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“So I needed to show you that I’d changed, that I could make the effort.”
“You did,” Jules said, but Billie cut her off before she could say any more.
“I didn’t say the important bit though. That bit’s just for you.” Billie took her hands. “Jules Hawthorne, I love you. You. It’s that simple. I don’t know why or how or any of the details. I just know that your face is the one I want to see in the morning. And…”
Jules started to speak, but Billie squeezed her hands again.
“And I’m really not doing this properly,” she said. “But… will you marry me?”
Jules snatched her hands back in shock. “Will I what?”
“You heard me,” Billie said quite calmly.
“Marry you?” Jules said, mouth dry and heart beating hard.
“I know it’s important,” Billie said. “I know the prophecy is important to you, that your mum is important to you…”
Jules shook her head. “No.”
“No?” Billie asked, face starting to drop.
“No,” Jules said, looking at her, her deep dark eyes, her sharp cheekbones. “No, I won’t marry you.”
Billie gulped. “You… you won’t?”
Jules shook her head again. “I won’t.” She reached out again for Billie’s hands. “I’ve spent enough time thinking about the people who left,” she said slowly. “It’s about time I started thinking about those who stayed, and…” She pressed Billie’s hands hard. “And those who came back.”
Billie’s eyes were filling with tears.
“You’ve had your say, Billie Brooke. Now it’s my turn,” Jules said, leaning in. “Lucky for you, I don’t have much to say. In fact, it’s just one thing.”
Billie raised an eyebrow. “What’s that then?”
Jules smirked. “That I love you, Billie Brooke.”
Their lips met, softly at first, then harder as Billie clutched Jules to her, as they closed their eyes and disappeared into the moment.
A nurse appeared, peeking around the curtain, then silently withdrawing as she saw the two embracing.
She’d come back in a while.
After all, there was all the time in the world.
Epilogue
Billie eyed the two buses that had pulled up outside the school. “I think this might have gotten slightly out of hand?”
“Do you think?” said Jules, as her grandfather and Dave from the pub strolled past on their way to one of the buses.
“I’m not entirely sure how,” Billie confessed, as she waved to two of her students. “I mean, it was just a suggestion.”
“A good one,” Jules said.
“A great one,” Mila joined in. “Ag is so grateful.”
Billie looked over to where the gangly seven year old was playing with her brother. Dash, who had finally- in Ag’s opinion- become somewhat interesting had shown not a jot of interest in music of any kind.
“Well, it’s important that Ag hears real music, that she understands what the goals are, if she really wants to do this seriously,” Billie said.
