Picture Perfect

Epilogue

4 YEARS LATER
Alessia POV
Once again, it was Christmas Eve. I had gotten in from New York last night. And boy was I tired. The semester never seemed to end right before winter break.

When I walked out of my gate at the airport last night my parents stood there waiting for me, per usual. My mom loved to make a whole ordeal of it. They greeted me with a balloons and big sign that read "ALESSIA VERA". This time however it was accompanied by one that read "JONATHAN PHILIPS". My dad dropped this sign with a frown forming in his face.

"Where is Jonathan, Sia?" My mom asked and gestured to the the space beside me. It had been agreed that Jonathan and I would be coming home for Christmas together this year, like we had done every year. He had gotten into MIT with a pretty large scholarship, so he'd take a train to meet me at NYU. And we'd fly home home together, but that wasn't the case this go round. Usually we would attend my parents party on Christmas Eve and stay the night at my house. Then we'd open presents with my parents Christmas morning before leaving to see Jonathan's family. Sadie had moved in with Jonathan's grandmother after winning the custody battle. All for a clean start. This meant we had to drive for two hours before meeting them for Christmas dinner. But now that was all up in the air with Jonathan not coming.

"He got caught up in his research project and can't make it," I sighed at the thought of the phone call I received from him the night before.

"Hey, babe, are you all packed?" I answered my phone and put it on speaker. "I've been packing for the last hour. I was gonna do it this morning but White Christmas came on TV," I laughed as I folded one of my shirts.

"About that, Alessia...." Jonathan started slowly. From the tone of his voice I knew whatever he said next wouldn't be good. I threw down the shirt in my hands, picking up the phone.

"What is it?" I took the phone off of speaker.

"Well, we are so close to finishing the rest of the experiment and it actually looks promising," he said. Then I could hear someone calling his name in the background. "I'll be there in a second, Jack."

"Are you at the lab now? Jonathan, it's almost midnight," I lectured him. "I understand this is important to you, but you need to take care of yourself first."

"I am," he assured. The way he was talking to me was similar to how he spoke with his mom. "We just need a few more days. I promise I'll be home by New Years."

"So you won't be coming up tomorrow?" Christmas had always been a time for us to be together with our families, which we didn't get very often anymore. It had easily become my favorite part of the year. Sure I got to see Jonathan on long weekends here and there, whether I went to Boston or he came to New York. But still meant a lot to see him. I was a little disappointed to say the least, but this project meant a lot to him. Jonathan was lucky to even be considered to work on it by the professor. He was the only undergraduate student in the lab. All the others where grad students or professors.

"I'm sorry, Alessia. I'll make it up to you. I promise."

"I know," I said after a moment. "It's fine really. Just tell me when you are done. And get some sleep okay?" It wasn't uncommon for Jonathan to try and stay up days at a time to complete an experiment. Then he'd sleep for a whole day after, just to do it all over again. I was always on his case for it.

"Okay. I will." He hung up. I guess my surprise would have to wait.

"You didn't give him a hard time right, Sia?" My mom asked me, pulling me out of my thoughts. I folded my arms and scowled at her.

"Of course not, Mom."

"Don't act that's an absurd idea," my mom teased me. And it really wasn't. Since we had left for college, Jonathan and I have "broken up" about three or so times. By broken up I mean I told him I was done with him over a silly fight. It usually ended with him coming to New York for the weekend and making it up to me. If you get what I mean. But it been a couple years since I had taken it that far. The both of us had matured a lot since then and I was more patient with him and his school work. He had become more aware of his perfectionism and actually started to ask help.