In the Shadows

Epilogue

One month later....

It was a bright sunny morning with only a few clouds in the distance over the ocean. Luke quickly put two towels, a bottle of sunscreen and two bottles of water in the bag which he slung over his shoulder. He pulled the front door of the small unit closed behind him and walked down the path to the road where the girl with the long dark hair was waiting for him.

"Hurry up, slowpoke," she laughed, "I'm looking forward to my swim." She reached over and held his hand as they walked side by side down the winding road for the twenty minute walk to the beach.

Luke stole a glance at her as they walked. He couldn't recollect ever seeing her look so relaxed and happy. They had been in Rio de Janeiro for almost a month now. They had found a small flat to live in, they were slowly learning the national language of Portuguese, although English was also widely used, and they both had jobs. Summer waited a café and Luke had found a job in a furniture shop.

Had he made the right decision to leave Sydney, to abandon his friends and his life in Australia and move to another country with a woman who had caused him so much misery in the past? He had almost called the detective that day in the café, but something about Summer seemed different. She wasn't the same person anymore, so he had taken a leap of faith, a huge leap, and decided to go with her to this land of sunshine and beaches. He had just made it to the airport in time to meet her. She was freaking out because she had seen policemen coming to get her, or so she thought. But they were chasing someone else and had walked right by her. She had met Luke with tears and open arms, and they had boarded the plane with no one recognising her or trying to stop them.

It was a Sunday morning and they were going for a swim at the nearest tourist beach. Rio was a thriving tourist city and the standard of living was quite high. They had applied for working visas which were surprisingly easy to get, they could stay for up to three years, and then probably extend them.

"Tell me something," he said to her as they walked, "Was that you I saw at the nightclub about two months ago in Sydney, watching me from across the room?"

"Yes, it was me. But I promise you I wasn't stalking you. I had gone to the club for a drink and I saw you sitting at a table, but it was too soon. I wasn't ready to talk to you about my plan, so I watched you for a few minutes until you saw me, so I quickly slipped away."

Luke nodded. "So that's what happened. I thought I had imagined you."

They walked in silence until they arrived at the beach. Summer set up the towels, slipped off her floral dress revealing her black bikini, and sat down while she rummaged through the bag for the sunscreen. Her long hair, which had now gone back to its natural colour of almost black, cascaded down her back almost to her waist.

Luke watched her. In that moment she was the most beautiful girl on the beach. In that moment he knew he had made the right decision to come to Brazil with her. In that moment he loved her more than he had ever loved anyone in his life. He sat down next to her, put his arms around her and gave her a long kiss while holding her close.
"Mmmmm, what was that for?" she murmured.
"Oh no reason," he replied with a smile, "except that I love you. You won't ever leave me will you?"
She laughed, "Of course not, silly. We're together forever and ever. Now can you rub some sunscreen on my back?"

Author's Note

I hope you enjoyed the ending.
Luke is finally happy living with the girl he loves.

Thanks for reading, especially to my regular readers who I can always count on.
Don't forget to vote :)

If you liked this story and you haven't already done so, you might like to read what Summer gets up to in the four stories which lead up to this one. They can be accessed from my home page.
"Dark Eyes"
"Summer"
"Next Summer"
"A Summer Sunset"