Always

Chapter Twelve

Mia

I’ve always had a plan.

Color-coded. Timelined. Safe.

Graduate top of the class. Earn scholarships. Get into a strong pre-med program. Leave this town with a clear destination and no distractions.

Liam was never part of the written version.

But somehow, he’s part of the real one.

It’s Saturday afternoon, and we’re sitting on the roof of his house like we used to when we were kids—legs stretched out, backs against the warm shingles. The sky is clear, endless blue, the kind of day that makes everything feel possible.

“Remember when you said you were going to invent a flying skateboard?” I ask.

He scoffs. “I stand by that dream.”

“You cried for an hour when you realized physics wouldn’t allow it.”

“I was nine.”

I laugh, and the sound feels lighter than it has all week.

Things have settled since the first day back. The whispers faded when no drama followed. No breakup. No scandal. Just us, steady and consistent.

Still, the future lingers in the background like a ticking clock.

“I got an email from Northbridge,” I say carefully.

He turns his head toward me. “The early acceptance program?”

I nod. “They want to interview me.”

His face breaks into the biggest grin I’ve ever seen. “Mia, that’s huge.”

“It’s three states away.”

The grin doesn’t disappear—but it softens.

“When?”

“Next month.”

Silence stretches between us, not heavy… but real.

“This is what you’ve been working for,” he says finally.

“I know.”

“And you’re going to crush it.”

I study him. “You’re not mad?”

“Why would I be mad?”

“Because it’s far. Because it changes things.”

He shifts so he’s sitting fully facing me. “Mia, I don’t want small dreams for you just so they fit next to me.”

My chest tightens.

“But what about us?” I ask.

He reaches for my hand, lacing our fingers together like it’s instinct now.

“We don’t make decisions out of fear,” he says. “You go to that interview. You chase that future. And we figure out the rest when it comes.”

“You make it sound easy.”

“It’s not.” He smiles slightly. “It’s just worth it.”

The wind picks up, tugging at my hair. I lean into him without thinking, resting my head against his shoulder.

I spent years believing love would be a distraction.

A risk.

Something that pulled me off course.

But sitting here, with the boy who used to dare me to jump off docks and now dares me to chase my biggest goals, I realize something different.

Love isn’t the thing that stops you.

Sometimes, it’s the thing that pushes you forward.

And maybe my plan didn’t include Liam at first.

But maybe the best parts of life aren’t the ones you schedule.

Maybe they’re the ones you choose.