The sun was still out as night fell over Farnleigh in mid-July, the clock creeping closer to nine o'clock as each minute passed, yet Ishaana was only just sitting down to eat supper with her family with a grin on her lips that she hadn't been able to shake for hours. Her lips hurt and her cheeks ached, but it was impossible not to grin as the long awaited day eased itself towards the end. As she sat down, a lightness in her movements as she floated on a cloud, Priya laughed at her.

"How does it feel to be a graduate?" she asked, and Ishaana heaved a deep breath.

"Amazing," she said. "Terrifying, but kind of amazing." Nodding her head slowly to herself, she struggled to believe that after three years of working towards her degree, it was all over now. Four months ago, she had handed in the dissertation that made up a quarter of her degree, After that, and the incessant coursework that had preceded her immense project, all she'd had to do was pass a solitary exam in May. The results had come out exactly a month ago. Ishaana had wept when she had caught the first glimpse of a seven on her transcript, and the five that had followed it. A seventy-five. A solid first. Three years, and it was all over. But she had got a first class honours politics degree from a top university, something else to add to her CV, and she couldn't stop smiling.

"I'm so proud of you, Ishy," Sunita said, tears in her eyes that she blinked back as she grinned, reaching out to hold Ishaana's hand across the table.

The past year had not been without its fair share of rollercoasters as Ishaana had battled her final year of university while Saffiya had struggled through the last year of college, but both of them had come out with uproarious successes. News of Ishaana's first class degree had preceeded Saffiya's results by a month, when she had found out that she had secured four As in her A-levels, almost unheard of among those who chose to take on an additional subject. An odd combination of textiles, physics, English and French, she had aced each one with ease.

"I'm so proud of all my girls," Sunita added, pulling Saffiya close and kissing her temple, and she reached out to squeeze Priya's hand. "My amazing girls."

"You just watch, Suni," Priya said. "We're gonna take over the world, us three. Saffi can design our costumes; Ishy can organise some kind of political revolt, and I can be the charismatic leader."

"What about me?" Bishop piped up from the other side of the kitchen as he filled a jug with water from the tap, garnishing it with a slice of lemon left over from the celebratory meal Sunita had cooked. Priya rolled her eyes and laughed.

"You can be the eye candy," she said. "We might need you to distract the world with your pretty face while we take it over."

"Hey," Ishaana said, kicking her sister. "Stop objectifying my boyfriend." She looked up at Bishop, nodding at the empty seat. "Sit down, babe. I'm starving. I haven't eaten anything today."

"Nothing?" Sunita and Bishop questioned in unison, and she shook her head.

"I was too excited this morning," she said, having woken up at six o'clock with a fizz in her stomach on the morning that she would don a cap and a gown to receive her diploma, the piece of paper that certified her as a graduate of the university's school of government and society, with the highest honours it could bestow upon her. "Now I could eat a horse." Then she chuckled, throwing her aunt an apologetic smile. "But I won't."

"Not in this house," Sunita said with a smile, "but whatever you do outside is your business, Ishy."

"Well, this looks delicious. And it smells amazing," Ishaana said, her hand going to Bishop's knee as he sat down beside her at last, having served everyone their meals before he had fetched his own, insisting that Sunita sit down after spending so long in the kitchen.

"Thank you, darling," Sunita said. "Now, a toast to you. Today you became a graduate, and I couldn't be prouder of you, Ishaana. I only wish your parents could see you today. I know that they're looking down on you and smiling. You're brilliant. To Ishy."

"To Ishy," chorused everyone around the table, and Bishop spoke the words with a smile licking his lips as he gazed at her, his fingers lacing with hers.

"And here's to a year," he said, clinking his glass with his once Sunita's toast had been acknowledged. For a moment, Ishaana frowned before the date dawned on her.

"Oh my goodness," she siad, her smile turning into a laugh. Exactly one year ago, she had waited with bated breath for him to show up at the greasy café in Birmingham. Exactly one year ago, he had swept her off her feet. "It is as well, isn't it?"

"No," Priya said, scowling. "It'll be a year in three months, seeing as it took you that long to actually tell anybody." She shook her head. "I still can't believe we were together all summer and not once did you tell me you guys were dating. Not once!"

"Because you're a fangirl, Pri," Ishaana said with a laugh. "I needed to give you time to get over the band. And to figure out how much I love this dork." She squeezed Bishop's hand before she picked up her cutlery, their elbows bumping together.

"How much is that?" he asked, his eyes twinkling.

"More than a little," she said with a grin, digging into the meal her aunt had put together.

The past year had been anything but easy. There had been nothing straightforward about their relationship. What was on the surface as simple as two people falling for each other, still waters ran deep. Although it was exactly a year since their first date, and eleven months since they had slept together for the first time after the first time, Ishaana could count almost two months' worth of days that they had not been a couple. Those were the days that it had all got too much, freaking out at the hint of seriousness, the days when she had asked Bishop if they could take a break, just for a little while.

Each time, he had been as kind and as patient as ever, waiting while she had taken the time she needed to reevaluate her life and her love. Each time, she had crawled back to him with an apology. Each time, he had taken her in his arms and kissed her as though they had never been apart. But for a solid three months, she had swallowed every morsel of fear when she felt herself falling, fast and hard. For twelve weeks, the longest they had been a couple without hitting pause, she had smiled each time that he had called her his girlfriend. The word had terrified her at first, but now it began to fit better as it moulded to her ears.

Not once had he forced her to explain herself. Not once had he told her that enough was enough. Not once had he been gone when she had wanted to come back. Slowly, he was becoming a part of the fabric. Sunita, albeit with caution, had accepted him into the house once she had realised the good he was doing for her niece. Months had passed before she had been comfortable with him staying over, and now he had become an extra in the family, the only man. Ishaana's man.

After more than an hour round the dinner table as supper extended into the night, it was Priya who succumbed to the time first. Yawning impossibly wide, much to Sunita's distaste, who told her to cover her mouth, she dragged her leaden body upstairs after bidding goodnight with a kiss for Ishaana, Saffiya and Sunita, and a wave for Bishop. It had taken months for her to understand her sister's relationship with the man she had once idolised, something she was still trying to come to terms with, and it would always be something she didn't know the half of: there were still some things Ishaana vowed to keep to herself.

Saffiya was next, leaving once it got to half past ten. While Sunita remained, chatting to Ishaana and Bishop over a cup of tea, she only made it to eleven before she headed upstairs and for the first time in a long time, the two of them were alone together. The sofa they had retired to after eating seemed to have been made for them, the slight dip in the middle bringing them closer together, and for a moment they sat in peaceful harmony with Ishaana's legs over Bishop's lap, her head on his shoulder and his arm around her. No matter how they held each other, they always seemed to fit together like two pieces of a puzzle that never should have met, and yet when they did, it was to find the piece they didn't know they'd been missing.

It was comfortable. That was Ishaana's favourite part. She was comfortable with Bishop, at last. After nine months off and on, her emotions fluctuating as she had dealt with the nearly intolerable stress of her final year of university and the hangover of the year before, every moment she regretted from the months before they had become a couple, she finally felt comfortable. Whether they were chatting for hours over coffee, or hanging out with Priya after school, or simply in each other's presence as they did their own thing, Ishaana had not once felt the need to be anyone but herself. Bishop had never expected her to be. Not when he had seen all of who she was before they had ever spoken.

"I love you," Ishaana murmured, tucked against him on the sofa with no soundtrack to the night except for his steady breaths as he lost himself in thought. He did that a lot, something that had irritated her until she had learnt that it was who he was: his brain was so full that in order to fully address his thoughts, he needed to completely switch off from everything around him. But not that.

"I love you too," he said, kissing her when she lifted her head. One hand pushed her hair off her face, tucking it behind her ears. "You're amazing, Ishy. Congratulations. I knew you'd do it. Even when you tried to kill me with your political philosophy textbook."

"I told you, that was an accident," she said, a smile growing on her lips. In the throes of a rant about the amount of work she had to do, on the cusp of one of their break-ups, a wild gesture while holding a mighty textbook had seen the book fly across the room. It had thudded Bishop hard enough to leave a bruise on his chest that had reddened his skin before turning a murky shade of purple, and after Ishaana had made sure that he was ok, she had asked him to give her some space. Two weeks had been enough for her to get a little perspective.

"Yeah, yeah," he said, though he laughed. "That's what they all say. That book was, like, a thousand pages. You actually could kill me with it."

"Would you rather I knocked you over the head or gave you a thousand paper cuts?" she asked. "Or I could papier-mache your head. Quite a few ways to kill someone with a big book."

"Quite a few ways to concern your boyfriend, too," he said, and he kissed her again. "Want to head up?"

"Mmm," Ishaana said, nodding. It was weird to be able to truly relax, with nothing to worry about for the rest of the summer. Real life could wait a moment, giving her space to breathe as she tried to figure out what step to take next. Her agenda was empty with no job lined up, no plans on the horizon, and as much as she thought that would stress her out, it was hard to worry when at last, she knew she had her family. Ishaana's support had been unwavering, and Bishop had been like a beacon in the night when she had felt like a ship in distress.

Untangling their bodies, she stood and led the way to her bedroom, turning off the lights as she went, and once her door was shut, Bishop's fingers traced over her hand and up her arm before his palm warmed the nape of her neck, pulling her close to kiss her. Gentle hands held her, tipping her head back as he bent down to breathe her in. Between them, her hand was pinned against his chest and she felt his heart beat beneath his warm skin, the steady pulse that increased a fraction as he kissed her. Her fingers dropped down, languishing in the way he kissed her so softly, and she found something that was anything but soft. Grazing her hand over his jeans, he twitched and she smiled against his lips.

He knew what she wanted. She knew he wanted it too, sharing the signals they had learnt to interpret without the need to vocalise their desires, and she continued to kiss him as he pushed her jacket off her shoulders. Grazing his thumb over her nipple until it stiffened under his touch, he slipped off the straps of her loose tank top that dropped to her waist to reveal her naked breasts. His fingers, roughened by the strings of his guitar, caressed her skin until her nipples were almost painfully hard and he broke apart their kiss to give her breasts attention. He traced his lips down her jaw as he eased her back towards the bed, his tongue trailing down to her areola.

Ishaana let her tank top slither to the floor and sat down on the bed in her shorts. She scooted back before she lay down and pulled Bishop towards her, his eyes drinking her in as his hands moved over her body. The bright light overhead was unforgiving, highlighting every part of her that she didn't care to hide. She had always preferred the dark, but with Bishop, the light was even better. She could see him as he filled her, losing herself in the sensations that overwhelmed her.

His lips moved down her ribs, brushing over the soft hairs that darkened her skin from her bellybutton to the waistband of her jeans. Undoing the button and the zipper, her pulled her shorts down her long legs until she lay in nothing but her underwear. He knelt either side of her knees, his lips returning to hers as they kissed again. Ishaana loved to feel his weight on top of her, his body pressing down on hers for a breathless kiss as she felt his hand move between her legs. Fingers grazing over her underwear, every miniscule sensation was heightened and she wrapped her arms around his strong, muscular back to pull him closer.

He knew exactly how to tease her, exactly what to do to hear her softly sigh in his ear when he slipped his hand beneath her underwear and toyed with her pubic hair. He moved slowly, calculating each step before he made it, and Ishaana couldn't help the quiet satisfaction that drew itself onto her lips when Bishop cupped her, his fingers parting her. She widened her legs a little, drawing him in as he slowly explored her wetness. While his fingers teased her, he kissed her long and deep, pinning her against the bed with his hand between her legs and her lip between his teeth.

His thumb moved in slow circles around her clitoris until she sighed against his kiss and he pushed one finger into her as though it was the first time he had touched her body rather than the twenty-first, yet Ishy was still gripped by the suspense as though he placed her under a spell each time they slept together. Her eyes met his as a second finger joined the first, gazing up at him as though he was a phenomenon she couldn't tear her eyes from and he smiled down at her before she pulled him to her, longing to feel that closeness of his skin on hers.

When she released him from her grip, her arms falling to the bed as he built up her climax, he moved down until his tongue replaced his thumb, three fingers buried in her as his tongue swirled around her clitoris and she threw her arms above her head, controlling her breathing for maximum impact as he licked her and pumped his fingers into her, curling up to brush against her G-spot. A low groan rumbled up from the pit of her stomach that she stifled against her arm. Ever since she had been back with her family, she and Bishop had been forced to learn to control themselves, stifling every moan and wail that threatened to erupt in the throes of orgasm.

"Right there, don't stop," she murmured, throwing back her head with her eyes closed as his tongue worked magic between her legs. Widening her knees, she lifted her feet to his shoulders with her toes curled, biting her forearm to swallow any noise she knew she might make. Rather than increasing his pace, Bishop continued his movements without disruption to the pattern. He knew that no matter what Ishaana said, that was a surefire way to build her climax up to an even taller peak that would shake her when she came crashing down. "Oh, fuck, don't stop," she whispered, tipping her head back against the mattress. "Fuck, that's it."

Slow and steady, she felt that heat spread through her body like a wildfire coursing through her veins. Every nerve was on fire, her toes curled impossibly tight as she pulled her legs even higher, one arm hooked around the back of her knees as Bishop filled her with his fingers and treated her clitoris like a lollipop. A few minutes felt like forever in the best possible way as she rode that wave holding her breath until she couldn't take it anymore. With a jagged gasp, her thighs spasming, her orgasm flooded Bishop's fingers and he continued to stroke her G-spot, his tongue easing up on her sensitive clitoris as she clenched around him. Each breath was ragged, desperately trying to quieten herself.

But that was difficult when Bishop knew exactly how to push her orgasm into another dimension, playing her body like a guitar. He knew which strings to pluck to make a beautiful melody, which notes combined for a divine tune. She was his instrument, her body singing when he played it just right, and he had plenty of practise to know Ishaana's favourite song. As she recovered from her first orgasm, letting her feet back onto the mattress with her knees crooked, he squirted a dollop of warming lubrication onto his finger and gingerly rubbed it around her clitoris. It wasn't long before she felt the tingle as it kicked in, reigniting the fire when his tongue pushed into her, his nose bumping against her.

"Holy fuck," she muttered, bracing herself for a second orgasm as he treated her just the way he knew she needed to be treated. He pushed her thighs apart, lifting her knees over his shoulders as he hungrily devoured her until she felt that breathless second rush. "Oh, fuck, I'm gonna come. Shit, I'm coming." Her back lifted away from the bed, forcing her hips into the mattress, but he maintained his pace until she exploded with a cry that she couldn't hold in. She clamped her hand over her mouth too late, the wail already having escaped as she convulsed, jerking away from Bishop when she couldn't take his touch anymore. She quivered on her damp sheets, swearing beneath her breath as she tried to get a grip.

Bishop hardly gave her time to catch her breath before he kissed her again, his hands planted either side of her as she parted her lips for him, their tongues dancing together as he stole every word from her mouth. For several long seconds, she lay powerless beneath him until she found the strength to push him onto his back and straddle his knees. Unbuckling his jeans, she pulled them off in a swift motion to free his erection, springing free from his boxers when she slipped them off and when she pushed up his t-shirt to his chest, he tugged it from his body so that he lay nude on the white sheets, at her mercy. Pulling her hair over one shoulder she leant over him, her lips grazing his ear as she pulled his lobe between her teeth and whispered, "I love you, so fucking much."

Return to his lap, one hand wrapped around his cock and slowly stroked him until he stood full erect, waiting for her. Bishop lay propped up on his elbows, watching Ishaana as she lowered her lips to the tip of his penis, teasing his shaft and cupping his testicles before she took him in her mouth, as deep as he could go. He watched as she sucked him, heightening the sensations to see what he could feel, and he breathed a little heavier each time that her head bobbed in his lap.

Her tongue knew what to do, her lips stretched around him as one hand felt around in her bedside drawer for the familiar packet. Carefully tearing it open, she lifted her head and rolled on a condom before she sat straighter and planted one hand on Bishop's chest, squirting a little extra lube onto him. Hovering over him, her other hand dropped between their bodies to wrap around his thick cock and guide him into her. She still hadn't quite adjusted to his size, always a little surprised by how much he filled her when she sank down carefully.

With a guttural groan, she groped one of her breasts as she felt herself stretching to accommodate him and his hands grazed her hips as she widened her legs. Already a little breathless, she closed her eyes and smiled for a moment before she met his eye and began to move. Starting slowly, she rolled her hips and lifted herself up an inch at a time before dropping down again with a gasp. The bed creaked with each thrust when Bishop held onto her waist and pushed up into her. Her own desperate hands groped her breasts, taking it slow as he filled her.

But there was only so long that he could stand that, pulling her down to kiss her as he swiftly rolled her onto her back without slipping out of her. Ishaana wrapped her legs around him, her knees up high as he pulled out almost all the way and slowly thrust back in, working up a rhythm as she grew used to the feel of him in her. Once he felt her relax around him, heaving a sigh and letting her hands fall from his shoulders to her breasts, his speed increased. Rough hands gripped her hips, pulling her close as he thrust into her and she gasp when he bottomed out in her.

"Fuck," he muttered, his fingers denting her skin as he pounded her. "Fuck, Ishy."

"Come for me," she whispered. He loved when she whispered and she knew it, a coy grin on her lips as she told him what to do. He was powerless to resist, his orgasm building with every single thrust until he was slamming into her with no mercy, in desperate pursuit of his climax. Ishaana groaned, pinching her nipples with one hand while the other dared to venture back to her sensitive clitoris. Seeing her touch herself as he drove into her pushed Bishop over the edge, letting out a strangled wail that he couldn't suppress when his orgasm overrode his efforts to be quiet.

Breathing hard, he lowered himself on top of Ishaana, softening inside her, and he kissed her as she pushed herself into a third orgasm that ripped through her, crying out as her body spasmed, forcing Bishop out of her when her eyes rolled back and she couldn't control the convulsions that rocked her. Bishop's kiss softened the panting cry that she let out, stifling the noise that she hoped wouldn't carry through the house.

"I love you, Ishaana Jain," he murmured when she began to come around from the third orgasm that had pushed her into a new dimension. A lazy smile slipped onto her lips and she turned her cheek against her pillow, rolling onto her side to drape her arm over him. The year had done her good. The past three months had been even better, the months for which she had been able to get rid of her fears. She had fought through the brick wall that had turned her away each time before that, and it was with confidence that she lay in his arms, and said those words right back to him.

Breakfast was always a lazy affair in the holidays. Priya's school had finished a week earlier than usual and Saffiya was done with her sixth form college, the house surprisingly full with the addition of Bishop. In the fourteen months that had passed since he had quit Two Degrees, cutting ties with Casey, he had put his degree to use. He had taken up a masters in Biomedical Science at Callaghan University and begun an internship as a medical research scientist at the hospital. Now, his time was split between Ishaana, his parents, and his sisters as he studied and worked.

Except now, he cooked. Standing over the oven as he made rava dosa for breakfast, a simple recipe for the rice pancakes that Sunita had taught him, Ishaana stood behind him with her chin on his shoulder and her arms around his waist.

"You know what's sexy?" Her words tickled his ear and he smiled, turning his head just enough to meet her gaze.

"You?" he offered, and she chuckled.

"Watching you cook," she said, hugging him a little tighter before she let go and leant against the counter with her arms folded. "You're so serious when you cook." She prodded the line in his forehead, deepened as he concentrated, but it disappeared when he smiled and kissed her.

"Where is everyone?" he asked, and Ishaana laughed.

"Maybe they're avoiding us," she said. "They'll be down soon. Saffi's always the last one down. Suni will be here any minute."

As though on cue, Sunita came downstairs in a silk dressing gown, having taken the week off work to indulge in a little time with her family. It was rare to have all three girls home at the same time and she hadn't let that opportunity go to waste. Lazy mornings were a rarity and she padded into the kitchen in her slippers, carrying the half-empty mug she had taken to bed with her last night. Giving Ishaana and Bishop a quiet smile and a nod of acknowledgement, she headed straight to the sink to wash up.

Ishaana glanced at her aunt, who was usually more effusive in the mornings with her greetings, and she hopped up onto the counter, her feet swinging against the cupboard beneath her as she said, "Morning, Suni."

Sunita gave her a slighty stiff smile. "Morning, Ishaana. Good morning, Bishop," she said, leaving her mug to dry before she took a seat at the table, addressing yesterday's paper. Ishaana frowned for a moment before she let it slip off her back, her attention returning to her boyfriend before she heard footsteps and a minute later, Priya tumbled into the room in a mess of tangled hair and ratty pyjamas. She glanced at her sister, an awkward expression on her face as she stifled a laugh when she said hello, and avoided her gaze as she sat down opposite her aunt.

"What's going on?" Ishaana asked, but neither her aunt nor her sister would meet her eye. "Pri?"

"What? Nothing," Priya said, her gaze shifting away from Ishaana's, whose expression pulled into a frown. Her feet stopped thudding against the cupboard as she stared at Priya, who ignored her in favour of her book.

"Am I going crazy?" she asked Bishop.

"What, babe?"

"What's going on?"

He pursed his lips, too busy trying not to burn the stack of pancakes he was making. "No idea," he said, the words a little tight as he focused on pouring batter into the hot pan. When a third set of footsteps could be heard upstairs, Ishaana waited for her cousin to appear in the doorway, ready to interrogate her if she was frozen out again. Saffiya plodded down the stairs, running her hand through her hair.

"Hey, Ishy," she said. "Hey, Bishop."

"Morning, Saffi," Sunita said with a smile, almost of relief, and Ishaana frowned once more.

"Seriously, why am I being put in coventry?" she asked, and Saffiya looked up with amusement in her eyes.

"Well," she said, choosing her words. "You guys fuck really loud. Just saying."

"Saffiya!" Sunita cried out, appalled by her daughter's words, while Priya let out an uproarious laugh. "Language, please."

Saffiya shrugged. "It's true," she said, and Sunita faltered as Bishop's eyes widened. Everyone had heard. "You were loud last night."

"Thanks, Saffi," Ishaana said drily, laughing off her cousin's comment. Beside her, Bishop looked like a rabbit caught in the headlights, his mouth hanging open a little at Saffiya's remark. "Ignore her," Ishaana said. "She's just jealous."

"I'm not jealous. I don't want my whole family hearing me having sex," Saffiya muttered, shaking her head, and Ishaana laughed.

"You won't care when it's good," she said, leaning forward with a cheeky grin. Bishop stammered beside her.

"Ishy," he said, as though he couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"What! I'm bigging you up, babe. No harm, no foul," she said, grinning as she kissed him, and Saffiya snorted. Red-faced, Sunita stood and left the room and Priya's laugh only worsened to see her aunt looking so embarrassed. Saffiya scoffed, shaking her head.

"From what I heard, you needn't do that," she said, and Priya almost passed out from taking such a huge gasp, spluttering a laugh while Bishop hung his shaking head, his hand over his eyes.

"Let's not," he said, mortification written across his face like an obiturary. "Ishy, let's just eat, ok?"

Saffiya opened her mouth for a snappy retort but he held up his hand.

"Please," he said, humiliation coursing through him. "Safe it for when I'm out of hearing range."

"Ok," Saffiya said, sighing defeat. "Hey, Bishop, d'you mind popping to the shop to get the paper?" she asked, a twinkle in her eyes, and he laughed as he shook his head.

"I'm not that stupid," he said, flicking on the kettle to make various cups of tea. He took out Saffiya's favourite mug and dropped an Earl Grey teabag into it, finding chamomile for Sunita and Chai for himself. Ishaana had coffee, and he spooned the instant granules into the mug he had given her for yesterday's graduation. "Sunita?"

She came back into the room a moment later. "Please let's put this conversation to bed," she said. "I don't want to hear any more."

"Tea?" he asked, holding up the mug he knew she favoured, the one she automatically chose whenever she made the drinks.

"Mmm, yes please. Thank you, Bishop," she said, taking the mug he handed her and returning to her seat at the table. Saffiya swallowed any more of her remarks, coming into her own a little more in the past year as she found her confidence and her mother afforded her a little more leeway, and she smiled when she took the mug he passed her.

"Priya? D'you want anything?" he asked. He always asked, and she always wrinkled her nose and shook her head. Ishaana took the coffee he had made with the perfect amount of milk.

"You're too good to me," she said, kissing him when no-one was looking.

"It should be a lovely day today," Sunita said, trying to steer the conversation in a direction she had a little more control over, and more to add to the topic. "Priya, darling, could you check the forecast?"

Priya nodded, always having her phone handy, and she tapped away to bring up her news and weather homepage. Her face instantly fell, her jaw dropping and her eyes widening as she stared at the screen. "Holy fucking shit," she said, her voice hardly more than a whisper, much to the shock of everyone in the room. Ishaana was fairly certain she had never heard her sister swear in her life, and her heart seized to think of what had prompted such a reaction.

"Priya!" Sunita cried out. "Please, don't use such foul language. Saffi, I've told you, please don't be a bad influence."

Priya said nothing, rooted to the spot as her thumb scrolled through an article, tears springing to her eyes and Ishaana slipped down from the counter.

"Jesus, Pri, what's going on?" she asked, her heart beginning to thud a little harder.

"Oh my God," Priya whispered, and when she looked up, it was Bishop's eyes she met. Bypassing her sister's stare, she gazed at him with the most intense sorrow in her eyes that Ishaana had seen for more than a year. She blinked rapidly to clear her eyes, and she clenched her hands into fists to stop her fingers from shaking.

"Pri?" Ishaana stared at her sister, who refused to meet her eye. Her cheeks were ashen, her eyes wrought with despair in the flash of a moment it had taken to turn her laugh into agony. Priya passed her phone to Bishop, who took it without questioning why, and it was him whose horrified stare she held when she spoke.

"Casey's dead."

+ - + - +

i should just stop writing author's notes because i get it wrong every time

basically, the epilogue was going to be like 10,000 words so i decided to cut it into two halves. see it as a two-part season finale, if you will. really, 100%, i promise, the next part is the end. i just got quite into this chapter, and i didn't want to scrimp on it (a one-part epilogue would have meant no bishy bedroom scene so...)

enjoy!