Epilogue One
DANIEL
Four months later
Elliot held my hand as he guided us through the peach orchard to our favorite spot. It was a wooden bench sitting on a hill that overlooked the entire facility. From there, the beauty of Sonoma Valley spread for miles, offering an incredible view that made you forget what this place was all about.
“Slow down,” I panted, trying to catch up while Elliot practically sprinted up the hill.
“Seems like you’re out of shape,” he chuckled, moving gracefully like a deer in the wild.
“No, you’re just way too fast.”
“Aww, is someone getting old?” he teased, poking his tongue out.
I grunted. “Excuse you, I’m only thirty-five years young.”
Elliot checked me out over his shoulder with a grin. “Well, thirty-five has never looked hotter,” he purred, making my pulse run faster.
Now I’m really out of breath.
Finally reaching the top, I paused to catch my breath while he looked as jiggly as ever.
“Seriously, have you had any time to work out lately?”
Rubbing my lower back, I sighed. “I’m buried up to my head in getting the business running. If I have time to spare, I use it for sleep. So I don’t even dare to dream of working out.”
Walking toward me, he placed his hand on my chest, softly rubbing me.
“Well, once I’m out of here, you really won’t have time for sleep.
” He gave me a naughty smile that put lewd thoughts in my head.
While I missed making love to him terribly, trying to build up my own law firm from scratch took so much energy that, luckily, I almost had no time to think about sex.
Almost.
Elliot then walked over to the lookout point, where he did some stretches before resting his hands on his waist and looked ahead.
Putting aside the bag I brought with me, I joined him there for the view.
Unlike him, I couldn’t care less about the vineyards and green hills of Sonoma Valley and instead focused on the better view.
The past four months had done wonders for him, and he looked more and more like his usual self.
With his cheeks now full and flushed, his hair soft as silk, and his eyes full of life, I’d gotten my beloved back, and it was all thanks to his hard work and admirable persistence.
The beginning of his recovery wasn’t easy, but he’d overcome it like a true champion, and now, in the midst of it, he was putting everything into getting better.
“A cigarette would suit me now,” he grunted.
“I thought you decided to quit.”
He sighed, running a hand through his dark hair. “I’m trying… for now, I’m down to one a day.”
I patted his back. “That’s a good start.”
He turned to glance at me with a smirk. “It is, isn’t it?”
I answered him with a smile, and pleased, he turned to look back at the view.
“I still remember the first time we came here,” he said.
“Me too. It was a lot hotter then.”
He clicked his tongue. “That’s all you can remember?”
“Well—” I wrapped an arm around him. “—I remember you cried, but I was trying to be polite and not bring it up.”
As I said, the beginning wasn’t at all easy.
“Didn’t you also shed a tear or two?”
I cleared my throat. “I must have gotten something in my eye.”
He huffed a laugh, leaning his head on my shoulder.
“There’s a new guy in the unit.”
“Really?”
“Mhmm.”
“And?” I said, getting impatient after he went silent. “What’s he like?”
“Accountant from Pasadena. Wife. Three kids. Forty-four.”
My brows furrowed. “Oh.”
Elliot lifted his head from my shoulder for a second to give me a dirty look. “You’re surprised?”
“No.” I scratched my neck, and in response, he smacked me.
“We’re not all models here, you know?” he said, voice casual.
“I do. I mean, obviously.”
I’m just jealous a new person met you.
“Good… because Steven, that’s his name, was sure that was the case at first. Imagine his surprise when he learned most of the people here are just regular people.”
“You, my friend, are anything but regular.” I rubbed his arm. “You’re marvelous. And you’re mine, so make sure he knows that.”
He laughed. “Well, that I am. But seriously, I’m glad this place helped me change my mind about this whole thing…
” He let out a stream of air. “I don’t blame Steven, because at first, I also thought that anorexia was an eating disorder only girls had, and it made me even more ashamed.
Obviously, now I know better, and I’m super grateful for it.
Did you know that actually, one out of five patients with anorexia is a man? ”
I shook my head. “I didn’t know that.”
“Well, now you do.”
I was happy to see Elliot speaking about it so freely, as at first, the word “anorexia” hardly came out of his mouth, and when it did, it was coated with shame.
I knew I wasn’t in his shoes, so who was I to judge the way he felt?
But to me, since the very beginning, he had nothing to be ashamed of.
It was a mental disorder, a complicated one, that was often overlooked and dismissed.
Just like he said, people associated it with models, dancers, women, and young teenage girls, but the truth was, it could happen to anyone, no matter gender, age, sex, or job.
“The therapist said they think I’m ready to go home next month.”
“Really?” I shifted back to look at him, surprised.
Meeting my stare, Elliot gave me a slight smile. “Yes.”
I quickly pulled him closer, squeezing him with one arm. “I’m so damn proud of you, Elliot.”
He stayed in the hug for a minute before he tapped my chest, and I released him just a bit.
“It scares me, you know? I’m worried that once I leave this place, I’ll relapse, but then, after talking with the others, I understand that it’s a fear we all share, and it’s helped me to feel… normal?”
I still remembered that one of the first things the physician told us was that anorexia nervosa was the same as any other addiction, and that it wasn’t something you could cure overnight, but it was a process that took a long time and would forever require treatment.
And the same as with any addiction, relapse was a possibility.
He also went further to explain that there were two types of anorexia and that he suspected Elliot had the restricting type.
In this case, individuals often lose weight through extreme dieting, fasting, and excessive exercise.
All of these behaviors used to apply to Elliot.
“It’s a legitimate concern, but I’m sure you’ll do great.”
“I’m sure of that, too,” he said, his smile growing.
Seeing his newfound confidence made me burst with joy, enough to make my chest tighten and my jaw hurt from smiling.
“I think I’ll miss this place,” he then added, catching me by surprise.
“Really?”
“Yes, no, I mean… I’ll miss this weather, the sun… I love it here.” Closing his eyes and tilting his head back, he took a deep breath.
The sunrays looked like drops of gold on his long eyelashes as he soaked in the California heat. And I agreed I was warming up to it, too.
“I know, right? The air feels so much cleaner.”
Elliot blinked his eyes open, and they were even brighter than usual.
“Maybe because it is.” He smiled, his French sounding like bells ringing. “Wouldn’t it be amazing to wake up to this every day?”
Brushing a hand over my thick stubble, which I’d grown over the past few months, I considered his words. It would be nice, but where in Manhattan could I find a place close to this? Not even the park had such clean air, and living outside the city sounded like a hassle.
“Can we move here?” he asked, making me frown.
“I beg your pardon?”
“To California. Maybe we can move here.”
My face scrunched up because was he delusional? Me, a proud New Yorker, moving to… California? Never. Ready to shut down his insane idea, I turned to scold him when I saw the big smile he had on his face, stretching from ear to ear. He seemed so happy and calm—
“We could.”
Wait, what?
“Really?” Elliot gasped, hands pressed together.
Of course not.
“Yes, why not?”
For God’s sake, Daniel, shut your mouth—
“Thank you!” Elliot beamed as he tossed himself at me, his arms wrapped tightly around my body.
As I melted into his hug, the idea of moving here slowly sank in.
I mean, I always complained about New York anyway…
so I guess it wouldn’t be too bad? Of course, Maya would make it a bit more complicated to pull off, but having her live with Claudia made it easier.
I could always go back and forth, as I had for the last four months—
“You’re already thinking about how to make it work, aren’t you?”
Looking down, I found Elliot smiling at me. Being locked under his captivating eyes made my cheeks heat up. Hoping he wouldn’t catch me blushing like a kid, I looked aside, only to notice the bag I’d brought with me.
I had nearly forgotten about it.
“Come here,” I said, taking his hand as I walked us back to the stone bench. I made him sit first before doing the same.
“What is it? Did Vito send something with you again?” he asked as I grabbed my bag from the ground and placed it over my lap.
“Not quite.”
Pulling out what I was looking for, I handed it to Elliot. With a scowl, he stared at the thick paper folder.
“Are you bringing me divorce papers again?” he asked, flipping the folder to look at its back.
“Just look inside,” I urged him.
“Someone really needs to teach you what counts as romantic,” he laughed, shaking his head after he opened the folder to take out—
“More files.” He grimaced.
“Stop being a brat, and read what it says.”
“It’s all in English.” He tried handing the file back to me when I pushed his hand away.
“Try.”
“Ugh. Fine.”
For once, doing what he was told, Elliot dropped his eyes to the file as he started reading aloud, the crease between his brows growing the more he read.
“C-certtificat-e of i-incor— What is this word? Why so long?” he snarled in English.
“It says certificate of incorporation,” I clarified, pointing over the line.
“I do not know what it mean.”
“This document verifies that a company is officially registered and exists as a legal corporation,” I explained to him in French.
Realization sank in on him, and his scowl was replaced with a smile. “Does this mean your new company is official?”
I chuckled at his excitement. “It has been official for a while now.”
“Oh.”
“Anyway, this isn’t why I’m showing you this. Here—” I pointed at a line in the middle. “Read the name of the company.”
He sighed before looking down again.
“Williams and Dufort At Law,” he read, then paused.
I didn’t say a word; instead, I sat patiently next to him, waiting for his reaction that soon followed.
“You… You used my name?” he whispered, still focusing on the certificate.
“I did.”
He held still, and I wondered what he was thinking when a small drop hit the paper, spreading as it soaked in. Then another drop fell, followed by another. Like raindrops, his tears dripped down, creating a pattern of wet spots around my company name, or should I say, ours.
Looking at me, Elliot’s eyes glistened with tears as he bit down on his bottom lip.
“You don’t like it?” I asked, brushing my thumb over the wet path his tears left.
Trying to hold his voice in, he shook his head. “T-this is—” A strangled sob escaped him. “The best thing.” His whole face scrunched up. “You wanted my name there, too,” he finally said in English, and at this point, I couldn’t hold back the tears either.
Wrapping him in my embrace, I held him close as we both wept like little kids.
“Of course I wanted your name.” I kissed the top of his head. “I mean, how could I possibly not?”
“I-it’s like we’re married,” he joked, his laugh turning into a charming sob.
“You could say I got ahead of myself—”
“What?” He gasped, pulling back
Holding his shoulders, I couldn’t help but smile. “You can’t possibly be surprised, can you?”
“Do you really want to marry me?”
Surprised he could still doubt me at this point, I grabbed his face in both hands and took his lips in a tender kiss.
“There’s nothing I would like more than that.”
“But it is not possible here, right?”
“Not yet,” I said, my heart full of hope. “But one day, yes.”
Instead of answering me with words, Elliot kissed me, his hands slipping to my waist as he did.
Pulling closer, he parted his mouth wider, allowing me to thrust my tongue in.
He sucked on it, then groaned when I licked into his mouth.
My temperature rose, and the same went for my pulse.
Feeling my heart beating hard in my chest, I grabbed his hand and brought it there.
“Can you feel it?” I asked, my lips ghosting his. “Can you feel how my heart beats just for you?”
He bit his lip, his eyes dipping down before going back to meet mine.
“Make sure it never stops,” he ordered, and per usual, his words were my command.