She could finally die happy. She wanted to pounce on him but held back to make him feel a bit uneasy. It was payback for what he did.

Justin did feel uneasy. He was worried that he was moving too fast. She hadn't said a word about forgiving him yet but he still ended up confessing anyway. His face went from calm to impatient, and after waiting for a while, his heartbreak made it to his face.

He was about to stand up since his legs were aching from his squatting position, and his heart ached even more.

"His name his Caleb," she whispered softly.

Justin's brain was lagging so he wasn't sure who she was talking about. She laughed at his confused face and cupped it in her hands.

"The P.S. on your note. His name is Caleb. He's my high school friend. He was out of the country for a long time to pursue his love but came back disappointed. I was just comforting him, but the move seemed intimate to you."

"Ha, so that's how things were," he thought to himself.

"What about Kevin? You guys are too close these days, and I think it's giving him ideas," he said frowning.

She laughed at the pouting Justin and nudged his crinkled nose, "he was helping me out, stupid."

"You went AWOL on me, and he was worried that you'd hurt me beyond repair, and I'd leave you. He said he didn't want his dumb brother to miss out on the love of his life."

Justin was dumbfounded. The person who knew him the best was his little brother. Kev knew how much he adored Claudia and how much he had longed to be by her side. It finally dawned on him that not only Claudia was affected by his dumb decision but his brother also.

"I'll make it up to him too," he said with a smile. "So, is that a yes?" He asked with expectation leaking from his brown eyes.

"That's a yes." She placed a gentle kiss on his lips.

He grabbed her from the swing and spun her around in his arms. When the dizzy effect kicked in, he stilled.

"I finally won Winnie?"

She gave a soft smile, tilting her head to the side in a shy gesture.

"You knew?"

"Of course I knew."

He kissed her without reservation, exploring every inch of her mouth. She didn't hold back either. She wanted so much to be integrated with him. They were finally together. They were a couple now.

They kissed for a long time and stopped only when they were breathless.

"Let's go on a date tomorrow," she suggested.

"Let's go."

They talked about their plan for tomorrow before Claudia rode away on pinkie, and Justin headed back home.