Epilogue
People were hurrying around us. Soon enough, that would be us too. Danté and I waited with our luggage to see the whole clique coming together in the entry hall of the airport. A black one for him, and a neon pink luggage with a squirrel tag for me. There was no way I would not immediately find my possessions once we landed, unlike him.
It almost looked like we were about to go on a dangerous mission, and not going abroad for just a year. Our parents and my grandma were talking animatedly. It was fun to see how well they all had gotten along, and how fast. Auntie Aswaa also joined the group, smiling warmly. Her husband, on the other hand, shot Danté a wary glance. He would be the one needing the most time to get used to the idea that I would be traveling with my boyfriend. Especially since we weren’t married. Danté being the sweetheart of us both, took Nadim’s hand in his. I let them alone. Leave the guys to bond, or try to bond.
Jasmine grabbed me closer to her. “If only I could go with you.”
That wasn’t in the cards for the near future now that Jasmine had found a temporary job in a school.
“Let’s travel when I’m back, just us girls,” I said.
Eleanor and Chloe both agreed to that. Theo scowled at the idea.
“Well, am I not good enough for you anymore?” he asked.
“Fine, if you really want to come, you can carry our bags,” I said, looking at my nails.
The girls snickered. Jasmine stood on her tippy toes and dropped a kiss on his cheek. No hard feelings. Now that he was going to live with her in our apartment, I wondered how long it would take before they announced an engagement or a baby on the way.
I glanced at my watch. It was time to move. Danté, who had been swallowed by the group of parents, gave me a nod. Jasmine gave me one last tight hug, sniffling.
“I expect you to call me every week, and to send me updates and pictures on the days we don’t talk.”
“And if you meet a very handsome foreigner, do not hesitate to talk about us,” Chloe added.
“Yes, don’t forget about us old hags,” my sister added.
Goodbyes were hard. Especially because there were so many people here for us. Many tears were shed, and many tissues were passed along. My smile wobbled when I waved at them for the last time.
Danté laced his fingers with mine. His gaze was open, happy. “Are you ready, love?”
I breathed in deeply. Oh, this was going to be so exciting. Especially with Danté at my side every step of the way. I tugged on his shirt to get him closer. Danté indulged me, pressing a soft kiss to my nose.
“The last one to arrive at the check-in is a loser,” I whispered before taking off.
As we raced with our luggage like idiots, it didn’t matter who would win. We never let go of each other. It was laughing and breathless that we went on to our next adventure.