Epilogue
ISLA
Two Weeks Later
The sun was just beginning to dip below the horizon, casting long golden streaks across the sky. From the upstairs window of the house, the world felt still. Safe. Ours.
I heard him coming up the stairs before I saw him and stayed where I was, not bothering to turn when he walked into the bedroom. His arms wrapped around my waist from behind, and his chin rested on my shoulder. He was warm, solid, steady.
The way he always was.
The way I needed him to be.
“How’s the view?” he murmured.
I leaned into him with a contented sigh. “Pretty perfect.”
“How are you?” he asked, kissing my shoulder. “You doing okay?”
Sadness filled me, and I fought back the tears. “He’s still refusing to answer the phone,” I admitted. “I tried to reach out to him again.” I sniffed, “I went to his apartment…” I turned my head to look up at him, his gray eyes focused on me , full of warmth and love. “Did you know he’s rented it out?”
Zayn gave a short nod. “Yeah, I found out a few days ago.”
Moving out of his hold, I turned and faced him. “You didn’t tell me.”
He didn’t flinch at the accusation in my tone. “I don’t have anything to tell you,” he said with a shrug. “Julian’s gone. I don’t know where. Trust me, I looked.”
“Because you think he’s the reason the cops turned up that night at Elixir?” I looked away from him. “Because you think he betrayed you.”
“He betrayed me the moment he handed you a flash drive with a lot of shit on it that he shouldn’t have known.” Zayn blew out a breath. “We can’t keep fighting over him, Is.”
I wrapped my arms around myself as I looked out the window one more time. “We’re not fighting,” I protested weakly. “It’s a friendly debate.”
It had been two weeks since that night in the club when I lied to the police about where Zayn and Rye had been. For two weeks, Rye had been like an angry bear, ready to rip Gracemont apart to find out who had tried to set them up. For two weeks, Zayn had been the silent, deadly promise that stalked the shadows, searching for the same thing as Rye.
For the same some one as Rye.
Julian.
Zayn gave me a slight smile. “The debate is getting tired,” he said quietly. “The longer he’s gone?—”
“He isn’t gone ,” I snapped, wincing as soon as I did it. “I’m sorry.” I took a deep inhale to soothe my rising temper. “He wouldn’t leave me.” I turned back to the window. “He wouldn’t leave without saying goodbye.”
I heard his sigh and felt him move away from me. “He doesn’t approve of you and me, Is.” I heard him sit on the bed. “I think he would go without a second thought for you or anyone else.”
“What reason has he to go?” I demanded. “His debt is cleared.” I turned to face him and saw the resignation in his eyes. “You think that’s why he’s not here. You really believe he tipped the police off and then ran for it?” I shook my head, refusing to believe it. “How would he even know , Zayn? How would he even know what you were doing that night? I didn’t even know, and I live with you!”
Zayn rubbed his forehead. “Babe, I can’t keep having this conversation with you.” He stood up. “We’ve checked all the hospitals, we’ve checked his bank account…don’t ask, just know that we have,” he said when he saw my look. “He stopped using his phone, but…” He tilted his head back to the ceiling. “He knows how to disappear.”
I swallowed past the lump in my throat. “How would he even know that?” The look I got told me enough without a word spoken. “Of course,” I acknowledged. “Of course, you would have shown him how.”
“I’m truly sorry he didn’t talk to you first, Is. I am. But you need to face facts. He left.”
I turned back to the window. “Yeah, I’m sorry too.” I heard him moving, and then his arms were around me again. This time, I held on. “Promise me you’ll tell me if you hear anything?”
“I promise.”
“Not after I find out myself. You tell me as soon as you hear.”
“I promise.”
It was enough. We stood there like that for a while longer until the sun was no longer in the sky. The quiet solitude enveloped us .
“How was your day?” I eventually asked, breaking the silence.
“Uneventful, the way I like it,” he murmured, his lips pressing against the column of my throat.
I rolled my eyes, grinning. “You’re telling me that you like boring?”
Zayn chuckled. “I said it was uneventful. I never said anything about it being boring.” He took my hand. “Come on, let’s get something to eat.”
I smiled as he led me from the room. “You tell me about your day, and I’ll tell you about the progress of the yurts.”
If I didn’t know him so well, I would never have seen the slight hesitation in his step as he walked down the stairs. “I don’t know what I did to deserve hearing it again,” he murmured.
I laughed. The installation of the yurts was driving everyone in my life crazy.
Zayn turned and watched me, his eyes drinking me in, shining with promise. “You are never not beautiful.”
My cheeks flushed even though he’d told me that before. “You’re going to make me cry again.”
He pulled me into his arms, brushing a strand of hair from my cheek. “I don’t ever want to be the reason you cry, Is.”
My heart swelled with so much love I was sure it would burst. “I don’t cry that much,” I said with a soft smile.
It was Zayn’s turn to laugh. “You cried the first time I told you I loved you. You cried when we moved you in here permanently and you sublet your apartment. You cried when Rye gave us matching monogrammed mugs.”
I sniffed. Yeah, I did that. “He said it was a wedding present.”
“We’re not married yet. ”
I lifted an eyebrow. “You planning on changing that soon?”
“Is.” His voice dropped. “I’m counting the days.”
We stood there on the stairs in the hush of evening, like we’d been frozen in time. For the first time in my life, I didn’t need to chase control to feel safe. I was building something with him. Something unshakable.
“Are you hungry?” Zayn asked, his eyes darkening.
My mouth was dry with anticipation, so I shook my head slowly, knowing exactly what that look meant.
“I’m hungry,” he whispered, leaning forward, his lips trailing over my jaw. “Let’s go back upstairs.”
I didn’t argue. In fact, I led the way.
Later, Zayn was asleep beside me, his hand on his chest, his other arm over his head. The dim morning light cast a shadow over the room, but I could see him clearly. God, he was so stunning to look at. How did I get so lucky? My life was almost perfect.
The familiar pang of sadness against my chest at the thought of Julian’s absence made me reach out for my phone.
I don’t know why you left, but I miss you. I miss you every day. I love him, Julian, and I’m sorry if that upsets you, but please just let’s talk about it. You didn’t need to leave. We have a lot to resolve but know that I love you x
I was drifting off to sleep when my phone buzzed on the nightstand. I glanced at it.
I didn’t know I was leaving town until I was already gone. I fucked up. I hurt Zayn. You got hurt because of me, and then I hurt you again when I left. I need time to fix myself. I need time away. I know he’ll keep you safe… I know how much he loves you. Don’t worry about me. Take care of each other. I miss you too x
I stared at the message for a long time, reading and rereading it. I felt movement beside me and knew Zayn was awake, so I tilted the phone towards him, showing him the text.
His expression didn’t change much. Just a slight tightening of his jaw. “He’s doing the right thing.”
“Is he?” I said softly. “I don’t know.” I put the phone down and snuggled into Zayn’s side. “I still wish it were different.”
Zayn’s arm came around me, squeezing lightly. “I know.”
We lay in silence, and then I looked up at him. “You’d be the same if it were Rye.”
Zayn smirked, shaking his head. “I pray every day for that fucker to leave town,” he grumbled. When I giggled, he gave me an exasperated sigh. “Why would you ask him ?”
Ducking my head, I hid my grin. “Why would I ask Rye to plan our totally relaxed, no-big-deal wedding?”
“Because you know he’ll drive me insane,” Zayn said gruffly.
I giggled. “Because I think he’ll do a good job.”
Suddenly, I was flipped, and Zayn was on top of me, his arms propping him up. “Bullshit,” he said, dropping a soft kiss on my lips. “You don’t like planning weddings, and you gave it to Rye knowing that he won’t allow me anywhere near it, and I dread to think what he’s going to do. ”
I laughed, genuinely, deeply. It felt so good. “I am living in fear,” I confessed after I stopped laughing, “of what he’ll do…”
Zayn dropped his head into the crook of my neck. “Oh god, me too,” he groaned.
“When I said, I don’t care where it is or what the theme was, do you think he took that as carte blanche to do anything?”
Zayn’s eyes closed slowly as he groaned. “He is impossible to control at the best of times. This could be the best, or worst, day of our lives.”
“Even if it’s the prom scene from Carrie, it’ll be the best day because I’ll be marrying you.”
Zayn looked down at me, and dipping his head, he kissed me hard. “I do not deserve you, Isla Wells.”
I grinned. “Oh, you do.” My hands ran over his sides. “I am exactly what you deserve, Zayn McCabe.”
He kissed me again, slower this time. Final. Certain.
Outside, the sun rose. The birds sang in the trees, and somewhere in the quiet distance, the world kept turning.
But here, in our little corner of it, we were precisely where we were meant to be.
Together.