Long Distance

Twenty-Two-Austin

(Author's Note-ugh. Guys. I am so sorry for leaving you for so long. I never meant to abandon y'all like that, and I apologize. But I do have one excuse: my Wattpad did this weird thing where it locked me out and it wouldn't let me log in for like 2 weeks. It sucked and I started having Wattpad withdrawals.

Anyway, this is Chapter 22. It is extremely short, but that's just because it's a wrap-up chapter. It ties up the loose ends of Austin's story and concludes it. So, this is the last Austin chapter. I know, I'm sad too. :(

There is only 1 chapter left of Long Distance...but it should be long because I still have a lot of loose ends to tie up in Lexi's story.

Also, I need to tell you guys that I have decided not to do a sequel. Sorry...I wish I could, but I think it would be hard to write, and I'm taking a break from writing teen-fiction like this. This story literally has worn me out, I've been writing it for months and months and months. Plus, no one told me if they wanted me to write a sequel or not. Don't worry, I won't disappear completely-I am writing another story that I should have on Wattpad in the near future. But I think it's time we say goodbye to Lexi and Austin. I will miss them too. :(

Anyway, thank you guys so much for being so awesome. I have 340 reads now! Thank you! Please be sure to vote, it takes literally one second and it means a lot to me.

Sorry, I should wrap this up. Enjoy the last you'll hear from Austin! Bye guys! --Haley xx (: )

SAYING GOODBYE TO Lexi at the airport for the second time is just as hard as the first. Except this time I am the one leaving. I thank her sincerely for letting me stay for the few days, then hug her and promise to keep in touch this time. I can tell that she is fighting back tears at the thought of being separated again. I will miss her too, so much. It will be a long time before we see each other again.

But also, I am excited to see Taylor again. To hold her, to kiss her, to see her smile once more. All through the excruciatingly long plane ride, with many stops on the way home, I only think of Taylor, and the way she can brighten a room by simply walking in the door.

I am extremely anxious when the plane lands in New Zealand. I take a deep breath as I step the last step into the airport.

And there she is. I immediately spot her glossy blonde hair, pulled back into a high ponytail. She wears short denim shorts and a plain grey T-shirt. But she looks absolutely stunning.

Taylor is standing with my mother, facing where I can only see her side. When Mom sees the flood of people coming into the airport, she smiles and taps Taylor's shoulder. My girlfriend quickly turns and scans the group for me, looking anxious. It is strange to see the two of them together.

Then she spots me, and her whole face lights up in an expression of pure excitement. Her smile is just as beautiful as I remember...well, it's only been a few days, but a few days without Taylor's smile is too long.

I smile back as she jumps up and down, waving. As I approach, she breaks into a run, and leaps into my arms. I hold her so tightly you would think that I would never get to see her again. Inhaling the sweet scent of her long hair, I whisper, "I missed you."

She pulls back and looks at me, a smile still brightening her green eyes. "I missed you too."

Then I kiss her. Oh, I have missed her so much.

My mom clears her throat loudly, and we separate. I grin guitily. "Hey, Mom," I exclaim, hugging her.

On the way home, I fill the two of them in on my visit to Oklahoma. I tell them about Lexi's new home and how nice it was to see her again. I also explain to them how Lexi has a boyfriend, too.

Taylor looks relieved that it all went by so smoothly, while my mother goes on and on about how proud she is of me. Several times, I roll my eyes in embarrassment.

The next day is spent mostly with Sam and Blake, my two best friends, aside from Lexi. It's nice to hang out with them again like we used to. I realize how much I actually care for them...we've been friends for years and years, and they have always been here for me. The past month or so has really strengthened the bond between the three of us. It's pretty funny that the three of us get along so well, actually. Sam is, though I hate to say it, very emotional for a guy. He and Jenny are still going strong. And Blake-he's a ladies' man and is known around our school as the player who can't keep a girlfriend. But all in all, I am grateful for the two guys.

Then there is my father. I have been seeing him more lately. I still have yet to tell my mom, but I will soon. I know that over everything else, she will be glad that I now have a relationship with my dad. He really has changed since the first six years of my life. He is truly sorry, and that is all that he can say. He can't change the past, and I can't hold it against him, because he really does regret it. It's nice to have a father figure for a change. We are far from being close, but I am well on the road to forgiving him.

The evening of the day of my return from America, I show up at Taylor's door with flowers. She throws her arms around me and inhales the sweet scent of the roses.

It is nine o'clock at night when I tell her I have somewhere to take her. We climb into my car and I drive her to the bottom of the rock cliffs where I have spent so much of my alone time.

"Where are we going?" Taylor asks as we climb.

"You'll see," I reply. When we reach the outcrop, I sit against the rocks with her next to me, her head on my shoulder. The breeze is chilly, so I remove my jacket and drape it across her shoulders. Stars dot the dark sky, and looking out at the familiar view, I feel content.

"It's beautiful up here," Taylor whispers.

"I've come up here my whole life to get away from things, and clear my head," I say.

We sit in peaceful silence, until I remove a box from my pocket, and clasp a necklace around her neck. She gingerly touches the expensive diamonds, then stares at me with her mouth agape.

"Austin-I-you didn't have to-"

"I love you," I interrupt.

Her green eyes meet mine. She is breathtakingly beautiful in the moonlight.

"I love you too," she says softly. Then I grab her face in my hands and kiss her.

Sometimes, it takes an ending for there to be a beginning. I thought it was my ending when Lexi left-but in reality, it was a new beginning. A new chapter of my life. A golden opportunity for me to find out who I really am.

Taylor is my beginning. Everything that happened before she arrived here seems somewhat irrelevant and distant. That's because she is the only thing that matters to me. It has only been a short time, but I am in love with Taylor Starr. I love her to the ends of the earth, to infinity.

My name is Austin McCloud. And I have found my beginning.