Before us...

Epilogue

Each of them moved at different paces when it came down to their therapy sessions, but the tune of their relationship remained constant. They rebuilt; to put it simply. From the ground up they began to develop and grow together whilst remaining individual and free to explore themselves in their own way. It was difficult at first, for Lila mostly. Her desire to speak, to vent, to release herself from her own entrapment came slowly. She opted to sit in silence for a month before she began to speak, slowly throwing any small issue she had to the wind before eventually tackling the raging monster that lived inside her.

It was draining to say the least. It was odd to speak of such an unspeakable act when she could barely even think about it. It was something that she had not wanted to label, or acknowledge believing that in doing so, she would never get away from it. As if saying it out loud would poison the air around her forcing it to get stuck in her lungs and stay with her forever. But she was wrong. Although at the time, it was the most painful thing she had ever spoken off, now she was better for it. She had been raped, by her boss, at the place she worked, and she had carried it inside of her for too long, suffering under the weight of it allowing it to define who she was.

Now; she was in a home that she loved, with a companion whom she loved, in a town that she loved surrounded by people who loved her. And she felt lighter than she had in years. It had been difficult to leave the room once she had finally released the information to what felt like the world, but she had. The first thing she did was repeat it to Milo. He sat and listened, never interrupting once. He sat and held her hand, comforting her when she needed it, holding her tightly as she cried, allowing her the silence he knew she needed to gather herself once the tale had been told, and informed her that he was proud of how strong she must be to have entrusted him with something so haunting. And she had never been happier.

Milo continued to release his own demons onto Dr Thompson, slowly but surely. His relationship with Lila was something they discussed rarely now but was something that he would bring up lightly, to keep his therapist informed. James had been their focus for the longest time. From the start of their relationship to the end, it became clear to Milo just how much he had loved that man. And although he would cherish their relationship until the day he died; his death was not his burden to bear but rather something to mourn, a loss that would never completely heal but that he could survive.

They tackled everything. From his relationship with his family, which was slowly mending, to his brutal memories of the army. His shooting, the lives he took, all the nightmares and images that continued to haunt him were examined closely and patiently, one by one. Slowly, the nightmares began to diminish.

They each continued to work, one at Grace's Groceries and one at the bookstore, developing friendships as they went. Milo and Jensen bonded strongly after everything, often ditching their other half's to 'roam free' as Jensen claimed. Lila strengthened her relationship with both Nathan and Grace but became great friends with the delivery girl, Alex. She never realised how useful it could be to have a female companion her own age. It became obvious that there were things that she could confide in Alex that she could not with Milo, until it became clear to her that she was ready to act.

They had grown closer and closer over the last few months, getting more comfortable with their relationship. And when Lila decided that she was ready to try something, Milo was more than ready to oblige. Zar had been kidnapped by Lily for the night, they had each finished work early and chose to spend their evening at the restaurant where their first date took place, taking advantage of the delicious cheesy bread they knew and loved to celebrate their six-month anniversary. And when they were done, after they had walked to Lila's house and shut the extra portions of cheesy bread they had purchased away in the fridge, Lila had kissed him.

She kissed him slowly, deeply, teasing him slightly and they giggled together like children as she led him towards her bedroom. As he lay next to her, he stopped her movements for a moment and demanded she tell him what she wanted, because his poor mind was running wild. She had smiled, kissed him shortly, before stating quite clearly, that she wanted him. He had gulped heavily, asking her once more, desperate for her to confirm that his eyes were not playing tricks on him. Her chest pooled with desire as she grew thankful for his mission for approval. She gave it, more than once and he relaxed into her. Their clothes were slipped slowly from their bodies by shaking fingers and gentle touches, as kisses were spread over every inch of skin they could find, taking their time with each other as comfort and pleasure rushed over them. Milo made her comfortable, he prepared her for every moment, whispering in her ear what he was about to do before he did it, ensuring she was okay with it every step of the way. When the control he had ran away from him he would catch it quickly, handing it to her, giving Lila the ability to move how she wanted to move. Taking her time as she grew more confident in the trust she gave him, sensually moving their bodies together as one.

They moved together, enjoying the new intimacy of being so close to someone they each loved as much as they loved themselves. Then they lay, in each other's arms, sated and content as they slept soundly together, no longer plagued by the past that came before they were an us. No. They only saw the bright future that they had with each other.

The End.