and now....*drumroll please*...the EPILOGUE! [and Alana, I apologize ahead of time =( ].
EPILOGUE
“I am forever yours, faithfully.”
-Journey [Faithfully]
That was the last I saw of Kevin for the next few months. I figured he was doing alright, but I never saw him. I told him goodbye in June; it was now November.
Joe and Ashlee were still together, trying their hardest to make it work while the guys were on the road. I would occasionally ask Ashlee to have Joe tell her how Kevin was doing, and each time she would say he was doing fine, just hanging in there. As much as I hated him for what he did, I couldn’t help but miss him. There was still no news about him and Alana getting married, but as far as I knew, they were still engaged. I wanted him to be happy, but at the same time, I wanted him to love me again.
I was at home from college one weekend, three days before Kevin’s birthday, and the rest of my family was gone for the night. I was sitting on the couch, enjoying my Ben and Jerry’s and watching the Notebook, one of my all-time favorite movies, when the doorbell rang. I set down the container of ice cream and made my way to the door, the ends of my extra-long gray sweatpants dragging along the hardwood floors.
I flipped the lock and turned the doorknob, taking in a sharp breath.
There he was. I took every inch of him in. He looked particularly skinny, with dangerously dark bags under his eyes. His clothes were all wrinkled, like he hadn’t changed in days, his curls a mess, but he was still the same gorgeous Kevin I knew and loved.
“Kevin,” I whispered. Tears began rolling down his cheeks and his knees looked like they were about to give way. I grabbed him and held him in my arms as his tears grew to a quiet sob. He finally calmed down and I led him into the family room. He gently sat down on the couch, and I sat next to him, my feet underneath me, facing his way.
“How are you?” I asked, brushing a few tears from his face. He smiled weakly and looked down at his hands.
“Alana broke up with me,” was his reply. I immediately thought to comfort him, wrapping my arms around his brittle body. He rested his head on my shoulder, but didn’t cry.
“What happened?” I asked softly.
He sighed. “She didn’t think I loved her anymore,” he told me. “She said that every time she would try to talk to me, my head was in a different place, like I was thinking about someone else.”
I bit my lip. “Wh…were you?”
He put his head in his hands. “I-I don’t know. One minute everything was going great; the next thing I know, she’s kicking me out.”
I didn’t say anything. So many thoughts were running through my head. Alana kicked him out, after he gave up everything to propose to her? It didn’t make sense, but there was one thing that I was dying to ask him.
“Kevin?” I asked softly.
He turned his head and smiled at me. “Yes?”
“Did you…did you really mean it when you said you didn’t love me?”
He looked down.
“It’s okay if you did. I was just wondering…”
He turned towards me and grabbed my hand. “Syd, remember what I said the day I met you?”
I thought back to that day, remembering everything clearly.
*FLASHBACK*
“So…I guess this is goodbye,” I said softly.
“No, Syd, it’s not,” he replied, taking my chin in his hands. “Look at me.”
I looked into his eyes, never wanting to see anything else.
“I may not be here with you,” he whispered. “But I will always love you. Please don’t ever forget that.”
I forced a smile, and prayed that he was right.
*END FLASHBACK*
I smiled and nodded. He stared into my eyes, our faces only inches apart, and I could see that he was trying to be as honest as he could.
“I told you I loved you, and that I always would,” he whispered, his voice rough.
I leaned in and gave him that kiss that was much too long delayed, gently placing my hands along his stubbly jaw line. He ran his fingers through my hair and pulled me close.
And just for a moment, everything felt right.
