The Silence

Epilogue

Saint:

I was on my way out when I felt someone tug on the back of my jacket.

"Saint."

"Veronica." I said in the same tone. "What is it? I'm in a hurry."

"I just wanted to ask what you're up to this summer. My parents are renting out a house by the beach so I thought I'd invite a few friends."

"Sorry." I said, walking quickly and pulling my phone out of my pocket. "I have plans this summer."

"Julian plans?" She asked with a smirk.

"Shut up." I gave her my own smirk and was about to type out a message to Peter when there was another tug on my jacket. "Vee, I swear..." She held up her hands and giggled.

"I'm sorry, but..." She pointed to her left and I followed the direction of her finger. My heart skipped a beat and then promptly lodged itself in my throat. Julian was sitting by the fountain, his legs crossed up on the stone wall, chocolate curls floating in the wind.

"I'll text you later." Veronica laughed and gave me a pat on the back.

"Yeah..." I said and drifted over towards the fountain. Julian looked up just before I reached him and his face lit up in a beautiful smile.

"Hey. How are you?" He said as he stood up and groaned when I pulled him into a hug. "Saint. My ribs."

"I'm...what are you doing here? I thought you were still in - "

"I got back early." He whispered and gripped the lapel of my jacket so he could drag me forward for a kiss. Ever since Julian had lost his hearing, he'd been back and forth all over the state, looking for second and third opinions from all kinds of doctors. This last one had been the furthest and he'd been gone for 4 days already.

"Why didn't you tell me?" I squeezed his waist and he smiled again.

"I wanted to surprise you. Today is your last day. I thought we'd go for a drive. Get some ice cream."

"Yeah, we can do that." I muttered, still a little shocked that he was actually here. "How did you even get here?"

"I texted Peter." He grinned and I laughed.

"You..." I shook my head slowly. "Come on. I gotta go get my trombone. Then we can go."

"OK."

Julian ran his hand back and forth over my trombone case during the ride back home.

"You really shouldn't have quit." He said quietly when he laid it down in it's spot in my music room.

"Band?"

"Mmhmm." I shrugged and took one of his hands in mine.

"I can't play anymore."

"What do you mean?" He tilted his head at me.

"Ever since...playing just didn't sit right with me anymore." I said carefully. "I couldn't get it out of my head. You not behind able to hear. It made me sad." He squeezed my hand gently and gave it a kiss.

"I don't think about it that much anymore." He said and I lifted my hand to caress his cheek.

"I think about it all the time."

"Don't. I've been...I'm OK with it now."

He WAS doing OK. I knew this. Over the past few months, Julian had been taking classes at home with his new tutor and joined some or other social media forum for deaf people that was really helping to boost his self confidence in himself. He was getting much better at sign language and had even gotten a job at the library. He was doing great. But it still ate at my soul in a way that I couldn't shake.