NOVEMBER GOT ME YOU

EPILOGUE

Hi. It's still me. Still alive.

I'm still using wheelchair because my feet still can't hold my weight perfectly. But I can walk now, much better than last week. Connor doesn't lie. He uses his break time to keep me company and be there with me on every recovery training and counseling that I attend.

Life is better now. I have spoken to my parents to let them know I'm perfectly fine right now. We promise to meet soon. But soon means a little longer because doctor still can't release me from hospital yet. Been a week with Connor by my side and nothing more I could ask for. He really pays it off for everything he has left behind. He really shows me that this relationship is worth fighting for.

And there's this man called Steve, and one smart pretty girl named Carol. Haha. If you cared to ask, they're now having a little trip to Amsterdam. How rude. Steve said he wants to be here with me but hey, he's a normal guy. He follows a beautiful woman for some reason. Haha. But that's okay. I really appreciate Steve's presence but we all know I can use Connor's smile to light up my day everyday. For that, let's forgive my sassy big brother.

Connor and I? We're good. He keeps calling home to let all people know we're doing great in London. They hope to have Connor home soon, but he promises he will never leave til I'm released.

"Babe?" He pinches my cheek. "Wow you escape life a lot today. Something wrong?"

"No. It's just weird." I murmured.

He leads my wheelchair to a bench with Big Ben being the big screen to watch, from this side of the river.

"Why is that?"

I smile eyeing him and staring off to the distance. "It's weird, how things work flawlessly. Never in my dreams did I think that my life would be this good."

"Well I thank you for being good and flawless. Because this is all because of you."

We intertwine our fingers as the freezing wind blows my hair softly. I close my eyes and take a deep breath. This is real. I'm spending Christmas time with the guy I love the most, in London, my version of city of love.

"Dina..."

Connor suddenly bows down and kneels in front of me.

"I know so many problems we have overcomed together. I know that I caused everything. I made you stay up all night crying, because so did I. But this whole week, together with you, I've never felt so happy and excited to wake up every morning no matter how early it is, ever before. I wake up to one beautiful face in front of me. There's no more magical thing that could ever beat that. So..."

He pulls out something shiny from his pocket.

"This is not yet a proposal because I want to do it later with much bigger, the better version of night. But hun, it's Christmas night and we're in London so I don't want to waste my time overthink and ruin it again. Can I..."

"Connor..." I'm already crying my eyes out.

"...be the one who owns the honor to cherish you? To be the reason of your laugh, to be the only one you always think of, to be the one you sing your favorite love songs in your head for...?"

He bows his head deeper this time as he proposes me a simple ring. It's almost midnight. All people were cheering to countdown the 12 AM like a New Year's celebration. London is cold. But my heart's warm.

"Thank you for choosing one tiny little girl with pimples and acnes, very normal look, imperfect body, with lot of doubts and battles in her head, over a hundred thousands of your fans that you could just choose by clicking one thing on your phone. Thank you for choosing the one that has never been anybody's option."

He smiles softly and puts the ring on my finger. "Thank God you're nobody's option because you, baby, are mine from the very beginning."

We hold each other's hand as Connor's humming random song. I giggle inside. I think I want to surprise him something.

"Babe, do you know how I met Steve at the first place?"

"No...?"

I take my phone out of my pouch. And play a short voicenote. Connor gasps. He doesn't see that coming. It was me singing the chorus of Nathan Sykes' Over and Over Again.

"Of course!" He shouts happily.

"I supposed to be your opening act." I smirk.

"Oh my gosh I didn't expect that! You're an artist?"

"Not quite as good as you though." I smile so happy seeing his random reaction.

"Whoa. Okay okay so if you really are..."

Suddenly three girls' laughter from afar interrupts Connor's theory of who I am as an artist. But this turns awkward as the girls notice us two.

"Hi! Oh my gosh, are you Dina Filan?" One of them shouts.

I chuckle eyeing Connor. "Could use that."

"And aren't you..." The other one points at Connor.

"Hello. I'm Connor." He says politely but keeps kicking my wheelchair's wheel with his feet.

"Aww you two!" They seems so happy to spot us among very large London crowd. "I'm so sorry for what happened to you, Dina. Recover very soon. I'm your big fan."

"Thank you sweet girl. I will. Really appreciate it."

"Can we take a picture? Just one click please?" One of them begs.

I eye Connor and nod so he takes one of their iPhone then leads us some cool selfies. They say goodbye and leave immediately.

"That's for real. My girl is a London artist. Damn I'm lucky." Connor pokes me repeatedly.

"Oh shush." I smirk.

"Sing that for me?" He plays with my hair.

"So don't ever think I need more... I've got the one to live for... No one else will do and I'm telling you, just put your heart in my hands... I promise it won't get broken... We'll never forget this moment... It will stay brand new, 'coz I love you..."

I locked my eyes on his.

"Over and over again..."

We're spending tonight under the windy but beautiful London. I keep staring at the Big Ben and at the same time listen to his heartbeats in silence. It's so classic like a Cinderella. I chuckle at heart realizing how cheesy this is. But it is, at the same time, not. Connor sits on the bench very close to me who's staying in my wheelchair. He holds out my cheeks to lock our eyes for quite ten seconds. I giggle too much and he loves it. He kisses my nose, then pecks the corner of my lips, before I let him brush his lips with mine.

It is indeed 12 AM. Officially Christmas in London. I don't care how loud people are cheering around us.

We have our own world, in our little bubble, with my very own Connor McDonough.