Epilogue | At Twenty-Four Years

They all gathered underneath the Fort, which was all closed up, with the door locked and windows boarded. The sunset-colored leaves fell softly like droplets of rain, enclosing the large tree with rings of golden crowns. Marie looked down and wrapped her arms around herself. Then, after she had gathered enough courage, she looked at them one by one. Daniella was already tearing up, wiping the corners of her eyes furiously, while she sniffed every now and then. Julian stood beside her, an arm wrapped around her waist. He glanced up at her, a small smile flitting across his somber expression. Eric Jay and Darcy stood beside them, sharing a bag of chips. Then, there were Sofie and Eddie, holding hands and holding unto their luggage. Gavin had his arm slung over Lovely's shoulders. Finally, Marie looked to his side, seeing her boyfriend - about to be ex - wearing a cold and hard expression.

"So . . . " Gavin started, dragging out the syllable. He looked at Sofie and Eddie, "Where are you both planning to go?"

A smile stretched on Sofie's face. Marie realized that she was going to miss her best friend the most. They'll be separated - after so many years. "We're going over to different colleges - but don't worry. We'll head off to Florida, where we already bought a small apartment. The colleges are separate, yes, but they're near each other."

"So you'll be sharing a room, eh?" Eric Jay smirked at the both of them. This earned him a smack on the head from no other than Eddie himself. Sofie's grin grew wider as she tightened her hold on her boyfriend's hand. A prick pierced through Marie's heart - yes, she was going to miss those two troublemakers' banter.

Eric Jay cleared his throat. "Believe it or not, Darce and I won't be staying in some expensive university," he announced.

Then, Darcy continued for the both of them, "We'll be going around the world and enjoying ourselves because freedom! We'll take online courses so we don't miss out on anything." Her boyfriend nodded along with her, stealing a potato chip from the plastic bag. Marie thought it would be spectacular - she almost felt envious that they will be exploring the world while she gets trapped in a small box called a dormitory.

Darcy nudged Julian and asked what he will be doing with Daniella. "Well," pride gleamed in Julian's eyes, "I got a scholarship from a university in Seattle. Dani will be coming with me and we'll both take dormitories. My parents want me to put up a small business, though, so I'll save up for that." Marie felt so grateful Julian. Being an active sports player - including chess - and guitar player (not to mention successful and charming), this one will be going places.

Then, the circle looked at Marie and Ravine. Both glanced at each other before facing the group. They had known this day was coming but Marie sure as hell wasn't prepared for this moment. She pushed the tears away and cradled her roller suitcase closer to her side. She remembered the day she had a talk with her boyfriend.

"Don't let this relationship stop whatever you want to do in life," Ravine had said to her one night, looking into her eyes deeply, "I'm willing to let you go if it makes you happy."

She couldn't have agreed more with him. She faced the truth at Ravine was right - her dreams shouldn't be held down by some boy. She didn't need to follow him everywhere. She had cried when he had told her this but now tears were dry and her heart had accepted it.

She licked her lips before saying to them, "I'm off to Yale."

"And I'm off to Harvard," Ravine said. The others stared at the two in disbelief. "We didn't plan a long distance relationship," he told them.

"So we're - uh - " Marie breathed deeply and nodded her head slightly, "We're taking a break from each other." Beside her, Ravine took her hand and squeezed it in reassurance.

"Are you sure?" Sofie asked both of them.

"We already talked about it," Marie tried to swallow when she choked on her words, "We're going to be fine."

Lovely and Gavin were last to reveal their plans for the future. When the two had gotten together, Marie had never seen so much love and sincerity radiate off two people. The small gestures and words they exchanged proved their strong relationship. It will be the end of the world for Marie if they break up. She's utterly convinced that the two were soulmates - if those even existed. "Well, ours is least climatic," Lovely chuckled as she began.

"We're planning on staying here," she said, "We'll take on the college nearby. My parents offered the house for us to stay in. We'll take things casually and see where it takes us."

Then that was over. Marie lowered her head. Years of being together - Lovely had just gotten back to them for gods' sake - and they will be ripped apart. Back then, she thought it would be impossible. But now, it was happening before her eyes, clawing and scratching through every bit of her chest. She absolutely hated goodbyes, believing they shouldn't exist at all - the right thing to say was 'until we meet again'. If she could turn back time, she would. She would wish that always.

They turned their backs to each other now, dissolving and breaking the circle. Some couples held their bags behind them, their flights waiting to take them off. A tear spilled onto Marie's cheek as she walked - each footstep felt absolutely heavy. She gazed up at Ravine, who was beside her. "I don't want to let go," she whispered.

"You're not letting go yet if it still hurts," he whispered back, "You know for sure if you have accepted it if the pain has got away."

And damn, it took her years to realize. Sometimes it doesn't hurt to let go.

= = = > < = = =

Marie opened her eyes, turning to her side to shield her eyes from the bright sun streaming through the windows. She smiled and yawned, relaxing against the sheets. Numerous pillows scattered around her, with her crimson hair fanned across them - it was complete heaven to be lying down on something so soft. Marie faced her sleeping boyfriend of four years. She grinned stupidly as she traced his bottom lip with her thumb and played with his hair.

He chuckled, opening one eye. Marie yelped as he grabbed her by the waist and kissed her deeply. "Morning," he said in that husky voice she always loved. She hummed back a 'good morning' as she hooked her arms around his neck. Hell, did she crave to wake up to his morning kisses and cuddles.

"I have something to tell you," he said to her, blue-green eyes boring into hers. Marie snuggled further into him, wanting more of his warmth.

"Can't it wait?" She groaned.

"No, not really," Sam chuckled. He took her face in his hands and gave her a kiss on the forehead, then on the nose, and finally on her lips. "I have something important to tell you."

"What is it?" Marie blinked rapidly. She looked at Sam with bemusement and curiosity. If he stopped being all mushy and cuddly, it truly meant that something was up. She reached for his arm and rubbed as a caring gesture.

"Yesterday, I forgot to tell you," said he, "My sister called me. She said that she has this special get-together. Her fiancé and friends are going to be there. Clarissa was wondering if we'll be going. She mentioned that there might be a few people there that you know."

Marie frowned in response. It was just that morning, when she woke up, that she remembered that her friends and her will be having a special reunion - all of them together again after four long years. She waited so hard for this day, and decided that it would be the perfect time to introduce Samuel to all of them. She missed them dearly, despite having her own friends in college.

"But I have this reunion for my friends today," she told her boyfriend, "It's been years. We need to see each other after so long . . . " She grinned, thinking of those old days.

"Really?" Sam's eyes shifted, as if he knew something she didn't. "Why didn't you tell me? I could have said 'no' to Clarissa."

"I guess it slipped my mind," Marie shrugged and stretched her arms above her head, "I dreamt about all of us last night so I suddenly remembered. We're meeting in New York, a little coffee shop over there."

"Then should I - "

"No!" She looked at him with wide eyes, "Don't decline Clarissa's invitation!" Then, an idea popped in her mind, "Maybe we could have that get together and reunion at the same time? You said there will be people who I know."

Samuel looked unsure, "Yeah. She's friends with the Tan family . . . "

"Nico Tan?" She recalled the handsome boy who rivalled Yzen in terms of riches, "Yeah, I know him! And his twin, Jacel."

She looked at Sam pointedly, "Then we could really have it together with them. Maybe you can call Clarissa and ask if there could be some last minute changes on the venue? I'll talk to her about the address myself." He looked like he was pondering about it then he nodded.

"I'll call her," said Samuel, giving her a kiss on the cheek.

As Sam got ready and called Clarissa, Marie went down to make them breakfast. Samuel Jovenn became her boyfriend almost four years ago, and they had first met in the university's library. There was this attraction; and she grew to love this sweet boy. Aside from being intelligent, Sam also played chess and read the books she liked. They had moved into their own house, given and bought by his parents, and they had been living there for two years now.

Marie hummed as she bustled around the kitchen. After half a year of dating, Sam took her to his home to meet his parents. There, along with his family, she met Clarissa Jovenn, Samuel's younger sister. They got along together well, but Marie noticed that she was quite overreacting. Sam explained to her once that Clarissa was homeschooled, therefore barely familiar to the big and real world. Nonetheless, she was still like a sister to her.

Samuel had been perfect in his own way. He treated her in a gentlemanly way, he took her out, understood her and really knew her. Though he may not be her ideal type of guy, he became much more for her.

After a hearty breakfast of pancakes and bacon, Marie got ready to leave. Before she knew it, she was dressed in a beautiful summer dress and her fiery red hair was knotted into a braid. She stood before the mirror, smiling to herself.

"She said yes," Samuel hugged her from behind, grinning as he put his chin on her shoulder, "She contacted her friends to move the venue. I told her it's in that café already." He was sharply dressed in a simple outfit, but it definitely didn't make him less delicious.

"That's amazing," said Marie, "The more the merrier, right?" She turned around to hug him, raking her fingers through his soft blonde hair. Samuel kissed her deeply, bringing her close to his body.

They travelled for hours, and Marie enjoyed it most to snuggle into Samuel whenever they had a stop at a restaurant. They ate at the car, where he drove and she was entrapped in a soft blanket. One of the things she loved about going anywhere is that you can take in every detail of new scenery passing before your eyes. She'd peer out the window and once in a while, Sam would hold her hand or make casual talk with her.

College, in general, was overwhelming for Marie, but she was going through it the best she can, especially with Sam by her side. The all nighters and stress eating were all worth it because right after a stressful week, the couple would go out together and enjoy themselves - sometimes with their newfound friends, too. Marie learned a lot about Sam during those moments. It was then she felt connected to him, like they were two halves of one person. her heart would stutter whenever she thought of them together, through the rest of their lives - with kids and marriage and all that.

"Oh my God, Lovely!" They arrived at the shop, and she raced out to embrace her friend. They were first to get there, Lovely and Gavin. She was more beautiful now, Marie thought, more matured and elegant, but she still had that glint in her eye, telling her that it was indeed Lovely Johnson. She hugged her tight, then Gavin after, who grinned at her widely.

"This is Sam," she pulled her boyfriend by her side, holding his hand tightly, "My boyfriend." Unusually, her cheeks heated up as she introduced him. They took a seat and ordered some coffee.

"Uh huh," Lovely cocked an eyebrow, giving Sam a once-over, "For how long?"

"Four years. Almost," he answered for the both of them. Marie smiled as she heard the pride in his voice. She nodded in agreement.

Marie looked around the shop, "It's empty. Not much customers, huh?"

"No," Gavin chuckled, "Julian rented it out for the day. So we could have it for ourselves." Typical Julian, Marie sipped her coffee, which just had been brought.

"Did you get my text?" Asked Marie, "A few others are joining us here. Including Sam's sister. Is that alright?"

Lovely shrugged, "It's cool. It'll be fun, right?"

As Lovely and Gavin interrogated Samuel about his intentions with Marie, Sofie and Eddie arrived in their own car, which was Eddie's old convertible. Marie immediately stood up to welcome her best friend, whom she had seen for years. Sofie and Eddie smiled at her and took their seats on the table. After so many years, those two were still going as strong as ever that it put Marie in awe with their relationship.

"Hello, Sam," Sofie nodded at Marie's boyfriend. She and Eddie had met him during their first years of dating, because it had been tradition. Fortunately enough, they liked Sam, who had always been the friendly one.

"So, Lovely, Gavin," Eddie looked at the two, "What have you been up to lately?" He pushed his Ray Bans up, throwing an arm around Sofie's chair.

A smile flickered in Gavin's lips, "We still live in that house. College is busy, but we went touring in Italy a while back. Besides that, nothing much interesting."

"Oh shut up," Lovely smacked his arm, "He has this job and he just got promoted in a high position." As Gavin sighed, she leaned over to kiss his lips.

"You guys?" Gavin asked Sofie and Eddie in turn.

"We have a few jobs for ourselves," Sofie answered, "Then, we moved to another apartment when we had enough money. It's so beautiful, and bigger than our first one. I designed it myself."

As they babbled about their lives, a car pulled over - a pretty van. A familiar faced hopped out and entered the coffee shop, a girl by the name of Daniella. She looked so formal, still in her work clothes. "I rushed it after a little work," she said, sitting down, "I'm a practicing lawyer now."

"Where's Julian?" Marie looked out the window for some sign of him.

"Trouble in paradise?" Eddie asked, smirking.

"No," Daniella scoffed, "Julian's business is booming now. He sells sports materials and sportswear so that's a hit. We have this little building next to our home. He's busy so he'll catch up - oh, hang on. I think that's him." She stood up to greet her boyfriend at the door. Julian came in, dressed in a suit. He locked eyes with Marie and beamed - well, damn, he hadn't grown his bangs since that accident.

"Did we ever tell you that we're engaged?" Julian took Daniella's hand and held both of theirs to reveal two gleaming rings of ruby and diamond. Marie smiled in gratefulness and congratulated the both of them.

Eric Jay and Darcy came not long after. "So how's going around the whole world?" Asked Julian to the both of them

Eric Jay grinned, "Forty-six countries visited, baby." He kissed Darcy on the cheek, "Online courses are going great, and we have millions of pictures." That was true; Marie often saw their photos in Instagram. One day they would be in snow coated mountains then the next, it would be in the crystal clear waters of exotic resorts.

"We plan to settle here in America for a while before touring again," Said Darcy, "We're thinking of a little house over there in Chicago."

"Did you know we broke up once?" Eric Jay piped up, "So while we were going around Switzerland, she went over to India just to stay away from me! It was hilarious - we saw each other Singapore and continued on from there."

Conversation built up and there, and Marie watched Sam mingle effortlessly with her old friends. And amongst those smiling faces, all that's missing is . . . Ravine. Her smile fell just thinking about him. Where was he now? The last time they had seen each other was a year after they left for college. He had talked to her then.

I want you to find a guy who makes you happy, he had said to her, That guy won't be me, unfortunately. He's out there, somewhere, and he's lucky to have you.

And so Marie had found Sam. He had been the man Ravine described. The sad thing was that he wasn't here to see Sam. She missed him too much.

"Hey, Julian, have you heard from Ravine?" Marie turned to her friend suddenly. Sam, for a split second, tensed beside her, but went back right after. He held her hand lightly. She had told him about her ex-boyfriend.

Julian frowned and fished out his phone, "He sent me a text - told me that he was coming. Not sure when exactly, though." Marie leaned on her seat. Was he coming at all? Or had he wanted to distance himself from them?

"Hey, who's that?" Sofie pointed to a car pulling up in front of the shop, "Ravine?"

Marie squinted; she knew that car. "It's not him," she shook his head, "It's Sam's sister. I invited her here with her friends - she said they might be people we know."

True enough to what she said, a beautiful girl, golden-haired, stepped out of the car. Following Sam's genes, she had a perfect figure Marie always envied. She entered, feeling the air with expensive perfume. Everyone stared at her as she stood before a seat in front of Marie and her boyfriend. "Samuel," she faked a smile at her brother.

"Clarissa," Sam said back. These two could be caring siblings towards each other at first, but the next second, they would also be at each other's throats. Marie personally was amused to witness their little arguments.

"Hi, Marie!" Marie stood up to get a hug from Clarissa.

"This is Clarissa," Marie introduced her, "Samuel's sister." Then she looked at Clarissa, "You said you knew Nico Tan? And Jacel?"

"Nico?" Julian echoed.

"Oh yes, he's one of my friends," Clarissa nodded, "He's coming today, if you don't mind. He's bringing his sister and girlfriend with him." Marie sat in a daze. So this was the same Nico Tan they knew. What a small world.

"Asther?" Julian whispered while Daniella looked at him warily.

Clarissa nodded, smiling, "Yeah, that's her. He said he knew you guys so he agreed to change the venue. Why? How do you know him anyway?"

"Julian once liked Asther. Then, he broke her heart so she went to Nico instead," Daniella cringed as she explained it.

It was then that another car stopped in front of the shop. It was a sleek black one, made for someone incredibly rich. Out stepped Ravine, looking older with his stubble, and he entered the coffee shop. Marie stood up to hug him, but strangely, Clarissa beat her to it.

"Hey," he whispered to her, kissing her lips. A few gasps sounded from the others.

As the two sat down, Sam looked at Ravine, "Rellemont."

A small smile tugged at Ravine's face, "Jovenn."

"What the hell is going on?" Julian gaped at them, voicing Marie's thoughts. How had he known Clarissa? Were they dating?

"Clarissa and I met a while back, because of our parents," Ravine explained. Marie eyed at the bands around their fingers. "I proposed to her a year ago. She's helping me run our family business." Clarissa leaned into him, and he put an arm around her.

Marie looked between Sam, Ravine and Clarissa. "You knew about this and you didn't tell me?" Her voice shook. So that was why Samuel was so anxious about getting them all to meet up.

"I'm sorry," Sam sent her an apologetic smile.

"Are there more coming over?" Darcy asked suddenly.

"In fact, yes," Ravine cleared his throat, "They'll be arriving in a few."

As the circle of friends chattered, Marie found herself talking to Ravine. He asked her if Sam was making her happy and she replied that indeed, he was the right guy for her. Apparently he had already threatened Samuel when he heard about their relationship.

Another car came. This time, it was unfamiliar. Then, it brought Marie gaping when she saw the people there. First out were Nico Tan and Asther Amor, who were holding hands as they got out. Jacel Tan, meanwhile, got out of the driver's seat. But that was not all.

"Is that . . . ?" Marie trailed off, speechless.

"Nadine," Daniella whispered.

"And Tyron," Darcy continued, "They're together?"

The five of the new arrivals went inside, as Ravine claimed that they had been long time friends, and the boys became his business partners. For some insane reason, the conversations were not awkward. In fact, Tyron and Darcy talked so naturally and so did Asther and Julian. It made Marie think that whatever these people had in the past were forgiven, if not forgotten. They cannot let history catch up with them after all.

"So, there's exactly a reason why I initiated this get-together," Lovely announced, making everyone fall silent, "I'm - uh - I'm pregnant."

There came a chorus of reactions.

"Oh my God, Lovely, congratulations!" Nadine bursted out.

"I'm going to be a godmother! I'm too young to be a godmother!" Darcy exclaimed, fanning herself.

"And I thought we were the first ones getting a child," Nico chuckled.

"You had sex?!" Eric Jay yelled.

But what mattered the most was Gavin's expression. He looked like he had not known of this previously, and Lovely just dropped the bomb when everyone was here. "You're . . . You're pregnant?" He gaped, saying the words breathlessly.

Unshed tears appeared on Lovely's eyes and she nodded. Gavin grabbed her and kissed her hard, eliciting a coo from everyone around them "We're going to be parents," he whispered, laying a hand gently on her belly.

= = = > < = = =

Looking back at it, I realized that my life is just some important snippets of events.

I had walked through my own big journey, leaving behind what seemed least significant to me and carving into my mind the biggest changes of my life. I had been someone to others' journey, too, be it a friend . . . An acquaintance . . . Or a lover. They play the key essentials to my story and that is what matters.

I had not let my parents win despite the fact that I turned back to Gavin. They were twisted people, trying to mold me into someone I cannot be and at the same time neglectful. I distanced myself away from them for good, like they were the villains to my story.

My parents weren't at my wedding. But that mattered the least anyway. My real family was there - my circle of friends. Merlyn's father (Merlyn had been my maid of honor, by the way) walked me down the aisle. All of my friends were there - from England and America.

So when I tell my kids how their father and I had met? I explain to them that Mommy was straight, then she turned gay, then she went back being straight again because of Daddy's charms. It was so easy to look back at it now, like you wonder why it was even hard in the first place. I guess after every storm, you come out stronger than you have been.

You also realize that the other things didn't seem to matter. What you remember are the ones bringing out intense emotion from you - those were the important events. And then you see that that was your life. All of it.

In time lapse.