“Don’t forget to smile,” Nancy whispers as I prepare to head out of the St. Gerard and back to normal life. Semi-normal. As normal as it will ever be I suppose.

All the footage is workable and unless Stevens calls us in for some extra shots, we should be able to take a nine-month break at which point, we either have a Season two or not. I think I’ll be fine either way, but this isn’t something I can see myself doing all the time. I think being an extra or small roles are way more my thing. It’s hard enough being attached to Nathan, the Heartthrob of the big screen. I chuckle at my inward thought.

They can say whatever they want about him, but he’s mine. All mine and I’m never giving him up.

“How could she not?” Nathan answers her, startling me and slinging one of my duffle bags over his shoulder.

“They could get those for you,” Nancy suggests, her eyes wide as she realizes Nathan’s carrying all of my bags and dragging his own suitcase behind him.

Nathan shrugs, “I’ve got them.”

“Remember you have the Casitas tonight; it’ll be a private interview in the back dining room,” Nancy says as we all walk out of the doors of St. Gerard, the bellman holding the door wide open and the warmth of summer and the sounds of the hectic city street hit us both at once.

“Is that for Hally alone or…?”

“Both of you, of course. It’ll be extremely important to mention each other from here on out to help promote the show,” Nancy answers him and then licks her lips.

“Easy enough,” Nathan answers and then nods to someone I don’t see, slipping the bag off his shoulder and letting it sit on the cement.

“If anything changes,” Nancy starts to say as Nathan wraps his heavy arm around my shoulder. “If you two, get into a..,” Nancy starts to say, but she doesn’t finish her uncomfortable sentence.

“It’s not going to happen,” Nathan says easily. There’s so much confidence in his voice and it echoes exactly what I feel. There’s nothing in this world that will tear me from him again.

A soft smile pulls at my lips as he looks down at me and then plants a small kiss on my nose.

A flash goes off behind me and it makes me jump. I turn but don’t see anyone at all. It’s not until Nathan chuckles that I realize he must’ve set something up.

“Are you planting that one?” Nancy asks Nathan beneath her breath, a mischievous look on her face, also something else, admiration maybe?

“Mark’s idea, not mine. I’ll be taking Hally and hiding away with her every chance I get.” Nancy nods resigned to the fact that neither of us really want to be in the spotlight more than we have to. My hand slips into Nathan’s at the thought of doing this once a year or more. It’s hectic, but I love the hustle of it. I would never have thought my life would turn into this.

“I’m kind of going to miss it in here,” I say aloud, although it really wasn’t for either of them.

Nathan opens his mouth to say something, but at the same time, our car pulls up to the curb and he reaches down to grab the bags. “We’ll be back,” he tells me and then starts to load up the car.

It makes my heart swell to know that I’ll be leaving with him.

It doesn’t matter what happened before. The sadness and pain will always be there. But if I can look at him and only see a man who loves me and who I love back, then we can survive it.

Even if it shattered us and the pieces will never be the same.

They can fit together and make something beautiful. Something it was meant to be from the very start.

“Well I’m off,” Nancy says and gives me a small hug. She holds me at arm’s length as she adds, “You know my number if you need anything.”

I nod my head, “Of course.”

She lets me go with an easy sigh. “Drive safely,” she says and I know she’s ready to leave until she has to check on me again.

“Thank you for everything,” I tell her before she can turn away from me. “I really mean it,” I say and try to put every ounce of conviction I have for her in those words.

She gives me a small smile as Nathan calls out, “We’re ready to go.”

“It was my pleasure,” Nancy says and then she’s off, fading into the crowds along the street. It’s funny how life sets you up with people who will change your fate forever. How easily they come, but how they’ll stay forever.

The driver opens my door as Nathan shuts his on the opposite side. It’s one step off the curb until I’m tucked away and ready to go back to our hometown.

“I love you, Hally,” Nathan tells me as I settle into the back of the car. The leather seats are cool and it makes me shiver.

“I love you too.”

I eye Nathan, taking in his words, the same that he told me last night and this morning.

“Are you going to say it all the time now?” I ask him teasingly more than anything.

“Yes, every second I have the chance to so you’ll never forget it.” I don’t know when he turned into this man, but I’m ever letting him go.