"What do you mean the cost is you?" he asked.

"You can't expect me to forgive you after you break my heart and leave," I sniffled, "And if you leave, then I'm gone," I cried. I couldn't hold back the tears or the sobs or anything anymore. I was fully sobbing in his arms.

He sighed, hugging me back tightly, running his fingers through my hair. "Bella, please don't cry, it's breaking my heart," he whispered.

"I can't let you go," I said, only clinging onto him tighter.

"Mr. Hudson, your son is lucky enough to find love this early," my dad said.

"Don't take that luck away from him," Mrs. Hudson said.

"College is a very crucial part of everyone's life, Mr. Miller, I'm sure you understand," Mr. Hudson said.

"Okay, Dave, listen up," my dad said, stepping up and walking over to him. "I went to college, you went to college, Theresa, have you gone to college?" Noah and I watched as she nodded. "Right, did it get you anything?" She slowly shook her head. "Did it get you anything, Dave?" He didn't answer.

"Let me tell you, it didn't. I went and it didn't bring me nothing. But my wife? She didn't, all right? Because she didn't want to. And you know what she did? She ran a business for most of her life that earned her more money than my jobs ever could and now, she's stopped working. Now.

And let me tell you, while I was college and she wasn't, she was the one living life, Dave, not me. She was the one learning from experience. I was just sitting in a room with four walls, listening to professors talk their mouths off. But it all went in through one ear and out through the other. What do you remember from college, huh?"

Noah and I looked at each other. "Don't go," I said, shaking my head at him.

He wiped my cheeks dry with his sleeve. "I'm not," he whispered, "This is why I called your dad," he smiled.

I stared at him in disbelief. I hugged him tightly, like my life depended on it while my dad just went off. And then I cried some more.

"Dave, college isn't what life is about. Life is about living. We're their parents, our job is to make sure they're happy."

"Our job is to make sure they're stable, they have a good life," he argued.

"And what is that life if you're not happy living it? You may have studied, gone to Berkeley, done it all, but that doesn't mean your son has to do the same. Did you find Theresa in Berkeley?"

"Yes," Mrs. Hudson said.

"And you didn't let her go after that, did you? And you didn't let him go, I'm sure?" my dad asked.

They stayed silent.

"Well, your son has found what you found with Theresa before getting where you were. Do you understand how lucky that makes him? What a lucky fella he is?" Everyone was silent. "I understand what it means to you, I understand you want your son to have a good, steady future. But have you ever considered asking him what he wants? I don't mean to be disrespectful, but I've never even seen you at a single game this boy has played and you have no idea how phenomenal he is. Theresa?"

"Dave, come on, let him go," she said.

"I will not let him ruin his future," he reasoned.

"He is not ruining his future. Love is not a distraction, Dave. Love is what gets us through life. Can you imagine your life without Theresa? Can I imagine my life without Kelly? No! Then how are you expecting him to imagine his life without her? If he feels for Bella what you felt back then for Theresa, what I felt for Kelly, then just how we couldn't let them go, they can't let each other go either."

"Love is love, Dave. We felt it later, they're feeling it now. Don't take that away from him," Mrs. Hudson said, placing a hand on her husband's shoulder.

"Mr. Hudson, if I haven't married your son by the age of twenty-one, then you can ship him off to whatever school you'd like, but right now, please don't take him away," I said, growing a fucking pair and talking to him.

Noah looked down at me, grinning, "Twenty-one?" he smirked. I rolled my eyes at him, turning back to the parents.

"Come on, Dave. Look at how happy they are together. Isn't that what every parent ultimately wants? For their kids to be happy? Or would you rather have him rich and educated but alone?" my dad asked.

"Honey, as his parents, it's our job to warn him, to advise him, but we shouldn't be making his decisions for him. If he loves her, and I do too, Bella," she smiled at me and I smiled back, "If he loves her, then you can't tear them apart, that's just wrong. If he doesn't want to go, for whatever reason that is, then he's not going to go. He's an adult now, he can make his own decisions. Let him be.

Just be happy for him, wish him good luck, and leave him be. Don't do something that will make him resent you forever. What if someone tore us apart back then? Wouldn't you hate them for doing that?"

Reality really seemed to be crashing down on Mr. Hudson, I just wish it hit him in the face as hard as a brick.

"Your relationship with him is already a little wanky, I'd suggest you don't worsen and work on improving it instead," my dad shrugged, causing Mr. Hudson to glower at him. "Come on, it's the truth." He waved his hand dismissively.

"If he was willing to leave, Mr. Hudson, just to keep you in his life, you know he won't let you down. Both of you," I said to his parents.

"This is now just getting through his thick skull, let's keep explaining, Theresa," my dad sighed.

I bit back a laugh while Noah held either side of my face, turning me to look at him. "I'm still mad at you, you haven't spoken to me in three weeks, do you know how long that is?" I asked while he walked forward and I walked backward. He led us to the other side of the car and leaned against it while I stood in front of him. "Three weeks, Noah? I mean, are you-"

"Stop talking," he said before grabbing the back of my neck with one hand and my shirt with the other, jerking me forward and smashing his lips on mine. I kissed him back almost immediately, the anger and hurt I felt fading away when it seemed to settle that he wasn't really going to leave. "What's the plan now?" he mumbled between kisses.

"I don't know, let's fly somewhere," I said against his lips.

"Europe?"

"Mm-mm," I disagreed, "Maui."

"Tropical?" he smirked.

"Do you want me in a bikini or no?"

"I'll stop talking," he said before kissing me again.

"Come on, Dave!" my dad and Mrs. Hudson yelled in sync, making us jump and pull apart. Noah turned around, easily looking from on top of the car but I had to go on my toes.

"Okay, fine!" Mr. Hudson said in defeat, "He's not going to Berkeley, happy?" he huffed.

I looked at Noah, Noah looked at me, and he kissed me almost immediately. Again. "Your parents are watching," I said into the kiss.

"I don't give a fuck, I haven't kissed those lips in three fucking weeks," he smirked. I smiled while his grip on my waist tightened and my hands went to his hair.

"All right, that's enough, she's still my daughter, thank you very much," my dad said, grabbing my arm and pulling me away. I pulled my lips into a thin line, blushing red and looking down at the ground.

"Sorry," Noah said. I looked up, adoring the way he blushed, scratching the back of his head, his lips red, his face flushed, his hair even messier now.

"Noah, unpack," his mom grinned, taking his dad inside to calm him down a little. Obviously, he wasn't too happy and agreed reluctantly, but he'll get over it, I'm sure.

"Where to?" my dad asked, "Europe?"

Noah shook his head, "She says Maui," he said, grabbing a box, grunting, "So Maui it is."

"Maui?" my dad looked at me in confusion.

"It's pretty," I shrugged.

"That's a honeymoon destination, no?" my dad asked. We started helping Noah unpack while talking.

"Yeah, maybe we'll have a pre-honeymoon, Mr. Miller," Noah said as we all walked up the stairs. My dad smacked the back of his head while we entered his room. "I think you should know this," Noah turned to my dad, "But your daughter almost married me in Vegas. Drunk. And regretted not going through it," he smirked.

"Bella!" my dad scolded.

"In fact, she even wanted to have s-"

"Okay! That's enough!" I yelled, covering his mouth with my hand. "Bye, Dad," I sang.

"Hmm," he narrowed his eyes at us. I glared at Noah, slowly pulling away.

"I'll head on home, then, have her back by tomorrow morning. Not pregnant."

"Dad," I hissed. He laughed while I walked him out, leaving Noah to unpack. "Dad? Thank you for doing that, I don't know what I would have done if you didn't swoop in to help. Seriously, thank you," I said.

"You two probably would have eloped," he shrugged. I chuckled. "It's my job, hun. To keep you happy, to find you a guy who keeps you just as happy, if not more. And that moron is the one. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

I nodded and we said goodbye before I went back upstairs to Noah's room. He set down the box and kicked it under his bed. "Oh, my God, come over here, let me kiss you," he said, grabbing my shirt and pulling me against him, kissing me instantly.

I pulled away and looked at him, "Please don't ever leave me or scare me like that," I said, hugging him tightly.

"I promised you I'd never leave, I'm not gonna break it. I love you, Bella," he smiled.

"I love you too."

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