Chasing Rainbows ✔

Epilogue

Surry Connors

"So you guys are going to-to-to..." Mom stuttered.

Our family was gathering in the living room, me and Adrian on one side of the table and mom and dad on the other side. Mom looked like she was going to faint. Dad, on the other hand, looked like he'd just found out that he won a free purchase ticket at McDonald's (yes, that might sound weird, but he loves McDonald's).

"So," he scratched his head, "you guys are telling me that magically, you guys just found out that you are not siblings and that you have...feelings for each other."

"Yes, that is what I'm saying." Adrian nodded firmly, so firmly that it made me blush.

Mom choked and opened her mouth to say something, but dad jumped. "I knew it!" he slapped his thigh with glee. "I knew it from the moment we went fishing."

Now it was mom's turn to look at dad, and our turn to choke and slap ourselves on the back. "What happened when you went fishing?" mom narrowed her eyes.

"Well, um," dad stammered. Even he was afraid of her. "They kind of...got close in an un-siblingish way."

Mom stared at us. We stared at the floor. The floor stared at...um...no one. "So what now?" she finally exhaled. "You guys are just going to be a pair and do intimate things and hang around and have people staring in shock?! You'd be the main topic of gossip around this town for at least a year!"

"I don't care, mom," Adrian said quietly. "I'm not scared of gossip. Only people who have lives so boring they can't mind their own business do that."

Cue the gasping. Cue the surprise. "Adrian?! You, saying that?"

Adrian rolled his eyes. "Mom, really. Just, for once, mind our own business. I want to be with Surry, and that's final."

And he dragged me away with my tongue stuck in my throat, my hands sweaty, and my cheeks furiously hot.

The next morning...

Use your imagination. Imagine what happened when we walked to school and announce we were dating.

Berserk is an understatement.

Insanity is almost the right word.

Nonetheless, we don't care. We acted like a normal couple and kept our cool, but it's kind of hard to not feel sweaty when eyes bore into your back like grilling machines. As expected, gossip flew everywhere. When I entered the classroom, the class would go deadly quiet. When I went into the bathroom, the girls who came in next-and didn't know I was there- would start badmouthing me. One girl was actually so crazy she started screaming that I was a witch and I had given him a love potion and that he can only wake up when kissed by his true love and that might be her.

Yeah, I almost jumped out ninja-style and slap her teeth flying.

To say I was unusually crazy is not specific enough.

Anyway, did we care? No. Well, a little, but not really. Eventually, after a few months of a strained relationship and a few near-breakups, we made it through. Most of the credit goes to Adrian and his hand-squeezes.

Me? I just hung on.

Then one day, we went to school, feeling deflated as usual. When we reached school, there was a celebration of some sort. People were joking and smiling until they saw us. Then they froze. Then-

"Happy, uh, Relationship!!!" They yelled. I felt like I was covered in frost or something, because I was frozen in spot. Behind me Ramona and Ellie appeared. "Surprise?"

"Um...what did you do this for?"

Ramona grinned awkwardly. "Um...I guess we felt bad for all the fuss, ya' know? I mean, we should have freedom of choosing the person we love, even if we, um, have lived with them all our lives as siblings, right?"

Adrian smiled. "Almost all our lives." he said, and we laughed.

I couldn't be any happier.

Well, I almost couldn't be any happier.

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10 years later

Adrian Abernathy

"Adrian Abernathy!"

I whipped my head around and saw my fiancé, Surry Connors. She was walking towards me now with an angry expression. "Where were you, huh? I've been waiting for you all day! We're supposed to go pick out the wedding dress today!" Funny, how she used to blush a lot but now can say that without blinking an eye.

I should blame the martial-arts thing. When we graduated college, Surry had this urge to go learn that, saying that it'll make her strong and more independent. But honestly, I like her when she's shy and quiet more, not to be manly and sexist or something. But I think it's the about-to-marry thing that makes her worried and try to be stronger.

"Yeah? Um, uh, I don't have any places in mind..." I said.

She waved a hand. "Oh God, Adrian. You seriously have no clue about women. We are way more organized than you are."

Did I mention sexism before? Yeah, Surry can be its epitome sometimes.

I huffed. "About marriage and practical stuff, yeah, but we're way stronger in life."

She laughed and shook her head. "Let's not have this conversation again." Her mouth tugged at the corners. "Now hurry up, big guy, or I'm leaving you. Who knows? By the time you get to the store, maybe I'm already choosing wedding dresses with someone else. And he's not the store's staff."

I glared at her. I know she wouldn't do that, because she's just way too deep in love with me. But still. It freaks me out, because I'm just as equivalently in love with her.

Ok, I'm getting brainwashed my those sappy romantic movies Surry used to make me watch before her martial arts change.

About half an hour later, we reached a grand store. It had gold displays and these big plates with quotes about love all over. A chandelier shone warm yellow light on store, making customers feel fuzzy and warm even though the air condition was at, like, 15 degrees Celsius or something.

Did I say that she was fully mature and calm now? If I ever did, I take it back.

"Ohmygosh, Adrian!" Surry gushed. "Look at that one over there! See it? The strapless blue sparkly one? It's soo beautiful! Hey, um, can you please get that for me?" The female (phew, the store's workers are all female) staff nodded and scurried after her into the dressing area with the dress.

Exactly 20 minutes and 14 seconds later, we stepped out of the store into the cold, chilly November air.

Surry beamed and kept on peeking through the shopping bag on the way home. I groaned. "How come you get to memorize ever detail of it but I don't even get to see it?"

Surry poked her tongue out. "I change my mind. I'm going to marry a divorced man. At least he will understand about marriage."

I spent the rest of the ride tickling her and forcing her to swear to be faithful.

She laughed so hard tears spilled. "Fine, okay. I-I'll say it!" I held to fingers up threateningly.

She cleared her throat and said in a weird English accent, "I, Surry Anne Connors, single and still very much available to any man, promise to be faithful-hey! I was joking- to Adrian The Ugly Faced Connors forever and after our marriage, when the church bell rings and people clap and a bouquet is thrown and-"

I kissed her to shut her up.

"I love you, too."