The Lonely Hearts Club

25 / epilogue

SIX MONTHS LATER
~

THE ELATION AND JOY burned in the air as Verona moved through the crowds in her graduation gown. There was something fervent in the atmosphere today- probably the fire from escaping high school relatively unscathed.

Katrina threw her arms around her.

"We need to take a picture!" She crowed, "Where's Emilia?"

Emilia had been staying with her aunt until graduation. She had brightened a lot, going to therapy and smiling only when she wanted to smile and crying when she wanted to cry. Her father had voluntarily entered treatment for his alcohol addition, a surprise for Emilia, but she was still wary.

"I'm here." Emilia appeared out of the crowds.

"And I'm here too." Leo flashed a grin, "which means the party is here too." He said as he threw an arm around Emilia's shoulders.

Emilia shrugged off his arm, giving him a dirty look. Leo winked at Verona, "She'll admit her love for me one day."

"I don't think so." Emilia said, completely unamused.

"That's what you think. But the heart wants what it wants," Leo shot her a finger heart, "And your heart wants this delicious piece of meat here."

"Where's the steak? I don't see any delicious meat." Katrina cut in, glancing around with a grin.

"Not here. I only see trash here." Verona joined in.

"Hey! Why are you guys bullying me?" Leo complained.

Verona shrugged, "It's not my fault. It's your fault for being easy to bully."

"Excu-" Leo began before being cut off by Katrina.

"Oooh!" Katrina cried out in excitement, slapping Verona on the shoulder, "Landon has those cute shrimp appetisers. Let's go get them! They look really expensive, so we should eat more."

Katrina took Emilia's arm and Leo's arm in the other one before dragging them off to the shrimp cocktails.

The three of them disappeared into the crowd, leaving Verona alone. She ran a hand through her hair, the graduation cap in her other hand. Sighing, she made a move to follow them. She shook her head at her friends. It was a bit strange to imagine the four of them going their separate ways. She hated to admit it, but she would miss those idiots. Verona smiled slightly at the though.

And then she saw him.

He was standing a few feet away from her, holding a bouquet of flowers against his blue graduation gown. The mix of yellow tulips and white baby's breath seemed oddly fragile in his arms, and Verona's heart suddenly hurt from the pang of missing him. His mother must have bought it for him. She had heard that he had tried to find his mother and that the two had reconciled.

Her lips parted as she spotted him. He saw her a split second after she did, and in that split second, she could see all the emotions she was feeling flashing over him. All his facial expressions were the same- she could see the reflection of her own uncertainty and longing and also apprehension. She debated whether or not to make her way over to him, but before she made a decision, he was already in front of her.

"Rona." He said.

"Roman." She said back.

She didn't know what to say to him.

Verona could see Emilia and Katrina making their way back to her through the crowd. She glanced back at him. There was an awkwardness hanging in the air that was strange- Rona and Roman never had awkwardness and yet here it was, heavy in the air. Verona suddenly realized how long these six months had been- she was different and he was too.

Roman pulled a flower from his bouquet.

"For you." He said, handing her a yellow tulip.

"A tulip?" She asked. She flashed a quick smile at him, more confidence in her face than she actually felt, "I'm more like a thorny rose."

"No." He replied, reaching out a hand to tuck a loose piece of hair behind her ear, "Not a rose. Not to me."

Verona blinked up at him, a bit taken back.

"I want to tell you something." Roman smiled at her.

"What?"

"I went to find my mom. She came today." Roman told her.

"I'm happy."

"Good." He said, looking at her with an intensity she felt uncomfortable with.

"I want to tell you something else too." Roman added.

"What is it?"

Roman leaned close, his breath tickling her ear.

"I'm trying to try." He said softly.

And then he was gone, swallowed by the crowd, leaving only the scent of his soap behind.

Emilia and Katrina caught up to her now.

"Was that-"

"Yeah." Verona replied, her gaze following where he had gone, "That was him."

~

FINISHED