My Beautiful Boy ✔️

Epilogue

Dawson and I have been dating for a little over a year. It's the Christmas holidays and, because we're currently half-way across the country from each other, we're finally able to see each other again in months. I'm currently on the train, travelling back to Haywood so I can reunite with Dawson.

I've been studying to become an actuary all the way in Manchester and Dawson has been studying to become a social worker in London. So, it's difficult to see each other all the time when there's a four hour drive separating us.

I hop off the train when I'm at the station, and I try to find my parents in all the chaos of other students around me. I spot the curl of my mother's hair and I'm rushing towards her, squealing and wrapping my arms around her. She stumbles back before her hand is patting my hair and my back.

"Oh my God, I've missed you so much!" She exclaims in Arabic, and I grin at her, wiping away her tears. "You look so beautiful, my love." She gushes, and I pull her in for another hug.

"Oh, mama. I've missed you to the moon and back." I tell her, and she holds me a little tighter.

"Come on, let's go home." She says, walking me over to where her car was parked outside the station. "You have to tell me everything about everyone. Is Ava still seeing that teacher? What about Jenkin? Is he still failing his course?" She asked, and I laughed at the idea that my mama still cares about teenage gossip. She's my rock.

So, we get in my mama's car and I tell her about everything that I've experienced and all the places I've visited in Manchester and all the friends I've made along the way.

***

We get home and I'm rushing through the front door to hug my siblings and greet my father, who has claimed that he's been perfectly fine without me, which I highly doubt.

"Alayna!" My sister yells, jumping into my arms and I pick her up, spinning her around as I hug her. There's a huge grin on my face and I'm burying my face into her neck as she hugs me. Dad is meeting me next and and he's kissing the top of my head before I'm being ushered into the kitchen.

"Mama, you didn't need to make a whole meal." I tell her, rolling my eyes. "I know you get worried, but trust me, I've not been starving in university." I tell her, and she shrugs her shoulders.

"This isn't all for you. Dawson is on his way, too." She winks, and I grin at her.

"He's my boyfriend, mama."

"Wait, Dawson's coming? I can't wait to show him my new video game!" Asim exclaims, jumping up and down. I smile at the reality of Dawson being best friends with my brother and sister and my parents loving him as their own. It makes my heart thrash in my chest.

Then, my skin tingles with excitement when the doorbell rings. Mama squeals and rushes past me, running to open the door. I press my lips together in-between my two fingers to contain my excitement.

I turn around and walk over to the door, my hands behind my back as I wait for mama to open the door. Once she does, I finally let myself grin widely as I catch a glimpse of him. My siblings bombard him with hugs and kisses and I watched as Dawson lifted Akila into his arms, kissing the side of her head.

Then, once the commotion was over, Dawson looked over at me, his eyes dragging up and down my body. "Hello, darling." He grins, and I jump into his arm, wrapping my arms around his neck and Dawson's arms go around my waist as he pulls me closer to him.

"I've missed you so much." I tell him, holding him tighter to me. Dawson chuckles against the skin of my neck and he presses a kiss to my cheek, rubbing my back.

"I've missed you, too." He tells me, and then we're kissing, his hands on my cheeks as I press my lips to his. I wrap my arms around his waist and when I hear a throat clear behind me, I realise that it's my dad, trying to stop us from doing anything intimate. I turn around, sending my dad a roll of my eyes before I take Dawson's hand and lead us into the kitchen.

"It's great to see you, Mr. Camila-" Dawson begins to say, but I drag him away. His hand is on my back as my mum fills our plates with Egyptian food that she had cooked specifically for Dawson, and she leads him to his seat, putting the plate of food in front of him.

I stand near the door, my father's arm around my shoulder as we both watch the scenes in front of us. Dawson is laughing with my mother as she ruffles his hair and Asim is trying to get his attention and my heart filled with happiness. If this is how I spend the rest of my life, I'd gladly do it. Dawson has become a part of my family, and as much as I would have loved to have his parents accept me, some things just aren't doable.

He's a part of my life and I can't wait to see what adventures we go on in the future and what more we're able to achieve together. I love him and that is enough for the both of us. As long as we continue to support each other, absolutely anything can happen.

Dawson is my beautiful boy and I am his girl. We'll have each other forever, even when we're four hours apart.