𝐁𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐤

28⇢epilogue

JAMIE

"Okay, okay, step here. There you go."

"Sam, I swear to God, if you don't take this blindfold off soon, I'll—"

Suddenly, the fabric is lifted off my eyes, and I immediately squint at the golden glow from the sun. But when my eyes adjust and I see the roses and candles in front of me, my jaw falls.

"What's this?"

"Happy anniversary," he says, and I instantly wince, putting my face in my hands.

I forgot... again. "Oh, my god, Sam. I'm so sorry—"

He cuts me off, removing my hands from my pink face and pulling me in for a kiss. "It's okay. I know you've been busy."

"But that's not an excuse; you're busier than I am. You've taken the night and morning shifts," I scold him, frowning as I notice a new bruise on his jaw, "and you're definitely paying for it, too."

"I don't care," he laughs, cupping my cheeks in his hands, "All that I care about is right now, and right now, we have an anniversary to celebrate."

I smile, a blush covering my face as he pulls me in for another kiss. I feel him smile against me, and my heart races in my chest like the first time we kissed. Definitely doesn't get old, let me tell you.

"Look," he says once he pulls away, pointing to the sunset behind me, "Isn't it beautiful?"

I turn around, smiling at all of the colors in the sky, feeling the soft warmth, coating my skin like a blanket. "Yeah. It's amazing."

Sam doesn't respond, so I rest my hands against the concrete barrier of the roof, staring at the sky. He still doesn't say anything, and I smile. He always finds a way to bring me peace.

"I'm kinda waiting for you to turn around." His voice suddenly sounds... from the ground, pulling me from my peace, and I freeze. "What are you waiting for?"

"Are you on one knee with a small box? Because if so, I'm not turning around."

He laughs once more, grabbing my right hand and turning me around. Surely enough, he's taken a knee and pulled out a small, velvet box.

When my eyes find his face, he opens the box. "Will you—"

"Sam, don't."

A frown overtakes his lips. "What? I'm just—"

"Happily ever afters are for books and books alone."

"We kinda are in a book."

I roll my eyes. "You know what I mean."

"So does that mean you won't marry me?" I don't respond, still holding his hand. "What if I say please?"

I pause, squinting at him. "Only if it fits."

"Really?" I nod as he sighs with a smile before pulling the ring out of the box and holding it in front of my finger. "Ready?"

"Even if I say 'no', you'll just do it anyway, so let's just get it over with before I go cry into my pillow," I respond, making him pause.

"What makes you think you're gonna cry after this?"

"Because whatever answer I give you, I'll cry."

He scoffs, looking back down at my hand before slowly sliding the ring on, looking up at me with a wide smile when it doesn't budge. "Is this a 'yes'?"

"It's not on the left hand," I tell him, taking the ring off myself and putting on the correct hand, smiling when it does, indeed, fit. "There."

I eye the ring, examining every little detail of the tiny diamond, and I smile. I look down at Sam only to find him looking at the ring on my finger, not a trace of happiness on his face.

He slowly stands to his feet, taking my left hand in both of his and inspecting the ring. He looks down at me, and I notice faint tears that suddenly line his eyes.

"What's wrong?" My voice is hesitant, but when I speak, Sam smiles, shaking his head. "Happy it fits?"

"Yeah." He chuckles. "So is that a yes?"

I nod my head, a smile forming on my lips, making his smile grow. He cups my cheeks in his hands but doesn't move to kiss me.

In the blink of an eye, the world around me shifts from the sunset at the rooftop to a silent grassland. I look around, this time feeling wind against my cheeks and animals chirp in the distance. I smile, remembering the first time Sam took me here.

"Still hasn't changed," I think aloud, and Sam smiles, pulling my face closer to his as our foreheads touch. "I love you."

"I'm still not used to hearing that," he mutters, "but I love you, too, Jamie Kennedy."

Without a second to spare, our lips meet, and my eyes close, shoving me into complete darkness, the only things grounding me are Sam's hands on my cheeks and his lips on mine.

"Did you do it yet?" A new voice rings out, pulling Sam and I back to the rooftop and out of our kiss. "Oh, shit. Noah, go back."

I instantly roll my eyes, looking over to the balcony ladder as Theo's head pops up, and he ascends the ladder when Sam calls out, "Really?"

"Sorry," Noah calls out, climbing the ladder and stepping onto the roof, "We couldn't wait any longer."

"That doesn't mean you can just shout whenever you want, you dick," Isabel follows, pulling herself onto the roof.

"She said yes, right," Theo asks, and Sam nods, a playful glare on his face. "Oh, good."

Noah and Isabel suddenly pull bottles of champagne out, popping the corks and shouting in celebration. Theo pipes up, running back over to the ladder. "I forgot the cups. I'll be just a sec."

I roll my eyes once more, turning back to Sam and smiling at the frustrated look on his face. I reach up, pushing the corners of his lips up with my fingers.

He smirks before grabbing my fingers and looking down at me. "They're five minutes early. Sorry."

"It's okay," I tell him, the smile never leaving my face, "We still got our moment. Kind of."

"It's only because you took so long," he scolds me, chuckling lightly, and I raise my eyebrows. "What was with all the questions?"

"You can't blame me for stalling, so I could think of an answer to a life-altering question!" Sam rolls his eyes, the smile never leaving his face, and I scoff, looking away. "Whatever. You still love me."

He pauses, making me look up. "Yes, I do. Very much."

A genuine smile works its way onto my lips, and I reach up, wrapping my arms around his neck as my smile grows. "I love you, too."

I lean forward as his arms tighten around my waist, and I angle my lips with his. He smiles, resting his forehead against mine before moving closer—

"Guy, I got the cups!"

THE END.

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WELL, FRIENDS, WE MADE IT! ALSO, FOURTH WALL... WHO IS SHE?!

if you've stayed with jamie, sam, and i through the whole story, thank you! it means the world, honestly. i've worked so hard on this book, and it's such a cool thing to share with everyone. thank you so much!!

be true to yourself, follow your heart, trust your gut ♡

- jess :)