Where Stars Align

Epilogue

6 Months Later

New York in the summer is a completely different city. I never really understood that until now. The way the air feels warmer, making the city's nature somewhat less agressive. The way people seem more alive, more willing to stop and take in their surroundings. And me? I'm walking through Central Park, actually appreciating it. I've never taken the time to notice just how beautiful it is here, the way the sun filters through the leaves, casting a golden glow on the world around me.

Life is good. Surreal, really. My new book has been number one on the charts for two weeks now. Two weeks. Every time I check, it feels like someone else's life, like this can't possibly be happening to me. This morning, I gave my third radio interview, and tomorrow, I'm set to be on a morning TV show. Me. On a morning show, talking about my book.

I still don't believe it sometimes. I guess that's how life works. You push through the storm, thinking you won't make it, and then suddenly, everything clears, and you're standing in the middle of something beautiful, wondering how you got there.

I walk down the street, my footsteps light, feeling like New York is finally revealing itself to me. For the first time, I see it for what it really is. I wasn't ready before. I was too caught up in my own head, in trying to fit myself into stories I didn't write. But now... now, it's like I've been given a fresh pair of eyes, and I can actually see it. The city. The people. The possibilities.

To be fair, I thought that about any other city on my tour so far. But somehow I thought when I step into New York, I will feel that strange numb nervousness. Not at all, and it's quite refreshing.

I spot the small café on the corner, one of those places that looks like it's stuck in the '90s. The kind with mismatched chairs and faded posters on the walls, where you can still smell the old coffee beans that have been ground a million times before. I love it instantly.

The familiar bell above the door rings as I step inside. And there she is—Mara, already sitting at a table by the window, sipping on something in a tall glass that looks suspiciously like a decaf latte. No one else would probably recognize it, but I know the slightly lighter color. She smiles and runs her hand over the small bump on her belly, just barely visible beneath her loose summer dress. It suits her, the glow of impending motherhood.

I grin at her, crossing the room and sliding into the chair across from her. "Oh my God! So this was the great news!" I say, eyeing the bump. "Congratulations to you and Paul! You guys will be the best parents in the world!"

She rolls her eyes playfully. "Paul has already repainted one of the rooms to the most cotton candy pink and doesn't allow me to change it until we know it's a boy for sure."

"I guess his preference is clear," I smile.

We laugh, and it feels easy. Natural. Like it always does with Mara.

"How was the interview?" she asks, taking a sip of her latte.

"Good. I mean, I think it went well. I've gotten used to them by now," I shrug, still trying to wrap my head around the fact that people actually care about what I have to say. "They asked about the inspiration behind the book, the usual stuff."

"And? Did you tell them it's all about me?" Mara winks.

I laugh, shaking my head. "Not yet. Maybe tomorrow on the morning show."

"Ah, saving the best for last. I get it," she jokes, but there's a softness in her eyes, a warmth that reminds me of all the times we've been through together.

As I sit there, sipping my coffee, listening to Mara talk about her pregnancy, her parents, and her new batch of slimes she started selling, I feel something I haven't felt in a long time. Peace. Real, unshakeable peace. The kind that comes when you know you're exactly where you're supposed to be. When you've let go of the things that weren't meant for you and embraced the things that are.