SIGNIFICANT ROMANCE PG-13 Epilogue: A few years later, when I was nineteen, Vera had relinquished her leadership to me. I felt the burden she held; even as her deputy I had not understood it until now. But I got used to it. This Tuesday, as the golden afternoon rays of sunshine flooded my space, I lit a few candles atop my overflowing bookshelf, setting a cozy atmosphere for an evening of reading. Before sitting down, I grabbed a blanket, and was trying to grab the hood of my hoodie when a rich voice startled me. “Hello there, Artemis.” Standing in the door of my room was Thanatos, his tall figure and wings filling the entryway. Although we often met in the evenings lately, the visit was much to my surprise. “Thanatos, you’re early,” I replied, laughing more nervously than I expected. It was odd, but I figured it was nothing more than shock catching my typically steady breath. “Oh, I’m well aware of that,” he countered, “but after careful consideration I came to the conclusion, why wait?” “Dude, I was about to take my shirt off!” “And that would have been a problem?” For a moment, our joking took a sudden turn as his face undeniably displayed his curiosity. It was only a brief second but my brain quickly began to think about what that meant. I didn’t want to admit where the thoughts were taking my subconscious. Yet I knew he was taking the journey, too. A smirk braced his face and he drew closer; my heart raced with every step. “No way, Thanatos, you can’t be serious right now. I mean I don’t do romance and you literally represent death, in case you forgot that crucial detail.” I couldn’t continue, as I was mid-protest I found his careful hand pulling me into him by the hoodie strands. “Don’t say another word, Artemis, not yet.” Then it happened. He kissed me. I’d never been the type to daydream about romance, but the feeling I was filled with couldn’t compare to anything I’d ever encountered. The way his lips tenderly touched mine, with the gentleness of soft morning rain, seemed to make every objection in my mind melt away. His arm wrapped around my body held me in his embrace, there was no escape. But at the same time, I didn’t want a single escape from his heavenly grasp. I could hear my heart beating still though it was no longer pounding from fear. It had instead adopted the rhythm of Thanatos's heart, the two beating in harmony. “So, what do you have to say now?” I gazed into Thanatos's soft eyes, feeling hypnotized by their depth. “I..I…I think…,” “Where are the words,” I wondered. With the next kiss I knew, though. He had taken them from my lips before I had a chance to speak. “Don’t think,” he murmured. “Feel.” I tried to ponder his command although it was against my instincts. How do I truly feel right now? As the answer arose inside my mind, my situation became clear at once. I felt love. I loved every minute in Thanatos' arms, the way his fingers caressed mine as he held my hand, the natural feeling of being in his stunning presence. After feeling such love, I understood I could never back away from its force in my life; this was my gravity pulling me in stronger than the deepest waves of the thunderous ocean. With newfound confidence, I turned to Thanatos and did what I knew I felt. No words were needed as I passionately fell into his spell. His touch wrecked every wall I had built to protect my fragile heart, yet I didn’t mind. There was no longer any fear holding me back. Instead, I was in control of writing my own story. “I think you found your answer,” Thanatos remarked, his sweet smile growing by the minute. “How’d you even know I liked you in the first place,” I asked.
Epilogue Continued: It had just occurred to me that this must have been his plan all along. With each encounter, he had been preparing to win my heart. “I’ve known since you first set eyes on me. Whenever it was assumed you would fail to overcome hardship, you faced the circumstance with determination, refusing to doubt your potential to emerge victorious. But with me, that ambition seemed to fade away. And do you know why?” I was speechless; I had no idea that Thanatos had been paying such close attention to my past self. I shook my head in response. “I believe your fear surpassed your strength because I was an unknown risk without an expected outcome. In my experience, the possibility of happily ever after can be more intimidating than predictable defeat. After all, when one believes they are likely to fail, at least when they fail it lacks surprise right? It’s when life provides us new experiences, even positive ones, that we tend to shy away from the opportunity.” “So what changed?” I listened with curiosity to Thanatos telling my story from his perspective, it brought a new light to the history I thought I knew so well. “You overcame the last fear inside of you. Now there’s nothing that can hold back your untamable spirit.” His praise rang beautifully in my mind. For the first time, I felt unstoppable, not only in combat as I had been before, but in love as well. “You know what? I think you’re right. And I’m glad you are. If you weren’t, I’m not sure I’d be enjoying this moment with you as I am now.” He smiled at me again, and took my hand, leading me to the balcony. The light of the golden hour made it shimmer majestically, providing a breathtaking view. We cuddled up to one another on a bench to watch the sun begin to set. It was chilly, but I didn’t really feel it. As we shared the moment, he turned to face me, his eyes grabbing hold of mine. “What’s next?” Although sudden, the question had a clear answer in my heart. Despite the day coming to an end, the future was just beginning. I took a deep breath and replied with more certainty than ever before. “Everything.” Author's Note: Thank you for reading through my whole book! It's been interesting to write this, and I hope you'll join me if I write another! :) Give suggestions!
