Violinist (CENTURIES series: Book #4)

Epilogue

One Year Later

I sat in front of my mirror in my bedroom, fixing the last stubborn curl that wouldn't abide to the fashion the rest of them were taking. Maybe it was because of the way my hands trembled, or maybe it was the fact that I had forgotten my conditioner in the shower today.

I had been too distracted to focus.

Sighing, I finally let the curl be when it was somewhat decent. In truth, it shouldn't matter much... not today, anyway.

My phone suddenly lit up on my makeup table, and with a quick swipe, I answered the phone and I lifted it to my ear with a little smile. "Hey, daddy."

"Not quite yet, but we're on our way," Dan chuckled in the other end. "Just wanted to call and hear how you're holding up."

My heart thudded quietly in my chest, aching ever so slightly. It was a duller pain than I had expected... but then again, I had had a long week to prepare.

"I'm okay," I replied. Despite what the day had in store for me, there was one reason to smile; Dan and Kyle, who had lasted about a year and a half now, were finally taking the next step after living together for almost a year. The two of them had grown lonely and bored together and found themselves longing for something more. Something... to take care of.

– A golden little retriever by the name of Zeus was waiting for them to come pick him up from the animal shelter downtown. He had been rescued a couple of weeks back by a woman who found an abandoned crate of puppies by a river. Dan had seen it on the news and had nearly thrown a royal fit. Kyle hadn't needed much persuasion before the two of them had taken the train down to visit the furry little puppers.

Zeus, apparently, had run right over to Dan and sniffed his groin.

– Dan said it was fate.

So now, a few weeks later, the puppies were ready to leave their foster home after their worm cure treatment and rehabilitation. They were picking up Zeus today, which was a pure coincidence with what was happening for me today.

"You promise to send me a picture the second you got him, won't you?" I said, hearing Kyle's voice in the background asking Dan something about directions. Dan replied quickly before returning to my question.

"Of course. Zeus gotta see his auntie right away so he's warned. You're coming to visit him tomorrow, right? If you're up for it..."

His voice trailed off, and I held my breath for a moment before blowing it out. My nerves and emotions were in a mess, but if I started crying now, there was no way I was going to...

"I will," I promised. I looked around in my single bedroom apartment, the one I had moved into after Dan and Kyle had moved in together. After... everything, they had waited two months until I was back up on my feet and functional again before moving. I had quit my job at the Aristocat Lounge. It was time to start fresh and get back on track again, so I had started applying for different jobs, most of which paid poorly, but jobs that were in my field. After what felt like tortuous months of interviews and countless no's, I finally landed one.

And as Dan would've said, it was fate.

Paid helper at a homeless center, just a few blocks away from my new apartment, seemed almost too destined to be true. It was a different part of town and nearly half an hour away from Dan and Kyle's new place, but it was perfect. It was just ten minutes by bus from my own apartment – my very own. I had paid for it myself, I had earned my own money and created my own home that was completely mine and mine alone.