What Was Lost

Epilogue

18 Months Later

Grace's brows furrow as she reclines, her hazel eyes narrowing in confusion. "Wait, wait, wait. Who is that guy?" She swats at a fly. "Where did he come from?"

Logan lets out a weary sigh and sets the book aside, tilting his head up to look at her. "We are introduced to him, like, three chapters ago. He's part of the rebellion."

She runs her fingers through his hair, gazing down at him with a mix of frustration and affection. "It's getting hard to keep track of all these characters."

"I know, but trust me, it will all come together in the end." Logan reassures her with a nod. His voice carries a hint of excitement, as if he can't wait for her to see how the pieces will fall into place.

Her eyes widened as she peered over at his book, its spine thick. "Which is how much longer?"

He held up the book, flipping through the remaining pages with practiced ease. "About 600 more," he replied nonchalantly.

She let out an exasperated groan and collapsed back on the grass. "Oh my God."

He couldn't help but chuckle at her reaction. "Come on, you love reading. You do it all the time."

"Yes, but those books are half this size and usually involve a lot more...sex." She grinned teasingly.

He raised an eyebrow playfully. "I can give you more sex, baby. We can take regular intermission breaks from reading if that's what you really want." The mischievous glint in his eye told her he was only half joking.

Her melodic laughter rings out, "There's not going to be any intermission breaks in Central Park," she says, gesturing towards the sprawling green space in front of them.

The sun beats down on the couple, but they find refuge under the shade of a majestic oak tree. They have a small spread laid out on a blanket - some groceries from Whole Foods and a bottle of chilled wine. The park is alive with the sounds of birds chirping and children playing.

After savoring their meal, he lays back with his head resting comfortably in her lap. She runs her fingers through his hair as he opens the sci-fi novel she had picked out for him to read aloud. It's one of his favorites and even though she can't quite follow the intricate plot, she loves seeing his face light up with enthusiasm as he reads it to her.

He opened up about his journey to overcome dyslexia and find joy in reading. In prison, he found reading aloud helped, and it had become a great source of solace for him since. He opened up about his past, laying bare his vulnerabilities and regrets. It was a crucial step in rebuilding trust between them, and he made a solemn promise to never hold anything back from her again. She had heard bits and pieces of his story before, but she knew there was still much more to discover in time. Despite all that he had gone through, she couldn't help but feel proud of the man he had become. He was nothing like the young man he described, who seemed like a distant memory compared to the strong and resilient person standing before her now.

They didn't often broach the subject of his relationship with Ryan, as the topic was still filled with awkwardness and uncertainty. But she could sense that Ryan had held a significant place in Logan's life for the time he did. He'd had a connection with him. Their relationship had been tumultuous though, just like hers had been with Ryan. However, the difference was Logan had less patience for Ryan's ups and downs, and also had to navigate Ryan wanting to keep his sexuality hidden. Despite this, he didn't mind when she shared small snippets about their past. He understood that Ryan had played a profound role in her life, and his memory was deeply woven into the fabric of her being. He knew she'd always carry grief for Ryan. He had his own.