Everything

Epilogue

Epilogue

            It had been eight weeks since the baby was born, and while Luci still felt like she was  recovering, physically and emotinally, she had made the decision to make her first public appearance at the Grammy Awards. Peyton had been nominated for four of the awards and she’d invited Luci and Justin to join her at the show. When the Grammy association found out that Luci was willing to come to the show, they’d asked her to perform. She had hesitated at first, but with Justin as her new producer, he encouraged her to use this opportunity to share the new songs she’d been working on. He had pointed out that it made for a semi-natural reappearance. She would be there to support her best friend and singing a new song. 

            Luci had worked hard over the last eight weeks and as she walked the red carpet with Justin and Peyton at her side, the biggest news flash was not that she was back, but that she looked fantastic.

            She’d left her hair dark, the darkest it had been in her entire career, and it created a striking contrast with her skin. She used brown contacts to make her eyes an even darker chocolate color and she wore a blood red dress that wrapped around slender body but ruffled around her knees with a shallow v-neck line.

            As Justin watched her naturally parry a reporters questions, he knew that it was more than her physical appearance that had people talking. There was something more to it. Though most didn’t know it, a lot of her pure innocence was lost and she’d become so much more of a woman in the months she’d been gone from the public eye. There was an air she carried about her that suggested something more than confidence, and her eyes had the almost haunting look of having overcome Hell itself.

            She was not the Luci Evans people remembered or expected. Not the young girl who’d left them speechless at her young age and kept them amazed at how untouched she’d been in the world of beat down celebrities. She had grown up and though people didn’t know the reasons, and didn’t suspect them to be as sinister as they were, they recognized that she had changed.

            After deflecting comments about her where she’d been the past few months, and refusing to give any hints at her new single she and Justin bowed out of the rest of the red carpet experience. They would leave Peyton to accept the interviews she deserved. Justin couldn’t resist, he wanted some time alone with her and he pulled her into a secluded corner.

            “Justin,” she chastised half-heartedly as she melted against the wall behind her, looking up at him as he hovered over her.

            “They’re wrong you know,” he whispered softly, “you’re not beautiful. . . you’re drop dead gorgeous!”

            A smile traced her lips, and her dark eye lashes fluttered momentarily, “Why thank you.” she murmured demurely. She wrapped his tie around her hand a couple of times to pull him close enough to her that she could reach his lips by standing on her tip toes. He willingly returned her soft kisses before she pulled away.  “Hmm. . .” she mused, tugging lightly at his tie again. “These black tie events are good for something.”

            “How are you holding up?” he questioned, winding one of her dark curls around his finger.

            “I’d forgotten what it feels like to be in the spot light, to have every eye one you while you’re blinded by the flashing cameras.” she shook her head and he read perfect disgust in her expression. “It’s a very big illusion, isn’t it? You should know Jus, you’ve been out of it now too. We live in a made up world called Hollywood. A world where they feed off people’s pain and the ratings drop when people are too happy. There is so much more out there. . .” She paused for a long moment, her eyes were searching his face but he didn’t give her any expression. He waited.

            “I know I’m singing my new song tonight, but. . . Jus, the truth is. . .I don’t really want to be a part of this anymore.” She breathed out her confession softly, her shimmering red lips hardly moving.

            His eyes searched hers and found that she had faced a lot of turmoil in this decision, but she was firm on it. He’s suspected for a while now her heart wasn’t in the music anymore. Not in the way she had once been. 

            “You know, I made a decision today too,” he began seriously. He touched her chin, drawing her closer to him. “Do you want to know what I decided?’

            She didn’t speak, she merely nodded as she watched him transfixed. He was so close to her now, he could feel her breath on his skin.

            “I decided that I don’t want to ever have to live without you Luci.” He grinned just a little as her dark eyes widened. “Will you marry me?”

            Luci drew in her breath sharply then a smile spread slowly across her face as she placed a hand on his cheek, “Do we get to live happily ever after?”

            He chuckled softly, “Eventually,” he promised.

            “Eventually,” she agreed simply, shrugging her shoulders in a way that would ever frustrate and delight him as she returned his crooked grin.

            She tugged on his tie again to close the gap between them. This time he didn’t hesitate, he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her closer as he kissed her in a way he never had before. She would be his and he would forever be hers. In that moment she held him perfectly captivated as her lips melted with his in a way that made him feel as if she’d been created just for him.

            He pulled back, slightly breathless, both their chest’s rising and falling as they caught their breath. He pressed his finger tips to her lips as he watched her eyes, searching them in those moments.

            “I want everything, Luci.” he told her softly and she looked up at him with her trusting  face and her enchanting brown eyes.

            “But Justin. . .” she said, “you’ve always had it.”   

                                                                            -end-

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Hey guys, thanks for reading 'Everything' it's a story that I worked on for a long time and it's one that is really close to my  heart. I would love it if you shared any thoughts or feedback. Edits, reviews anything like that would be appreciated! Again, thanks for reading and be sure to check out 'Star Girl' if you haven't already. :) 

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hopenlight