Epilogue
One year later…
The rain had finally stopped by the time the last wine bottle hit the recycling bin.
Amelia wiped her hands on a tea towel and turned to glance at Jo, where she was curled up on the couch in the kitchen with Ada, both of them laughing at something on Ada’s phone.
Evie stood at the window, swirling the last of her Malbec as she peered out at the garden Jo had insisted on ‘saving’ from Amelia’s meticulous landscaping.
A wild little patch of lavender and daisies now thrived in the corner, chaotic and oddly perfect… much like Jo herself.
A year.
Somehow, it had been a year.
Amelia set the towel down and leaned against the kitchen counter, giving herself a moment to take it all in.
Her life was truly something beautiful now.
Friends and conversation, dinner with those who mattered most to them.
One of Jo’s hoodies slung over the dining chair, a half-written shopping list stuck to the fridge with the llama magnet…
a Polaroid of them grinning in the garden on Jo’s birthday, sitting just below.
Her home didn’t just look different now. It felt different. Lived in, loved, every corner showing their relationship in one form or another.
And Amelia was still here, still thriving, and still…whole.
Evie stepped back from the window and turned to Amelia. “You having a moment over there?”
“Maybe.” Amelia smiled. “Is that a crime?”
Evie walked over and bumped their shoulders together. “Depends on whether this moment ends with more wine or a smug speech.”
“I’m leaning towards smug speech.”
“Oh, go on then.”
Amelia laughed softly, but before she could speak, Jo shot from the couch. “Wait! If there’s going to be a speech, I need snacks.”
Ada rolled her eyes. “You’ve just had two slices of cake.”
“And? Do you have any idea how much stamina is required to keep up with Amelia?” Jo sighed. “I’m burning calories at a ridiculous rate.”
Evie snorted as she dropped into a seat at the dining table. “God, I miss you at Satin. I miss our fun and the spontaneous evenings there.”
Amelia’s brows lifted. “Fun? You mean tragic.”
“I mean dependable,” Evie said softly. “I mean, you always showed up. Even when your world was falling apart. And now you’ve stopped doing that for all the right reasons.”
Caught off-guard by the sudden emotion behind Evie’s words, Amelia blinked back tears.
“I’m proud of you for choosing you. For choosing this.” Evie eyed Jo. “I’m proud of you for letting someone really love you without hiding who you are.”
Amelia’s heart clenched in the most beautiful way. “Thank you.”
“The same goes for you,” Ada said, grinning at Jo. “From where you were a little over a year ago, to now…I’m so happy you took the chance to be happy. You deserve the world with one another.”
“Well, I’m not sure that would have happened without the support of my best friend.” Jo squeezed Ada’s hand and smiled. “You made it all make sense when I was trying to find reasons to sabotage it all.”
“I know I turned it into a bit of a joke at the start, but I’ve never seen you like this, Jo. You’re settled. Not a boring kind of settled…just, content. In a way you never were with Callum…or anyone else for that matter.”
Jo reached across the couch as Amelia sat beside her and laced their fingers. “I didn’t know I was allowed to want this until her.”
Amelia lifted Jo’s hand and pressed her lips to the back of it. “I think deep down, we always knew we were allowed it. But love makes us do funny things, right? I mean…I pretended to be someone else just so I could be close to you.”
“I wish you’d never felt as though you had to do that, but thank God you did.”
“Right, I think it’s time Ada and I left.” Evie groaned dramatically. “God, this is why I go to the club. All of this is too lovey-dovey for me.”
Ada grabbed her coat. “Are you offering me an evening at Satin, Evie?”
Evie lifted a brow. “Oh, I don’t know if you could handle me.”
Amelia cleared her throat as she rose to her feet. “Whatever conversation is about to happen, I don’t need to know about it.” She kissed Evie’s cheek and drew back. “Text me when you get home…or Satin, wherever the night takes you.”
Jo and Amelia said their goodbyes to Evie and Ada, seeing them to the door before they could find a reason to stay any longer.
Evie turned and gave them both a quick squeeze. “Happy anniversary, you two.”
“Thank you.” Amelia watched the two of them disappear down the garden path and then closed the door quietly behind them.
When she turned back around, Jo was standing in the middle of the hallway, two glasses in hand. Amelia stepped forward and took one. “Hi.”
“Hi, gorgeous.”
“One year since you sent me that text, and I walked out with nothing but my car keys and a phone.”
Jo smiled. “One year since you let me in.”
Amelia leaned in, her forehead resting against Jo’s. “One year since I stopped hiding.”
She kissed Jo, holding her chin in the palm of her hand. There was no heat and no rush…just a quiet, tender press of mouths that reminded her they were still here and they were madly in love.
When they pulled apart, Jo whispered, “Do you want to know the best part?”
Amelia smiled. “I do.”
“I still get to wake up next to you tomorrow.”
Amelia’s heart swelled in her chest. “And every day after.”
Amelia scanned their bedroom and smiled.
The laundry sat unpacked in the corner, another of Jo’s hoodies was draped over another chair, the scent of the moisturiser Amelia had just applied filling the room.
Jo always teased her for it, claiming she smelled like a posh spa, but she didn’t recall Jo complaining when she had her face buried in Amelia’s neck throughout the night.
She sat on the edge of the bed in one of Jo’s T-shirts, her towel-dried hair curling slightly at her shoulders.
Her legs were bare, the duvet rumpled beside her, while Jo was in the en suite brushing her teeth.
She could hear the muffled sound of her humming something off-key and cheerful, and her smile instantly widened.
This was their life now.
No secrets. No shadows. No curtain between them.
Just this. Toothpaste and bare legs. Shared moisturiser and midnight snacks.
Love, honest and whole.
Jo strolled back in, her pyjama bottoms low on her hips, and a loose tank clinging to her frame. Her hair was messy, but her smile was bright as she crossed the room, holding out Amelia’s glass of water like she always did.
“You’ll thank me at 3 a.m.,” Jo said.
“I always do.” Amelia took it from her and placed it on her side of the bed.
Jo slid beneath the duvet first, stretching out like a cat. “Why are my legs always colder than yours?”
“Because you never put socks on.”
“Socks are suffocating.”
Amelia crawled in next to Jo and tucked herself into her side. “Then stop complaining about being cold.”
“Never.” Jo kissed her temple. “Complaining is part of my charm, and by being cold…it means you get to warm me up.”
Amelia wrapped an arm around Jo’s waist and appreciated the peace and quiet for a few minutes. Today had been a busy day, and tonight hadn’t been any quieter. But now, they could both relax in the safety of their bedroom…holding one another.
“You know what I loved tonight?” Jo asked as she absentmindedly traced circles over Amelia’s arm.
“Your third glass of wine?”
Jo huffed. “I was trying to be heartfelt then.”
“I know. I’m just winding you up.” Amelia angled her head slightly and looked up at her. “Go on.”
“The things Evie said. The way she looked at you and spoke about you. I know we’ve always had our best friends’ support, but hearing she’s proud of you…I love those little moments.” Jo dipped her head and kissed Amelia. “And I hope you know that I’m proud of you, too.”
Amelia swallowed back the emotion lodged in her throat. “You make it easy to be myself.”
“And I hope you’ll always feel that way.”
“I will.” Amelia shifted closer and draped a leg over Jo’s. “I’ve never loved anyone like this.”
Jo smiled, kissed the tip of Amelia’s nose, and then pulled the duvet up around them both.
“I used to think the dark room was the only place I could be wanted without being seen,” Amelia whispered. “I thought it would be the only place I felt safe.”
Jo’s hand found hers under the covers. “You don’t ever have to go back there.”
“I know. I won’t.”
“Because you’re mine now,” Jo said without missing a beat. “And I see all of you. Every part.”
Amelia closed her eyes, forcing away the sudden rush of emotion. She leaned in and brushed her mouth against Jo’s. “I love you.” She deepened the kiss, knowing that if nothing went further…or it did, it wouldn’t matter. This was the kind of love that didn’t have to ask for permission.
Jo pulled back and yawned, already half asleep. “Wake me at seven?”
“Mm. I’ll try.”
“Don’t let me oversleep again. I have too much work on.”
“You know…” Amelia grinned into the dark. “Considering you’re significantly younger than me, you’re the one who fell asleep with toast in your lap last week.”
“Rude.”
She chuckled as Jo’s breathing started to slow.
Still, Amelia would stay awake for a little while longer, simply because she enjoyed watching the steady rise and fall of Jo’s chest and the faint moonlight catching the edges of her jaw.
At one time, she used to ache in the silence. Now, she only felt peace.
Because this was who she was now.