A Righteous Love

Epilogue

Epilogue - "I'm Bartender Slash Cocktail Expert For The Night"

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Fast Forward - Seven Years Later

Leaning closer to the mirror, I picked up my pearl button earrings and carefully slipped them in. I took a moment to look at my reflection staring back at me. My hair is already curled, ashy blonde spirals falling all around my shoulders, hairspray coating them to make sure they stay all night.

I'm wearing a tight black dress that has a sweetheart neckline and goes off my shoulders. After staring at my shoes for about twenty minutes, I decided on red suede heels with an open toe and criss cross straps. But I'm not putting those on until the last minute.

It's New Year's Eve and I'm almost done getting ready. Ashley is hosting a party tonight at her and Brandon's house–yeah, they stayed together all this time and got married about three years ago. Since the end of sophomore year, those two have been together and I don't think I've ever known such a happy, lovely couple.

Ashley's also three months pregnant with their first child and it honestly brought me to tears when I first heard the news. My best friend, pregnant, with the love of her life's child. I'm so eternally happy for them.

It's almost seven-thirty, so I open up my jewelry stand and reach into a few drawers to grab something. I picked up a pearl bracelet and slipped it on my wrist, then I swiped on some red lipstick that perfectly matched my heels, making the application as crisp as possible. I dug through a couple more drawers, but found nothing else appealing. So I went to close the last one that I briefly opened until I noticed something. A messily folded piece of paper shoved in the back. 

I knit my eyebrows together in confusion, as I wrapped my fingers around it and pulled it out.

Upon unfolding it, I gasped.

I'm sorry.

I'm sorry. I'm sorry.

I loved you. I always will.

I hope you end up to be the happiest girl in the world, wherever you go in life.

Chase

"Oh my God," I muttered to myself, rolling my lips into my mouth. My eyes tore away from it, not being able to bear the feelings any longer. 

The note. The note that Chase put in my box of things after we broke up. I honestly forgot about it– I just stuffed it in my jewelry box that day and never looked back.

I rested my hand down by my side, clutching the note and taking a few deep breaths. Then I lifted up my left hand and stared at the large diamond on my ring finger, watching it sparkle at every angle. A smile tugged at my lips, and every time I looked at the ring, I felt myself glowing.

It's a daily, constant reminder of how happy I am now. No matter what I've been through in the past, it all led up to this.

"Babe! Come on, we gotta go!"

A voice shattered my thoughts. I heard footsteps thumping up the stairs suddenly. I sucked up my tears, hoping that my makeup wasn't smudged, and put the note down on the dresser.

I'm not sure what it was about the note that made me so emotional, but it struck something in me. Maybe because all kinds of memories came rushing back out of nowhere. I wasn't prepared to relive high school in a matter of twenty seconds.

I leaned my hand onto the dresser and tried to look casual as I stared at the doorway. "Are you ready? We gotta... what happened?" Eric popped in our room, coming over to me with concern. His eyebrows crinkled and he put his hands on my arms, gently rubbing them with his thumbs.