Epilogue
VALERIA
One year later
Gravel crunches beneath the tires of Camila’s car long before the cabin comes into view.
Valeria leans her head against the window, watching the trees zoom past. It’s been almost three years since she’s been at this cabin.
The memory of being here with Brooke is so distant it’s almost like another version of Valeria lived it—and, in many ways, she guesses that’s true.
The Valeria that had been at this cabin all those years ago isn’t the one returning now. That one had been sad, broken, worried, and stressed. Now, it’s the complete opposite. Valeria breathes easier, looks forward to weekend getaways with her best friends and her girlfriend.
She reaches for Camila’s hand on her lap and gives it a tight squeeze. It’s wild how being loved properly and wholly can change everything. This exact drive with Brooke had been full of tension and anxiety. Now, it’s calm and exciting.
“Everything okay?” Camila asks, quickly glancing at Valeria before her gaze turns back to the road.
“Perfect,” Valeria answers with a genuine smile. “Just thinking about the last time I was here, how different things are now.”
Camila’s hold on Valeria’s hand tightens. “You sure you’re okay to do this? I’m certain the girls will understand if we bail.”
Valeria shakes her head. “No, I want to. I want to reclaim this cabin. Make happy memories in it, with you and our best friends.”
Camila smiles, that tender smile of hers. It’s the smile Valeria has come to rely on, the one that always settles the restlessness in her chest. It’s ridiculous, really—how something as simple as a smile can feel like a lifeline.
“If you change your mind,” Camila says, her voice gentle as she brings their intertwined fingers to her lips, pressing a featherlight kiss to Valeria’s knuckles, “you know I’ll be right behind you.”
“I know,” Valeria replies. She’s never doubted that Camila would do just about anything for her.
Camila gives her hand a small squeeze, thumb brushing absentmindedly over her skin as they drive the rest of the gravel pathway until the cabin peeks through a sea of tall pines and evergreens.
“There it is,” Camila says.
“There it is,” Valeria echoes as she unbuckles her seatbelt.
Both women grab their bags before walking up the front steps. Voices drift faintly from inside, along with laughter.
When they reach the front door, Camila turns the doorknob, but pauses just before pushing it, and whispers, “Ready?”
Valeria takes a deep inhale. “With you? Always.”
Camila’s hand, still resting on the doorknob, shifts—not to open the door, but to turn back toward Valeria. Her fingers brush lightly against Valeria’s wrist, then slide up, closing the small distance between them.
Valeria meets her halfway in a slow, tender kiss.
Camila’s forehead rests briefly against Valeria’s, a faint smile tugging at her lips. “I love you,” she whispers.
“I love you,” Valeria replies.
Camila turns back to the door and pushes it open. Inside, the girls’ voices echo through wood-paneled walls. Clara is already napping on the couch, and Valeria can hear the rest chatting, their laughter welcoming them in as they step across the threshold.
Alejandra calls out Valeria’s name before they’ve taken two steps inside.
“You made it!”
A chorus of greetings follows as Valeria and Camila step into the kitchen, where plates are already half-arranged, a charcuterie board picked at.
Valeria settles onto a stool at the island, immediately pulled into a conversation with Alejandra and Isabella. Camila drifts deeper into the room, gravitating naturally toward Lily at the stove, stepping in beside her and grabbing whatever is needed without being asked.
Camila blends into Valeria’s friend group and life as if she’s always been part of it, as if she belongs there.
Even a year into their relationship, Valeria can’t believe how lucky she is.
She used to pray and beg that her relationship would look like this—easy, loving, her friends and her partner the best of friends—and now, she doesn’t have to; it just is.
Warmth rises in Valeria’s chest, steady and bright, like sunlight breaking through a long stretch of clouds.
She watches them together, laughing over something Valeria can’t quite catch, and a thought settles in her mind.
I can’t believe how lucky I am . . . to love and be loved by someone like Camila.
Camila, as if sensing the moment without needing to name it, turns slightly. A small, knowing smile plays on her lips before she gives a quick, playful wink.
Valeria’s gaze lingers for a second longer. Then, in her head, the thought forms fully, unmistakable and complete:
This is her person. The one she’s safe with, the one who holds her without ever asking her to be anything but herself—the one who feels like home, like peace, like forever.