Epilogue: Freya
“This is incredible!” I exclaimed in a hushed tone, tightly gripping Kaleb’s hand as we strolled through the wide hall inside The Louvre. It was my twenty-third birthday, and as a surprise, Kaleb had organised a trip to Paris.
My mouth had practically dropped to the Earth's crust when he'd pulled out the plane tickets and ordered me to pack a bag. I was surprised I hadn’t combusted with excitement.
This place was like nothing I’d ever seen before. Windows lined the ceiling, giving us a magnificent view of the shining sun, and reflections of light glistened along the lined walls. Everything inside was so regal—from the benches to the skirting boards. Nothing lacked finesse. Pillars towered above me; cylinders of white granite helping to hold the building together, the stone cool to the touch.
The artwork was stunning, and I gaped at the pieces, turning around to scowl at Kaleb whenever I noticed him trying to snap a candid photo of me.
“How’s Ted liking it?” I asked with a laugh, and Kaleb grumbled, glancing over his shoulder to take a look at the fluffy bear poking out of the top of his backpack.
“Ted? You’re still calling him that?” he teased me, rolling his eyes.
“Well, you refused to name him.”
I’d told Kaleb to bring Ted along, and it didn’t take much to convince him to stuff the bear into his bag before we left for the airport. In a way, Ted symbolised Brie, and although Kaleb and I both knew that, it wasn’t something we said aloud.
It was our way of involving her without actively saying her name—despite the fact that Kaleb was getting so much better at talking about his sister. I was proud of him. So proud it almost made my heart burst.
“See that empty space there?” He pointed at an area on the wall that was void of artwork. “Right there is where your art is going to be hanging. I guarantee it.”
His comment caused me to roll my eyes, and I folded my arms over my chest. “A girl can dream.”
Wrapping his arms around me from behind, Kaleb placed his chin in the crook of my neck. “There’s no need to dream when it’s going to be reality.”
“The faith you have in me is frightening.”
Kaleb glanced over his shoulder, nodding at the bear. “What do you think, Ted? Don’t you think Freya will make it as a successful artist one day?” He hummed as if listening to Ted’s response, turning to me with a smile. “Yep, she agrees.”
I froze.
She.
Kaleb knew Ted was a boy, but the slip-up caused me to grin, and my heart swelled.
“Well, tell her I really appreciate it.” Glee swarmed me.
Both of us were fully aware we weren’t talking about Ted.
I’d done a lot of healing over the past year, but I hadn’t been the only one. Kaleb and I needed each other. We’d saved one another from ourselves, and there was nobody I'd rather be than the person I was when I was with Kaleb.
I was grateful for it all.
The hurt.
The pain.
The joy.
The love.
It had shaped me into the person I was always meant to be.
