Feel (Kellic)

Epilogue

3 'years' later

Hashbrown, my Labrador retriever, runs up to me with the ball in his mouth. He looks like a total dork with his ears flapping around like that.

I take the ball out of Hashbrown's mouth once he reaches me, "Jesus Christ Hash, do you really have to slobber that much?" Of course he doesn't answer me. Even in the after life, dogs don't talk. Life here really is like back on Earth. Just more peaceful. It's not heaven, but more of a world everyone dreams of.

I share a small house with Hayley. Three years ago, when I woke up soaking wet right in front of this house, Hayley cried when she saw me. I cried too. I cried a lot that day. I only cry now when I see a sad Tim Horton's commercial or read a sad book.

I throw the ball for Hashbrown again and he runs after it, his ears flapping around like a drunk bird's wings again. I sigh. The trees are rustling in the breeze and the air is crisp. Today is going to be a nice day.

I hear the porch door swing open. Hashbrown drops the ball as he runs over to Hayley.

"Hey buddy." She says, scratching between his ears and giving him kisses.

"You totally interrupted our game of fetch." I tell her.

"He probably doesn't like you as much as me anyways, so he must have started to get bored." Hayley says, sticking out her tongue at me. I do exactly that right back.

"You're mean." I say and she laughs.

"Hell yeah I am." I roll my eyes at that and come over to the porch where she's standing with Hashbrown. I sit down on one of the lawn chairs we have and he trots over to me, resting his head on my leg.

For these three years, it's just been me, Hayley, her boyfriend Chad and Hash. I have a few friends and I did date someone once, but we didn't last. At this point, I'm just going along with whatever happens. I'm planning on going to school. They have amazing, free, universities here. It's awesome. I want to travel. I want to drink as much coffee as possible and I just want to get to know this new world.

"Hey Kell?" Hayley says after a small stretch of silence.

I look up at her, "Yeah?"

"I came outside with a reason for coming out here." Hayley begins to explain. She pauses, then continues, "There's someone here to see you."

"Oh really?" I say, "Who?"

"Come inside." Hayley says as she turns on her heel and walks through the door, Hashbrown right behind her. Furrowing my eyebrows, I get up and walk in after her.

I follow her into the kitchen. Someone is sitting in a chair, his messy, dark hair illuminated by the light and his small frame swimming in a cardigan. He looks up at me as I walk in and I burst out into a grin.

"Frank!" I can't stop smiling. Frank gets up, and he's smiling too. We don't hug, we just start laughing.

"Oh my god, you look like a dad." I say, "It's been like 3 years and you look like a dad."

"Yeah but you look like a mom." Frank laughs even harder and so do I. I'm so happy to see him. I have no idea if back in the in between it's been longer than three years, but he still looks young.

We both go and sit on the couch in the living room once we've stopped laughing.

"How are you?" I ask Frank. It must have been an interesting time back in the in between and it must have been exciting for him to finally get here.

"I'm great, just really tired. How are you?"

"I'm awesome."

"I see the 'I'm fine' thing is gone." Frank points out and I smile.

"It's been good here. It's a lot better." I inform him. I had no way to contact any of them just like Hayley was able to do with me, so none of them know (except Frank now) how I'm doing. I wonder if they forgot and Frank only started remembering me, now that he's in the after life.

"I'm glad," Frank says with a smile. He then goes quiet for a second before saying, "I didn't get here alone though. But they're outside."

"Oh, why didn't they come inside?" I ask and Frank shrugs.

"Who knows. Do you want to go see them?"

I nod, "Sure." Frank gets up and walks to the door with me. I open it and step outside. I expect Frank to come outside with me, but he just closes the door behind me when I step out. Weird. He might want to talk to Hayley though.

I'm standing on Hayley and I's front porch step, looking out across the small front lawn at an old, beat up pick up truck. There's no one in the cab of the truck, but there's someone on the other side of it, leaning against the box. I can only see the back of their head, their brown hair wavy and up to their shoulders.

It takes me a moment, but I recognize this person. I recognize the man leaning against the pick up truck even though I can't see his face.

"Vic?" I call out, shocked. He turns around at his name so that he's facing me. He doesn't look that much different at all. He's a little more well built though, and he looks tired. Frank and Vic must have been here for a couple of days already, because I remember having that same tired look about me for a couple of days afterwards.

I'm walking down the lawn now. When I get closer, Vic says, "Hey Kellin." He smiles at me and I smile right back. I come around the side of the pick up truck so that we're standing right next to each other. I don't really know what to say. I haven't seen him for a long time and the last timeout saw him, it felt like the final time. I remember him saying he would come and try to see me, but I don't think he was ever sure about that. But here he is.

I think at the same time, we decide to hug each other. It's this tight hug, like a hug that could never be done but finally got it's chance. I missed him. I really did. I doubted I'd ever see him again though.

"I didn't think I'd see you again." I say, as we still hug.

"Frank insisted. I was kind of terrified you'd forgotten about me." Vic admits.

"I didn't. I didn't forget anybody."

Vic stays quiet, and manages to tighten his arms around me a little more. If I'm correct, I think we've long passed the boundaries of a simple hug.

"I missed you." He says quietly. Even though I know we really never had much going on in the first place, I feel like there is definitely something now.

I close my eyes and say, "I missed you too."

We keep hugging. I don't think we ever let go. Not now. Not maybe ever again. As long as the after life is around, I'm pretty sure I'll be hugging this man more than I ever dreamed I would.