I Love You Because

Epilogue

October 22nd, two years later

         I was giddy with excitement.

         It had taken me over a year of saving and several jobs at a time, but I had finally paid my parents back for the plane tickets I had purchased so long ago without their knowledge. Which meant that I could go back to visit Nina.

        This time, of course, I wouldn't be going alone, and it wouldn't be the sole reason we were going to America. At least, for the rest of my family, who planned this huge roadtrip. I couldn't care less about all of that touristy junk, so, luckily, while they went to the Georgia Aquarium, I would be visiting Nina on the bridge that had changed both of our lives.

         The plane ride was great, since it was my first time flying without the nagging anxiety of saving a life. My brother Eric and I played cards, while Dan looked out of the window sullenly. Now that he's thirteen, he's entered his "I hate everyone" phase. Which is fine, in all honestly. A stark contrast to his "I'm so random!" phase, thank goodness.

         We got a rental car in Georgia, since that's where we landed once again, and after a noisy trip that involved blaring music and an irritable Dan, I was dropped off at the bridge that I had found Nina on exactly two years previously.

         My family stopped at the base of the bridge, just as the Uber driver had what felt like decades ago. I climbed up the steep slope slowly, and it wasn't long until I saw Nina was waiting for me at the top, this time with a huge smile lighting up her face.

         Her brunette hair was pulled back into two French braids, though a couple of strands on each side had escaped and were curling in front of her ears. Her makeup was slightly smudged on her left eye, and she was sweating a bit from her forehead. I noticed her chest rising and falling frantically.

         "I am... so... out of shape," she panted, clutching herself dramatically. "I had to... run all the way... here."

         I laughed and pulled her into a hug, sweat and all. "Why did you run?" I asked, pulling away just enough so I could see her face.

         "I slept in," she admitted, her breathing a bit steadier. "I got here about ten seconds before you."

         I looked down at the watch I always wore and scoffed. "It's one o'clock in the afternoon," I pointed out, raising an eyebrow at my best friend.

         Nina seemed to think for a second, probably to find a good comeback, when she simply said, "Shut up."

         We both laughed and collapsed onto the leaf strewn asphalt, just like we had two years ago. This time, though, we had set up a picnic blanket and were going to actually enjoy ourselves.

         "You brought food?" I asked Nina, remembering how notoriously forgetful she could be.

         Nina patted a bag at her side, which stood out in our autumnal surroundings with its bright floral pattern. "Everything's right here." With that, she began to pull random items out, piling them onto the blanket.

         "Let's see, you packed Oreos, Cheerios, on-the-go peanut butter, and apple juice," I listed as she pulled the various contents out of the bag.

         Nina smirked and began to open the Oreos. We finished the package in five minutes, us talking the whole time.

         "So, Nina, how's your... previous love life?" I asked hesitantly, not knowing how she would react to me bringing up the subject. We hadn't spoken about it since her last boyfriend, Davis, who turned out to be abusive.

         Nina shrugged nonchalantly, taking a sip out of her juice box. "Davis actually moved halfway across the country after the authorities were done with him. So he won't be bothering me anytime soon." I smiled at that. I was glad that he was out of her life for good. "And I met this super cute girl. I don't know if she's, y'know, into boobs and stuff, but I really hope she is," Nina admitted, slightly dreamily.

         I rolled my eyes with a slight laugh. Nina was always telling me about some new girl that she was crushing on, especially after she came out to me a little over a year ago as bisexual. She hasn't told her parents yet, but we were both hoping they'd be supportive of her.

         Nina interrupted my thoughts by snapping her fingers in my face, forcing me back into reality. "Earth to Astrid? Any special someone in your life lately?"

         I sneered at her mockingly. "Only if Joe counts as a 'special someone.' And," I said, holding a hand in the air to prevent Nina from speaking, "it would be completely platonic, because we're not dating," I said pointedly. Nina had been making fun of me ever since I had told her how much Joe helped me when I had been trying to save her life.

         "Sure, sure," she said, but I knew the subject wasn't dropped. "But since you are going to the same university next year, you'll have a lot of time to, y'know," she said with a wink, nudging me a few times before I shoved her away.

         "Nina!" I exclaimed, eyes wide and trying to sound mad and failing. "Shut up!"

         She muttered something incoherent under her breath.

         "What was that?" I asked, raising a suspicious eyebrow.

         "I'll tell you what I said if you admit your undying love for Joe."

         "Well, I guess I'll never know, then."

         And there, on that bridge, Nina and I burst into laughter, not for the first time, and certainly not the last. Nothing was actually all that funny, but once we got going, we couldn't stop. It was a clutching your sides, struggling to breathe kind of laugh.

         That bridge, I was beginning to think, had become our common ground. It was where we had been drawn together, closer than ever before. A place where we had overcome struggles and learned more about each other.

         The bridge actually had a name the entire time.

         Vitae Bridge.

         Turns out, vitae means life in Latin.

         Funny how the universe works, isn't it?

A/N: Wow. It's over. This is my first ever complete book here on wattpad, and can I just say that it was so much fun to write. And hopefully, fun to read as well! Thank you all so much for taking time to read my writing, even with my weird updating schedule and all. You're all the best!

And to anyone struggling with anything similar to what Nina was dealing with, or anything at all, remember that we all have an Astrid in our lives that care about us. Hang in there.♡