Chapter 32: ♛♡ EPILOGUE ♜♢

I couldn't wait to post this- enjoy!

THREE YEARS LATER

"Charlie, you got the rings?"

"Yes," Charlie responded, patting his chest pocket.

Spencer exhaled and turned his attention to his other best-man (he couldn't choose between the two). "Oliver, remember, you have to make sure Ravi doesn't wander off."

Oliver grinned and looked down to where the little boy was clinging onto his leg. Madeline's little brother, much to the confusion and bewilderment of everyone else, had taken a strong liking to Oliver. He seemed to get along with him even better than with his sister.

"He won't be going anywhere. Spence, you need to relax. Today's a happy day! You're getting married!"

"I know but Maddie and I have waited our whole lives for this day. I just... I want it to be perfect. She deserves nothing less than perfection."

Oliver looked around the small outdoor arrangement. Flowers lined the aisle and led to a spectacular arch of white and pink hydrangeas that stood tall above the best men, groom and, eventually, the bridesmaid and bride.

Twenty white, wooden seats were lined in neat rows, with the aisle splitting them and all the guests had been seated. Madeline and Spencer had decided that they didn't need a big, grandiose affair and so the guest list was small and intimate. They were nice enough to invite Oliver's family as well. He could see his father and stepsister near the back chatting away. He wondered what they had to talk about. His father had nothing in common with Mai who was now a fashion designer. Still, judging by their laughter, they seemed to really be getting along. His mother and her husband were on some Mediterranean cruise and couldn't come. Oliver didn't really care about their presence anyway. He didn't really speak to them a lot.

Everything was beautiful. It was all so perfect. His two best friends were getting married and he felt so grateful to be there to witness it. They were so in love so no one was surprised when Spencer proposed. In fact, the biggest shock was that it had taken him so long.

As Spencer spoke to the minister, Charlie turned around to Oliver.

"Hi."

Oliver rolled his eyes jokingly. "Hello."

"You look really good in that suit."

"I know."

"Aren't you going to say I look good too?"

Oliver grinned and pretended to think for a moment. "Hmm, I don't know..."

"Hey!"

Oliver brushed his hand with his, loosely weaving their fingers together. "You look really good in that suit. And I can't wait until we get home so I can rip it off you."

Charlie's contagious laugh resonated between them. "Is it inappropriate if I kiss you right now?"

Oliver chuckled and peeked at Spencer. "We might take attention off the wedding."

"The bride's not even here yet!"

Oliver laughed and quickly pecked his lips.

"That didn't count!" Charlie whined

However, before Oliver could kiss him again, the violinist began to play a soft rendition of The Beatles' 'Here Comes The Sun'. Everyone turned their attention to the end of the aisle where the maid of honour and flower-girl were beginning to walk in. To the rhythm, Nora and Ellie made their way towards the altar. Ellie had a small basket of flowers in her hand but she kept getting distracted by the various guests and trying to hug them. Laughing, Nora, gently grasped her hand in an attempt to lead her and quicken her pace.

Nora looked angelic. Her hair was in a loose, curly bun with ringlets framing her face. She was draped in a long, pale yellow gown, matching Ellie's puffy, tulle dress. A cream-coloured shawl was draped across her shoulders and a sparkling diamond pendant hung from her neck along with matching earrings from her ears. Looking up, she momentarily made eye contact with Oliver. She winked at him and he chuckled, flashing his teeth at her.

When they finally reached the altar, Madeline's turn came. She slowly walked up the aisle in a strapless white dress with a colourful, floral bodice. The white veil was extravagantly long yet she made it work.

Oliver smiled at her but she didn't notice. She had her eyes on no one else but Spencer. They were so perfect for each other.

♢ ♢ ♢

"She's so human-like...."

"Look at how real her eyes look...."

Spencer punched Charlie and Oliver's shoulders. "Stop saying my daughter looks like a robot!"

Charlie grinned before poking her chubby cheeks. "We're just joking, Ellie!"

Ellie wasn't even paying attention to them. All her focus was on a flower on her hand that she was busy tearing apart.

They had resigned to one of the circular tables at the reception from sheer exhaustion. Spencer pretended he needed to feed Ellie as an excuse to leave the dance floor and Oliver and Charlie tagged along. Madeline was waving at them to come and dance but there wasn't a chance that they would return anytime soon. Oliver's legs felt like jelly from standing and dancing all day.

"Spence, I think you have to go dance with your wife," Oliver teased.

"We already did the whole first dance thing!" He whined.

Charlie laughed and took Ellie from him. "Go be with her. It's your wedding day!"

Spencer groaned and stood up. "Fine!" He bent down to get closer to his daughter. "I'll be quick. Ellie. Be a good girl for your uncles, okay?"

She nodded. Ellie Kingsley was a girl of very few words.

"Bring her to me if she starts getting fussy," He instructed Charlie.

Spencer said it nonchalantly but they all knew that he meant it very strictly. Not only was Spencer very protective of his daughter but Ellie hated Charlie. She would always cry when he carried her and it was sort of inevitable that once she finished picking apart her rose she would want her father.

Charlie gave his brother a dry thumbs up before he left then turned to face Oliver.

"How are you feeling?"

Oliver threw a strawberry from his dessert into his mouth. "Tired. But I'm really happy. This is... it's magical, isn't it?"

Charlie nodded. "They look really happy..." He slipped his hand in Oliver's. "Do you want to get married?"

Oliver nearly choked on his strawberry, making Charlie roll his eyes.

"A simple no would have been fine!"

He laughed and shook his head. "No, no, it's not that. Your question threw me off! It sounded a lot like a proposal!"

"Oh god no. Proposing at my brother's wedding is the tackiest thing I could ever do."

"Okay, good. And to answer your question, I don't know. Honestly, right now the idea of marriage makes me queasy. Maybe in the future but I definitely don't want anything to happen now."

Charlie nodded and Oliver waited nervously for him to react. He hoped he didn't hurt his feelings.

"I'm the same," He admitted, much to Oliver's relief. "I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you, Ollie. But I don't want to get married. It's so kitsch. I'm happy how we are. And we could-"

"I want Daddy," Ellie pipped, interrupting him.

They all looked at Spencer who was hugging Madeline tightly and slowly swaying side to side with her in his arms.

"No, Ellie, stay here. Let Mommy and Daddy be alone for a bit."

Ellie's eyebrows angrily furrowed and her face scrunched up terrifyingly like she was about to cry. "I want to play with Daddy!"

"Ellie-"

She began to wail and thrash around in Charlie's arms like an alarm going off.

"Shit! What did you do?!" Oliver hissed, taking her from him.

Oliver tried to calm her down by rocking her to no avail. She continued to cry and he could see Spencer and Madeline stopping their dance and watching them in concern.

"Oh my god, I hate her. I hate my niece! I-"

Someone smacked the back of Charlie's head. Helena Kingsley.

"Don't say that about her!" Charlie's mother scolded, taking Ellie from Oliver's arms.

She immediately stopped crying and wrapped her tiny arms around her grandmother's neck.

"Granny!"

Oliver snickered as Helena Kingsley glared at her son. Charlie raised his arms in defense but she merely tutted before walking away.

"For the record, I don't actually hate my niece!" He told Oliver. "I just strongly dislike her sometimes."

The two of them looked at each other before bursting into a fit of laughter.

"I know we offered to babysit her while they're on their honeymoon but how about we just load her onto my mom?"

Oliver grinned. "Fine by me."

Charlie pushed his seat closer to him and placed his arm around the back of his chair.

"Kiss me," Oliver sighed after a few moments of silently gazing at his boyfriend.

Charlie's hand wrapped around the back of his neck before happily obliged, leaning in to kiss him. Even after three years together, Oliver still got butterflies whenever they kissed.

"What's up, lovebirds!" Someone chirped, sitting down beside them, completely ruining the mood.

"Hey, Nora," They chorused at her.

Nora slammed her bag on the table before resting her head on Oliver's shoulder and groaning. "I'm so tired."

"You okay, baby?" George Hallewell asked, sitting down beside his girlfriend.

He placed a champagne glass in front of her which Nora graciously took. They had been going out for nearly a year and Nora was very happy. George was the Earl of Dukesbury but the British aristocrat was also an artist and philanthropist. They had met at some charity fundraiser and had been together ever since.

"Exhausted. But I'm just so overjoyed. Look how in love they are!"

They all turned their attention to Madeline and Spencer. He whispered something in her ear as they slow danced, making her cock her head back and laugh.

Right beside them Oliver spotted Ravi and Priya Cheema dancing with Jamal, Madeline's father. He was in a wheelchair but Priya held his hands as they moved from side to side with Ravi happily jumping beside them. His MS had gotten worse in the previous year but he remained positive.

As soon as the song ended, Madeline and Spencer came to the table and collapsed onto their chairs.

"We're taking a short break but after it we're all going to go dance. Understood?" Madeline ordered.

"Yes, ma'am," Nora laughed.

Oliver looked at everyone at the table. Spencer and Madeline were holding hands as she rested her head on him. Nora was feeding George a piece of cake but kept retracting the fork every time he came close to it. And Charlie was still holding Oliver's hand under the table. The idea of all of them being happy at the same time baffled him. No one was in rehab, no one was in a loveless relationship and no one was fighting with someone else in the group. This was what they deserved. After such a long journey to redemption, they all deserved to be happy.

"What are you thinking about?" Charlie asked.

Oliver smiled. "I was just reflecting on our past."

"I was actually thinking about high school yesterday," Nora quipped. "We were so melodramatic."

"We acted as if the world revolved around us when really we were just irrelevant in the grand scheme of things," Madeline added.

"Anyone else think it's weird that Oliver slept with three out of five people at this table?" Spencer said, causing Madeline to nudge him with her elbow.

"We don't talk about that!" She hissed jokingly.

They all bursted into laughter as Spencer raised his arms in defence.

"It's true!"

"Who was best in bed?" George asked, making Nora nudge him too.

"No comment!" Oliver exclaimed, going red from embarrassment.

"I'm just glad we all found our soulmates..." Nora sighed dreamily, clutching her boyfriend's arm.

"Can I get you all anything to drink?" A passing waiter asked the table. "Champagne, whiskey, wine?"

"Just water," Madeline and Oliver said at the same time.

They both looked at each other and laughed, giving each other an 'Air-Five'.

The waiter nodded in confusion before scurrying away. Oliver had been officially sober for just over three years. The urge to drink just faded over time and the fact that he was happy helped it disappear quicker.

"Can we just all promise that we'll always be there for each other?" Oliver asked.

"Yes."

"Always."

"Forever."

"I promise."

"I'm a relatively new addition to the group," George peeped. "But yeah, sure. I promise."

Nora chuckled and kissed him. "Thank you, baby."

"The four of you have been through a lot together," Charlie said. "And you all forgave each other. I don't think anyone or anything can ever get between you guys again."

Nora reached across the table and placed her hand over Madeline and Spencer's. "I'm so happy for you two. Maddie, Spence, you guys are a dream couple."

"Cheers to that," Charlie said, raising his glass.

Oliver raised his empty glass. "To an eternity of happiness for all of us."

Madeline smiled at Spencer before looking at them. "I love you guys."

"I love you guys too."

"Same here."

"Me too."

"Always."

"Mommy!" Ellie Kingsley squealed, running into her mother's arms. "Come dance with me!"

She tugged at her mother's arm and Madeline sighed before scooping her daughter up and planting a kiss on her forehead.

"Okay, baby." Madeline clapped her hands together before standing up. "Everyone, let's go dance!"

They all collectively groaned but she merely rolled her eyes.

"No excuses! Come on!" She pulled Spencer up.

Nora and George were next to follow. He roped his arms around her waist and she laughed and squealed as he dragged her to the dance-floor.

Charlie slipped his hand into Oliver. "I'm really tired but we should go, right?"

Oliver pulled him back down as he stood up and planted a surprise kiss on his lips.

"What was that for?"

"I'm just so happy." Oliver kissed him again. "My heart is yours, Charlie."

Charlie smiled and rested his forehead on Oliver's. "I love you."

Oliver's heart swelled and bursted into a million butterflies. How was he so lucky?

"Hey, lovebirds! Come dance!" Nora shouted at them, beckoning them over.

Laughing, they kissed one last time before joining the other four on the dance floor. They spent the rest of their night dancing, laughing, living, loving. This was what pure joy felt like. This was what pure love felt like. This was the epitome of peace and tranquility.

This was their happy ever after. And the best was probably yet to come.

♛♛♛ ♡♡♡ ♜♜♜ ♢ ♢ ♢

I'm so emotional right now!!! This all feels so bittersweet to me because it feels like the end of an era. I have spent the last three years trying to do justice to my incredibly complex characters while also trying to integrate themes that a lot of us have dealt with. I'm not the perfect writer. In fact, I think my style of writing sucks and I'm super self-conscious of it. But I'm glad I didn't let that stop me from publishing these books. I have grown so close to these characters and I'm just so happy.

I don't think I'll publish any other books again. I don't have the time unfortunately but I will still be active in this account, checking your wonderful comments everyday. I will also try and publish a few, sporadic updates in the extras book so I think it will be worthwhile adding it to your libraries.

FUN FACTS;

♢ The prologue of 'Gilded Butterflies' was the first chapter I ever wrote in this entire series (when Oliver and Nora go on their first date).

♢ However, I have always known that their endgames were not with each other. In fact, I started thinking about Charlie for Oliver very early on.

♢ I can't choose a favourite character! I've tried but I just keep changing my mind! However, my least favourite book to write in the series was actually 'Gilded Butterflies' because I really struggled writing from the POV of such a naïve character. However, I began to enjoy writing it more once she dumped Oliver.

♢ Although this wasn't shown in the books, Nora forgave Oliver roughly two years after the last chapter because they met at Ellie's second birthday party and she realised she didn't hold any grudges against him anymore.

♢ Nora enjoyed being single for a year after her break up with Oliver until she rekindled things with Ben. They eventually broke up again because he wanted to move to Switzerland to be closer to his baby mama for his daughter's sake. However, her current beau is 6"3 and has a black belt in Jiu Jitsu. And they recently moved into a fancy loft together along with their pug Doppler (named after the Doppler Effect which Nora is currently studying for her PHD).

♢ Charlie, Oliver and Nora are Ellie's godparents! However, Ellie hates Charlie for unknown reasons.

If you have any questions about the futures of the characters ask me in the comments and I'll answer!

From the bottom of my heart, thank you so much to everyone who has given my books a chance. You have no idea how happy reading your comments makes me. I'm honestly near tears I'm just so happy! Thank you guys so much. I can't put into words how happy y'all have made me.

Signing off for the last time,

LOVEEEE,

-hexed

xoxo