his life to cancer. His kids are grown up and independent, which made it easy for Diego to join the organization. He said he needed to keep busy and feel useful. It was his way to cope with his loss.

"Time to party." Alec rubs his palms together and rises to his feet. Diego follows his lead, and I am the one who lingers behind them.

I want a moment to myself. My heart squeezes in a weird way when I take one last picture of the volcano at sunset. The scenery is as impressive as usual. Our teeny tiny planet is a beautiful place to live on and seeing as much of it as I can is one of the most important items on my bucket list.

***

When I make it to the tents, everyone is gathered around the bonfire yet again.

"Brian, come here," Lily calls me. "Let's take a picture."

"Let me take one of all of you," I say, pulling my camera out of its bag.

Everyone smiles while I immortalize the moment. I have no idea when we will see each other again. Hopefully, we will keep in touch once we're home.

Jeremy asked Lily out, and they started dating after the earthquake. Both are from the same city, and I know they don't have to worry about being apart once the mission is over. It's different for the rest of us. Once again, gratitude fills me at the thought of having Alec near. I'm surely not ready to be without his smartass remarks.

It's Lily's turn to take pictures of us as we grin into the camera lens.

We spend the night reminiscing the nine months in the Ring of Fire. Alec teases the hell out of me by reminding me of my attitude and my fuckups, but I don't get pissed at him.

Until this mission, I'd always been surrounded by the love of my family and friends. Perhaps what I needed was to be thrown out there alone. It surely forced me to figure things out and make decisions. I've never felt at peace with myself until now and meeting Alec had a lot to do with the changes in me.

***

In the morning, we say our goodbyes, teary-eyed, and emotional as fuck. The helicopters take us to the airport, and we board our respective planes after promising to keep in touch with each other once more.

Alec, Lily, and Jeremy are with me. The two lovebirds sit behind us, and Alec shakes his head at their PDAs.

The plane takes off. I stare out of the small window at the now familiar scenery and soak it all in until we're flying amidst the fluffy clouds.

Alec keeps quiet for the first half of the flight. I learned to give him space when he needs it, so I busy myself writing in my journal and organizing pictures on my laptop.

"So, what now?" Alec asks me hours later. The cabin is immersed in darkness. Some passengers are sleeping, but both my friend and I feel too restless.

"I'm going to stay at Jim's and meet his girl. They've been together since last year. It's high time I met the one who tamed the superstar."

Alec chuckles. "Right. And your parents?"

"I'm going home after. I want to spend some time with Pops and Mom, see my grandparents. Then, I will have to look for somewhere to live on campus and do all the paperwork before my classes start."

"You're gonna be busy."

"Busy is good. After the last months, doing nothing would feel weird."

Nodding, Alec leans back in his seat and closes his eyes.

"I will also talk to Annie and Mac," I say, knowing that Alec isn't asleep.

"Good. It will be okay; you'll see. Friends screw up and forgive each other."

"I'm not sure about Leah," I say, frowning.

Alec looks at me. "She didn't reply?"

I shake my head and sigh. "She must be hurt. She probably moved on, but I have to at least try to talk to her. What we had was special. I can't just erase it. I never wanted to. My decision had nothing to do with how I felt about her and everything to do with how I felt about myself, but I handled all of it in the wrong way."

"You were in a bad place, but you know what I think. You should have insisted more. Diego is a romantic, but I would have called."

"It's done now," I mumble, studying my hands. "I will have to deal with whatever awaits me at home."

Alec puts his hand on my shoulder. "You'll be good."

There's nothing I want more than to believe him, and I cling to that thought as I close my eyes and doze off.

The plane wheels hitting the runway jerk me awake.

I'm home.

Alec and I wait for the rest of the passengers to grab their things and then fetch our backpacks. I rub the stiff muscles of my neck as we make our way toward the exit of the plane.

From the top of the airstairs, I look down and grin at the sight of my brother, who's standing not far from the plane with his arms around the shoulders of a beautiful, dark-haired girl.

Alec smiles at me when he sees who I'm looking at. "Go," he whispers.

Moisture fills my eyes. I blink it away and inhale.

Then, I exhale.

And I take a step forward.