Chapter Thirty-Seven: Third Time's The Charm

With the lighter in my hand, I lit up the '1' candle before moving on to the '7' candle on the cake one of soccer team members was holding, "There we go."

"Everybody ready?" the team captain asked and we all simultaneously nodded.

We pushed through the cafeteria doors and started singing at the top of our lungs, "Happy birthday to you..."

Our usual lunch table, which was usually filled with people squeezing in to fit, was empty except for Pat and Leon. Our group moved to them with the person holding on to the cake leading the way.

Pat repeatedly switched his gaze from Leon to us before the confusion slowly morphed into a excited grin as he waited for us to reach them. The cake was placed on the table in front of him as we finally finished our song, "...happy birthday to you."

Even the other people in the cafeteria clapped, also swept away by our enthusiasm. Leon scooted away from his best friend so he could have the center of attention, our phones already pointed towards him.

Pat closed his eyes and blew on the candles, causing us to fall into another round of cheers.

"Thanks guys," he smiled gratefully, "And I was over here wondering where everybody went."

Leon walked behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me closer to him. Months may have gone by, but I loved him just as much as I did on the day I first fell for him. We lived each and every day normally, the whistle being nothing more but a reminder of what we have been through.

Plus, it was like our little matching thing that both of us wore every day.

During the future I've originally came from, this day determined everything. It was the day that I found out about my dad because I saw his letter, it was the day that I missed school on my boyfriend's birthday when we were already having problems, it was the day that Pat decided that it was time to end our relationship.

And a week or so later, he broke up with me by the school field and that consequently made way to this time travel fiasco.

But even after all had been said and done, I was grateful for Pat's birthday.

I wouldn't have known truth about my dad and I wouldn't have started this beautiful journey of falling in love with Leon. So while it sucks that I had to go through heartbreak first, I think the end results made everything worth it.

"He kept interrogating me," Leon chuckled, "He even went on ahead to ask if the two of us had a fight."

"Please, the biggest argument we had was when you accidentally ordered the wrong pizza flavor," I rolled my eyes playfully.

Leon was perhaps the best boyfriend one could have. When he shared that I was his first ever girlfriend, that conversation ended spectacularly well.

"Well, I've been waiting for you."

He knew all the right words to say and let's just say that having the two of us alone in his house that day gave way for some very pleasurable memories.

"Oh by the way, Zoey said happy birthday Pat," I said, causing the boy's whole face to light up.

He still wasn't over with his little crush on her but they've met a handful of times by now so at least he was no longer fumbling around with his words in her mere presence. Now it was just a small amount of bashfulness, but it had definitely died down to respectable admiration.

And Zoey? Well, she was just as clueless as ever. Plus, she was still in this weird tango relationship with Christian and it was excruciating to watch them. I've lost count of how many times I've had to bite my tongue to stop myself from telling her to leave him.

Besides, she already had a lot on her plate considering she was a senior on her way to graduation. Just like from the future that I came from, she got into Princeton and was practically all set for college.

Meanwhile, we were slowly working our way towards the end of our junior year. Leon was in the running for the position of captain of the soccer team. Considering the amount of times he went back in time and trained during all those, his skills were unmatched by anybody else.

And he already told me beforehand that while he didn't like the attention, he wasn't averse to the idea.

In Leon vocabulary, that meant that he was happy to have it.

"That boy still likes Zoey, doesn't he?" Mia laughed, crossing her arms over her chest once Pat turned his attention away from us in order to talk to somebody else, "I think this is the longest I've seen Patrick Vincent without a girlfriend since middle school."

And I quite agreed since Pat's last relationship was back in sophomore year and Mia was right, he was the type to always have a girlfriend.

What can I say, he loved love.

"Too bad Zo isn't available right now," I shook my head, "If they're meant to be, then it will happen."

"I wish he would stop complaining about being the fifth wheel all the time though," Ian piped in, causing me to release another laugh.

Those two moved at a slower pace compared to Leon and I since Ian tried to woo her for months before Mia finally said yes. Then again, everybody could move at a slower pace if you compared it to us, because we literally started dating two weeks after the library incident and we only really started being friends a couple of days prior to it.

But once again, I have a very false sense time.

"I think he's happy though," I muttered softly, watching Pat laugh lightheartedly to something our friend said.

I did the right decision of saying no to him, of trusting Leon when he asked me to go to the library instead of watching them train during that fateful day.

Because it rewarded me with no only falling head over heels in love with the guy I was truly meant to be with, but it also gave me a friendship with the person who once had all of my affections.

And now, he just held a small piece of it but that didn't mean that I no longer adored him. I still had nothing but love for Pat.

"Wait until he figures what you two planned for later," Mia said, "I can't believe you guys rented the whole burger joint for him."

"Leon's parents thought about it and also paid for it," I shrugged, "They love Pat to the point that I think I'm just a mistress over here."

Leon chuckled, jokingly replying, "You weren't supposed to find out about that."

I pinched his arm playfully before turning back to Mia, "Plus, Zoey seemed to be excited to celebrate too so I think he's going to be extremely grateful for it."

I invited her because one, I knew that Pat would be elated to see her. Two, she needed an escape from the stress of her senior year, the forthcoming college, and her relationship troubles with Christian. Even if it was just a few hours hanging with a bunch of other people she didn't know all too well. Zoey was sociable enough and she looked more than happy for a distraction.

"Do you really think they'll go out at some point?" Ian questioned, his gaze turning back to the birthday boy.

It seemed like no matter which timeline I went to, Pat would always end up starstruck whenever he saw Zoey for the first time. Pat had always admired my best friend, whether it was simply being at awe with her looks to full on falling for her.

From my perspective, he was always meant to be in love with her.

But that didn't mean that Zoey was also destined for fall for him.

So if you ask me if they would go out at some point in time, I have honestly no idea. Did I think it was a good idea they did? Absolutely.

Although I've learned that these things shouldn't be forced.

"I think they'll be good together," I answered vaguely, "But it's definitely not the right time."

They were heading to different paths right now.

I then looked up, sending the same question towards my angel, "What do you think, babe?"

He smiled gently down towards me, "It's unpredictable but all hope is not lost for the poor guy. I had to try several times before I got you."

Try thirty or more times to be exact.

And even after that, we had to time travel a few more times after.

But now that I think about it, I had to go through three different timelines to get where I was right now. First timeline was when Pat broke up with me and Leon gave me the whistle, second was when Leon failed to save me even when I retained my memories, and third was his last and successful attempt.

Third time's the charm, I guess.

"Hey you four, come on," Pat yelled, excitedly holding onto the cake, "We need to get a picture with everyone."

The picture was adorable. Everybody of our somewhat huge group were all squeezed together with Pat trying his absolute best to keep the cake balanced in his hands. It looked chaotic, some were even blurred because they were moving too much, but I thought that it was so precious.

Because it was so vastly different from the future I came from.

Before I traveled through time, I wanted to end it all. If Leon wasn't there, then I would have never felt this amount of happiness.

And it was a mighty adventure to get here. There were so many ups and downs that I have honestly lost count, but even though what I've been through wasn't anywhere near the word 'normal', the life I had right now was what I've always dreamt of.

To just live – to have a little friendship dramas here and there, to be completely lovesick over her boyfriend, have some arguments with her mom but would still unconditionally love her, and just the overall thrill of waiting for tomorrow.

It was a request from the older Leon, who worked so hard so that this whistle could get into my hands. So far, that was what I've been doing.

"Surprises are not over yet, birthday boy," I snickered towards Pat.

His eyes widened in excitement and I couldn't help but stare at him fondly. We really weren't meant to be together or be in a relationship. Because the friendship that I've developed with him was perhaps ten times more special than the memories I've had of us dating.

He was even Leon and I's biggest cheerleader. It was like we had a child at the amount of times he would voluntarily third wheel.

While we were all shuffling around to sit back down on our table, my eyes met Sasha's gaze as she sat with her own group. I sent her a small smile, one that she returned with her own. The interaction was quick because she immediately turned back to her other friend.

We may not be as close as we used to be, but I treasured her and still considered her as a friend. Our paths weren't going in the same direction anymore but this was what we decided to be the best for everyone.

We were still civil though and everything was amicable. We acknowledged each other and still have some talks, but we were no longer 'best friends' and I was okay with that. Some people were meant to be part of a chapter, not the whole book.

The day passed and we literally had to blindfold Pat just to create more suspense. We shoved him into his car's passenger seat while one of his teammates drove it for him.

"Zoey's on her way," I told Leon as we were in his own car.

"She can't be that clueless," he said, "She must at least have a little idea at the back of her head."

I laughed, shaking my head to shoot down his statement, "You're underestimating how completely oblivious Zo can be when it comes to love. Besides, she needs some cheering up because Christian and her had a fight again."

No matter how many times she expressed that she wanted labels, he had always dodged that subject. Again, it was frustrating to watch my best friend, someone who I knew could do a thousand times better, go through that.

"Says her best friend who took years before she noticed me," he huffed playfully, causing me to laugh louder.

"In my defense, you did a damn good job of pushing me away," I shot back, before taking his hand that wasn't on the steering wheel. I brought it to my lips and pressed a gentle kiss on it, "But thank you for not giving up on me, my angel."

Was he still annoyed the pet name? Of course. Did he let me use it because I loved calling him that? Hell yeah.

So he sighed instead of protesting against it, but I still saw the amusement in his features, "I love you."

"And I love you."

We pulled up to the burger joint's parking lot with all of the other people in our group. Pat was standing there, waiting for our arrival with his eyes still covered.

"Ready, P?" Leon chuckled, placing a hand on his shoulder which caused him to jump.

"Please don't do that again," Pat told him, his arms reaching out to feel his surroundings as if it would give him a hint of his whereabouts.

Leon nodded and someone took the blindfold off, finally revealing the burger joint all decked out with party decorations and a huge 'Happy Birthday Patrick' sign at the very front.

"Holy shit," was the only thing he could manage to utter.

And just in time, I saw Zoey's car pull up and out came the beauty herself. Still clad in her school uniform, she scanned around the crowd before she finally saw me.

I subtly pointed towards Pat, who was still busy admiring his surprise, and she got the hint immediately.

She reached out and tapped him on the shoulder, causing him to whip around and shock was a complete understatement when he realized who it was.

"Happy birthday, Pat," she grinned cheerfully, "Thank you so much for letting me be a part of this."

And as always, he was enchanted by her.

"H-hey," he said breathlessly, "Hi Zoey."

"Hi," she returned, still with that happy tone.

Pat turned back to us and kept mouthing 'thank you' over and over again. Rest assured, that this was the only time I was giving him this kind of favor. He would need to work hard on his if he truly wanted to be with her.

I mean, Leon and I had to pretty much grind to be where we were.

And speaking of my own man.

"Are we still on tonight?" I asked, staring up at him.

He nodded, wrapping his arm around my waist and pulling me to his side, "Of course."

I turned to Mia, sending her a wink, "You'll cover for me, right?"

She rolled her eyes playfully but nodded nonetheless, "Don't worry, I'll handle your mom."

"You're the best!"

And Ian, being him, just had to pipe in, "Don't forget to use protection."

That resulted in him being hit by a deadpan stare by me and an eyeroll by Leon.

A couple of days ago when we were planning the surprise for Pat's birthday, I brought up the significance of this day. It was the one that triggered this whole chain of events.

It was then we concocted a plan.

So after the party, we said goodbyes and I told Zoey I was staying over at Leon's. She sent me a wink and promised to cover for me if ever my mom asked.

I was extremely lucky with my best friends.

While I stood there in his room, I watched on as Leon placed the whistle between his lips and blew on it three times – perhaps for the last time.

With my own whistle around my neck, I crawled onto the bed next to him and hummed happily when I settled myself by his side with his arms wrapped around me.

"See you tomorrow, my angel," I murmured, my mind already threatening to drift away to slumber.

I felt him kiss the top of my head, "Good night, babe."

"This was what determined everything," I told him, "I found out the truth about my dad and Pat decided that it was finally time to break up."

"That means that we're almost at full circle," he concluded.

I nodded, my eyes trailing down to the whistle resting against my chest, "I wonder what will happen if we blow on the whistle again."

"It always brings us back to where we're supposed to be," he explained with a shrug, "So who knows."

He resumed to turning his attention back to his laptop screen while I sat there in silence, my mind threatening to go where I thought it never would. I told myself that I had enough of the time travel and that after choosing to stay in this timeline, I would remain living my life normally.

But I was severely curious.

And besides, what if we did something wrong and the future we thought we were heading to wasn't really a good one?

So I threw a suggestion towards his way, "Want to try it one more time?"

Dad did say that he wanted me to live recklessly, to throw caution out of the window from time to time.

His head shot up and he turned to me, his eyes conveying both confusion and concern at the same time, "What?"

"Just one more time," I clarified sheepishly, "Please?"

He stared at my face, trying to look for any clues on how he should reply to this. I mean, I wouldn't get upset if he said no because I completely understand why he would deny my request. He had gone through so much shit already, the last thing he was to go through it all over again.

But to my surprise and delight, he nodded with a sigh, "Okay."

"Okay?" I gasped, shocked that he actually agreed.

"Okay," he repeated, "I'm curious too and besides, as long as I have you, we'll be fine."

He really knew the right words to say.

"You just gained some major brownie points," I giggled, crawling from my side of the couch towards his. He got the hint of what I was trying to do and he practically threw the laptop away from his lap, grinning excitedly towards me. Leon might be smart, but he was so simple sometimes, "What time will your parents come home?"

"Not for another few hours," he chuckled, pulling me towards him and capturing my lips with his, cutting off all the laughter from leaving my mouth as he wrapped his arms around my body.

I really did love this guy.

My eyes slowly opened and I squinted a little bit when there was a small amount of sunlight coming through the gaps of the curtains in Leon's room.

Speaking of my dear boyfriend.

He was still fast asleep, his limbs tangled with mine which caused me to release a small laugh. I placed a small kiss on his chest, which was the only spot that I could reach since he practically immobilized me, before closing my eyes in order to wait for him to wake up.

Where were we?

Did we remain? Did we go back to where we originally came from? Did we come to an entirely new timeline?

At least I knew we were still the same age so it wasn't like we jumped several years. Well, at least it looked like it.

But surprisingly, I wasn't terrified.

"Good morning," he muttered sleepily, finally untangling himself from me.

"Where are we?" I asked with a yawn, rubbing the remaining sleep from my eyes as he sat up to reach for his phone.

To be honest, I wouldn't mind waking up to this kind of morning every day. In the future, we would.

For now, I had to worry about getting through high school.

Although before we could figure out that answer ourselves, there was a loud knock on the door coming from his mother, "Leon, I know you're hiding Avery in there! Breakfast is ready."

At least we knew that we were in a time that we were already dating.

"Okay mom!" he yelled back and I smiled, because even though I had a thousand doubts when I first met them, his parents were the nicest people towards me. I think they were just glad that their son was dating someone because I think I spent more time in their house than I did at mine.

And Leon told me that whenever I wasn't over, they would constantly ask for my whereabouts.

I loved them and I was over the moon with the fact that they've accepted me and cared for me. They even invited me to their usual out of country summer vacation, something I gladly said yes to after a long convincing talk with my own mom.

And speaking of my own mom – she freaking adored Leon. I didn't know why it took me a while to even introduce him to her, I should have done it way sooner because she basically fawned over him.

I know she was basically planning our wedding already.

"So where are we?" I repeated my earlier question, sitting up as well and running my hands through my hair in an attempt to fix it.

It took him a couple of seconds to figure that out. And as I saw it click in his head, I was reassured by the that formed on his face.

He turned his phone screen towards me, answering my question, "Exactly where we're supposed to be."

The group picture from yesterday, with Pat standing in the middle with his cake and the rest of us barely fitting into the frame. Leon stood behind me with his arms embracing me from the back, my mouth wide open in a laugh as I simply enjoyed the company of being with these people, of living this life.

"Exactly where we're supposed to be," I echoed, my smile mimicking his own glee.

And I wouldn't have it any other way.

The End.

-----------------------------

Our last chapter is also our longest chapter. It really had been a journey because if I'm being completely honest, TLTC lighted something in me that I forgot about. This book brought me back to my love of writing, of being excited to post new chapters again. For years I went into hiatus because of massive writer's block and also stress from the real world but when I started this, I never reached a wall where I didn't know what to write next.

This story flowed easily in my mind which made writing enjoyable again. While it certainly doesn't have as many reads as my other books, this is definitely one of my top books in my list. This is the first time I broke away from something 'normal' by creating a plot with time travel and it is so refreshing as a writer to try something new.

And of course, I cannot thank you guys enough. From my small group of readers in the instagram group chat where we had a couple of long convos to my silent readers, I appreciate all of you.

So for one last final question...

Question: What was your favorite part of the story?

From my babies Avery, Leon, Pat, Zoey, Mia, and Sasha, thank you so much again.

I love you all and I hope I will see you on the next adventure!

P.S. I'm still going to give you guys an epilogue next week.