We Were Liars | ONC 2020 ✔

Epilogue

TWENTY-TWO DAYS AFTER

Ezra and I ended up staying together.

After all, his attempted strangulation of me hadn't been his fault. He'd been trapped under Lark's control---and he'd still managed to keep his promise, snapping out of his satanic daze at the most crucial moment. The way he'd cried into my chest after, a sobbing mess as he desperately tried to make amends for what he'd done, made me rethink our argument.

The days after the lake were full of red tape and turmoil. My mother was understandably furious at me for lying to her, grounding me for several decades before hugging me and refusing to let go. Officer Rhodes handled the aftermath surprisingly smoothly, but I still held the time it had taken to get Ette justice against him. He was obviously better with paperwork rather than investigating, but Lark Freeman was dead and everything was more or less alright, so I'd let it slide.

Twenty days. It had taken twenty days, and now, the nightmare was finally over.

Ezra showed up on my still slightly-scorched doorstep---my mother and I had decided to continue living in the intact parts of our house even while the rest was being rebuilt, mainly because hotel bills were too expensive---a mere two days after the incident, wearing his signature MCR t-shirt, strawberry-blonde hair gleaming in the fading sunlight, sky-blue eyes filled with teary regret. "I'm sorry," was the first thing he said.

I, leaning against the newly-reconstructed doorframe without my bowtie on, snarkily replied, "I assume you have some excuse for why you tried to murder me straight after apologising for lying to me?"

I expected him to blame it on Lark Freeman's control, as he had the right to, but he looked down at his sneakers and whispered, "I broke my promise, didn't I?"

"Damn it, Ezra," I cursed, making his head snap up to look straight at me. "I told you to get out of my life." Then I hesitantly walked forwards, sinking into his chest like I'd done that day in the hotel. "Damn you. I don't forgive people easily, you know. You didn't have to make it so easy for me to forgive you. You didn't break your promise. I wish you had. I wish you had, then I wouldn't have been able to continue loving you this easily."

He wrapped his arms around me, his gaze jubilant as I stared into his eyes. "You...you love me?"

I tried my best to appear entirely unfazed, but the pink blush no doubt heating up my cheeks gave away my true thoughts. "Of course not, you twat! You betrayed me!" Then I rose up on the tips of my toes, pressing my lips to his own shocked ones. "I don't forgive you yet, but I believe my...feelings go without saying." When Ezra leaned down, gripping my face gently with one hand as he laced the other within my knobbly fingers, I allowed him to. We stood there on the doorstep for a minute, swaying a little as I melted into the kiss I'd initiated, my knees going wobbly in ways only he could make me feel.

"Is that a yes or a no?" he asked teasingly, breath hot and minty against my mouth, his teeth teasing my bottom lip lightly, his hand locked firmly in mine. My legs were shaking, having mortifyingly turned to jelly. I yanked him past the entrance, slamming the recently-replaced door behind him. The neighbours---and the construction crew---would be scandalised if they saw two boys kissing out in the open where everyone could see them, no doubt.

I broke away from the kiss, placing one palm flat against the wall to keep from losing my balance and sliding to the ground. "Would I kiss someone I didn't love?" I fired back.

Ezra bestowed a shy smile upon me. "Maybe?" He clumsily staggered away from me---it gave me unconcealed satisfaction to know that our sudden display of affection had affected him as well---pushing his hair back. "I'll make it up to you someday, I promise."