Save Room For Us (18+)

Epilogue

Epilogue
Nevaeh

The soft hum of the waves lapping against the shore and the rustle of palm trees in the warm breeze filled the air. Cap-Haitien was everything I needed it to be—beautiful, peaceful, and just far enough from the chaos of our lives back home. Damon and I had finally escaped the storm that had followed us, the secrets, the lies, the dangerous truths that had come to light. Here, under the endless sky, it felt like we could finally catch our breath.

Damon snapped a picture of me, and I couldn't help but laugh as I twirled in the sand, my toes sinking into the warm grains. The sun hung low in the sky, casting a golden glow over everything. Despite everything that had happened—everything we'd gone through—this moment felt real. It felt like we were in control of our own story, at least for now.

"You look stunning," Damon said with a smirk, lowering the camera and locking eyes with me.
I shot him a playful glance. "I'm not a model, you know."

"Doesn't matter," he said, his voice light and teasing. "You're still my favorite subject."

I could tell that being here, with him, was a relief for Damon, too. After everything—after the confrontations, the truths, and the tangled web of family drama—this was a small oasis for us to just... exist. To let go of the past, even if only for a few days. We had to make room for us. For this—this feeling of normalcy, of joy.

We had to "save room for us," as Damon had put it earlier. In the whirlwind of everything that had happened, it felt like we'd been swept away in the currents. But here, on this island, we were grounded again. No pressure. No drama. Just us.

After taking a few more photos, Damon lowered his camera and sat beside me on the blanket we'd laid out. He pulled me close, resting his arm around my shoulders. I leaned into him, feeling the peace of the moment wrap around us.

"You know," I said, shifting slightly to look at him, "it's nice to be able to just breathe for once."
He nodded, his fingers lightly tracing circles on my arm. "Yeah. It feels like we've been running for so long, and now... we can just stop. Even if it's only for a little while."

I smiled at him, my heart lighter than it had been in ages. For the first time in what felt like forever, I didn't have to worry about all the things waiting for us when we went back. I could just be in this moment. With him.

But of course, even in paradise, there were those things we couldn't fully escape. I reached for my phone, absentmindedly scrolling through the messages I'd missed while we'd been on the beach. One stood out—one from my sister, Natalie.

"I miss you, Nevaeh. Wish you were here with me."
I quickly typed back, my heart warm with the familiar connection to her, even from miles away. "I miss you too, Nat. I'm on a beach, but I'm still thinking about you."

A few moments later, my phone buzzed again. "You're lucky. I'm stuck in a drama-filled mess here. Work's been crazy. Antonio's been... distant. But something feels different this time. I don't know what to make of it."

Antonio Silva. Natalie's co-star. The one person who always seemed to push her buttons—one minute, they were inseparable, the next, they were distant, and it was like nothing had ever happened between them. As much as she tried to keep her distance from him emotionally, there was something between them that I could never ignore. Something that always seemed unresolved. But now, hearing her words, I wondered if she was starting to feel what I had suspected for a long time—Antonio was different.