Beyond The Fine Line

Epilogue - Love Is a Journey, Not a Destination (part one)

~5 years later~

Dusk deepened into night, casting the clouds below in shades of charcoal and lavender. The private cabin was quiet, bathed in soft light, with only the gentle hum of the engines as the plane moved steadily above the Indian Ocean. The world below felt distant, held in stillness, as if time had slowed to match the hush of altitude. And for now, everything that mattered was here.

Sean was on the bed, propped up against the headrest, laptop balanced on his thighs, reviewing a draft proposal for a legal aid programme – part of an ongoing collaboration with a rights organisation in Bangkok. One hand rested on the keyboard, the other gently combed through Jay's hair. As often during travel, Jay fell asleep while reading case files, tucked into the curve of his neck. Sean smiled faintly and paused, letting his gaze settle on him before gently pulling the blanket higher over Jay's shoulder, careful not to wake him.

His eyes shifted to the darkening horizon beyond the window.

Coming back to Bangkok this spring felt different – more meaningful. It had been ten years since that Full Moon Party, since everything began. So much had changed, and not all of it had been easy. But even with the detours and rough stretches, this – what they had – remained the best thing that had ever happened to him.

In recent years, things haven't slowed, not really. The pace was still relentless, the demands unchanged, but the way they moved through it had shifted.

Sean had restructured what he could, organising three afternoons each week for the pro bono clinic while balancing his time between the firm and the organisations he continued to support. His schedule was full, but it was no longer suffocating... it no longer took him away from the most important person in his life.

Their balance had become instinctive with shared lunches when time allowed, dinners almost on a daily basis and weekend escapes. When one was swamped with work, drowning in case files and deadlines, the other tethered him to where they belonged, making sure history didn't repeat itself. It was effortless now, never restrictive, never at the cost of their individual passions, but something that made them stronger than ever.

A soft knock at the suite door pulled him out of his thoughts. The flight attendant waited just outside until Sean responded, then she slid the door open with a polite smile, her voice low and mindful of Jay's sleep.

"Would you like to see the dinner menu, sir? I can return later if you would prefer not to disturb him."

Sean nodded and reached for the menu with an apologetic smile, trying not to move too much and keep Jay comfortable. After skimming through it, he placed their order, including a double dessert, but asked the attendant not to rush it.

His gaze landed again on the handsome face with lingering exhaustion that had recently never seemed to leave. The past months had been brutal as Jay led one of the most demanding cases of his career while still staying in Sean's orbit. The case came with relentless political and public pressure, each detail a potential landmine where missteps weren't just costly, they were irreversible. It almost felt cruel to wake him, so he pushed as much as possible and only shortly before the attendant returned, Sean closed his laptop and set it on a side table.

"Hey," he said quietly, kissing Jay's temple. "Dinner's almost here."

Jay stirred only to press his face further into the crook of Sean's neck with a soft exhale in a faint protest against waking. Then one hand slipped out from beneath the covers, rubbing at his eye with the back of a curled finger, like a child clinging to sleep.

Sean eased the blanket down to wake him up further. Jay blinked up at him at last, still dazed, hair tousled, lashes heavy with sleep. For a second, he only looked at him, quiet and pliant in a way that never failed to undo Sean.