Burned (Hate at First Flight #2) ✔️

Epilogue : I'll Always Be Here For You

Bonus Chapter (Douglas' POV)
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SONG : Love Story - LYn

Despite the constant preparations for the day leading up to it, the constant rechecking the guest list, I was not ready.

Despite even having to do something as checking if the background music was up to par, I still wasn't used to having the emotions associated with the day hit me.

And despite having had a minor fight over Nancy over what I was going wear today, I still felt like it was surreal.

Everything about it was surreal.

It was surreal in the fact that I had decided to go through this. It was surreal that I hadn't even put up a finger to protest what was to happen. And it was surreal that I was in the standing in the middle of strangers whilst they relayed anecdotes, and stories I wish I knew of.

My parent's memorial had come a week after Douglas' somewhat surprising confession.

A week during in which we took this slowly, as if our new relationship was a fragile thing.

He never kissed me again after that, not where it counted anyway. Except he made romantic gestures, gestures that took me some getting used to, especially when it came from Douglas of all people.

And during that first week of our relationship, I had almost forgotten about my parent's memorial, which basically left me trying to come up with how to deal with the new people just the night before.

"I remember Mike telling me that he'd knock me flat on my feet if I brought another girl to our room. That was before he started dating Diana," the giant of a man standing next to me wearing a dark, fitted suit said as he laughed at what obviously must've been a funny memory of mom and dad. A memory I didn't know of. A memory that triggered thoughts of what they were both like in college.

"That doesn't beat the time Diana broke up with him and he got so wasted before going to the girls dorm and saying 'Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down thy hair!'" Mr Burns began before he cracked up laughing. The others around us laughed along to before casting me a warm smile.

"He was saying that in front of our supervisor's room," the blonde woman that had commented how much I resembled mom said. "So you can guess our surprise when she woke everyone up, demanding to know who exactly this Rapunzel was."

The anecdotes continued on and on, many memories each person had with either one or both of my parents. One was about how dad had taken mom to a carnival and they'd lost each other in the crowd. He'd found her playing with some kids in the bouncy castle.

Another was when mom had first introduced dad to her parents. Mr Burns commented on how dad had been pacing back and forth in their dorm room, practicing what he was going to tell them.

I couldn't help but sadden even more at the memory of my grandparents. I'd lost them when I was eight. Nanna went first then grandpa followed soon after. Dad's parents, however, he himself had never known. He was adopted, so I really had no chance to meet them myself.

"I remember the day you were born, Krystal," the same lady from before said as she smiled a sad smile at me. "Your dad was freaking out when we rushed over to the hospital and your mom...well your mom wasn't a happy camper. That was the worst I'd ever seen Diana been. But as soon a she had you in her arms, she became herself again. And your dad..." she sighed, "he couldn't go a full minute without touching you. You were then best thing that ever happened to them."