Before I could go anywhere, I had to ask my mother's permission. Well, okay, it wasn't really a permission because I wasn't a kid anymore. I just had to ask her opinion and make sure that she didn't mind it. I had no idea how long I would be staying in San Diego – or if I would ever leave – and I didn't want to pressure Tony by asking him a thousand questions about it. He hadn't really even asked me to become his girlfriend but somehow we were now together and that was good enough for me.

Going with Tony to his hometown was a big deal for the both of us. So far our relationship had been based on spending summers together in Miami and now we were finally about to take the next step. And Tony would be forced to introduce me to all of his friends and I would be known as his girl.

Just the thought of it made me grin like a fool and I tried to keep a straight face when I walked in. I found my mother around the corner in the kitchen, sitting around the table and reading a magazine.

”Hey,” I said and sat down. She lifted her head up and looked at me.

”Well hello, Abigail. It's nice to see you, for a change,” she said, ”I haven't seen you around in a while. Is it really so hard to stay away from that boy?”

”Well, yeah,” I admitted, ”I'm sorry I haven't spent time with you.”

”Really, honey, it's okay. I know what it's like to be young and in love,” she said and winked at me.

”Actually, I had something to tell you,” I said and cleared my throat. She nodded and waited for me to begin.

”I, uh... I'm going to go to San Diego with Tony,” I said. She furrowed her eyebrows.

”When?”

”Tomorrow...”

”Oh, Abigail... Are you really sure about that? What if something happens, how will you get home?” she asked.

”Mom... I'm serious about my relationship with him. And if something happened, I could book a flight and come back home,” I told her. She nodded.

”I trust that you know what you're getting yourself into. You're a smart girl, Abigail, you know what's good for you. But whatever happens, remember that your family will always be there for you,” she told me.

Then she stood up and walked over to me. She wrapped her arms around me and held me tightly for a few seconds. Then she pulled away and kissed my cheek.

”This isn't a goodbye, mom,” I said and laughed, ”But thank you.”

After saying my ”goodbyes” with mom, I walked up the stairs into my bedroom and started packing my stuff. I got a text from Tony that said that he had just booked our flights for the next day, and I couldn't help smiling as I put the phone away. I sat on my bed and realized that it was almost like a new start for us. Well, of course, he would only be going back home but I would be traveling to a whole new place. I would most likely try and start a new life there. And knowing that that all would happen with Tony made my heart flutter.

After packing my stuff, which by the way didn't take long since I only had one suitcase of clothes, I dragged the suitcase downstairs and to the front door.

”Hey, mom? I'm staying the night at Tony's because we'll leave to the airport in the morning,” I exclaimed. A few seconds later mom appeared in front of me. She pulled me into another hug and patted my back.

”Call me when you get there, okay? Keep me updated,” she said, ”And make sure that you don't take crap from anybody. You're a tough girl, Abigail, you can make it. And mom is always just a phone call away.”

”Thanks, mom,” I said and nodded. I smiled and hugged her one last time before walking out with my stuff and making my way to my neighbor's house.

That night, after going to bed, Tony and I chatted about his hometown and his friends and what would be waiting for us there. I laid there with my head resting against his chest and his arm around my chest and once again, all was well. I felt safe knowing that I would get to spend countless nights in his arms in the future.

”Do you think your friends will like me?” I asked quietly. I was staring up at the ceiling and listening to his steady heartbeats and slow breathing.

”They're going to love you because they know how important you're to me,” he murmured, ”Don't worry, Abby.”

”Do you live alone?” I asked.

”Well, no. I live with my best friend, Jaxin, and his wife,” he told me, ”But it's a big house so we'll be just fine.”

”Do you think they will like me? Is it okay for me to be there?”

”Yes, yes and yes,” he said and laughed quietly, ”Stop worrying about everything. I just... I'm really excited to take you there.”

”You know what, Tony? I really love that you're not so shy anymore when it comes to talking about us,” I murmured and turned my head to my side.

My eyes met his and I smiled. He returned the smile and moved his hand up, touching my cheek gently. He pushed my hair back and looked at my face for a really long time without saying anything.

”You're really beautiful, Abby,” he whispered, ”I just can't keep my hands off you.”

”Don't make me blush,” I whispered with a grin and tried to hide my red cheeks behind my hands.

He pulled my hands away and smiled as he looked at me and I thought to myself that, wow, that man loved me and I loved him. I realized that he was, truly, the best thing that had ever happened to me. He would change my life, he would make me something, he would be all mine and I would be his. And even if he was too afraid to tell me he loved me, I knew he did. The way he looked at me, the way he treated me, the things he said to me, all gave him away and let me know that he really did love me.

”What would you have done if you hadn't met me this summer? Or at all?” I whispered and he got serious again. He bit his lip for a moment before opening his mouth.

”I would probably still be in a shitty relationship with Kelsey. I don't know.”

”Do you regret leaving her?”

”No. Never.”

”You've no idea how happy that makes me,” I admitted with a grin. He laughed.

”Come here,” he said and I cuddled closer to him. He wrapped both of his arms tightly around me and kissed the top of my head while I buried my face against his neck.

”This is the best,” I admitted, ”Just being like this with you. I don't think it can get any better than this.”

”I know.”

”And, uh... Don't think I'm stupid for saying this but I do think that I belong here. I think that I belong in your arms. It was, like, I was meant to find you,” I whispered. He chuckled.

”Hey, don't laugh,” I mumbled and pouted my lips.

”I'm sorry. I don't think you're stupid, Abby, and if I believed in things like that, I would definitely think you're right,” he murmured and kissed my cheek quickly.

”Really?”

”Yes, really. You're not like the other girls I meet. Everybody else just... I can never be sure if girls want me because I'm in a band. But you're different.”

”How can you be sure that I'm not like that, too?”

”You've known me longer than I've even been in a band, babe,” he said and laughed quietly, ”And I know you well enough to know that you're not like that.”

”I'm not like that,” I agreed, ”Babe.”

”Don't you want me to call you babe?” he laughed.

”No, it's fine. I'm just not used to it,” I said with a grin, ”Yet.”

The following morning we had to get up early because of our early morning flight. Tony packed his bags while I ate breakfast in the kitchen. When the clock hit seven, we got out, locked the doors and made our way to the airport and took off to Tony's hometown and let me tell you, I was beyond excited. The flight itself didn't take long but waiting for our luggage took ages. But after we got our suitcases and bags, we took a cab to his place.

As I sat in the backseat of the car and held Tony's hand, I looked out of the window and couldn't help but smile widely. This would be my new home, I thought, as I looked at my surroundings.

Only a moment later the cab stopped in front of a house. Tony paid the driver and we got out of the car with our stuff.

”Is that it? Your place?” I asked Tony as we started carrying our bags to the front door.

”Uh huh. I'm not sure if Jaxin and Natalie are home,” he mumbled as he opened the door with his key.

I followed him in and looked around the house. All of the rooms looked cosy and the whole house was really white and clean and I knew right away that I would enjoy living there. It was my kind of a house.

”This place is awesome,” I whispered.

Tony opened one of the doors and turned on the lights in the room. I looked into a messy room and realized that it was Tony's. There were guitars around the room and lots of boxes on the floor and a big bed in the middle. It didn't look like he really lived there and then I realized that he didn't really live there because he was always away. He spent his summers in Miami and the rest of the year he was on the road touring with the band. The room was probably just a place where he kept his stuff.

”I'm sorry about the mess,” he said with a grin, ”I haven't been here in ages.”

”I can tell...” I put my suitcase down and sighed, ”Should we clean up?”

”Nope,” he said and moved some boxes out of his way as he walked to the bed and laid down on his back on it.

”Get your ass here, woman,” he demanded.

I did as told and soon found myself laying on my back next to him and staring up at the white ceiling. He wrapped his arm around me and I rested my head against his arm and cuddled closer to his side. And as I laid there, I thought to myself that, wow, this was my home now.

”What do you think will happen now?” I whispered.

”I don't know. But this is good.”

And it was, it was really good. We could be together for as long as we wanted and all was well. I wasn't exactly sure about our future or what would happen but I was sure that everything would work out in the end.

I knew I had to stay positive. I was in a completely new place and I knew pretty much nobody. So if the negative part in me found its way out, I was sure I would lose it.

And even if it was only just the beginning, I had to trust Tony to turn it into a journey, into an adventure, into something big. Because I wanted to start living an exciting life – I wanted to become something and now it was my chance to shine.

But even more than that I wanted to develop a strong relationship with Tony. I was sure that we could make it, that there was a future for us as a couple. And now I only had to make it last with him. I wanted to prove my mother that I could create a strong relationship with somebody. I didn't want to break up and move all the way back to New York to live with my family again. I wanted to grow up and now was my time to do that. I wanted to, at that very moment, start a new life.