Brother After Dark

Epilogue

Blaire.

The setting sun stretched across the vast horizon, creating a gorgeous peach glow in the sky. What a nice view to see after a long flight.

I just arrived here in Milan for an urgent meeting with a client. Jenna Bianchi is a renowned business tycoon and jewelry collector. She invited me to meet with her here in Milan to talk about our potential collaboration on an upcoming project. Of course, I cannot pass up that opportunity! So I enthusiastically booked a ticket to Milan… and here I am, relishing in the wonderful scenery before me.

Jenna sent me an address where we would meet so I am off to that place now. I was planning to hail a taxi after I get out of the airport when suddenly, I saw a man holding a card that says, ‘Blaire Gibson’. He looked like he was in his mid-thirties, and he was wearing formal attire. He raised the card that he was holding while looking at the crowd.

Oh, is he the driver that Jenna sent to pick me up?

Curious, I walked toward him. His eyes spark in recognition the moment he saw me.

“Miss Blaire Gibson?” he inquired while still holding the card with my name written on it.

“Yes, I am Blaire Gibson,” I replied, smiling.

“I am Gino, your driver for today. I was tasked to fetch you at the airport,” he said in a respectful voice.

“Great! I’ll be in your care, Gino…”

I followed Gino to the parking lot. To my surprise, he guided me to a luxurious-looking limousine. I didn’t know that Jenny was generous enough to lend me her limousine.

Gino stayed quiet during the whole ride. The peaceful atmosphere was enough to make me relax. I also remained quiet as I gazed at the scenery through the window, my mind also racing somewhere… reminiscing the months that flew by.

I remember how I reunited with Zach three months ago—the way he begged for my forgiveness and proposed to me. It was a sight that I never expected to see.

Three Months Ago…

“Please give me a chance to love you again… to love you better than before. To take care of you better than before. I won't ever leave your side again. "I will be your friend... your brother... your lover after dark... Blaire Gibson... would you make me the happiest man in the world? Will you marry me?

My heart was pounding crazily against my chest. I can’t believe that he is proposing to me right now! His eyes are filled with desperation, love, and longing.

I have also longed for him! I thought I would never see him again. But here he is now, begging on bended knees.

Oh, Zach…

Instead of giving an answer, I opted to hug him instead. My anger and frustration instantly melted away the moment I had sunk into his arms. How I missed the touch of his skin!

“Is that a no?” he whispered in my ears. I can feel the hint of sadness in his voice.

I tightened my hug on him. “It’s more like a ‘let’s catch up first’” I replied and giggled.

I pull away and stared at his lovely eyes. “Zach, it’s been a year since the last time we saw each other. We are both frustrated and somewhat angry about what happened. Although, it’s true that my feelings for you haven’t changed. It’s still better if we could take things slow first,” I explained in a calm voice.

Zach slowly nodded before putting back the ring in the box and closing it. My heart ached a bit at the sight of it, but I need to steel my resolve.

“I understand,” he said before smiling. He heaved a sigh before pulling me again for an embrace. “It’s always been like this. You’re the rational one, while I’m the one who’s driven by my undying passion for you,” he murmured. “I am willing to propose a hundred times just so I can be with you. I cannot imagine spending my life with anyone but you.”

I chuckled.

“But I’m willing to wait no matter how long it takes. I want to become a better man for you, I want to love you better than before, Blaire,” he said in a determined voice.

I smiled and relished the feeling of his embrace. The sleepless nights, tears, and doubts that have clouded my heart for the past months are slowly healing. Being with Zach made everything feel right again.

Present Day…

We officially started dating again after that day. Ewan was very supportive of our relationship. He wasn’t bluffing when he told me that he wanted me to do what makes me happy. Zach would often go to our house and send gifts and Ewan was totally cool about it. But it’s the opposite on the side of the Stewarts. My mom and Mr. Stewart stopped contacting me when they realized that I started dating Zach again.

My mom was totally disgusted by my relationship with Zach. She still sees Zach as their son, and she cannot stomach the fact that I was dating him. It’s not shocking. Being with the Stewarts for the past years felt like I was in jail, anyway. Good thing, I'm not a Stewart anymore. I'm a Gibson now.

I remember one day when I passed by my father's office, I figured he was talking to my Mom and they were yelling at each other on the phone. It was on loudspeaker, so I heard everything. Their conversation vividly flashed in my mind…

“How can you allow Zach and Blaire’s relationship?! Aren’t you disgusted by it? You shouldn’t have tolerated it in the first place!”

“Let her do what she wants--

“Blaire is my daughter! I know what is best for her. I entrusted her to you and yet you’re tolerating her scandalous affair with my son!”

“Blaire is also my daughter! And scandal be damned, the only thing that matters to me now is my daughter’s happiness. I want to become the best father to her. You’ve made my daughter suffer for the past years. I will not allow you to hurt her again.”

“Zach is my son and I can’t bear to see him having a romantic affair with my Blaire!”

“How can you be so selfish after all these years? You’re the worst. Instead of picking out my daughter’s flaws, you should seek redemption for yourself because you have never acted as a caring mother to her!”

I remember how Ewan slammed the phone on his desk that day. He looked genuinely enraged after his conversation with my mom. I can’t help but appreciate how he fought for my relationship with Zach against my mother. Ewan’s blessing is enough for me. I don’t want to seek the Stewarts’ approval anymore. I decided to live my life the way I wanted to—I finally allowed myself to be happy.

My career is also flourishing because Ewan allowed me to pursue my passion, unlike Mr. Stewart. Zach is also doing great in his job. He started a company in partnership with Ewan, and he’s still working for his clients to test and secure their systems. He’s pretty in demand alright and I couldn't blame them. The guy is a genius, that’s why Ewan had been pestering him to put up his own company and establish a partnership with him, which eventually happened.

Before I knew it, we have already arrived at our destination. Gino opened the car’s door for me, and my eyes sparkled in awe when I got a good look at my surroundings.

The house was enormous, and I couldn't stop myself from admiring it as I walked into the charming front yard. Gino escorted me until I was inside the house. I was surprised when I didn’t see anyone inside, it looked empty despite the luxurious furniture in the living room.

Curious, I continued to wander around until I saw a trail of petals and scented candles on the floor.

What are these? I didn’t know Jenna fancies petals and candles.

Feeling a bit confused, I decided to follow the paths of the petals sprinkled on the floor until they led me to a glamorous garden with lighted trees. I was pleasantly surprised by the elaborate scenery of the garden. It looked like it was taken straight from a fairy tale book.

The trees are illuminated by lights, the fresh scent of flowers lingered in the wind, and the atmosphere was just ethereal.

There’s also a table set in the center of the spectacular view.

Wow! This garden is breathtaking…

I was in the middle of fawning over the majestic scenery before me when I suddenly noticed the person sitting at the table.

He stood up and smiled as he walked toward me while holding a bouquet of flowers in his hand.

“Zach?” I said in disbelief.

“You were too distracted by the view that I almost thought you wouldn’t notice me,” he said humorously while giving me the bouquet.

“What are you doing here?” I asked him incredulously. I thought I was supposed to meet Jenna Bianchi today.

Zach took my hand and kissed the back of my palm. I felt the familiar electrifying sensation the moment his lips grazed my skin. I smiled while smelling the flowers he gave me.

“To surprise you, of course,” he replied while smiling.

“T-To surprise me?”

“Yes.” Zach pulled me closer to him, his hand on my back. “It’s been three months since you allowed me in your life again. I figured it calls for a celebration.”

“Is this a monthsary or something?” I chuckled.

“Call it whatever you want. I’m just simply grateful for being with you now. I want to celebrate every moment with you, Blaire,” he said before kissing my forehead. “Being with you makes me happy. I can’t imagine a life without you anymore. I love you, Blaire.”

Tears welled in my eyes as I stared at him. “I’m in love with you too, Zach.”

“Blaire, I know that I still have a long way to go if I wanted to become a better man. I’ve caused you a lot of pain in the past. I was a failure of a boyfriend before. I couldn’t protect you and our b-babe…” Zach’s voice broke at the last word.

I started crying when I remembered our unborn angel. I also wanted to blame myself for my miscarriage—I was careless.

But then again, no matter how much I blamed myself, it wouldn’t undo the past.

“Zach, our baby is in a much better place now. Our child is probably happy now that we’ve found our way back to each other.”

Zach wiped away the tears in his eyes and nodded his eyes.

“I hope so too. I wasn’t able to protect you properly before because I was too concerned about what the people had to say about us.” Zach looked at me with a pained expression. “They couldn’t understand how much I love you. They only believe in the story that they painted about us: people who were supposedly siblings having an affair. Even the Stewarts thought that way. To them, we were a disgrace, but they were wrong…” He held my hand and intertwined our fingers. “Loving you is the best thing that I have ever done in my life. We’re not related by blood. There's nothing legal that binds us as siblings. Let them think and say whatever they want but for me, there’s nothing wrong with our relationship.”

My smile widened. “Of course. Loving you is right, Zach. I refuse to be bothered by others’ opinions of us.”

“That’s my girl.” He kissed the back of my palm. “We’ve fought so hard for this relationship, Blaire, and I am willing to fight some more. I am not ashamed to be in love with you—in fact, I want to shout to the whole world that you’re mine.”

And then slowly, he kneeled in front of me. My hand flew to my hand in shock.

“This is not the first time that I’ll be doing this and I am willing to do this over and over again…” he said before taking out a familiar velvety box from his pocket. He opened it and revealed the gorgeous ring that he has shown me three months ago.

“Blaire, you are the only woman that I will ever love in this life and the next. I promise to take care of you and protect you to the best of my ability. You are my muse; my everything and I love every part of you.” Zach paused and took a deep breath. “Will you allow me to become part of your life forever? Blaire Gibson, will you marry me?”

My tears won’t stop falling from my eyes while staring at the love of my life. I never thought that I can feel this much happiness.

“Y-Yes. Yes, I will marry you, Zach!”

A lone tear trickled down his eyes at my response. He smiled with his trembling lips before putting the ring on my finger. Then, he stood up and kissed me passionately. I wounded my arm on his name and responded to his kisses.

“I love you so much, Blaire,” he whispered against my lips. “Thank you.”

I pull away and let out a laugh. “I love you too, Zach. I also can’t imagine spending the rest of my life with anyone but you.”

“I am such a lucky man to receive your love. I also received Ewan's blessing. I told him that I was planning to propose and I’m glad that he’s being supportive this time.”

It was such a magical moment for both of us. Zach and I are finally engaged! My mind still couldn't process the amount of happiness that I was feeling even after we went to have dinner. Zach was cutting the steak for me when I remembered something…

“By the way, I was too preoccupied with all these surprises and proposal that I forgot to ask about this house.”

“What about it?”

“Isn’t this supposed to be Jenna Bianchi’s house?” I asked, confused. “She was the one who invited me here!”

Zach chuckled. “No, this is our house, Blaire.”

“What?!”

Is he kidding me right now?

Zach laughed and looked at me. “I bought this house for us. I was hoping that you would agree to move here to Milan with me,” he said. I could see a bit of anxiety in his eyes. “But of course, I would respect your decision if you decide otherwise. I would live with you anywhere."

I smiled and squeezed his hand. “I want to be anywhere with you, too, Zach.”

His lips curved into a smile once again. “I am planning to relocate my office here, too. The two of us can both start fresh. No relatives and old friends, who would gossip about us. We can thrive in our careers. No one will cause us trouble. We can truly be free here.”

I threw my arms around him and gave him a tight hug. “I’d love that. As long as I am with you, I’ll be happy.”

Zach caressed my cheeks before tilting his head to capture my lips for a sweet kiss. Kissing him felt like having a glimpse of heaven.

We spent the rest of the evening hand-in-hand as we gazed at the sky full of stars.

“So did you trick me that I have a client waiting for me here?” I asked in mock anger.

He snickered. “No. Miss Bianchi was serious about your project. But I did ask her to be my accomplice to my proposal.”

I pinched his stomach. “How could you do that?”

“Aw! Sorry, alright. I just wanted to surprise you,” he explained while laughing. “I am also one of their clients and I did mention your company to them, and they were immediately hooked to your designs. Thanks to her, I was able to lure you into this house.”

“Now that you mentioned that don’t you think this house is too big? How many bedrooms does this have? Five? This is a huge estate! I would happily help you pay for this.”

Zach pinched my nose and I yelped. “I appreciate the initiative, but it seems like you’re underestimating your fiancé’s finances."

“Well, I have no idea how much hackers make,” I said jokingly.

“You’d be surprised how much the top companies and even the government agencies pay the best hackers in the world just to secure their best-kept secrets." He smiled at me cheekily. "And I happened to be one of the best hackers out there,” he bragged.

“Okay, genius. I guess my fiancé is a very in-demand hacker.”

“You got it right, babe. You’re hacked, you can’t escape from me anymore,” he murmured before kissing my cheeks.

“I have no plans to run away,” I replied.

The two of us both stared up at the sky, gazing at the marvelous stars that illuminated the cold night—feeling hopeful and happy about the new beginning that we will share together.

It was the best feeling in the world to be with Zach; my safe haven, my former brother, my lover after dark, my eternity.

The End.