EPILOGUE

"Liza, I'm home!" I hear Nick's voice coming from the front door.

"In the kitchen!" I shout and go back to stirring the homemade pasta sauce in the pan.

A minute later, his arms snake around my waist as I lean in his chest comfortably. He places a small kiss on the top of my head and hovers above the stove.

"What are you making, bambi?"

"Red sauce pasta." I tell him after turning off the stove.

He spins me around and leans down to kiss me. I instantly respond by bringing my hands up to his hair.

"I missed you." He says in between kisses.

I chuckle and pull away, "You've been gone for six hours."

"Six painfully long hours." He corrects.

I sigh and rest my head on his shoulder, "This feels good."

He hums in response and rests his head atop mine, "This feels like home."

I smile and nod my head, "Definitely."

Nick and I are in the second year of our university and everything has been great so far. We went to visit mom and dad last month before the semester started and Finn and Lily left five days ago. They had come over for a short two-day weekend trip.

We have completely adjusted to the fast-paced life here at Harvard and even though we have different schedules, we manage to squeeze a few dates every now and then.

Nick had gone for business while I chose to study arts. I had an off today but Nick had three consecutive classes hence why he was away since the morning.

"Nick, we need to do groceries."

"Of course, we do. Finn practically inhaled all our stock."

"Don't be mean." I slap his chest with the spatula in my hand.

"Ow!" he whines.

"Go and freshen up, will you?" I say and toss the boiled pasta in the sauce.

"Turn on the stove, will you?" he retorts.

I turn around and narrow my eyes at him which instantly makes him retreat out of the kitchen.

I mix the sauce and the pasta after turning on the stove and sprinkle some parsley over it. For the past twenty-four months, Nick is the one who mostly cooks food since he's been home in the morning and I only cooked on weekends but now our schedules have reshuffled and I have classes in the noon.

After about ten minutes, I set the plates on the counter and place a jug of water next to it.

I feel a tug on my sweater and my back collides with a firm chest. He buries his nose in my neck and inhales my scent.

"How do you always manage to smell so good?"

I chuckle and bring my hand up to his hair, "I missed you, too."

We hear the soft pitter-patter of feet and Nick groans, "I regret having him."

I gasp loudly and pull away, "How dare you?"

He rolls his eyes and takes a seat on the barstool but I don't let it go and round the kitchen island before standing in front of him with my hands on hips.

"He's our child." I say, tapping my foot on the wooden floor.

He sighs and picks up his fork but I snatch it from his hand, "Apologize."

He scoffed and nodded his head before pushing his plate away. I look at him in confusion but he does not give me the chance to ponder over it as I am lifted in the air and placed on the counter.

My bare thighs come in contact with the cold surface and my eyes widened as I stare at the mischievous glint in his eyes.

"No." I try to say it firmly but it comes out uncertain.

His hands trail up my thighs and disappear inside my knitted sweater before resting a little above my waist.

I gulp and shake my head at him but he only smirks in response and stands up. Parting my legs with his right leg, he came to stand in between them while I looked up at him.

I bite my lip and his eyes follow my movement. His head dips down and I can feel his warm breath hitting the side of my cheek.

My heart speeds up at his actions as his lips latch onto the skin of my neck. My eyes close on their own accord and I tilt my neck to give him more access.

He groans softly and one of my hands shoots up to his hair clutching it tightly while the other grips the counter for dear life.

"Nick." I moan and he pulls back to look at me.

His hair is disheveled and his midnight blue eyes turned two shades darker, making them look obsidian.

Goosebumps rise on my skin at the way he's staring at me and my toe curls at the familiar feeling in my lower stomach.

"Th-the f-fo-food." I manage to whisper.

His eyes move to my neck, which by now was definitely sporting a big hickey, and a small smirk tugs on his lips.

"Do you wanna FaceTime Elijah?"

My eyes nearly pop out of their socket as I push him away with all my might and he only chuckles in amusement looking at my petrified expressions.

"This is not funny." I say reminiscing the time Elijah and Ezra came unannounced last year and I had three big hickeys on display and was unable to walk properly.

The horrified look on Elijah's face is inked in my brain to date. He remained so out of his element throughout that night as if he's witnessed something completely out of the blue. And Ezra kept giving us sly glances with occasional inappropriate comments here and there.

They only made Elijah all the more uncomfortable.

Even when he left, he hugged me so awkwardly as if he would end up hurting me.

Things eventually got better a few weeks later and I must say that Felicity, his fiancé, had a vital role to play in it. She knocked some sense into him and said and I quote, 'This was inevitable. It was bound to happen sooner or later now that they have moved in together. Loosen up, love. Let them live.'

For Elijah, I will always be his little sister and even for me, he'd be the big brother for whom I can't ever grow up.

I was so happy to have met Felicity because she was absolutely perfect for him. She made him happy and they both looked like that power couple we often hear in stories about.

And Ezra, he got engaged six months ago with Violetta, a girl at his office who he had been trying to court for over a year.

"We should eat." Nick says, bringing the fork to my mouth.

I take the bite and thank him before Oscar came strutting inside the kitchen, looking around for his food bowl.

"Nick, can you-" I start to say but he cuts me off.

"Isn't it enough that he lives with us? Now I have to give him food like I'm some slave of his?" He scoffs in disbelief.

My jaw slacks at his childish behavior and I grab him by the ear, "Apologize." I warn twisting it a little.

His face reddens but he remains stoic and I tug at it one more time before he finally lets out an annoyed sigh and looks at Oscar who's watching the interaction in amusement.

"Sorry." He says in a detached tone.

I leave his ear knowing fully well that he doesn't mean it while Oscar wags his tail happily as if he could understand the events that took place.

"Good." I say and peck his cheek.

Oscar whines and Nick hooks his arm around my waist while glaring at the harmless dog, "She's mine."

"God, I just can't with you." I groan and hop off the counter to give Oscar his food.

Once Oscar gets busy eating, I go back to eat mine and find Nick sulking in his chair.

"You're twenty-one, act like it." I scold him.

"Oh, so you think that I am still a child even after we had s-"

I cut him off by placing my hand on his mouth, "Don't." I say, horrified at his audacity.

I look at Oscar to see him staring at us, his bowl empty.

Someone was hungry.

"What? Do you think you'll scar the dog for good? How about we leave the door open next time?" He smirks after pushing my hand away gently.

My cheeks flame up and I look down at my plate quietly while he bellows in laughter.

This man was going to be the death of me.

A/N: I HATE TO SAY IT FOR THE SECOND TIME IN THE PAST TWO WEEKS BUT IT'S A WRAP. 😩😩😩

BONUS CHAPTERS ARE PROMISED THOUGH. 🥺❤️😔