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Epilogue
“Okay, are you ready?”I said a few months later when Natalie had finally decided she wanted to learn to drive.
“I guess so?” she said, taking a shaky breath.
I’d taken us to a back road that only had a few cars worth of traffic per day.
“Check your mirrors,” I said, and she did. One thing that was great about being similar heights is that she didn’t have to move the seat or the mirrors that much in my car.
“Let’s go,” I said, and she turned the key and stared out through the windshield with determination.
* * *
“Okay,and pull into that driveway right up there,” I said a few minutes later. Natalie fumbled with the turn signal for a moment before getting it right and pulling into the driveway in front of an abandoned house.
“And put it in park, and pull the emergency brake. Just in case,” I said.
She did that and then turned the car off, letting out a long breath.
“You did it!” I said, leaning over to give her a hug.
“I think that’s enough for today,” she said, and I could feel her shaking a little bit as she hugged me back.
“You did amazing, Nat,” I said, kissing her. She kissed me back with trembling lips.
“Thank you. Thank you for trusting me,” she said. “Okay, let’s switch so we’re not late.”
She got out of the driver’s seat and I hopped in, making sure that my mirrors were good before I backed out and headed toward the main roads again.
“So, I’ve been wanting to talk to you about something,” Natalie said.
“Should I be worried?” I asked, and I was only half joking.
“No, it’s good. So, Charlie is tired of feeling like a third wheel with Linley and Gray, and you know I have got to get out of my parent’s house, so she asked me if I wanted to get a place in the building with her. I did the math and I can totally afford the rent, and even save some money. It’s just a year lease, so if we decide we want to do something in the future, I’m not locked in forever. What do you think?”
“I think it’s a perfect idea,” I said. “Seriously. Charlie is great, and it just makes sense.”
As Paige had suspected, we’d absorbed Charlie into our friend group. She still had her moments of grief about her breakup, but on the whole, she was a complete ray of sunshine. You couldn’t have a bad time hanging out with her. It was impossible.
“Good. I knew you’d say that, but I just wanted to get your input,” Natalie said.
I pulled into the main parking lot in town and shook out my dress when I got out of the car.
“Your place is going to be so much fancier than mine,” I said.
“Yes, but yours will be more private,” she said.
“Yes, that is a good point.”
Natalie made sure to grab our present from the backseat.
“I feel like every time we see our friends we have to bring a present,” I said. “I know they just got engaged, but still.”
We walked down the street to Sweet’s, where Linley and Gray were holding their engagement party. Where else would they have it?
Music from the open doors of the bakery spilled into the street as people milled around with drinks and appetizers.
We walked in and found Linley, who was glowing in a beautiful purple dress that matched her glasses. Gray had on a crisp white shirt and purple tie.
