Dipping Into Together

Epilogue

Epilogue

3 YEARS LATER

I step out of the car slowly, letting the door shut with a quiet click. The wind moves slowly over the hills, caressing my skin with a soft touch. I take a deep breath, inhaling the fresh air, looking out across the huge expanse of golden sloping meadows that are dotted with vibrant flowers. The sunset is a blend of orange and pink, giving everything a rosy glow. I stand there admiring the scene before me, completely peaceful.

"Des?" I hear his voice and turn. He's walking down the porch steps, an easy smile on his face. I walk up and meet him halfway, his arms instantly coming around my waist as I rest my hands lightly on his chest. He leans forward, kissing me softly.

"Hey, Jonah," I breathe, leaning in for another kiss.

"Hard day at school?"

I lean forward, capturing his lips in mine. "Let's not talk about it," I murmur against his lips.

He laughs and holds me tighter. "You'll graduate in two years, then you won't have to worry about it."

"Unless I decide to grad school." He kisses me deeply, murmuring some incoherent comment. "Hey, hey," I say, "I have work to do. Don't distract me."

"Sorry," he says, kissing me again, "it's kind of hard to think clearly with you around."

"Then I'll leave."

"Aw, c'mon. Come inside," he says, "I made some casserole."

"Oh, yeah, I forgot you take afternoon classes and actually have time, unlike me."

He laughs. "Don't be so bitter. Come inside." He releases me from his grasp and links our hands together.

"Alright, alright, just let me get my backpack from the car."

"Nope, no backpacks, no school, no studying tonight."

"You mean I'm going to have to actually talk to you the whole night?" I ask in mock horror.

He leans forward and presses a kiss to my temple. "Yes."

"Well, let's go, then. Might as well get it over with."

His hand slips to the small of my back. "After you."

***

"So," Jonah says, walking into the living room where I'm curled up on the couch, "what are we gonna do this weekend?"

"We aren't going to do anything," I say, leaning forward so that he can sit behind me. I lean back into his chest and his arms come around me.

"We aren't?"

"I'll be doing things, just not with you."

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah, I'm going to help Aunt Mel move."

"I keep forgetting that she moved out of the apartment."

When Aunt Mel and I had moved to Kentucky the summer after I graduated high school, we moved into an apartment while I went to college. When Jonah had started college, he moved into the guest house that I stayed in when I visited him a couple of years ago. Now that I was almost finished with my sophomore year, she had decided that it was time to make our residence more permanent and had bought a small house about five miles away from Pearl's. Although I was living with Aunt Mel, I was at either Jonah or Pearl's house constantly. It was nice, because Aunt Mel and Pearl had become good friends, constantly getting together for coffee. I had grown accustomed to going to Pearl's house and seeing Aunt Mel's car parked outside.

Jonah rests his hand on top of mine, playing with my fingers. "How did we get so lucky?" he whispers into my ear.

"Lucky?" I say, twisting around in his arms and pressing a soft kiss to his cheek, "you're the lucky one. You get to have me," I joke.

But instead of laughing, Jonah only gives me a small smile and kisses me. "You're right. I am extremely lucky."

Laughing, I say, "So am I." When I turn back around, I feel his hands slip down to my sides. "Jonah, don't you dare," I say, clenching my teeth. When he starts to tickle me, I squeal and jump away, landing on my back on the ground. "Jonah!" He immediately gets off the couch and straddles me, continuing to tickle me. "Jonah! Stop!" I dissolve into fits of laughter as I continue to squirm in a half-hearted effort to get away from him.

He stops tickling me suddenly, and leans down, kissing my neck. Breathing hard, I stare up at the ceiling and run my hands over his back.

"Jonah," I say, though I don't know why, and pull him closer to me. He kisses his way up to my mouth. When his lips touch mine, I moan and pull the collar of his shirt, trying to eliminate the space in between us.

"I love you," he whispers.

"I love you, too." I kiss him, kiss him hard, and try to grasp that I have the rest of my life to do just this. To kiss him and hold him whenever I want, and no one can stop me. So I kiss him again. And again. And again, until I can't think about anything else but his lips on mine and his heartbeat against my chest, until I can't tell where his body ends and mine begins, until everything else disappears and it's just us. Just us and forever.

****** THE END *******

I want to thank everyone who has continuously read Dipping into Together, and everyone who commented with advice or tips.

It's been a blast writing this, and I have to admit that I'm a little sad that it's over.

Onto the next story!

--Sabbie