You All Along

You All Along (Epilogue)

SONGS FOR THIS CHAPTER

Stockholm syndrome (One Direction)

Illusion (One Direction)

Take Me With You (Secondhand Serenade)

You Call (Secondhand Serenade)

Fall For You (Secondhand Serenade)

15 years later

Layla’s P.O.V

”SUMMEEERRR!! Quick get over here and get dressed, honey! I yelled at my daughter who was sitting at the couch watching one of Barbie’s cartoons. She was 3 years old and had gotten her looks equally from me and her father. She had dirty blonde hair, and natural brown highlights from me. Hey eyes were mostly gray and turned a bit brownish under the sun. She ran up to me in her PJs and hugged my knees, after trying her best to reach my waist. I giggled at her and picked her up to take her to the room to shower. “ADAM! Can you please send Josh to our room? He hasn’t showered since yesterday evening!” I yelled from the bathroom to my husband. “NOO! We’re watching Spongebob!” he yelled back and I laughed at myself. I’ll go get Josh myself once I’m done with Summer. “Mommy, where are we going?” Summer asked as I wrapped her in a towel. “We are going to see….mommy’s old friend,” I said and she nodded before asking again? “Mommy, why is your tummy so big? Did you eat a lot last night?” she asked innocently. “Um, there is another little baby like you inside, and she is going to be beautiful just like you,” I said and patted her head. “Then why did you eat her?” she asked, pure shock on her face, as she trembled in fear. “No, darling, I didn’t eat her, she um—“I stopped, not knowing how to continue or explain to her. “Who did your mom eat?” Adam asked, carrying Josh and walking into the room. “Mommy ate my sister,” Summer pouted and Adam started laughing and I just glared at him before mouthing “Help me, please,” to him. He let Josh down and squatted in front of Summer and put his hand on her shoulder and said, “Honey, your mom and I, did the jiggle wiggle three times. Once for your brother, once for you, and recently we did it for your sister that is why your mommy’s tummy is huge,” he said, and looked at me. My eyes widened in horror, when he called sex jiggle wiggle.  Where did he even learn that? “Adam!” I swatted his shoulder and he laughed but Summer clearly didn’t get what was going on. “Daddy, what is the jiggle wiggle?” she asked tugging at her dad’s hand. “Oh um that, you will not understand now,” he said, scratching the back of his neck. “Okay, when can I do the jiggle wiggle, daddy?” and it was my turned to laugh. “Um, Summer, you don’t have to do the jiggle wiggle anytime soon. You have to wait another 20 years, okay?” he said and carried her. “How long is 20 years?” she asked again. And Jeff turned to look at me before saying, “Very long, honey, very long,” and left the room.  I carried Josh to the bathroom so I can get him to shower.

Adam’s P.O.V

Well that was an interesting conversation with your 3 year old daughter. Interesting. I put on a purple dress on her that had a ribbon around her waist. The reason I bought her this was because I bought Layla the exact same maternity dress when she was pregnant with Summer. Summer is always full of questions, and doubt and she basically just made me tell her why Layla was pregnant.  Layla walked in when I was braiding Summer’s long hair and asked me to quickly get ready. “Adam, I’m going to shower, can you please dress up Josh too?” she asked and fetched her towel. “But why do I always have to do it? You’re their mom too right?” I pouted finishing Summer’s second braid. “Yeah, but I showered them so you dress them up,” she said, and planted a kiss on my cheek before running off to the bathroom. I finished Summer’s hair, and patted her shoulder to let her go watch TV and picked Josh’s outfit. Josh is basically the opposite of Summer. He’s 6 years old, and is very quiet for his age. I mean you don’t always see a 6 year old, not speaking a word and forever plugging his nose into a children’s book, you know. I picked a tiny 3 quarter jeans for him and a short sleeved plaid button down. Just like his daddy. Josh’s messy brown hair gives that innocent kind of look that matches perfectly with his huge brown eyes. He is going to be some girl’s Romeo one day. Unless he is gay, which I have no problem with.  I just roufled his hair, and smiled at him and said, “You’ll be someone’s love of their life one day son, just like me. You can go play now,” I said and pushed him a little. He smiled at me, and ran down to his room to grab what I assume was another book. I stood up from my knees to see Layla coming into the room, a towel wrapped onto her pregnant body. She was busy tying a towel turban and didn’t notice that I was right behind her. I made sure the kids were away from our room and gently locked the door behind me, before sneaking up behind her. I wrapped my arms around her growing belly and placed my chin in the nape of her neck. We stood directly in front of the mirror so instead at looking at her face, I looked at her reflection. She looked slightly older than she was 15 years ago, but so am I, and she was still flawless as ever. I buried my face near her shoulders and left a trail of wet kisses down her neck and her back. She lost balance because of the weight but regained it, my  holding on to my side. She moved her hair to one shoulders and tilted her head backwards so that I gain more access to her neck. I slowly left another trail of kisses up until I reached her lips. I cupped her face and leaned down to kiss he—“Daddy?” Summer knocked on the door and Layla and I jumped, before covering our mouths to hide the laughter. ‘I’m coming honey,” I yelled over the closed door. I heard her mumble a response and heard footsteps heading down to the hall. “Well, that was interrupted . I guess I should go shower first,” I said and kissed on the cheeks before going to the bathroom.

***

“We are here, can you wake them?” Layla asked and I nodded. “Summer, Josh we are here, wake up you guys,” and Josh shot his eyes open. “Summer, wake up, we’re here,” he shook his sister gently and she stirred in her sleep before finally waking up. I carried Summer on to my waist, while Josh held on to Layla’s hand while we walked to his door. Before we even knocked, Elsa threw the door open and engulfed us both in a hug. Her belly had grown a little more since the last time we saw her. She carried Summer from me and took Josh’s hand and walked into her house. We walked in following her to the hall, when Jeff came in. When he saw us both, his eyes straight went down to Layla’s belly, and I laid a protective arm around her waist. “Oh, she’s a girl?” Jeff asked, pointing towards Layla’s belly. We nodded in unison, and Jeff nudged us both towards the couch, where Summer and Josh we already playing with Daisy, Jeff’s daughter. Elsa came back in with 4 tall glasses filled with sweet tea and a tray of cookies for the children. “So Layla, your third child?” she asked, sitting next to Jeff, and Layla nodded smiling, and patting her belly. “So when are you guys leaving?” Jeff asked, taking a sip of his tea. “I don’t know maybe in another 4 months? There is still some clarifications we have to do with the house, and we want the baby to be born in a new country, so it has to be perfected before we leave,” I said. Daisy trotted up to Jeff and held out a jar and asked him to open it. He opened it with ease, and handed it back to her and tousled her hair. She smiled and ran back to play with our children.

***

After another hour of a plain conversation, we stood up to leave. “Summer, Josh, we’re leaving, come one,” I called to them and they stood up to tell Daisy goodbye. Elsa and Jeff took turns to kiss them on the cheek and they rushed out the door, and raced to our car. “Hey, be careful, okay? Josh, take care of your sister!” I yelled from inside the house. I turned to look at Jeff and Elsa and waved them a final goodbye before we left. While we were outside their house, I leaned in to kiss Layla on the lips and quickly pulled away and sat inside the car.

Jeff’s P.O.V

She was so fucking beautiful. Even though she was officially his, with two children to prove it. I was married to Elsa a few years ago, and I did have a beautiful daughter, and another unborn son. But, Layla. She was different. It is painful that I cannot explain how much it hurt to see them both so happy together. I should have been there, kissing her on her full lips whenever I wanted, but I screwed up 15 years ago. But none of the could hurt me as much as the fact that the dreams I had when I was in high school returned and it became more and more clearer each night. And all I can see is Adam and Layla. Adam and Layla. Adam and Layla everywhere. Well, I was warned about all of this earlier, but I let it go, thinking it was just a dream.

Oh how wrong I was, Dreams are never just dreams.

Weeeeeeelll, guess who is feeling emotional? ME. Is it normal to feel like crying because you finished writing your book, because that is exactly how I feel. Though I might feel excited to finish my first book, I am feeling terrible, because it is over. I mean You All ALong is my first book, come on, I'd be an idiot if I didn't feel like bawling my eyes out. But I am utterly so happy that I cannot explain how much of an experience this has been for me. My first writers' block, uneven updatin schedules, lack of motivation, but here it is, the end. I have no idea how to explain what I'm feeling, tbh. Its 2.32 am and I promised to finish the book today, so here you go. I really hope you all liked it, And stay tuned for my next book, 'CROSSROADS'. Thank you everyone for sticking by me, and I can't express how much you all actually mean to me, and I love you will never be enough. 

Till then,
GAYATRI 

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