a/n: I was gonna post the epilogue first but that isn't done, so here is this bonus NON canon chapter, this did not happen Clay and Charlotte are happily in love and planning their marriage bc i said so.

ANYWAYS, my original idea was to have charlotte and clay break up, and I liked writing very important chapters and then wing it in between them until i reached that point. I wrote this intending for that but I just can't do it.

i fell in love with their relationship (totally parasocial i know😍)and I couldn't do this to you, myself, or them.

at one point it was supposed to build up to this point where charlotte would get mad at clay for telling sapnap and george about their relationship. that did not end up happening as you guys could very clearly tell, so I chose to have an angelxcharlotte fallout (which hits close to home btw)

there's the context for this chapter. i felt like it was a bit too good to be left in my drafts... enjoy ^-^

Now, the brunette girl is taking off her shoes, entering the beach where her boyfriend... well, ex boyfriend now, I suppose, shared one of the best moments of their lives

"I got your text" Charlotte says once she reaches the boy looking at the sea.

"Which one of them all" he laughs, but there's no humor behind it

The girl isn't entirely sure about what to answer, so she simply sits down beside him, looking at the waves crashing against the shore.

This moments takes her back to when they sat in this exact same spot not less than a month ago.

This time, however, it was different.

Unsurprisingly, they had fought again, but it wasn't like that night, like the frat party.

The energy between them had shifted. It wasn't anger the thing that separated this time, it was disappointment. The feeling of being let down by one of the most important people in their lives.

They both haven't seen each other since that night in London. Wilbur bought Charlotte an early ticket back home, and she got as far away from that place as possible.

But they must face things eventually

And so, they now both sit on the sand, looking at the sky. This beach were they once made things oficial, now runs cold.

Making them remember what they once had... and now lost

Why?

Their love for each other... Ironic isn't it?

You'd imagine that if two people love each other that much, they'd end up together. But not this time

Sadly, this story just couldn't have a happy ending

The silence that used to be so comforting for them for the absence of fights, now is an uncomfortable one

"Who would've guessed" Clay shrugs

"Many, actually" Charlotte lets out a humorless laugh "Remember what I said in New York?"

"Yeah... I should've listened... Maybe we wouldn't be here right now"

"Right person, wrong time" she lets out

The sun is setting, and Florida's warm weather turns colder

"More like right person wrong lifetime" Clay laughs too

"In another life.." she zones out, looking at the waves once again

"So, what are we supposed to do now" he huffs "Move on? Act as if we don't know each other?"

"I would assume we should, yeah" I murmur

"What happens when we cross paths again? It's bound to happen"

The girl never really thought about it. Their best friends are dating, shit they even share the same work field

"I'm not thinking of continuing with youtube, or social media as a matter of fact" Charlotte confesses "I'm finishing college and moving back to New York... or maybe I'll stay here"

"Stay" he says without thinking it twice

"Chill" she laughs "I still have two years left"

"Wait... why are you quitting youtube? I thought you loved it" he turns to look at her

The green-eyed boy seemed shocked at her sudden confession

"No Clay, you did" she grabs his shoulder "I thought I did at one point too but now-" Charlotte stops for a second "Now I realized I was into it because you were"

"And now..." he begins

"Now that we are done... I guess I see no point in keeping up with it anymore"

Clay sat in disbelief. He never though he'd love anyone again, until her

And now? Well, now he's certain he will never love anyone as much as he loves her

But that was their problem. There isn't an issue of 'not being enough' but of being 'too much'

And that was their definition

Too much for each other

Many people called it out, but they were in too deep to realize it

At the slightest inconvenience, one of them exploded. And the thing with explosions, is that they leave a shit ton of colateral damage. They were hurting their friends while they hurt themselves

"So if we cross paths again, which we will, it'll be as strangers" The brunette girl continues

"Strangers who share a past" he states

"But strangers nonetheless"

"And what about Angel and Nick?" the green eyed boy asks

"What about them" she asks

"Well, they will keep on seeing each other" Clay says

Charlotte knows where he's going with this. She thinks about it too. Any social gathering that implies one of them they had to see each other

"We can still be friends"

"Remember what I said in New York" Clay directly quotes the girl sitting next to him

He's feeling helpless now, he lost the best thing life had given him

"I guess this is the end then"

They both let out a big sigh in unison

Feeling defeated, not sure how to tackle the situation. Everything they once tried failed, was this really how everything ended?

But they couldn't take it anymore, they just couldn't bare another heartbreak

"If only I hadn't said anything back then" the green eyed boy says, but Charlotte shakes her head

"We were a ticking time bomb Clay, this was bound to happen"

"But it would've taken a bit longer... I could still have for a while, we'd still be together" he says

"And keep on hurting everyone? This... this is the best possible outcome" the hispanic girl answers.

In reality, she did wish he hadn't said anything... so they could still live in fantasy that what they had, had some kind of future... or hope

"You've taught me so much in such a short period of time" she speaks up again "Thank you"

"You taught me how to love" Clay chuckles "You helped me realize that my past relationships weren't built on steady foundations, weren't built by love. The only thing they had were abuse and manipulation"

"Clay..."

"Thank you for showing me what being truly loved feels like" he says looking at her, piercing her soul with his green eyes. Tears now forming on both their eye

"Shit, you're making this so hard" Charlotte says letting out a sad laugh

"It's supposed to be, it will be... I'd be hurt if it wasn't"

The brunette girl turns to give him a sad smile, and they remain seated for a long while. Taking in the last moment they could spend with each other

But when the time finally came, they stood up and quickly embraced each other

None dared to speak up, as Charlotte let the hug consume her, a single tear ran through her face

"I'll always love you, Charlotte"

"And I will always love you, Clay"

"Always and forever"

"Always and forever"

They hold on to the slight hope that maybe, sometime later on in their life, they'd meet again.

Or maybe it just wasn't meant to be, at least not on this lifetime.

And so, they walk away from each other, leaving behind possibly one of the best things to ever happen to either of them.

That beach will forever hold this intense energy, of something which could've been, but didn't.