Cute banner by... I can't read the hand writing lol, but it says in the banner! It's so mellow I love it.

"Carrots." I guessed.

"Nope." Dustin replied, shaking his head up at me with a smug grin.

"Do you see any carrots around here?" Tyler asked me with an 'are you stupid' look.

"There probably are some carrots around here in one of these restaurants." Max backed me up, looking around the large airport at the many restaurants surrounding us.

We were all currently sat on the airport chairs where our gate was, waiting for our flight. Since we all had nothing better to do, Dustin suggested we play I-spy. I was all up for it, and eventually the rest joined in. Nathan and Jordan had left us a few minutes ago to grab some coffee and I literally had to be restrained by Landon from going with them.

Ever since I woke up this morning, I have not left Nathan's side. Of course except for when he went to go pee, but even then I waited outside the door like the overly attached girlfriend that I was. He was leaving me for who knows how long, so of course I wasn't going to miss a single second with him. Sue me.

Luckily I wasn't the only one feeling this way. Nathan was also having some troubles keeping his hands off of me. If it hadn't been for Tyler's loud protests and Max's inappropriate comments, we probably would be glued together right now. But Jordan had to literally drag Nathan off of me as he ordered him to get us all some coffee while I was being held back by an amused Landon. It was like they enjoyed torturing us. They didn't know what we had.

"Is it that orange cone over there?" Landon asked now, pointing out the large window in front of our seats that gave us a full view of the airplane we were to soon board. There were busy workers and moving vehicles all scattered around the massive plane.

"No." Dustin shot down another guess, enjoying our frustration as we all groaned.

"Can we at least have a clue then?" I asked him this time pleadingly. We had probably already named off fifty orange items around us but had not guessed correctly yet.

The kid was good.

"Okay. It's in this area." Dustin said, gesturing around us.

"You mean in this gate?" Landon asked.

Dustin nodded, careful not to glance around and give himself away.

Like I said, this kid was a pro at this game.

My eyes moved around the room, searching for anything orange, when my eyes landed on the hottest guy I've ever seen walking towards me.

My heart beat picked up in excitement as I grinned at my boyfriend who had two trays of coffees in his hands, Jordan trailing alongside.

"Miss me?" Nathan asked in amusement as he finally reached us and took a seat next to me, leaning close to place a soft kiss on my cheek.

"More than what is healthy." I muttered with a frown, grabbing a coffee off the tray.

"The only thing unhealthy is the amount of sugar and cream you asked for. Even the barista looked at me as if I was asking to get diabetes." Nathan cringed, looking at the delicious cup of coffee in my hands in disgust.

"Whatever. It's worth the risk." I shrugged, before taking a small sip. I sighed in content.

Nathan just shook his head at me, before handing out the rest of the coffees to everyone and settling back beside me, him and Jordan joining the impossible game of I-spy now.

"Oh my god it's that purse over there isn't it!?" Landon suddenly burst out, looking as if he had solved the world's hardest puzzle. Actually, he probably had.

We all followed his finger that was pointing at a light orange handbag on the floor placed by some lady's feet. She was sitting in a crowded area, making it harder to notice her, but the bag was still easily visible. It's just that no one bothered to look there.

I turned back at a nodding Dustin who confirmed Landon's guess. "Took you long enough." He teased with a grin.

I shook my head at the kid. "I don't understand how you can be this smart at this age." I stated in amazement.

"Yeah, I wonder what happened to Nathan." Tyler muttered, smirking when Nathan scowled at him.

"That's what happens when you fall in love. You go stupid." Landon answered.

"And that's why I will never fall in love." Max stated proudly, Landon, Jordan and Tyler agreeing with him.

"You sure it has nothing to do with your faces?" I asked them with a grin, Nathan cracking up beside me.

I watched as all four boys scowled at me. Although they were all fairly handsome and took good care of their bodies, it was good for their health to take a blow to their large egos from time to time.

Before any of the butt-hurt guys could reply, a nasally voice on the intercom interrupted us all.

"Attention all passengers on flight 356, we will begin boarding in approximately five minutes, starting off with business class."

It felt as if all the humor left the room at that moment. Although it was just a warning to the others that they would be boarding soon, to me it was a reminder that I was five minutes away from leaving the boy who held my heart.

I saw Nathan tense up slightly from the corner of my eye as he realized the same thing.

"We're gonna go stand near the front desk to avoid the line." Max announced, breaking the silence as he stood up. I watched as the rest of the guys got the message and stood up too now.

"Well, it's been a pleasure." Landon said to Nathan who too stood up now as Landon came over and held out his hand.

"I wish I could say the same." Nathan joked but I could see the sorrow in his eyes.

Suddenly, Landon pulled Nathan into a hug at the last second and cried out dramatically. "I'm gonna miss you buddy!" He clung onto my boyfriend as he just stood there, not sure how to respond.

I couldn't help but grin at my best friend. Even though he was faking the sobs, I knew that he had actually grown fond of Nathan too and would miss him.

Tyler finally had to pull Landon away from him and then stepped forward to him. "Thank you, for everything." Tyler said, holding his hand out.

Nathan took it with a small smile and they did that bro-hug thing.

"You better come visit us as soon as you get back." Tyler threatened him and I saw how serious he was. I grinned as I realized although my brother acted like a total jerk to Nathan, deep down he really did care.

"No doubt I will." Nathan promised and Tyler's smile widened as they both said goodbye, before Landon and Tyler headed off.

"Well, I'll be visiting you in Europe once I get another break from University." Max said to him as he grabbed Nathan and pulled him close, messing up his hair. I watched in amusement as Nathan tried to swat his hand away, but I could see the love in his eyes for his older sibling. It was one of those few moments where Nathan could step down from the mature role and act like a kid.

"You better." Nathan said with honesty, grinning at his older brother.

Max smiled back, before hugging him one last time. "See you soon bro. Don't forget to send me sweet romantic letters too." Max said, then turned to me. "I hope you don't mind sharing him."

I laughed and shook my head. "No, I understand. You guys have something unique." I winked at Nathan, who in turn groaned before shoving a laughing Max away.

Next, Jordan came up to him. "Have fun in Europe. I still don't get why you won't take me with you." Jordan gave Nathan a slight pout and I laughed.

"Because, you still have two more years of high-school left." Nathan reminded sternly, before grinning and pulling him in for a hug. "But I'll be back sooner than you know, don't worry." Nathan promised him.

Jordan seemed happy with that and nodded, before pulling away and stepping to the side, letting Dustin say goodbye.

I almost cried myself when I saw the teary eyed look in the eight year old's eyes.

Nathan squatted down to his level, before pulling him close to him. "Don't cry tough guy. I'll be seeing you soon. I just need a nice vacation." Nathan said soothingly, looking down at his younger brother with so much adoration and care.

"But I don't want you to go." Dustin admitted, struggling to hold back his tears.

"I have to go. I need you to be strong. Plus, you'll be with Max and Jordan. You're going to have so much fun with them. And then by the time you'll start to miss me, I'll already be back!" Nathan promised him with a large smile, trying to lighten the kid's mood.

Dustin took in his words, before slowly nodding his head. "Okay. But you have to bring me back some nice toys." Dustin said, looking so serious I had to hold back a chuckle.

"Of course. I'll bring the best toys in Europe and maybe even some chocolate." Nathan grinned at Dustin, who in turn got excited.

"Okay! See you soon then!" Dustin grinned at his older brother, who pulled him into one last hug.

I grinned at Dustin, admiring how he said 'see you soon' instead of goodbye. It even made me less sad, his words a reassurance.

Then it was my turn. Dustin and Jordan walked off, leaving just the two of us. I felt tears start to well up but I refused to let them show, forcing them back down.

This isn't goodbye. He'll be back soon.

I listened to the voice in my head and managed a small smile at Nathan, who now stood to his full height and stepped closer to me.

I closed the gap as I took another step forward, before pulling him into a hug, wrapping my arms around him tightly, but not too tight as I didn't want to hurt his ribs. I buried by head in the crook of his neck and his arms automatically went up around me, pulling me closer, if that was even possible.

I took in his Abercrombie fierce scent and relaxed. Oh how I'd miss that smell.

We held onto each other for what seemed like hours but was sadly only a few minutes. Neither of us wanted to let go, because we knew as soon as we stepped away from each other, we would not be able to hold onto each other like this again for some time.

"This isn't goodbye." Nathan's soft voice in my ear cut off my thoughts. It's as if he was thinking the same things and had to remind us both that he wasn't leaving forever. Although it sure did feel like it.

"This isn't goodbye." I repeated his words with stronger conviction, pulling back slightly to look up at his handsome face.

"I'll be back before you know it. You'll get to finish your school, and I'll be in the clear. Then we can go anywhere in the world and do anything you want. I promise." Nathan said, his eyes gazing into mine with so much intensity it made my stomach flip.

I smiled up at him and reached out to touch his cheek.

"I have something for you." Nathan said, stepping back and reaching into his back pocket.

I watched as he pulled out a long, rectangular box. He pulled the lid open and turned it around so I could see. I couldn't help but gasp as my eyes fell onto a beautiful necklace with a delicate gold chain and a small circular locket on it.

"Nathan, it's beautiful." I managed to breath out.

"Here, I'll put it on you." Nathan said, before going behind me and gently moving my hair to one side.

I watched as his arms went around me and the beautiful necklace fell on my chest, causing me to slightly shiver at the cold metal. Then I realized how much of a fortune this must have cost.

"Nathan you didn't have to spend so much on me." I said, turning around to face him now.

"Skylar, I would be willing to spend every last penny I've ever earned on you. I've been poor and homeless before and I'd do it all again just for you." Nathan spoke, his vibrant eyes emitting pure love and honesty.

I felt my heart flutter at his words and I couldn't stop a small tear from escaping.

"No, please don't cry." Nathan said with a pained expression, before stepping closer and wiping away that tear before it could roll all the way down my cheek.

"It's kind of hard not to. You're making it really hard not to." I said, my voice coming out shaky as I sniffled.

"I know, I already feel like a jerk leaving you and you're killing me right now." Nathan said, moving his arms around me once again.

"No, I'm not crying because you're leaving me. I'm crying because I've never experienced a love this strong. I'm not mad at you Nathan. I understand you have to go and I can suck it up and wait a couple months. But goddammit I love you so much and my heart is beating so fast right now and I can't stop these tears, I'm really trying and man I'm such a mess right now I probably look like a crying Kim Kardashian and it's all your fault!" I finished. By the end of my little outburst or meltdown, whatever you wanna call it, I was full out crying.

I looked up and was taken aback by the look in his eyes. It was so strong and breathtaking, and it did nothing to calm my racing heart.

"Just shut up and kiss me before I drag you away with me." Nathan muttered, before grabbing my face and pulling our lips together.

I was shocked at first with the intensity of the kiss, but I quickly responded with just as much passion. It was truly a magical kiss. And like all of our kisses, this one was better than the last.

My hands slid up his chest, before sliding to the back of his head and running them through his amazing hair. He let out a small moan as I gently tugged it, before pulling me closer and running his own hand through my hair now. I felt him bite slightly on my lower lip and I gasped, my mouth opening and allowing his tongue to explore my mouth.

"Attention all passengers to flight 356, boarding has started. All passengers in zones one and two can come up."

The loud voice overhead caused us to pull away. Surprisingly though, neither one of us were mad at the interruption. Nathan looked satisfied and even in a brighter mood.

"That's my zone." I breathed out, still in a bit of a daze.

Nathan nodded, taking my hand in his and grabbing my suitcase as he led me to the line. All the boys were already near the front and I caught Tyler's eye. He nodded, looking relieved that I hadn't run off and was in line now.

"I forgot to tell you." Nathan said, causing me to turn to him. "You can't open your locket." He said.

I looked at him in confusion, before looking down at the beautiful necklace and lifting up the locket. I tried pulling at it but he was right, it was locked. I also noticed a small keyhole at the bottom.

"This is the only thing that can open it." Nathan said. I looked up to see he was holding up a similar gold chain around his neck but instead of a locket at the bottom, there was a gold key which had been carved beautifully.

"Is this supposed to be some type of reminder that you're the only one who has the key to my heart?" I asked him with a raised brow, but inside I was touched and swayed at his sweet action.

Nathan rolled his eyes. "I really don't think you need a reminder." He whispered in my ear, leaning in.

I shuddered slightly, not being able to stop myself.

He pulled back again and smirked down at me, pleased with my reaction.

Jerk.

"It's sort of like a reminder that I'm coming back. I put something inside the locket and when I get back, I'll open it with this key. Until then, you can't know what's inside." Nathan grinned at me.

I couldn't help but smile back. "Since when did you become such a romantic?" I asked teasingly.

"Since I met you." He said back easily, before leaning in to place a soft kiss on my cheek. "Your turn's almost up."

I looked up to see that we had reached the front of the line now unfortunately. But I willed myself not to cry.

"So I'll be seeing you soon." Nathan said to me as the line moved up.

Only two passengers away now..

"Of course you will, or else I'll fly to Europe and find you myself." I threatened him.

He chuckled, before leaning down to kiss the crown of my head. "Have fun in school." He said now as I was one person away now from the front desk.

"Have fun in Europe." I said back.

"I love you." Nathan said now, handing me my suitcase.

"I love you more." I said quickly, before stepping away from him and to the lady with an outstretched hand. I handed her my boarding pass along with a temporary ID which Nathan had somehow ended up getting for me. The lady scanned it, before handing it back with a smile.

I stepped forward, willing myself not to look back as I knew I would erupt in tears again. I was just about to enter the little tunnel that led to the plane when I heard my name being called.

I spun around and saw Nathan running up to me, somehow getting past security, before grabbing my head and giving me the most mind blowing kiss I've ever experienced.

"Love you most." He breathed out with a grin as I stared up at him in a daze.

Then, he was being pulled away from me as the security guards yelled at him and dragged him back.

I shook my head in amusement and felt the tears starting to prick my eyes. I gave him one last smile, gazing into his beautiful emerald eyes once more, before turning back around and finally leaving.

That's when I felt the first tear roll down my cheek.

* * * * *

"Skylar wake up. We're finally home!" I snapped my eyes open and jumped in my seat as a loud voice in my ear startled me.

I looked up to see Landon grinning down at me. I glared at him, before looking around the plane and noticing that it was now almost empty. Tyler, Max, Jordan and Dustin were already making their way down the aisle and out the plane.

I grumbled as I stood up and shuffled into the aisle now, almost tripping on the way. I just wanted to go back to sleep.

Suddenly, I was being lifted into the arms of Landon.

"Hey! Put me down!" I protested, before realizing how tired I was and giving up. "Actually no, carry me all the way home till we get to my bed." I mumbled, leaning my head against his chest now and closing my eyes.

I felt his chest rumble with laughter and thankfully he didn't put me back down. I peeked my eyes open and saw we were leaving the plane now and making our way out of the long tunnel.

I closed my eyes once more, raising my hand to hold onto the locket, before instantly falling back asleep.

* * * * *

I stretched my body as my eyes fluttered open. I had gotten quite the rest.

I suddenly froze as I took in my surroundings. I was lying on my bed in my own room.

How had I gotten here? How long was I asleep for? I sat up and looked around my room frantically for my phone.

"The beast is finally awake!" Landon yelled out loud as he barged into my room with a huge grin.

I groaned, before grabbing the nearest pillow and chucking it at him.

He quickly dodged it, before coming over to my bed and sitting down in front of me.

"What time is it? And did you really carry me all the way to my bed?" I asked him, looking towards my window to see the curtains shut.

"It's almost eight at night. And yes I did, I thought it would be impossible, but somehow, my strong arms managed to do it without falling off." Landon teased me once again.

I glared at him furiously while he sat there, looking more amused by the second. "Where's my phone?" I asked him now.

"All your stuff is still downstairs, so probably somewhere in your suite-case." Landon shrugged.

I had to check it to see if Nathan had texted me yet. I made him promise to text me as soon as he landed in Europe.

"Okay. Where's everyone else?" I asked with a frown.

"Well Max, Jordan and Dustin went straight home last night as Dustin had school the next day." Landon started but I cut him off with a gasp.

"Why didn't you wake me! I didn't get to say goodbye!" I yelled at him.

He simply rolled his eyes at me. "Oh believe me I tried to wake you but you were like a vicious bear. So they all promised to come see you next weekend." Landon told me.

I nodded, satisfied with that. From what I'd heard from Max on the plane ride here, Nathan had given his older brother his bank card and told him he had more than enough saved on it to put down money for a new place. Somehow, my sexy kidnapper genius of a boyfriend had also managed to transfer large funds from Ryland's account to his own before the police got to them first.

So for safety reasons, Nathan put his old apartment up for rent and had found a new one in the same town as me, all the brothers happy to be closer to me. Landon told me that they were already in their new place, Nathan having organized it all from the airport after we'd left. Dustin would switch schools just to be safe as Ryland's men knew where he went, and Max had decided to transfer colleges to one closer around here. Jordan said he might even enroll in the same high-school as me which would be exciting. Things were looking very bright and perfect, yet I couldn't find as much joy in it as I should have been. I didn't have my love around to share it with...

"Hey, you're finally up. I made dinner if you're hungry." I glanced up to see Tyler stood in the doorway with a small smile.

"That sounds amazing. I'll be down in a few minutes." I said with a grateful smile.

He nodded, before turning back to leave.

"But what about my parents? And Jess?" I asked Landon with a raised brow.

"Jess is completely fine and hasn't mentioned anything to anyone. She was ready to come over as soon as she heard you were back but I told her you were resting and that she could come tomorrow." Landon explained. "But as for your parents..." He trailed off awkwardly.

"What?" I asked him impatiently. I had a feeling it wasn't going to be good.

"Well, they kind of disappeared and no one has seen them yet." Landon said softly.

I nodded slowly as I took it in. I was a bit pissed off at them. I don't know why but I had expected them to at least be here when I got back and make sure I was okay... Plus, I needed to ask my mom tons of questions after what Ryland had told us all. But of course she wasn't here.

"Hey, don't worry about them. You have us." Landon said, causing me to look up at his soft smile.

I smiled back and instantly felt better. He was right. I was so lucky to have him, Tyler, Max, Jordan, Dustin and Jess all here with me.

"By the way, school starts in two days." Landon said, winking at me as I groaned. I needed at least a week to myself.

"Can't I get a week off?" I groaned in protest.

"Nope. Nathan didn't take you with him so that you could finish your studies. If he finds out you ditched school and all that crying and lovey dovey stuff was for nothing, well he might not be too happy." Landon said with a shrug.

I sighed. He was right. I was away from Nathan because of this. I wasn't going to stay at home. Plus, maybe school would help me get my mind off things and not allow me to devour in self pity and depression.

"Okay." I sighed. "Can we eat now?" I asked him, moving to get out of bed.

"I've been waiting for you to say that." Landon said, causing me to stick my tongue out at him.

"Wait!" I cried out as he turned to leave out the door.

"What?" He asked impatiently.

I simply held my arms out with a slight pout.

He sighed and rolled his eyes, before coming over to me and lifting me up in his arms. "Come now, my broken-hearted foolish child." He spoke sarcastically.

I grinned happily as he carried me downstairs. When we passed the kitchen I saw Tyler roll his eyes at me.

I was physically and emotionally drained and wanted nothing more than to hide in my room and sleep until Nathan got back. If I wasn't so hungry and if it weren't for these two, I'd probably be doing just that.

"Spaghetti and meatballs!" I cried out in joy, jumping out of Landon's arms and running over to the dinner table, feeling slightly better at the sight and smell of that delicious creation. My brother was actually quite a good chef. It's just that he hardly ever cooked and you usually had to bribe him to do it.

The two boys simply shared a look over my behavior, before coming over and joining me at the table.

Then, we all ate the delicious food in a peaceful silence until our bellies were full.

* * * * *

I settled myself comfortably on the couch as I took out my phone. Tyler and Landon had gone off to bed and I was still bursting with energy. I had already slept five hours on my bed and three hours on the plane so I wasn't in the least bit tired.

Landon had decided to stay the night here and had stopped by his parents' to tell them that we were all finally back home. Oh, and no one aside from Jess and Landon's parents knew we were back. I really didn't feel like dealing with the police right now and Tyler agreed that I was too exhausted to be bothered so he decided we'd go to the police station tomorrow morning to answer their questions about my kidnapping. I was glad he hadn't forced me to go today.

I turned on my phone and waited for it to find a signal. Once it did, my phone buzzed and my heart jumped as it notified me Nathan had texted me, along with about a hundred other notifications, mostly people concerned from school. I grinned, immediately clicking Nathan's name.

N - Hey princess, I finally landed in Europe and it's beautiful here, I think you would love it. Anyways, I'm on my way to the hotel. Hope you're doing okay, love you *big sloppy kiss*

I smiled down at the screen, before quickly typing up a reply. He had sent that an hour ago so hopefully he was still up.

S - Hi sexy! I'll have to see it on Video Chat tomorrow. I slept eight hours so I'm fine, probably gonna pull an all nighter XD Enjoy your hotel, love you too *big sloppy kiss back*

I put my phone on my lap and turned on the TV. Just as I put down the remote, my phone buzzed back. Grinning, I pulled it out and read his reply.

N - Video Chat sounds good! I'd call you right now but it's almost midnight here and I might get kicked out for talking. It's a super fancy place here and the bellboy already hates me. I slept the whole flight so I'll pull an all nighter with you ;)

I slightly laughed to myself as I read it, before quickly typing back.

S - Already made enemies I see. And okay, sounds good! First one to doze off has to send an ugly selfie the next day :D

I grinned at my phone, before hitting send. I got a reply almost instantly.

N - Considering that you've already invaded my thoughts and I can't sleep even if I tried, I think you should just send me that picture now. No point in trying.

And on went the messages. Hours flew by like minutes as we continued to talk about anything and everything. By now it was almost four in the morning and I was feeling a bit tired but had surprisingly won the challenge. It had been twenty minutes since I last sent my reply to his message about mustaches and baguettes. Don't even ask how we got to that topic. I smiled at my phone as I locked it and put it on the table, before slumping back on the couch and watching some crappy movie that somewhat amused me. Weird thing was it was supposed to be a sad movie.

I realized that maybe this wouldn't be so hard after all. It was just like a long distance relationship, but only temporarily. I was lucky enough to be able to talk to him through letters, text messages and Video Chats, so I still got to see his handsome face and hear his calming voice.

I finally fell asleep too after some minutes. Yes, the movie was that bad. But I fell asleep with a soft smile as I realized how lucky I was to have Nathan.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

A/N

FINALLY! I am sorry for the delay and I actually do have a valid excuse, my mood hasn't been too great, BUT I sucked it up and wrote you all this chapter with 5000+ words so you all should show your appreciation by maybe voting..? ;) Thanks guys, I love you all and appreciate you patience.

So, for the dares, I'll post the winner next chapter because it takes me like fifteen minutes to go through all the dares, pick one, and post it on here and I just wanna post this ASAP so here it is, hope you all enjoyed it and DONT BE SAD BECAUSE SOMETHING AMAZING IS GONNA HAPPEN SOON ;D

ALSO in the previous chapter in the A/N, I told you all about these two stories I wanted to post and by the time you get to this it'll already be up so it would be amazing if you all could check it out! I'm posting only one first and it's called "As Right As Rain" and will be posting the other one later. Not today but later. So go check it out if you love a whole load of romance, emotions, feels and PASSION ;) I'm quite excited about this one.

SO THANKS FOR READING, I'm sure you'll all understand why I couldn't update because you all are so kind and funny and sweet I LAVA YOU! Thanks guys, have a WONDERFUL DAY!

~Ghostface