oh my gosh, its the end of an era.... or, rather, a series. i sadly post my last update EVER on my first series! i hope you enjoy it.
Epilogue
3 years later
“Damian, where are we goin’?” I asked, annoyed.
“You’ll see in a minute! Geez, why are you always so impatient? Would it kill ya to just be quiet for a change?” His chuckle told me that his words were joking ones. I smiled.
I had spent my first two years of college at Oxford, and as soon as I began my first day, I knew I had made the right decision. Sure, it was a long distance from my friends and family in New Jersey, but I frequently kept in contact. Thoughts of going home to them were one of the few things that kept me sane with my rigorous amounts of homework and classes.
Although my mom and I had our differences, we came to work them out, and she finally accepted the fact that I’d be going away for college. When Damian and I pulled that stunt a few years ago, I knew I’d be in trouble – but I had never imagined how much trouble. I don’t think I saw the light of day again for at least six months after I returned home from Ireland. However, despite all odds, Damian and I still found ways to see each other and keep in contact, and we were still together, if not geographically.
Even though Damian and I at least lived on the same continent for now, we were still far enough apart that we could only visit once or twice a month. Because of our excellently planned schedules, we were able to meet halfway every other weekend or so between Oxford and Derry. It was not always an easy compromise, but we made it work. After all, I only had one more year of college to go.
I briefly flashed mental pictures in my head of where all my loved ones were now; my mom and dad, caring for Sam and Nathan at home, who would soon be starting high school; Mack, studying away at the University of Loyola of Maryland; and Damian, who was…
Who was currently leading me, blindfolded, down an uneven stone sidewalk. Whenever I stumbled, his only reply to my loud complaints was a chuckle and a tug on my hand to propel me forward.
“C’mon, what’s the big secret?” I asked again.
“Nothing! You’ll see in a minute,” he replied with a tone most parents use when dealing with an obnoxiously whiney child.
As much as I longed to remove the blindfold myself, it remained in place. My thoughts travelled, and I wondered where he could possibly be taking me. I suspected something was curious when he insisted upon coming all the way to London to meet me instead of going halfway like we usually do. I wondered what all the fuss was about…
“Turn right,” Damian’s voice instructed, and as I did, I felt his hand slipping away.
“What? Where are you going?”
“Relax, I’m right here,” he laughed. His voice was coming from a few feet away.
“Can I take off the blindfold now?”
“Yes.”
And as I did, I gasped in sheer, utter amazement. I recognized the place at once, with its bright green grass, graceful trees, spring-scented winds, shimmering round water, and dazzling sunlight.
Kensington Gardens.
Turning in a full circle, I took in my surroundings, which I had not visited in nearly three years. My eyes touched on the stone path beneath my feet, the wildflowers planted alongside it, and the gleam of the sun off Round Pond. The rustle of the wind through the trees was like music to my ears, a natural part of the gardens themselves. Even the same park bench was there, in the same spot in front of the pond.
I took a step forward to embrace my past and welcome it like an old friend. Such warm memories this place held! I sat on the bench overlooking the pond and remembered when the goose came and bit Damian and me.
And Damian was…
Where was he?
My head whipped around and I stood up; in all my amazement at the beauty of the gardens, I had nearly forgotten him.
He was standing just behind the bench, and he rounded it in a few short steps to meet me.
“So you remember?” he asked in his deep accented voice.
“How could I forget?” I smiled. “Our ‘plans,’ the night we spent here, the scenery, Mack, the goose…” I trailed off, again looking around us.
“And-” I started again, but he cut me off, grabbing my hands suddenly.
“And this,” he said, keeping both my hands in his as he slid down onto one knee.
I gasped as he pulled a small black velvet box from his pants pocket. He opened it up to reveal a glistening, shining silver ring with a row of diamonds crested on top. Perfection.
“Abigail Marie,” Damian said lowly, but seemed to change his mind.
“Mala,” he said loudly, joy ringing in his beautiful voice. “You’ve always been in my mind, ever since we met all those years ago. Now you can be by my side, and we can be together forever. Will you marry me?”
I hadn’t realized I was crying until now, for when I opened my mouth, my throat constricted and my eyes stung the slightest bit. The joy was overwhelming.
“Yes,” I screeched tearfully. Carefully, Damian slid the ring onto my finger; it dazzled like the pond in the sunlight.
I threw my arms around him and gave him the biggest, most bone-crunching hug in the world, which sent both of us tumbling to the ground.
“I thought you’d say that,” Damian laughed, and he proceeded to kiss me.
After all the rough times we had in the past four years, this moment made up for them all; from the first time we met at my sixteenth birthday party, to the car accident I had, to the fiasco we planned when I first visited Ireland, to now. All I could think was how wonderful it felt to be able to be with Damian… Forever.
there! finished! i cant believe that ive been working on this series for almost two years. thank you for reading these stories and commenting so much - i love it when you do! and also, thank you for putting up with my infrequent updates and agonizingly long periods between posts! i hope you liked the ending to my first series, and i really hope you begin reading my second one. thanks again!