Untouchable

Epilogue

Ivy’s POV
The sun was setting on the last day of summer, casting a golden glow over everything, like the world itself was giving one final hug before we dove back into the chaos of senior year.

The whole group was hanging out by the lake near campus, the place we’d spent so many afternoons during the past few months, laughing, talking, and occasionally getting into a water fight that always ended in too much laughter and soggy clothes. Today, it felt different. Everything had changed, but somehow, we were all still here—together.

Lily and Sebastian were seated a little away from the group, not bothering to hide the way their hands intertwined. I could see the quiet comfort between them, the ease with which they existed in each other's space. They’d been through their own set of complications, but now, they were stronger for it. They had something real, and it made me happy to see them this way.

Kayla and her boyfriend, Aaron, were on the dock, sitting close but not quite touching, their conversation soft but content. Their relationship was still new, still fresh, but I could see the spark between them, the same way I’d seen it between me and Adrian in the beginning. They were both taking things slow, and it worked for them. I was excited to see where it would go.

Speaking of Adrian, I found him leaning against the old wooden fence near the water, his eyes fixed on the horizon as if the last day of summer was somehow more important than all the days before it. I walked over and nudged him gently with my shoulder, breaking his reverie.

“You planning on staring at the sunset all night?” I teased, offering him a smile.

He glanced down at me, his lips curving into a grin. “Wouldn’t be the worst way to spend the evening.”

I laughed softly and slid next to him, leaning into his side. We didn’t need to say anything more. The silence between us wasn’t uncomfortable. It felt peaceful, like we had finally found a rhythm. Things hadn’t been easy, not by a long shot, but we’d figured it out.

“You know,” Adrian said after a moment, “I was thinking about all the things we’ve been through this year. It feels like... we’ve been through everything and nothing at all. But it’s finally okay.”

I nodded, looking out at the lake. “Yeah. It is.”

Alistair was sitting at the edge of the group, his usual playboy charm still in place, but there was something more... thoughtful about him now. He’d finally started to take things seriously with the girl he’d been talking to. I could see it in the way he looked at her when she wasn’t paying attention. He was no longer the guy who rushed into everything, and that gave me hope that maybe, just maybe, he was ready for something real.

Nathaniel was a little further away, lost in his own thoughts as he watched the others. He had met someone over the summer, someone who had made him smile again, but he wasn’t in a rush to jump into anything. He’d needed the time to heal, to move past everything that had happened between us. I could tell he was still figuring things out, and that was okay. I hoped he found what he needed. He deserved it.

As the sky darkened, we all gathered together once more. Even with everything that had happened, with all the mess and confusion and hurt, we had managed to stay together. We’d found our way back to each other, and that, in itself, was enough.

“You know what’s crazy?” Kayla said, breaking the silence as she looked around at the group. “We made it through. All of us. And we’re still standing.”

Lily squeezed Sebastian’s hand and smiled, a genuine smile. “Yeah. And we’re stronger for it.”

I looked around at everyone—my best friends, the people who had stuck by me through thick and thin—and realized just how lucky I was. We had all been through so much, and yet, we were still here. Together. And that was all that mattered.

“We’ve got senior year ahead of us,” I said softly, looking at Adrian, then Alistair, then the others. “And it’s going to be... something. But whatever happens, we’ll handle it. Together.”

Adrian squeezed my hand, nodding in agreement.

“Together,” he echoed.

And for the first time in a long time, I truly believed it. Whatever the future held, whatever changes were coming, we were ready. We had each other, and that was the most important thing.

As the last rays of the setting sun dipped below the horizon, I knew that no matter what came next, we were starting something new—a new chapter in our lives, full of possibilities, full of hope, and full of the kind of love that could withstand anything.

And that, for me, was enough.