the  e p i  l o g u e

two years later

JFK was full and bustling with people as Zayne stepped into it from the international arrivals terminal. His head was pounding and he felt sick from jet lag. He hated air travel. Groaning, he walked to the seats for waiting people and began looking around for his ride.

His phone buzzed in his pocket and he smiled as he answered the phone. "Ooh baby!" His mum squealed on the other side, "I'm so glad you're back! You're back right?"

"Yes mom," He chuckled, keeping his eyes up to see if she had arrived.  He hoped she had. "I landed a few minutes ago. I swear I'll come visit. How's Char?"

He heard his mum sniff on the other side, "She's graduating Zayne. You're all growing up way too fast."

Smiling weakly, he let out a small chuckle, "Don't worry mum. We'll still love you till death do us part."

He was grateful that the threat that hang above his head was gone. Now, he could go back to being normal. He could be with someone he actually cared about without Keith breathing down his neck.

Shivering at the thought if Keith, he shook that thought out of his head quickly. "Well....safe trip honey. Come visit me as soon as you settle into your apartment," His mum continued,  "I went to check it out for you and left some....house warming presents."

Zayne frowned, expecting to walk into an apartment filled with teddy bears and candy. That didn't sound too bad though.

"Goodbye mum," He chuckled, "I love you."

"Love you too baby," His mum sang before hanging up.

Suddenly he felt hands wrap around his eyes and he jumped, turning to find her smiling at him. He smiled at his ride and pulled her into a tight hug, barely believing she was actually here.

"Thanks so much for coming," He sighed against her shoulder, "I didn't think you would."

Cara Stevenson nudged his shoulder when they had pulled away and grinned brightly. "Whatever idiot,"She laughed, "I missed you too. Any more bags?"

She stared at his backpack and his suitcase. It was small but it had everything he needed. He shook his head. "I can handle these," He answered, nodding towards his stuff. Snorting, Cara took the suitcase from him and they began to walk. She slid her other hand into her black leather jacket, the clack of her high heeled boots growing louder as they walked.

But her eyes remained on Zayne as she smiled.

"It's so great to see you," She chuckled giddily,  "You look good. Italy did you good. You've got a tan and everything."

Rolling his eyes at the compliment, Zayne let her lead him to her car. It was a black Benz and with the outfit Cara had on, everything about her  reminded him of Natasha Ramanoff from the Avengers.

Two years ago, Cara had contacted Zayne to make peace with him. She'd explained to him their whole relationship and why they didn't work out. At first, he'd been upset to find out he was being used. But then, he remembered Tris. And then, he remembered how he truly didn't have feelings for Cara in that way. He couldn't have had feelings for someone so shallow.

The Cara he knew now? Having feelings for her was possible. But he didn't see himself doing it. As he settled into the car, he let himself relax, something he'd barely done in Italy. There, he'd always had to be on his guard, ready for Keith to call him and demand his services.

Or ready to run from whoever they needed to run from.

In Italy though, he'd also lived like a tiny king. Keith loved the idea of having Zayne around and often told him he was like the son he never had. Anything he wanted, he could have. Keith gave him girls, paid for his education and made sure Zayne never had to think of home.

But there were days when he would. He would sit in his tiny apartment, searching up every person he knew so he wouldn't forget them. He searched up Chase who now lived in South Dakota with his girlfriend. He saw how Hayden was studying medicine in Poland. He even saw how Max had a football scholarship at UCLA.

There was one person he checked everyday though. He made sure he never forgot her. Then again, he couldn't have forgotten her even if he didn't search for her on Facebook.  She was imprinted in his memory.

He hoped it wasn't the same for her.

"How is she?" He asked as the car started. Cara's eyes moved to him but she didn't face him. He sighed, "Tris?"

"Oh!" She exclaimed, "Oh yeah! She's okay. She has a boyfriend and everything. Being normal."

The way she said it suggested that she thought Zayne was gonna be pissed off by the news. Sure he felt a pang in his chest that she had moved on but it was for the best. She was happy. That was what he had wanted.

That was why he'd told her everything.

"What's his name?" Zayne asked.

She switched gears uncomfortably as they entered the highway, nibbling her lips between her teeth. She did that a lot when she was worried or nervous. This made him lean back in his seat and try to look less intimidating.

"Clive," She answered, "My step brother. They've been together for some time now."

He nodded in understanding and rested his head against the headrest. "You don't mind if I get some shut eye do you?" He mumbled, "The flight was pretty long."

The movement of the car only worsened his jet lag. He figured Cara knew that because she decreased her speed slightly. He smiled at her and shut his eyes, thinking about what would happen after this.

An hour later, he was woken up by his blonde companion brutally shaking him. He forced his eyes open and gave her a pointed look which she returned with a smile.

"We're here!" She squealed, gesturing to the large apartment complex. The red and grey building looked better than it did on the photos.

I sat up, wiping the side of my face, "How did you find it? I assumed you'd ask for directions."

"Well..." She shrugged, "Your mom asked me to come with her when she was checking out the apartment. She wanted one of your friends to come along and she remembered me."

He silently nodded. His mum hadn't told him that.  He looked around the apartment, his eyes moving to the park across the street and he smiled. This would be a good place to start a life.

"I wanted to say thank you.....for not telling your mum about why we broke up," The blonde sitting besides him sighed, giving him a small smile, "She told me you tell her everything but she needed me for a second opinion.  And she wondered why we broke up and..."

Zayne placed a hand on hers, making sure they made eye contact.  "I didn't want you looking bad infront of anyone else," He said, honestly, "That wasn't you. You've shown me who you are and I like her so much more."

Her cheeks turned red as she pulled him into a tight hug, burying her face in the crook of his neck. "This is uncomfortable," She chuckled, referring to the stick shift between them but she didn't let go. He didn't either. When they finally did let go, they grabbed his bags and walked up to his apartment. He wasn't surprised to find that his mum had decorated it already and had already made up his bed. Of course, the house warming presents were teddy bears.

"Well then. It looks like everything's settled," Cara clapped her hands together, standing in the doorway as Zayne set his bags onto the couch, "I should probably get going. You've got dinner sorted or?"

"I'm fine," He said quickly, smiling at her, "Thanks, Cara. For everything."

"Anytime Zayne," She smiled and made a move to leave when he stopped her, grabbing her hand. She turned to him, eyebrows raised and he exhaled deeply.

"I need you to do me one more favour," He mumbled, holding up his pointer finger.  She stepped towards him but didn't make a move to agree. Exhaling deeply, he squeezed her hand gently, "Don't tell her I'm here."

"She's my best friend, Zayne," She pulled her hand out of his, frowning, "I can't keep secrets from her."

Having expected this, he ran a hand through his hair and took a step back. "Cara, please," He begged, "I don't want my presence here affecting her in any way. I'll just remind her of..."

At first, it seemed as though she wouldn't agree. She shook her head, stepping away from him further and he thought she'd tell Tris that he was back. Then she sighed, "This is a bad idea."

"But it's what's best," He insisted.

"Zayne, you don't get it. You two are gonna find each other either way.  New York isn't small enough for the two of you," The blonde groaned, biting her bottom lip, "I know she's dating my half brother and all but they won't last. You two will."

Zayne was shocked by her words but he didn't show it. Instead, he crossed his arms over his chest, sure that this was what had to be done."Will you keep it a secret?" He gave her a hard stare, making sure he didn't waver so that she would.

Groaning again, she shook her head and crossed her hands over her chest as well. "You're unbearable Zayne Mahone," She snapped, sighing, "But I'll do it."

▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃

so yeah, we've reached the end of the book. I know! What the heck Musawa?

It's not over. After a lot of thinking and hesitation, I've decided that this book is gonna have a sequel! Yep yep. These guys love story isn't over yet!

I'll give further details about the sequel in the next chapter but as for now, thank you everyone for reading this book. Even though it may not be that good, I've had fun remaking these character I love so much. They've been with me through my cringe worthy writing day to my slightly less but still cringe worthy writing days.

Love
Musawa
x