In and Out of Love –Chapter 24

By MyNameIsCAL

This is end. But anyway, enjoy. I had fun writing this one.

Things went by fast and slow. Days would go by where Max and I would do nothing. Time no longer felt like it would end. There was no more Itex to run from, no more of Max's boyfriends to deal with, and no more worrying that we might break apart again. Things were, I guess you could say, absolutely perfect.

Iggy and I decided we were going to sell the old apartment, saying goodbye to all the memories, both good and bad. Max and I would get a house, a nice big one just on the outskirts of town, where we could fly and someday have our kids run around the yard. A place where at night you could see the stars, away from city pollution and clouds, somewhere magical.

Ella and Iggy were off to get their own place, not too far away from Mom. She was going to continue Mom's veterinarian practice someday. Iggy spent a lot of time trying to perfect his recipes. He even said he might come out with a book someday. I wouldn't be surprised. Many nights we would spend at their place, eating dinner with them.

Nudge and Gazzy got together too. They had run off, travelling for a while together. Gazzy called us the other day during dinner, putting the phone on speaker as he asked Nudge to marry him. Of course she said yes. Her wounds from Iggy seemed to be healed. I guess we had Gazzy to thank for that.

And Carter, he got a job in the city. And by city, I mean New York City. He was a big time lawyer now, working for some expensive law firm that had won a lot of cases. He promised if we ever needed a lawyer, he'd work for us for free. It was the thought that counted. We had seen him once before he left. You could tell he still felt hurt, but he took things very well.

Tonight, I sat on the roof with Max, the sun setting over the red rocks of Arizona, more beautiful than ever, glistening.

"I swear it gets prettier every day," Max said, taking my hand absentmindedly.

"It does." I squeezed her hand back.

She smiled and as the sun continued to set, I leaned in and kissed her. And then we got lost in the moment.

I still remember it clearly, when Max gave birth to our son, our first child. We would name him Ari. We would have another kid, a girl, who we would name after Mom. Iggy and Ella had a kid too. They would often play together, laughing and fighting over toys like little kids do.

While Gazzy dropped out of college after two years, he still went on to be successful in the movie industry, working on pyrotechnics and special effects. Nudge got a job in the fashion industry and designed clothing. They didn't hop on the bus to have kids, but they certainly did enjoy watching ours.

And then there was Angel, still the youngest and still one more year of high school before college left for her. I wonder how she felt, seeing us all married with kids now. But I knew she didn't feel left out. She was determined to do something that mattered in the world, admitting that relationships bothered her because she could always tell what the other person was thinking.

"Someday, I'll find someone whose thoughts I can't hear," she laughed. "And then I'll end up like all of you."

And she went on after college to set up a charity organization that fought for a lot of things, everything from supporting equal rights to awareness for human experimentation and animal abuse. Although she never found anyone whose thoughts she couldn't here.

I look back now without regret. Every moment behind me and ahead had meaning. Everything had purpose. We're all older now, watching the kids grow up fast. It only seemed like yesterday we had been their age, in cages, fighting for our lives. But at least they wouldn't have to fight for theirs.

And sometimes, Max and I still sat on the roof of our house, watching the sunset.

"It looks prettier than last time," she always said. "No, pretty's not the right word. It's beautiful."

"Not as beautiful as you," I would smile, kissing her on the lips, before we lay back and looked up at the stars, letting the night consume in the precious moments we had together, remembering the past and dreaming of what was yet to come.

I hope you enjoyed that. Thanks for reading, as always.

-MyNameIsCAL