Epilogue

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QUICK NOTE:

This is a future chapter that is dedicated entirely to the fans.  I was so contempt with the conclusion of the last chapter, however, the support in the comments truly warmed my heart!  The overwhelming love compelled me to write another chapter - so, this one is for you guys! :)

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The sunlight floods through the windows, illuminating the room as my eyes trickle over the mirror.  I drown myself in admiration- the fitted tuxedo a compliment to my figure;  minute details culminating to engulf me in beauty. 

I inhale deeply, each breath a failed attempt to calm the armoured butterflies in my stomach.  A knock at the door steals my eyes away.

"Hey sunshine, I hope I'm not disrupting you on your special day?"  My gaze shoots towards Elliot, his aquatic eyes gleaming as he pokes his head into the room.

"Of course not.  I've been waiting for you to come and annoy me all morning."  He giggles as he saunters towards me - the same confident saunter that lured me out of the detention window all those years ago.  Each footstep a reminder of the decades of friendship;  of love;  of respect.

"Shut up.  You know you love me Sunshine."  He sniggers as he stops beside me, admiring my white suit. "I'm so happy for you Sunshine. I'm so happy for you.  I'm so happy that you're marrying someone who treats you right.  And I'm so happy that we're still best friends all these years later."   He wraps his arm around me, the comforting embrace a contrast against the emotionally tumultuous morning.

"Yeah.  I can't believe I've put up with you for all these years."  My familiarly sarcastic tongue brightens the situation - our teenage humour transcending through our years of friendship.

A squealing barrels down the hallway, disrupting the serenity of the room.

"Daddy!  Daddy!  They have ice-cream!"  A shrieking voice echoes from the hallway, bursting into the room.  The boy runs to Elliot, wrapping tightly around his leg - remnants of chocolate scattered around his mouth.

"Son...have you been eating chocolate?"  Elliot asks as he hoists the boy up into his arms, his playful tone compelling a toothy grin.  His son's blue eyes flare desperately as he diverts his contact away from his father - settling on me.

"Hi uncle Danté, you look pretty."  I wink in response, his inherited charm reminiscent of Elliot in his youth.

"Well, we better leave Uncle Danté to get ready yeah?"  The boy nods in agreement, wrapping his arms around Elliot's neck.  "See you out there Sunshine.  Better not do a runner."  We burst into a simultaneous laughter as he saunters out, closing the door behind him.

I take a final look into the mirror, a deep breath flowing through my body - silencing the nervousness.  Damn Danté, you look good.

I exit out into the hallway, my fingers trailing along the wall as I make my way towards the grand door - each slow step an elongated act of procrastination.  You're going to marry Casey.  You're going to marry the love of your life.  You can do this.  Confidence eradicates the nerves, my excited stroll carrying me to the doorway.

"There he is!  The handsome groom!"  Harvey's voice booms over the augmenting organ from inside the hall, his arms swallowing me as I crash into him.  "Wow.  I can't believe my little bro is getting married before me."  He confesses, his tone dying down as we take in the last seconds of adolescence - fleeting memories of childhood threatening the intangible dam holding back my tears.

"Thanks for walking me down the aisle Harvey.  It means a lot."  He stares down at me, hands on my shoulder - the same hands that protected me through our youth, walking me down the aisle into manhood.

"There's nowhere else I'd rather be."

I gulp as we enter into the doorway, the crowded hall of gazes shooting towards us.  The last time I had this many eyes on me, I was running out of a football stadium.  The sea of faces blur away as I lock eyes with Casey;  distance unable to hinder his beauty - beams of sunlight drizzling over his black tuxedo;  illuminating his green eyes.

The crowd and music fades into the background, becoming obsolete as Harvey and I walk in unison, his arm releasing from mine as he drops me off at the alter.

"Hey."  Casey whispers, a blush ravaging my cheeks as his three-letter word injects me with eternal bliss, submerging us in a bubble - everyone's presence unable to distract our locked gazes.  His fingers wrap around mine, caressing them softly - the coolness of his engagement ring a reminder of our love.

"Ladies and Gentlemen;"  The officiant begins.  "We are gathered here today to witness the joining of Danté Evans and Casey Stevenson in holy matrimony."  My breath hitches, a childhood fairytale unfolding before my eyes.  "In testament to their love, they have prepared vows for each other."   

Casey's comforting grip releases from around my fingers, his hand digging into his pocket and pulling out a piece of paper.

"Dear Danté."  He pauses, his unwavering confidence surrendering to the tears threatening to spill from his eyes.  "I don't know where to begin;  but I know where to end:  I do.  I do, and I will always do.  You are the love of my life, possessor of my heart and high-school sweetheart.  You gave me the confidence to do things I'd never been able to do before I met you...I wasn't even me before I met you..."  He lifts a shaking hand up to wipe away a cascading tear - my own emotional walls crumbling as he carries on.

"There's so many things I hate about you."  I giggle, his statement a testament to his humour - humour which has intoxicated me for years on end.  "I hate that you make breakfast for me every morning.  I hate that you look cute in any outfit that you put on.  I hate that your brother loves you as much as I do.  And most importantly, I hate that..."  He pauses;  gulping as he re-catches his stuttering breath.  "I hate that I lived 17 years of my life without hugging you every single day.  I love you Danté Evans.  I love you."

My eyes betray me, falling victim to his spoken serenade - each word carrying the weight of a country.  Blurrily I stare at him, my sleeve taking away the tears as I reach into my pocket and pull out my own piece of paper.

"Well fuck, I don't think I wrote anything as pretty as that."  The adoring crowd erupts into laughter, wet eyes watching me as I stutter nervously.  "Dear Casey...I didn't know that the boy that stole my bed at a party in Highschool, would be the same boy that would go on to steal my heart.  The moment you flipped me over your shoulder onto the floor, I knew we would be forever."  We giggle in reminiscence.  It feels like only yesterday that I found him in my bed, huddled up, soft snores emitting from his sleeping body.  

I tuck the piece of paper back into my pocket, written words unable to capture my eternal love for him.  "I love you Casey Stevenson.  I love you when you burn the toast.  I love you when you leave your clothes on the floor.  I even love you when you eat my ice cream that I hide away in the back of the fridge."  He smiles in response;  approval enough for me.  "And I can't wait to spend a lifetime filled with burnt toast, messy clothes and no ice cream...with you."

With our vows finished, the officiant begins finalising our marriage.  Wow.  Never thought I'd say that in my lifetime.  

"Casey Stevenson, do you take Danté Evans to be your lawfully wedded husband til death do you part?"

"I do."

"And Danté Evans, do you take Casey Stevenson to be your lawfully wedd-"

"I do!"  My anticipation unable to control itself as the answer pushes through my lips, the love of my life inches away from my face.

"Well then.  By the power invested in me, by the state of the New Zealand Government, I now pronounce you husband and husband.  You may now kiss the groom!"  His plump lips crash against mine, time freezing as we isolate ourselves in a tender embrace.  His tongue latches around me, pulling me in simultaneously as he thrusts his hips forward;  distance eliminated by our burning hunger.  

Cheering erupts around us as we pull away from our kiss;  our eyes locked;  fingers intertwined - time unable to penetrate our eternal bond.  

Here I am:  happy;  married;  in-love.  And now, there's a husband in my bed.

A/N

Hey squirrel friends!  I know I said that the last chapter was the finale...but I'm a liar.  This chapter is entirely dedicated to the fans who loved and supported this book.  Months after its completion, it is still ranked #1 in BoyxBoy, and, has amassed over 2 million reads!

I hope that this chapter tied up any loose ends that've been devouring you during sleepless nights.  Hopefully everyone's futures are satisfying, and I'm proud that my main characters all got 1 final chapter together!

I am forever thankful for all my readers and everything you have down for the book!

With lots of love,

- Youroffputting

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