𝙏𝙀𝙈𝙋𝙏𝘼𝙏𝙄𝙊𝙉 • 𝙇𝙍𝙃

epilogue

luke doesn't speak for a moment, feeling as if his eyes are deceiving him.

the boy knows he's staring at emma with major heart eyes, his mouth hanging open as he's practically drooling over the sight of her.

his brain surely has whiplash at this point. he's gone from being so happy and in love and hopeful, to miserable and dejected, to seeing her standing like a damn goddess in front of him.

ashton takes front and center, clearing his throat to catch luke's attention but failing as his eyes are still glued to emma.

"we didn't convince caleb to let her go and fly her across the freaking country just so you could stare at her! like damn, say hello or something" the boy chuckles, nudging emma forward.

apparently the gang thought it would be more thrilling to trick luke into having a fucking panic attack rather than just telling him that emma was literally outside of his door.

but the goofy smile he was wearing told his friends that he wasn't mad. i mean, he has his entire world back, what's he got to be mad about?

luke stretches his arms out, placing them cautiously on her shoulders. "you're here? i mean actually here? to stay?"

emma nods with a soft smile, "i'm here. i'm yours"

she walks up to him, hands in her pockets, woven with absence as she looks him in the eye. "i've missed you"

emma didn't miss luke in the sense of not seeing him, but she missed him.

she missed waking up next to him in the morning, being able to kiss him whenever she wanted, the way he made her laugh so effortlessly and the way she was so undeniably happy around him.

and he missed her too.

luke's arms are delicate as he places them around her, resting his chin on her head as he feels her arms firmly planted around his waist and her head pressed against his chest.

he hasn't been touched like this in years.

the immediate sense of warmth and security that engulfs his entire being just by a simple touch; a feeling luke has sincerely longed for since he lost emma.

and in his embrace, the world stopped on its axis. emma's mind was at peace. luke's love was so pure. unselfish. undemanding. free.

she felt her body press in, soft and warm. this was the love she had always dreamt of having. the love that she lost years ago, and the love that was now dancing on her fingertips, just waiting to be solidified again.

she loosened her grip and angled her head upwards, turning red in the face as luke's blue eyes bore into her own.

innocently standing on her tiptoes, emma wanted nothing more than to kiss him.

she's kissed him nearly a dozen times over the past month and a half, but this time she could kiss him without feeling guilty, without fear of the future.

luke was her future, and she's never been so damn sure of anything else in her entire life.

emma placed a hand at the nape of his neck, applying slight pressure and pulling his head down so his lips hovered over her own.

ashton clears his throat, snapping the couple apart. "can you at least wait until we're gone to do that?" he jokes, chuckling as he speaks.

after an eye roll from emma and a middle finger from luke, michael speaks up.

"y'know luke, you should be thanking maya. she's the whole reason caleb agreed to let emma leave"

the blond furrows his eyebrows, waiting for an explanation.