Uniquely Normal

E P I L O U G E

The lakehouse backyard, big and the perfect cozy place to watch the soft waves of the water. We all stood, marveling at the serene beauty of the soft snow, blanketing everything.

"Give me a minute." Coen mutters as he dips back into the house, only to return a few seconds later with the disposable camera he got me for my birthday. He hands it to Kenji who oblidges, gathering the group into a huddle for a selfie.

With funny faces and lots of childish giggles, the camera clicked, freezing a snapshot of our joy amidst the swirling snowflakes.

"Let's take a family one." Wesley suggests, and as the three of us stand against the lake backdrop, Joey quickly grabs Nova's hand, pulling her along with us. "You're family now." He tells her, and her eyes begin to swell with tears.

"It's the hormones!" She yells out, and we all laugh as Wesley wipes away her tears, giving her a soft kiss on the cheek. "Ready? Three, two one, say cheese!"

"Cheese!" We smile, and the flash of the camera goes off. "Now one of you and Coen." Blair shoutouts, keeping me in my spot. Coen walks over and joins me, wrapping an arm around my waist.

"What pose should we do?" He asks the group, and after a second of thinking, joey smirks and gives a suggestion. "Do like an action shot where you jump in the air." I furrowed my brown, looking down at the wet grass beneath our feet.

"Isn't that a little dangerous?" I ask, looking over at Coen. With a mischievous twinkle in his eye, he shrugs his shoulder and whispers, "I think we'll be okay." Reluctantly, I nod, preparing my feet for a cute jump into the air.

The air became electric as the group prepared for our jump. Something was happening. The smiles on everyone's faces and the sneaky grin permanently stuck on Coen's lips had me intrigued. What's about to happen?

As Joey counted down, we crouched in unison, ready to leap into the snowy air. The word "jump!" rang out, and Coen and I propelled ourselves upward, our laughter filling the sky as we attempted to strike a pose midair.

In the moment our feet met the ground—without missing a single beat—Coen dropped father than me. He dropped down onto one knee.

What. The. Fuck.

My eyes widen in surprise and I gasp, taking a step back away from him. I look to the group then back at him. Then the group. Then back at him. Oh my God! This is actually happening.

My vision begins to blur as tears quickly form and start to fall from my eyes. Coen grabs my hand, and everyone in the group cheers us on.

"Serenity," Coen began, his voice shaky and filled with warm anticipation. "Time used to scare me. It is daunting, blindingly fast, excruciatingly slow, intimidating, and hard to understand. And in a way I would have never expected, you remind me of time."

He wipes his face, soft snowflakes gathering on his eyelids. "In the way that every meeting is never the same. In the way that sometimes all it takes is a second-long smile from you to make my day one thousand times better. In the way that some days we go on an adventure, and I wish for the first time in my life that I could relive a moment in time forever. Life is time. And you make living the easiest thing I can do. I used to think that the kind of love I needed was one I would die for, but you, Serenity Miller, are the love I would live for."

He reaches into the pocket of his jacket, pulling out a small black box. And with a confident smile, he open the box. A beautiful gold engagement ring rest inside. Small diamonds encrusted on the band, and a single square diamond right in the center.

"So, I kneel before you in declaration that there will never be another. You are my one and my only. After all, you were my first kiss. Will you do me the honor of being my last?" His gorgeous blue-brown eyes spill over, and his tears pool down at his chin.

"Yes, Coen, a thousand times yes!" He doesn't even have time to slip the ring onto my finger before I wrap my arms around him, sending us flying onto the snowy ground. "I love you, forever." I whisper against his lips, and he smiles so deeply it becomes a mental picture I'll hold onto for as long as we both live.

I stand, pulling him up with me. He takes my left hand, pulling off the promise ring he once gave, replaces it with the new engagement ring. "Told you I'd eventually give you the real thing." He lifts a brow, a smirk on his lips. I playfully push him, and he catches my wrist, pulling me in for another kiss.

We separate, and as I turn back to the group to tease them about being a part of the surprise proposal, another sight begins my eyes to water again.

Dominic steps forward, holding up a photograph. It was a photo of Carson, smiling wide and holding a thumbs up. "I know he'd want to be here for this moment," Dominic remarked, a poignant smile on his face.

Coen nods, pulling Dominic in for a tight hug. "Thank you." I quickly give him a tight embrace, and soon enough the entire group is huddled into one big hug. This may be a farewell to this chapter, but our story is only just beginning.

These fools—Wesley, Joey, Nova, Blair, Kenji, Alex, Dominic, and Coen—were my fools. They were my heart in human form. My best friends.

We are weirdos. We are funny and good. We are aggressive and persistent. We are peaceful and we are chaos. We are uniquely normal. And I will never choose to be anything else.




MERRY CHRISTMAS!!