I pulled into the driveway and took the keys from the ignition and stepped out. I closed the door behind me and took large steps toward the door. I walked inside, tossing the keys joyfully on the table. I paused for a moment, removing my jacket and purse. I heard a noise from the kitchen. I walked into the kitchen, seeing Ashley helping my dad with the dishes. “Dad, can I talk to Ashley for a minute? I’ll help her finish the dishes.”

My dad left the room with a smile on his face. The moment he was gone, I rushed to Ashley, grabbing her face and kissing her passionately. I pulled away with a smile, looking into her shocked and confusing, yet joyous eyes. “Okay, wow” she said. “What was that for?”

“I’ve spent the last few days the happiest I’ve ever been. You make me so happy Ashley. I love you. I will love you until the sky burns down and the sun freezes into a ball of ice. I want to wake up everyday with you. I want to be able to kiss you everyday and every night. I want to hold you and know that you are mine. I want you to be my girlfriend! I’ve waited a long time to be able to tell you those things. Since I met you! I am so in love with you Ashley!” I finished my speech to notice that she had tears in her eyes, but a smile on her face that let me know that she loved me.

“I’m speechless” She said. “Spencer I love you too!”

“Good, I was hoping you would say that.” Her smile widened. “So do you want to move in with me?”

“I thought I already did that.”

“Yeah, I meant in California.” I smiled at her. “I want to leave the past behind. Jessica, Aiden, every bit of that. Just leave it behind for good. Start over and find love in a brand new place. We can move into a condo in Moorpark.”

She paused, considering it. She considered it for ten seconds before smiling. “I love your spontaneity, Spence. I would follow you anywhere. Let’s do it!”

Just as I smiled, the kitchen door flew open, my father and mother stumbling inside. I just laughed. “Listen much?”

They smiled at me and Ashley. My dad walked to her and gave her a hug. “If you hurt her, I’ll track you down Davies!” He said into the hug before releasing her with a laugh and a smile.

Everyone looked at my mother nervously. She walked to Ashley in an apprehensive manner. She got in front of her and smiled nervously. “I always knew you’d end up dating my daughter. It used to frighten the hell out of me. Now that I see how you treat her and who you are, I only have one thing to say to you.” She wrapped her arms around Ashley in a hug. “She’s keeping the last name Carlin, okay?”

Everyone was smiling, everyone was happy; everyone was celebrating on the inside. I was in love. So unlike the smiles and the inside celebrations, I knew I had one emotion that would never go away. And that was love. It would never leave me. The same way Ashley wouldn’t either.

Since I was old enough to walk, I always fell into things. I fell into the coffee table, or I fell into the dinner chair. I fell into something different all the time. When I hit my teen years, I stopped falling into physical things that would bruise me and started falling into things that hurt another part of me: my reputation. I fell into the wrong crowd, or I fell into the wrong place at the wrong time. No matter what I tried to do, I was always falling. Immediately after meeting Ashley Davies, I discovered a new way to fall. I fell in love.

You spend your whole life afraid of falling. Dreams so real that they jerk you from your sleep feeling as though you just feel. But when you fall into someone’s arms, and you fall in love…those fears don’t really touch you anymore.

THE END!