Chapter 35 (the final chapter)

I had been back home for almost two months now and between school and work my schedule was luckily keeping me very busy. Nicole and Mary came back from California a week after I had, just like we had originally planned. They had kept their word and haven't said a thing to me about Ross since the night of the award show when we talked on the phone and I explained the situation in as few words as possible.

They were both still dating the Lynch boys and spent quite a lot of time talking to them, especially lately. I tried to ignore the date as I looked at the calendar hanging up at work. R5 is in Buffalo and the girls are planning on meeting up with the band later today. I was grateful that they only asked me once if I was interested in going to the concert. When I declined they respectfully backed off and haven't said a word since. Yesterday the three of us had hung out to celebrate an early birthday for Mary. She was so excited because for the next few days, as short-lived as it may be, her and Rocky were finally going to be the same age.

As I drove up to my house I was surprised to see Nicole's silver car parked in the street.

"What are you guys doing here?" I asked my best friends as I climbed out of my car.

"I wanted to celebrate my birthday on my real birthday so we're going out to lunch right now," Mary explains, holding the back door of Nicole's car open for me, gesturing for me to climb inside.

"But what about the boys?" I question. "You're supposed to be seeing them soon."

"They can wait," Nicole says, shoving me in. I roll my eyes and place my feet firmly on the pavement, refusing to move them and preventing the door from closing.

"What's really going on? Have you guys forgotten that I can smell a secret from a mile away?"

"No we haven't forgotten," Nicole says.

"We were just hoping you wouldn't figure anything out until it was too late," Mary exclaims, exchanging looks with Nicole. Before I can react, they each pick up one of my legs and shove them into the car, closing the door behind me quickly. I scoot over to escape the car from the other door only to be greeted by a smirking Nicole from outside the window.

I frustratingly cross my arms in front of me as both girls climb into the front seats and Nicole starts the car. I vow to myself as we make our way down the street that I will not look at or talk to any of the Lynch's, knowing that's exactly where the girls planned to take me. Except maybe Rydel. As hard as it was, I decided it was best to not answer any of the Lynch's frantic calls that I received that night back in August.

We pull up outside of a small local restaurant and I cautiously step out of the car, wary that someone would pop around a car and suddenly confront me.

"Come on!" Nicole pulls on my arm and leads me inside. After we have been seated and have ordered our lunch I start to relax a bit as it seems that the girls may be telling the truth and that R5 really wasn't going to show up.

Once we had finished, we got back into the car and drove to Canalside which was the most up-and-coming place in Buffalo as it is constantly being upgraded and made into a nicer place. We walk along the rocks, laughing and talking until coming to the stairs of the lookout tower. I race the girls to the top, losing to Nicole because of her persistence to go to the gym every morning. When we reach the top I look out and enjoy one of my favorite views in Buffalo. From this particular spot I feel as if I can see the whole world. Straight ahead of me is Lake Erie, meeting the Buffalo River to my left and the Erie Canal and Niagara River to my right. Crossing over the Niagara River is the short bridge connecting America to Canada.

"Elizabeth..." Nicole hesitantly starts, coming up next to me. "We'll only ask you once, but would you want to come with us to the show tonight? It will be a lot of fun - I promise!"

"And you won't have to talk to or look at Ross if you don't want to. I just hate that we don't hang out as much as we used to and I would really love it if you would come," Mary tells me.

I wish that what Mary was saying was false but unfortunately it wasn't. The girls have spent so much time together skyping with their boyfriends and just talking about them. I never joined in out of fear that something may happen involving Ross.

I continue to look out the water and weigh my options, for the first time really thinking about the situation and the pros and cons of me going. I still love Ross; it's not like our break-up ended in a fight or anything. The reason I haven't talked to him since I left was because of the fear that I will get hurt again and because it will probably be awkward considering how I left everything. There hasn't been much in the media either concerning Ross or Laura which has always made me doubt my decision to leave because maybe I had it all wrong, that conversation I overheard back in August.

"All right, I'll go," I finally respond.

"Wait, seriously?" Nicole shouts, a look of disbelief on her face. "We really didn't think you'd say yes!"

"Well, I do miss seeing everyone and I still love their music...and maybe I owe it to Ross to at least talk to him..." I trail off.

"You don't have to make any decisions about Ross yet because we probably won't get a chance to talk to him until after the show and if you change your mind that's totally alright. At least you're going!" Mary says.

"Ok, now that that's all figured out we should head back to the car because doors open in about an hour," Nicole states, heading for the stairs. I follow my friends, my nerves all over the place as a million thoughts and possibilities run through my head. I've done a good enough job of avoiding Ross for about two months and now it was time for me to finally face him.

"So how is this exactly working," I ask as I climb into the backseat of the car. "Will we be in the audience or backstage with Stormie?" I remember the girls saying we won't be able to talk to the band until after the show, which I found odd considering they are dating two of the members.

"We're sitting in the audience. We got you a ticket just in case. If you did end up saying yes, we figured you would prefer to do that than hanging in the wings of the stage," Mary explains.

"And as fun as it is to see the show from backstage, I just love being in the crowd and enjoying all of their energy," Nicole says.

"Oh, definitely!" Mary agrees.

____________

Pulling up to the venue, I watch as we drive past a long line of fans waiting outside. Luckily today is a surprisingly warm day for late October so no one is freezing while donning their tank tops and shorts in preparation for the sweltering heat during the concert that will settle in once we all start jumping and dancing along to the music.

After we park the girls clamber out of the car as I stay seated, telling myself I have no reason to be nervous. This is Ross, for crying out loud I silently yell at myself. I finally get out of the car and join Mary and Nicole who were patiently waiting for me. We walk over and join the back of the line, Mary giving each of us our ticket. This particular venue has seats and the girls have scored us three seats in the fourth row in the middle section - Ross's section.

"Do you mind where our seats are?" Nicole asks, seeing my face as I look at the ticket. "Because we couldn't decide whose section to sit in and figured in between would be best but if you want..."

"No, it's ok, I don't mind." As the line continues to grow, people keep walking past us and quite a few give us curious or surprised glances. A couple people stop and say hi to Nicole, easily recognizing her as neither her nor Riker are shy about sharing their relationship with the fans. They also recognize Mary once they make the connection and I try my best to hide behind my hair or turn the other way, not sure if anyone would know who I was and I wasn't particularly interested in finding out.

As the line begins to move I ask the girls if Ross or any one of the Lynch's were aware that I was coming.

"Yeah, well everyone but Ross knows. They were all aware of our plan to ask you and I texted Riker after you said yes," Nicole explains. "We figured it would be better to leave Ross in the dark and surprise him."

I nod in response as the line continues to inch forward. As we take our seats my nervousness turns into a mix of excitement and anxiousness. I stare at the microphone stand placed directly in front of me and watch as everyone else files in and takes their seats around us. A group of younger teenage girls sits in front of us and eagerly turn around.

"So it is true! People were saying they saw you guys in line outside but I didn't believe them because I thought the girlfriends were always backstage but this is so much better!" the peppy blonde lets out in one breath. "Hi, I'm Anna," she sticks out a small hand which each of us shake. Her three other quiet friends just wave at us and let Anna do all the talking.

"Elizabeth, I have to ask, is everything okay with you and Ross? I'm only asking because there has been absolutely no news on you guys in a while! Everyone was saying you guys broke up but I didn't think it was true and obviously I was right since you're here right now, right?" Anna asks.

I was surprised to be asked that, especially since she was right, everyone has pretty much guessed that Relizabeth was over. I look at my friends on either side of me for encouragement as to what I was supposed to answer but they just stare right back at me.

"Um, well, yeah, I'm here to support Ross," I smile at her and am rewarded with an even bigger grin. Anna opens her mouth as if to say something more but I am saved as the lights begin to dim and the stage lights up with the glow of white and red and Brandon and Savannah walk out, still being the opening band for R5.

Their set goes by quickly and then the stage is transformed for Ryland and his DJ equipment. Just like always, he gets the crowd going as we all sing and dance and jump along to the loud beats. Once he walks off stage the adrenaline completely leaves my body because I know who's coming out next. My head fills with a number of possibilities as to what may happen when Ross comes out on stage. Being as close as I am I figure he will be able to spot me and I have no idea how he may react and that terrifies me.

The whole auditorium becomes pitch black as the lights suddenly shut off. As my eyes adjust, I spot a few people moving around the stage. When the bass drum starts banging off a soft beat, the lights begin to brighten on the stage and then Rydel starts on the keys. She and Ellington start off the intro of the cover the band has been starting with all tour. At the sound of a guitar riff my heart starts to beat frantically, going twice as fast as the beat Ellington is sticking with. Rocky walks off from one wing of the stage and Riker from the other and finally Ross runs out on stage, microphone in hand.

I stand perfectly still as I stare up at him, having forgotten how his soft hair flowed, remembering how those big hands felt on my body. Ross sings the whole song without looking once in my direction and I can't help but notice that the song doesn't reach his eyes like they usually do. He's not as emotional and connected with the song as he was the last time I saw him perform back in Los Angeles.

Riker talks a bit to the audience and I tune him out, keeping my eyes on Ross, willing him to look at me. Being here, seeing him was almost like a revelation for me. I realized how much I really missed him and the terrible mistakes I made at the end of our relationship. I jumped to conclusions, like I usually do, and refused to give him a chance to explain and I now know that it was the biggest mistake I've ever regretted.

I laugh to myself as I figure out what the next song they will be performing is by the electronic notes being played by Rydel. As the second chorus begins, Ross is standing directly in front of me and I stare as hard as I can at the boy.

"Lovin' you ain't easy, nothin' ever is, but I will keep on fightin' for a love like this. You know I - " Ross suddenly stops as he finally spots me in the crowd. For the next few seconds it feels like we're the only people here as we both stare at each other and I can't help but grin wildly at him. The crowd finishes the chorus for Ross as he stands up on stage in shock and then he smiles back at me once it sinks in. He continues the song, jumping and running around the stage, pouring everything he has into the song.

"This next song goes out to a very special girl who was able to make it here tonight," Ross announces, winking at me and causing Anna to turn around and look at me.

"I so knew it!" she yells as R5 begins to perform "Let's Not Be Alone Tonight".

The concert is over much sooner than I wanted it to be. Nicole and Mary direct me to stay where I am until the auditorium becomes completely empty. They say it was the plan they had made with the guys since everyone will probably be outside crowding the tour buses and waiting for a chance to see the band one last time.

Once everyone files out I stand up, no longer being able to sit still. I scooch past Mary who's still seated and head for the aisle when I hear a voice from behind me.

"Elizabeth?" Ross breathes as he walks onto the stage and stands still.

"Ross," I sigh and that single syllable gives him enough to continue walking. He crosses the stage and hops down while I finish walking down the row and into the aisle. We both stare at each other, just looking, not exactly knowing what to say or do next.

"I'm sorry," I say, "about everything. I was stupid in running and leaving you and not giving you even the slightest chance to respond to it all. I messed up big time."

"What matters is that you're here now," Ross takes a step closer to me. "If you want we can talk about things or we can just forget that it all happened. But either way, I still feel like I owe you an explanation."

"The explanation can wait. Ross, I love you." He responds by quickly closing the gap between us and grabbing my face in his hands and pressing his lips roughly to mine. I kiss him right back, letting all my guilt and excitement and nerves and passion be poured into the simple action.

The sound of Rocky and Riker whooping and my friends cheering cause us to break apart. "I love you too," Ross whispers.

"I knew this would work," I hear Nicole say to Riker, offering him a high-five. We all laugh and Ross wraps his arm protectively around my shoulders and leads me onto the stage. Our mini audience disappears around the corner but I hold Ross back and lead him to the edge of the stage where we sit down, our feet dangling over the edge.

"Ok, I lied. The explanation can't wait any longer. Before anything else happens, I need to know, what were you and Laura talking about that night?" I nervously ask.

Ross sighs, rubbing his hands against his legs. "I figured you overheard part of that conversation by what you said in your letter to me, which was very brief by the way." I smile apologetically at him. "Which, I want you to know, tore me up. You have no idea how terrible it felt rushing home only to find that waiting for me on my bed. And not answering any of my phone calls or anyone else's for that matter...I've never felt so sick and distraught and heartbroken in my life. I'm not saying all this to make you feel bad or anything, I just feel you need to know," he finishes, looking over at me.

I refuse to meet his eyes, not wanting him to see the tears welling up inside them. "I know how shitty of a move that was," I say, talking to my hands in my lap. "It was a hard decision for me to make and a cowardly one. I left before things could get any worse without even knowing the whole story. I put on a good face for the girls, but leaving you...like that...well I shouldn't have done that. I'm sorry," I say again, finally meeting his eyes, surprised to find Ross's as watery as mine.

"Well, there's just one more thing I have to tell you then," Ross clears his throat. "I've played that conversation I had with Laura in my head a million times and it always sounds so much worse than it really is when only hearing my side of it.

We were talking about Teen Beach Movie 2. Disney was being difficult with filming and the show, movie and R5's schedules weren't all working out and there was a possibility that I would have to give up one of them. Laura was trying to convince me into scheming a way around all of it so I could do all three but I wanted to wait until you left so I could focus the rest of my time on you and then I would worry about my career."

I'm silent for a minute and then burst out laughing. Ross stares at me for a few seconds before joining in. "I'm so stupid!" I say between breaths. "I knew I was just reading into things too much but my paranoia got the better of me! I should never have left you, Ross Shor Lynch."

"No, you shouldn't have," he leans over and kisses me again. We get caught up in the moment and stay on the stage for quite some time, kissing, talking, giggling and just being in each other's arms.

An hour later we're all about to head out the back doors to the buses and the remaining fans who are still mingling around outside.

"You better not leave me again, Elizabeth," Ross says as we approach the doors.

"Never," I smile up at him and I don't ever plan on breaking that promise.

The sequel, The Man Next Door, is out now!  About one chapter a week is being posted. I hope you enjoy it as much as you enjoyed this story!