I'm Glad Your House Was Demolished | Kuffy

Fourteen: Epilogue

After exiting the car, Kira's parents go on in first, but I'm too astounded by the sight before me. Kira's hand holds mine, proving that this, this giant house on the hill with victorian-style touches and a view that overlooks the rest of Shadyside, is real. The trees in this neighbourhood are huge too, towering over the homes and covering the street in a ceiling of foliage. I can't believe this is where she lives now. 

Kira's family never went to court. They almost did, but then the demolition company realized that they would probably be better off just paying the plaintiffs rather than having to waste money on legal fees for a case they couldn't win. That left Kira's family with a few million dollars to cover the house and the irreplaceable sentimental items that were destroyed. Obviously, there's no way to pay for those broken treasures, but since Kira couldn't get those back, it doesn't hurt to get a mansion. 

She leads me inside, and I gaze up at the high ceiling and chandelier that hangs in the entryway. The kitchen has tall windows that let sunlight brighten the modern design, and several photos of Kira's family have been reprinted and reframed to decorate the walls, although some weren't digitalized, and those were lost. 

"Kira, this is..." I'm at a loss for words. 

"Yeah," Kira says. "I know." Then she tugs my hand. "Come see this."

She pulls me over to the french doors in the dining room that lead out to her backyard. The garden is filled with vibrant flowers, and stones frame a pond that runs from a mini waterfall in the yard. Beyond the grass, I can see all the houses below our ledge in the hillside. They look like the houses from the Peter Pan ride at Disneyland, getting smaller as I look out farther. 

"I can't believe you get to live here," I say. 

"It's surreal," Kira agrees. 

Her hand adjusts to get a better hold through mine, and I look over at her. The wind blows a loose curl over her forehead, so I reach up to brush it up out of the way. As I do that, her eyes turn to meet mine, and she smiles. 

"This is surreal," she says. Then she clarifies, "Us. Never in a million years did I ever think we'd end up here—or anywhere—together."

"Yeah," I breathe. "If someone had told me a few months ago that I was going to fall in love with you, I would've said they were insane."

Kira's eyes widen, and I realize what I just said. But I don't take it back. To take it back would suggest that I didn't mean it. I meant it. 

"In love?" Kira echoes. 

I bite my lip nervously then confirm, "Yeah."

She smiles and glances down before looking back up at me and saying, "I love you too."

Her eyes stay with mine, and soon we end up giggling the way we always do when we're both really happy. 

"This might be selfish of me to say," I start, "but I'm glad your house was demolished."

"I don't think it's selfish," Kira says, "because I'm glad too. Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to do this."

She steps in, sealing the gap between us, and kisses me. I can't believe I used to hate this girl, and now I love her. I went from one extreme to the other. Her hands are on my waist, holding my body against hers and electrifying my pulse. She's kind of like electricity herself. Without her, I wouldn't know that anything could ever be brighter, but now that I have her, I don't know how I ever lived without her.

A/N: Hello! I'm tired, so I'm going to bed, but I hope you liked this ending. It look me a while to get right. Anyway, have a lovely night. I love you all.