58Epilogue
Brian's POV
5 years later
Beauty had always been so difficult to describe. How did you capture the sight of happiness, joy and grace with words? Words could never do any justice to real beauty.
I had encountered real beauty once when I had picked up Liz from her classes. She had been in a white sundress with a leather jacket thrown on. Her hair had been messy and she looked tired from her classes. But she had smiled at me and her eyes lit up with radiating happiness.
Looking at her, no one would have thought she had been sad.
How could such a beautiful creature ever be sad? But she had been wounded and I had seen her despair. Throughout the years the wounds had healed, only leaving faint scars.
Liz in her sundress and leather jacket had taken my hand and run through the never-ending rain in Seattle. She had thought I would just drive her home but I had other plans. I had driven to Mooten Park in Seattle while the rain had been hitting the windows.
In the car, Liz told me once again how much she had loved rain. When she had noticed that we weren't going to our apartment she had asked me where I was heading to. I had just smiled.
When we had reached Mooten Park there hadn't been one living soul. I had taken Liz's hand and run to the gazebo. The gazebo with the splintered off paint. We were soaking when we had finally reached the covered gazebo and escaped the rain. Liz had asked me why we were there. All I had done was kiss her furiously, my hands in her wet hair. When we had pulled back I had seen her confused eyes but she had a radiant smile on. I had gone to my knees and taken out a ring.
"I promised you that when there was no sadness in your eyes but only happiness and love I would ask you one question." As promised she had said yes.
Beauty was her dripping wet but smiling, saying one word that fulfilled my world.
Another time I had encountered beauty was when I had seen Liz walking down the aisle with a stunning white dress. Her eyes had been trained on me, a lovely smile on her lips. We had exchanged our vows and exchanged the rings.
Beauty was her promising me her love and then kissing me in front everyone we loved.
But nothing would have prepared me for this moment. I was leaning in the door frame, my arms crossed. Liz was in the living room. Her feet tucked in while she was sitting on the couch.
Blue sweats and a one of my t-shirts on her. She had a stack of papers on the coffee table in front of her, one paper in her hand. Her hair was in a messy bun on top of her head. Her dove ring and her wedding band hanging on her dove necklace because of her swollen fingers.
Beauty was her content smile and her wedding ring glistening on her hand while she was rubbing her swollen stomach.
One day she had come home, fully disheveled, her face tears-streaked. She had only croaked out that she was late and had thrown a pregnancy test at me. I had picked it up and seen two pink lines.
"Pregnant." She had clarified. My heart had swelled at thinking a life was growing inside of her but my worry for Liz had overruled that feeling. I had picked her up and laid with her. I had held her while she had been cursing me and then had confessed her fears.
"How can I be a mother? I don't know what a mother is? I will probably fuck up. I can't be responsible for a child. I can't ruin a child's life. I cannot be hated by my child."
The following day we had an appointment at her gynecologist. It came out that she had been 8 weeks pregnant. Her doctor had made an ultrasound. And when she had pointed the little embryo I had held Liz's hand. She had squeezed my hand and shed tears, mumbling "My blip."
From that moment on Liz had bought every baby book imaginable. Every night she would read a new chapter and tell me what was happening with our little blip.
Life never goes after plan, I guess.
Liz had started as a history teacher on a high-school this year.
Did I ever publish a book? No.
My notebooks were packed with little stories, my computer filled with unfinished documents.
While majoring in English literature I had always been in a tiny bookstore.
The owner was a rather old man. His wife had passed away and he had no children. He was too old to run the store.
Every time I had gone into the bookstore he would engage me in a conversation about books. One day he had asked me if I would like to overtake his bookstore.
Who would have thought that after having my degree in Literature I would own a bookshop with my best friend Doug who had majored in business?
That was the beauty in life. The unexpected turns that you could have never imagined but can't live without now.
"I know you're starring. You're by no means a James Bond." Liz said without even looking up from her papers.
"I'm just enjoying the view." I smirked and walked into the living room.
I plopped down next to her, my hand covering the hand she was rubbing her stomach with.
"Did you know that according to one of my students Charlemagne was Clovis father?" She chuckled.
"And Clovis is who?" I muttered, having no clue what she was talking about.
"Oh holy shit, are you for real?" She dropped the paper on the table. "Please don't let this child have the same sense for history like its dad."
"Ha ha." I chuckled. "You love me."
She sighed and looked at me, her eyes glistening. "I do. So very much."
I leaned in to kiss her but the phone rang. I groaned and let my forehead drop against hers. "I'll get it."
I got up from the couch and walked to the huge dining table that was in our living room. Our cordless landline phone was vibrating on the wooden table.
I picked up the phone. "Hello?"
"Hello, Loverboy. How is it going?"
I laughed into the phone, shaking my head. "Amazing. How about you?"
"I have amazing news but I gotta tell them your wife first. So get your ass and this phone to her. While you take your time let me ask you how the weather is."
"I-"
"Oh wait, let me guess. It's raining. Like really heavy. And it's probably cold. Oh god, I forgot. You live in Seattle. On the other damn side of this country."
I walked back to the couch and sat next to Liz who was eying me curiously.
"Jesus, are you a physic? Because damn, woman. You are so right."
"Just give me your wife, Loverboy."
I laughed once again before handing the phone over to Liz.
I watched Liz laugh and gape and yell on the phone and all I did was smile. The beautiful but sad girl had let her scars fade. Looking at her grey eyes you would never think they could have ever held pain.
Looking at my happy wife I knew that no matter what would happen, we would face it together.
Suddenly Liz got off the couch clumsily. "Husband! Go book some plane tickets. We need to go to Boston."
"Wife." I mimicked. "What are you talking about."
"Carly is getting married. In two weeks. Book the fucking tickets."
Shocked by the news, I got off the couch.
"Come on, old man. Hurry up."
I took her hand and walked towards our bedroom where a laptop was perched on our bed. I opened it and stared at the wallpaper for a moment.
The latest ultrasound picture of our child. We didn't want to know the gender, wanted to be surprised. As I stared at the tiny thing that Liz and I had created I smiled.
After I had booked the tickets I turned around to see Liz looking at me with a soft expression.
"We are leaving for Boston in twelve days, milady."
"I love you, Brian." was all she said as she stepped towards me. She cradled my head in her hands.
"Thank you for helping me spread my wings. Thank you for catching me when I flied."
"I love you, Paloma. How could I ever not catch you?"
She pressed her lips to me. One of my hands cupped her Liz's face while the other one was placed on her stomach.
Beauty was kissing the woman I loved and feeling my child kick.
Beauty was Liz loving me.
Beauty was failing to find words to capture this moment.
A/N:
Putting the final dot on The Final Dance was exhilarating. There was this giddiness rushing through me and I had to step back from my laptop and just take a deep breath.
This is it.
My first story ever is finished. This story is by no means perfect. It probably needs a lot of editing, there are probably a lot of typos I oversaw when my thoughts were faster than my fingers typing on the keyboard. Nevertheless I am so proud of it.
The Final Dance would have never turned out the way it is now if it hadn't been for my friends.
Rita, Linh, Susanne, Erin, Sasha and also Lucy who joined the ride for some time. Wow. I cannot find the words to describe how grateful I am for each one of you.
They were the ones to kick my ass when I didn't know what to write, they were the ones filling my heart with their continued support. Words are failing me to describe all these feelings in me.
And thank you (yes, you) for reading. Thank you for taking the time to read it. Thank you for reviewing or filling my PMs with lovely messages.
Just thank you.
D.