Belong - an adopted by Hamilton fanfic [Hamilton]

97. To belong

[A/N: This is the last chapter of Belong. There will be an epilogue, but I hope you have enjoyed the ride. At least I know I have❤️]

We sat and talked for about an hour after that. About everything and anything, really.
I slowly but surely felt better.
He made me laugh, cry and smile all at the same time. And I made him do all of those things in return. But today we just sat, making the most of the time.
He said something.
I said something.
Over and over.
And it was nice to just sit there.
Just us.

"There you are!", I heard Carson's voice exclaim from a few meters away. Next to him was Haley, smiling at us as they both waved their hands in the air. I stood up, letting Carson hug me.
"You told me you weren't coming!", I exclaimed, surprised to see them. Carson laughed, letting go.
"You think I'd let you go without a proper Carson hug the day before?", he joked, smiling at me, as Haley hugged me tightly.
"No, no, but you did tell me you couldn't come- When did you get home?", I exclaimed, still shocked as I beamed at them, smiling from ear to ear.
"I mean, we just got back like an hour ago", Haley said, letting go. I glanced at Dom, who absolutely knew about this but played along with me and didn't make a big deal about it. So he stood by, smiling and staying quiet.
I let him have it.
"So how was Boston?", I asked them. They had both gotten into a summer program at Boston University, Carson for medicine and Haley for creative writing. They had been so busy that we had barely spoken over the last few weeks.
"Oh my god, it was amazing-", Haley smiled.
"It was great, and it will look really good on my college application", Carson said, looking happy. "So my Dad is happy, at least", he continued, smiling a little but not because he was happy.
"I'm sorry, Cars-", I said but he just shook head.
"It's fine. And as long as it stays that way, I'm fine with him and he's fine with me. That's all I want", he said, shrugging his shoulders. Haley put his arm around him, half-hugging him.
"So where's all of the amazing food we've been hearing about?", Haley asked me, sensing that Carson didn't want to talk about it.
"Just over here, come on, I'll show you-"

We went back over to where the party was again. It was past three o'clock now, so some of the guests had gone home. However, the closest family was still there.
The food had changed from lunchtime buffet items to snacks and fruits, such as pretzels, chips and even more mango.
"Even better", Carson said as he saw the spread.
"Oh, hi guys!", Vanessa exclaimed as she saw us gathered around the buffet table in the shade. "You must be Haley, right?", she asked, and Haley nodded. "Nice to meet you", she said, hugging Haley quickly.
"You too", Haley replied, smiling.
"Well, take as much as you want. There's still some left from the more lunchy food, I can go get that-"
"No, no, V- we literally just got off the bus from Boston and we kinda shoved a sandwich in our mouth as we arrived", Carson explained, beaming at her. "This is amazing, thank you for letting us come-"
I looked at Vanessa. She had known as well.
"No problem. Just eat as much as you want, there's plenty", she said, smiling. Then, she walked over to me.
"Are you feeling better?", she asked me with an ounce of worry in her voice.
I nodded.
"Yeah. I think it just caught up with me. Everything, you know-", I told her quietly, trying to look at her though I wanted to look down.
"You've done so well today, Niñita-", she said, putting her arm around my shoulders. "I'm so proud of you"
I leant my head onto her shoulder, as she rubbed my shoulder, making me feel safe.
"Thank you", I said, feeling warm inside.
"So final thing. We, me and Lin as well as our parents, have a little surprise for you", I turned my face to her, and raised my eyebrows. At first, I was sure I was going to feel stressed, but my heart seemed to stay at a normal pace.
"It involves a cake, which you don't have to eat, but you'll have to blow out the candles", she continued, looking at me with a caring eye.
"Why?", I asked her, still confused.
"Well-", she continued. "We were supposed to throw you a Birthday party, but some things-"
"Came in between", I said, nodding, looking out over the small crowd.
Now, it was only Vanessa's parents as well as her brother's family there, and on Lin's side it was his parents and his sister with her family. Quiara and her family was there, as well as Chris with his. Everyone who Lin or Vanessa practically considered to be family was still there to celebrate and say goodbye. So, now it was only a small crowd. But it was still a crowd.