AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Give me five minutes. And then give me a lifetime. You’re the one, angel girl, and I’m going to prove it to you every day for the rest of time. Starting right now.”
And that’s exactly what he does.
EPILOGUE
Six weeks later…
“Did you see that pass?” Hannah squeals. “That was genius!”
“Touchdown!” Mollie screams.
“That’s my brother,” Isla says proudly.
“They’re on fire tonight,” Lauren adds.
We’re in our usual box, watching the Wildcats absolutely clean up the visiting team. They’re leading by 21 points. Elias has led them to four consecutive wins since he’s been back on the team and tonight’s game will be their sixth win of the season.
Like he does after every touchdown, he puts his hand on his heart and looks up at the box. He says he can see me up here. The crowd goes wild when he does this. They know the story. We ended up giving an interview once the news broke that Elias was starting quarterback again. There was so much buzz and speculation on social media that we wanted to make sure we told the story as it actually happened.
#ZaraSavesTheWildcats was overstating things just a little but at least it was better than the last trending hashtag.
I’m not sure I could ever get used to “trending” on social media but it seems to happen all the time these days. For some reason, people are interested in our story. I’ve gotten a lot of messages from people who follow me, saying they never believed in love at first sight until they watched it happen to us.
Elias now has two hundred million followers and has just signed three new endorsement deals that are worth an eye-watering amount of money. He and my dad have been meeting with NFL scouts and there’s no doubt that Elias will go high in the draft.
Last time I checked I had around twenty million followers. Which is insanely crazy. I’ve started posting pictures of my art, mostly the pieces that will be included in my Sea Glass exhibition in December. Imogen decided that we’ll run the show as a sort of auction over the month, to see how high she can get the prices to go. The offers we’ve already had are mind-bogglingly high.
She’s already talking about another solo exhibition, maybe in March.
My path is very different to my mother’s path to fame. I still have to pinch myself sometimes when I read reviews of my work in the art magazines I used to read religiously during high school. There are some that are critical. But Elias says that’s true of everyone who’s ever put themselves out there. He’s right, of course, and I don’t take those too much to heart. My mother’s art didn’t please everyone either. Neither do Elias’s passes. Or my dad’s coaching calls.
So I focus on the reviews like: “Zara Fox shines with her own artistic style.” And: “She’s every bit as good as her mother and just as original.” And: “Imogen MacBeth is about to make Zara Fox exceptionally rich.”
Elias’s Instagram post has changed my life so much it’s practically unrecognizable.
As for Elias himself, all I can say is that he’s transformed me, body and soul, into someone who feels more loved than I sometimes know what to do with. We’re together as much as we possibly can be. And since we can’t keep our hands off each other, we spend most of our time having hot, very orgasmic sex. I literally can’t get enough of him. To say he feels the same way would be an understatement.
Isla wasn’t happy that I only spent a week living at Carrington Hall. I moved in with Elias the night we got back from Michigan. On the evenings I work late in my studio, he stays there with me. But he’s cleared out some of the stuff in his room to make space for my things, including an easel, which he put next to the window.
Isla spends more and more time at the house too. She and Jake still haven’t admitted to themselves that they share something more than an old friendship. But the sparks between them are practically electric. I’m waiting for new developments…
Hannah got a new job that allows her to work remotely, so she came home soon after we got back from Michigan to check on me. When she met Elias, she was totally, comically starstruck and once she saw the two of us together, she fully agreed that Rule Number One needed a major overhaul.
Two weeks ago, she met a graduate student named Oliver who used to be a Wildcats player but injured his knee junior year and is now studying finance. She’s been on three dates with him and last night she told me she’s thinking about moving back to Massachusetts.
My dad is happier than I’ve seen him in…well, years. He loves having the house full of people. He loves having both his kids living nearby or, in Hannah’s case, back in her old room, at least temporarily. And, of course, he loves that his team is on a winning streak. Once he made his mind up about Elias, he treats his star quarterback like he walks on water. Elias and I go over and cook my dad dinner every Sunday and it’s nice to be a family again…plus one. And sometimes plus two, when Imogen is in town. And now, plus three, since Oliver is coming next Sunday.
Imogen has visited several times to work through the paintings we’ll be showing in the December exhibition. She and my dad went out to dinner one night at the Hawthorne Steakhouse. On an actual date. Now she’s talking about opening a second gallery, in Hawthorne. Like Elias said, there’s nothing wrong with second chances.
My classes continue to go well and I’ve made a lot of new friends, including Maeve. She and I have become close. I introduced her to Imogen, who’s offered to exhibit one of Maeve’s paintings in the February collective exhibition at the Sea Glass.
Christopher was disappointed that Imogen wasn’t interested in his work. He’s still one of my biggest critics in class, which I don’t dare tell Elias. I’d hate to see Christopher targeted by a very grumpy quarterback and his extremely large friends.
Tonight, Hannah, Mollie, Isla, Lauren and I are making the most of the fully catered box as we wait for the stadium to clear out a little, and for Elias and the others to get back to the house. They’re planning a small party tonight. I’m not sure why but maybe they just want to celebrate their win.
Everyone on campus is in good spirits. The leaves have mostly fallen and they crackle underfoot as we make our way across the Green. The night is cool and clear, and dusk gives the sky a purple glow.
Mollie and Lauren head back to the dorm and Hannah’s got plans in town.
