Where My Demons Hide

Epilogue

    "Didn't anyone tell you that girls shouldn't be out in forests alone?" Haiden suddenly asked.

    "No, well..." I grinned. "You did."

    Haiden grinned back at that and I sighed happily. Every day more and more of the old Haiden was returning. I wasn't expecting the old Haiden to return at all; five years had passed and we had grown up, so it was understandable. And after everything he had been through, I would understand if he wasn't the positive, gentle, joking guy he used to be. But surprisingly, that guy was coming back in bits and pieces and it made me happy because it made me feel like maybe, Haiden's wounds of the past were healing.

    Silence passed between us and we stared at our surroundings. It was peaceful and all, but suddenly the question I had been wondering came back to me. I wondered if I had made a difference. Actually, I wondered if Haiden was feeling okay.

    During the time we spent together, we usually talked about much lighter things. I never brought up his past, thinking it would upset him, but now I wondered about him. I knew deep down he still felt like everything was his fault, which broke my heart. One day I hoped that would change.

    "Are you okay?" I blurted back, unable to hold it in anymore. "After everything, are you... Feeling better?"

    "I don't know how to feel, to be honest," Haiden answered. "But... Yes, I'm feeling better. One day I think I'll be okay."

    Hearing the hope in Haiden's voice made me emotional. Looking away, I hoped he wouldn't notice I had teared up. It made me feel silly and I stared at the ground, feeling relieved he was at least feeling better.

    "With you at my side, anything is possible," Haiden said, catching me off guard.

    My head flew up and I stared at him, stunned. With wide eyes, I stared into his gentle, affectionate eyes. My heart began to race.

    I didn't know what compelled me or why I decided to do it then, but suddenly I wanted to tell him. I was tired of keeping it in, so I decided to finally tell him I loved him. The consequences didn't matter anymore as I saw how much Haiden cared about me through his eyes.

    But before I could say anything, Haiden said, "You know when we were little, I thought we were going to spend the rest of our lives together."

    "Really?" I asked, finding myself smiling at the thought.

    "Yeah, for many reasons." Haiden looked down, seeming shy. "I had the biggest crush on you when we were thirteen."

     My jaw dropped. I couldn't help it since what he said was unbelievable. I never thought my feelings had been reciprocated back then.

    "Really?" I asked, amazed. "I had the biggest crush on you then, too."

    Haiden smiled and he kept his eyes averted. He looked uneasy and I wondered why. Blushing,  I wondered if maybe I shouldn't tell him these things. Knowing how shy he got, I decided to wait until later to confess my love.

    "You know," Haiden then said shyly. "I may still have that crush on you now."

    My heart froze. This was too good to be true, but I completely forgot about waiting. With my heart beginning to race and my smile growing wide, I knew the time to tell him how I felt was now.

    "I love you. I am completely, utterly in love with you Haiden," I blurted out, cheeks flushing. "I have always loved you and I know I'll never stop."

    Haiden whipped his head to look at me, his eyes wide for a moment. But then his face broke out into a look of delight and I grinned. I wanted to kiss him right then and there and tell him just how much I had loved him for years.

    "Truth is, I love you too," Haiden said, grinning. "I was trying to be nonchalant with the whole crush thing."

    I laughed lightly and put my arms around his neck. Pulling him to me, I kissed him and he kissed me back immediately. It felt right and safe and sighing lightly, I knew this was how life was supposed to be. It was supposed to be spent with Haiden who I had always felt complete with.

    Haiden pulled back and I stared at him, taking in how much affection was in his eyes. I wondered how I had missed it, but then I realized I had been so used to it that I never noticed. Haiden had always looked at me like this, even when he was trying to push me away. We were just too busy dealing with other things to realize we loved each other, which was why it took us five years to confess our love.

    "Thank you for never giving up on me," Haiden said, pressing his forehead to mine. "Thank you for staying at my side, even though I didn't deserve it. I love you so much for that."

    I found my heart soaring with joy. Haiden was so sweet and closing my eyes, I thanked the world for bringing us together. Even if the world made it seem like we weren't meant to be at times, it all worked out in the end.

    "You're welcome," I said. "I can't wait for what the future has in store for us."

    "I can't wait either."

    I kissed him again and we kept kissing, trying to make up for all the years we lost without each other. As we kissed I thought about how everything felt right. With Haiden, I no longer felt the emptiness I had felt during the years we were apart. And because of that, I knew we were meant to be.

     Sometimes all you needed was another person. Someone who would be there for you no matter what because those people were your constants. Those people were the ones that kept you grounded and made sure to see the best in you. Haiden and I had each other for that and smiling between kisses, I knew we were two halves that made a whole. We needed each other and finally, after being two broken pieces of a puzzle that were trying so hard to fit together, we were finally mended and now fit together perfectly. At that, I knew the world would be good to us since we were finally, infinitely, together.

The End