Never Alone

e p i l o g u e

Two Years Later

Isabella stared up at the church in front of her. The point of it pierced the bright blue skyline overhead and the deep bronze of the bell glinted in the beaming sunlight. It was a beautiful day for a wedding, really, in mid-August where English weather could just about be relied upon. For a day, at least. It had been a while since she had been back in England and the surrounding British accents had thrown her a little off guard at first.

Her dress was a deep red, coming down to her knees in a flowing fashion. It was a truly beautiful gown, one that she and her mother had gone through many dresses to find. Despite her original doubts, she had fallen quite easily into the relationship with her mother. The absence of the man in the family had left the two girls with just enough chips to fit together. And, besides, Isabella had to admit it was pretty damn cool to have a mum who was a police officer.

She had come to England by herself, again, staying a week with her aunt so that she could be there for the wedding. She had honestly been surprised to receive an invitation, despite the two boys being the only people she had kept in touch with other than her aunt. She had been honoured, really, because the amount of Skype calls they had shared showed just how wonderful the two boys were.

Vaughn and Eddie were perfect for each other.

She wasn't an idiot, though, she knew they were still good friends with Elliot. They had told her of his presence at the wedding. Which was...fine. She wasn't going to miss a friend's wedding just because of a possible awkward encounter. She had given up contacting Elliot after a few months of no response. It had hurt to see that he intended to keep his promise of disconnecting himself from her. Because she was convinced that she had loved him. Even if she wasn't exactly sure what that kind of feeling should feel like. He still remained to be the only person she had ever felt that way for. Which was ridiculous because he obviously wanted nothing to do with her. But she couldn't help it. He had made her feel things and she couldn't help but compare every other feeling she had to it.

Elliot was chatting to Shane, who was retelling the tale of the quarrel that debated whose best man he was to be. That and the problem of who was to be on which side of the aisle. But Vaughn and Eddie's relationship was based on bickering so it was all in good humour.

Elliot was desperately engaged in the conversation, focusing his attention solely on Shane as he tried to ignore the prospect of the person who could walk into the room at any minute. It filled him with a sense of apprehension and nerves. What if she wasn't the same? What if she wasn't his Isabella anymore? Did he even have the right to call her that?

Probably not.

He had seen her on tv over the past months, the speeches she gave with so much confidence that he wondered if she was still the same person. Not even stuttering once. And it was moments like those that he knew he had done the right thing. It would be wrong to keep such a beauty to himself. The rest of the world deserved to be guided by her light. She was the type of girl that it was an honour to love.  And he could honestly say that he had never quite recovered from that revelation. Because love wasn't like pain. You didn't just forget what it felt like when it was gone. You remembered, and with the blood that pumped through your lungs and into your heart, you remembered. It was part of you. And that was something that time could never take away.

But making a move on that love depends solely on the oxygen that the love receives. And Elliot had purposefully cut off his love from that particular supply. Because he knew no reason for it to live when it could never love as fully as it needed to.

But, as Isabella walked into the church, he felt all the oxygen he breathed fuel that blood in his heart. The love. And he somehow knew. He would be okay. They would be okay. 

And their eyes met.