epilogue

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ISABELLA

Two years later

My alarm clock blares at five in the morning like every other weekday. I roll over and slam my hand over 'stop' on my phone to halt the ear-piercing sound. Without thinking twice, my feet hit the cold, wooden floor and I amble to my dresser in search of clothes.

As much as I hate waking up early, it's worth it when you know you will spend your entire day helping others. I slip on my scrubs, brush my teeth, and put my hair in a ponytail before heading to the kitchen for breakfast.

Tomorrow is my birthday and I'm turning twenty-two, which seems odd. Especially since it feels like just yesterday, I was turning twenty. Apparently, Max, Addy, and Jasper are taking me out somewhere, which I'm nervous about because... well, it's Addy, Max, and Jasper.

"Morning Izzy, or shall I say, early birthday girl." Max smiles, handing me a fresh cup of coffee.

I perch myself on the island counter stool beside him. "Morning Max," I say, bringing the hot cup to my lips and inhaling its wondrous scent.

Moving in with Max in downtown Philly was the best thing I could have done. I wanted to be closer to the hospital, and I was tired of living in the old apartment. I needed a change. He offered to lease his spare room, and I moved in the second my lease was up. I am nothing but thankful for his offer.

As for Addy, she moved in with Jasper. When he asked her, I thought she was going to pass out and say no out of nervousness. Thankfully, she didn't. But I was and still am so happy for her. I didn't want to hold her back, so we got the papers to move out and started a new chapter in our lives.

However, she is constantly visiting us, and we are still attached at the hip. Aside from moving out, nothing has changed. Except now we can both legally drink, and we are licensed nurses with full-time jobs. Some days I wonder why I chose this for myself, but then a magical moment happens in the hospital and I'm reminded exactly why.

"We have to get going soon, ready to do the checkoff?" Max asks, setting our empty mugs in the sink.

"Ready as I'll ever be." I stand up, waiting for him to start. Once we are facing each other, he begins.

"Watch?" he asks, tapping on his.

"Yep." I tap mine back.

"Stethoscope?" he asks, tucking it into his pocket.

"Yep." I tuck mine in my pocket too.

"Last but not least, ID?" He clips his ID onto his shirt.

"Yep! Okay, I'm driving today, let's get going," I demand, grabbing my coat and slip my shoes on. And just like that, we're on our way. The roads are absolutely awful, it's mid-February and we are finally getting the snow Pennsylvania is overdue for. And bad roads plus working in the ICU means I have a very busy day ahead.

"Good morning." We greet co-workers in the halls, and then Max and I part ways. The floor seems relatively quiet for the most part, and after hanging up my belongings in the locker room, I find my colleagues at the nurse's station.

We get hand-off reports from some night nurses on patients that came in overnight.

"We've already had one car wreck on Westmalle road beside the grocery store," Camila, one of my colleagues who is also a great friend, says. She discretely points to the bed the victim resides in, reading the report the night nurse gave her. "Male, thirty-two, his vitals aren't looking great, room B-23. If you want to take him, he needs another set of vitals done. Oh, and there was a thirteen-year-old who slipped on ice walking to the school bus and broke his leg."

I clench my teeth together. "Poor guy, and kid. I'll head over to the wreck patient's room. Meet me for lunch, alright?"

"Alright." She smiles, her curly black hair bouncing with her as she walks away. Camila and I both started working here around the same time and became close friends. She is the sweetest person, and we're always here to lean on each other. Also, she's an incredibly talented artist. I told her I'd pay her a lot of money to decorate my house—when I get one.

When I get into the patient's room, a nurse's aide is already inside taking morning vitals. I greet her with my name and then ask, "How is he holding up?"

"He's weak, and keeps falling in and out of asleep," she whispers. "His lung sounds aren't great if you want to take a listen. His blood pressure is still running low, probably because his complete blood count isn't within normal limits. He's getting taken for a CT in an hour."

I nod, thanking her. I introduce myself and tell the patient I'm going to listen to his lungs. He mumbles a coherent reply, so I press my stethoscope gently to his battered chest.

After listening and discussing more things with the aide, I head over to a chart. I'm hoping his CT scans will be relatively normal, but by the way his lungs sound, I can tell there is some damage.

The next few hours fly by. Eventually, it's lunch, so I grab Addy and Camila before we get swept away to do work, and we head to the lunchroom. We each grab something from the sushi bar and sit down in our usual spot that thankfully isn't taken.

"Not even lying, a man came in with a knife through his hand," Addy says. "But the weirdest part was, there was half of an avocado in between the knife and his hand."

I grimace. "Thankfully, I haven't seen anything freaky in the ICU today."

"Me neither, actually," Camila adds. We change topics and Addy excitedly invites Camila to my birthday dinner tomorrow night.

"Where are we eating?" Camila grins.

I lean in, eager to hear since nobody will tell me where we're going. "Yeah, where are we eating?"

Addy purses her lips. "Nice try, but I'm not telling you."

That being said, she leans forward, whispering something in Camila's ear which causes her face to light up. "Good, right?" Addy says.

Camila nods and looks at me. "You're in for one hell of a night."

Tell me about it.

✤

The next day comes faster than I anticipated. Instead of my alarm waking me up, I wake up to Max jumping on the end of my bed scream-singing happy birthday. "Happy birthday gorgeous!" he shouts, sprinkling what I assume is confetti settles all over me. The colored flakes fall, decorating my bedsheets and messy hair. It makes me smile. "I'm so glad I met you!"

I grab Max's leg, pulling him down so he is lying beside me. "Thank you, I'm so glad I met you too." The confetti settles in my hair and under his body. "You're cleaning this all up," I say.

He promises he will, and we stare at the ceiling. "Are you excited for today?"

"Only for the cake," I say playfully, nudging his shoulder. He laughs and we lie there until the very last moment before we find the motivation to get ready for work.

Like every other day, I get into my scrubs, brush my teeth, and pull my hair up. I head out into the kitchen and perch myself on a stool, taking the cup of coffee that's waiting for me.

"Where are we eating tonight?" I question, hoping that, unlike Addy, he finally gives in and tells me.

"Nice try, but I'm not telling you. You have to wait and see," he snaps, causing me to pout. "Just know that it is fancy and you will receive presents."

I smile again. "Okay."

We sit in peace, with the tv softly echoing from the living room as Max does paperwork and I scarf down breakfast. I already have a handful of messages from friends wishing me a happy birthday along with a voicemail from my mom singing. She does this every year and then ends up crying because I'm getting old.

"We had time to talk to the most eligible bachelor, here's the inside scoop!" The tv anchor's voice echoes in the living room. "We have been dying to know, are you single, in a relationship, or not interested at the moment?" the obnoxious interviewer asks. Another pet peeve of mine. It irks me how invested the media is in famous people's personal lives.

"Ready to do the checkoff?" Max asks, standing.

"Yes, I'm ready." I smile, averting my attention back to Max.

"Watch?"

"Check," I say and wait for him to say the next item, but it never comes. I look up but he's not there anymore, he is over at the tv turning up the volume like a zombie.

"Hello, Mr. Boss man? We have to get to work!" I wave my arms.

"Come the fuck here!" he demands, which catches me off guard. I raise an eyebrow in confusion but oblige. I walk over to where he's standing and staring at the tv.

At that moment, it's like I've seen a ghost.

"You are twenty-four years old, you are the CEO of a successful worldwide cooperation, and you are single? I think we need to sign you up to be the next contestant on The Bachelor." The woman chuckles.

"I don't think that will be necessary." Miles Cunningham waves dismissively. "If I fall in love again, then so be it."

"Again?" The interviewer lady smirks, and I watch Miles' face fall just as mine falls too.

"No, no," he backtracks. "All I mean is if it happens, it happens."

Suddenly, Miles' and the interviewer's voices go silent, and I stare at the screen stoically, trying to collect my thoughts.

He has become quite successful in the two years we've been apart. The last time I truly thought about him was last summer when he was on the cover of a magazine. The article was about how he is going to advance the cooperation and what his overall plans were. Other than that, I never once saw him in person. I never ran into him again after the café.

"Izzy?" Max questions with concern, snapping me out of my thoughts.

"What?" I fake a smile, grabbing my stethoscope and ID. "We should get going, we're already late."

He grabs my hand. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"I stopped thinking about him long ago. He was a college fling, remember?"

He frowns. "I became friends with you right after you guys broke up and it was awful. It was not just a fling."

"Well, when I look back on it, that's all I see. I was nineteen, naïve, and in dire need of attention. I'm fine, Max, seriously," I state, sliding on my jacket. He doesn't push the subject any further and we head to work.

I work my nine-hour shift with an empty head. I am so eager to get out of here for once so I can go out to dinner with my friends. We don't get nights like these often because we're always working, but tonight is an exception.

"I'll see you at—" Addy pauses purposely as we stand beside our cars. "Awe, you thought I was going to tell you the restaurant name, didn't you?"

I roll my eyes and punch her arm. She winces and sticks her middle finger up as she slides into her car. "See you in a few!"

Today when I was in the break room at the hospital and Addy walked in, she practically jumped on me. Then she sang happy birthday, pulling out a little vanilla cupcake in a box for me. I thanked her while hysterically laughing, and we both split the cupcake in half.

"See you," I shout back as she drives away and then I get into Max's car. He gives me an 'are you ready to go?' look and I nod. Then we make our way back home.

Eight minutes later, I'm in my bathroom, stripping out of my dirty clothes and hopping in the shower. After I do my hair and makeup, I retreat to my bedroom where Max resides. He is already digging through my closet, pulling out different options, and laying them on my bed. He shrieks victoriously and then comes out of the closet, no pun intended, holding a dress.

On the hanger is a short black, spaghetti-strap dress that has a V-neck with lace trimming. Then he holds up nude high heels and a nude handbag. I smile excitedly. He knows me too well.

"Excellent choice, I like," I confirm, taking it out of his hands and tossing my robe to the floor.

"Uh, a little warning next time?" he asks, covering his eyes.

"Sorry." I wave a hand, wiggling into my dress. At my vanity, he rummages through the small makeup collection I've accumulated over time and then looks at me again when I tell him I'm clothed. A big grin forms on his face.

"Wow, you look hot. You need your tan trench coat and this." He holds up my red lipstick and red heels. "Then voilà!"

I oblige, smearing the red color over my lips and slipping my trench coat on. When I'm ready, Max comes down the hall into the foyer dressed in tan, tight-fitted khakis, and a navy-blue button-up shirt. I cat-call him and he does a little spin.

In the car, I restrain myself from pulling this blindfold off my face. Why my friends are this extra, I will never know. They better be taking me somewhere very special. "Can I please take this off?" I groan.

"In three, two--" Max counts down slowly. When he gets to one, I feel the car stop. "Take it off."

I instantly rip the blindfold off and see that we're parked in front of Le chêne Serenade, the one, and only French restaurant. My jaw hits the car floor. "You've got to be kidding me." The valet opens the door for me, offering a hand.

Max meets me on the other side, now offering me his hand. "Worth the wait?"

"Is that a real question?" I can't keep the beaming smile off my face. "How did you even get a reservation here?"

"Addy, she found a way." Of course, she did.

We enter through the glass doors. When we step foot inside, the elegant aura encompasses me, and I feel like I just walked into the Titanic dining saloon. The lights are dimmed, the perfect amount to make it feel romantic and cozy. In the center of every table are candles, their flames dancing to the classical music emanating from the live mini chamber orchestra.

After giving our name, they instantly take us to our table. There is no waiting area since you must call in advance to reserve a seat. The place feels spacious with a little number of people.

I've always dreamed about dining here, at least once in my life. I talked about it with Addy all the time, listing all the famous people who've dined here. She put up with my strange fascination and now we are here, and it's because of her.

The bar is set high for me now.

In a private section of the restaurant, Addy, Jasper, and Camila are sitting. They stand to greet us and I immediately engulf Addy, thanking her a million times. When we're done having our moment, I hug everyone else.

"How is the birthday girl?" Jasper asks, sipping his wine.

"Pretty good," I answer nonchalantly. Everyone laughs. I order white wine.

We small talk, drink our wine and order our food. By the time we order, our first course is coming out. We barely speak to each other after that because we are all engrossed in the food.

"Take me here for my birthday, please," Camila says, closing her eyes as she savors the flavor. A dribble of wine trickles down her dark skin and I laugh, leaning over to wipe it away.

When we are all too full to eat anything else and our plates are cleared, Addy reaches under the table, materializing a present. I'm thankful we're in a secluded area; I'm a little nervous to see what is in these bags. The lord only knows what my friends might put in here.

"Open mine first," Camila says, handing me a small box. I smile and pull the ribbon; inside is a beautiful pair of earrings she made, and a gift card to our favorite sushi place.

"This is beautiful and perfect." I hug her. "We are going to fly through this." I hold up the gift card. Then I open Jasper's present, which is a gift card to one of my favorite clothing stores; I'm assuming Addy got this for me because there isn't any way Jasper would know. But underneath is a picture frame. A photo of Addy, Jasper, and I decorate the inside. My heart swells and my instant reaction is to laugh at how young we look.

"Oh my gosh, I remember this night! It was one of your parties, Jasper. I had no clue this existed. Thank you for this."

He smiles. "You're welcome." I pass the photo around, sharing a good laugh with everyone.

Then I open Max's present, which is the skimpiest set of lingerie I've ever seen. I whack him on the chest, which causes him to burst out laughing. "That's my way of saying, you need to get laid. Happy birthday!"

I bite my lip, trying to stifle laugher and hug him.

Then I get to Addy's which I know will make me cry. Even though we get each other gag gifts often, we also give each other super sentimental gifts.

"Here, babe." She hands me a bag, which is fairly heavy. I eagerly open it and cover my mouth when I see what it is.

It's the scrapbook.

I slowly drag my hand across the textured cover. This book holds so many memories, I'm nervous to open it. But I do, and I see all the pictures with notes written underneath them. I instantly tear up.

Under the picture of her pouting because her haircut was shit, reads, "Thank you for being brutally honest with me when I look ridiculous." That one causes me to laugh.

Under a screenshot of a mean Tweet she wrote about me when we were in a fight, reads, "Thank you for forgiving me every time I wasn't the best friend in the entire world." That one also makes me laugh.

Then I flip to the last page to see the picture when we first met with a note that reads, "You were there for me when I was going through a rough time. You were always at my side asking how you could make things better but, I don't think you realized that just you being my friend made everything okay. Thank you for loving me like I was your sister. I don't know what I'd do without you Bell, I love you."

I can't hold the tears in any longer. I pull her into my grasp and we both cry and laugh at the same time.

"Point for Addy, I made you cry." She laughs, sniffling her nose.

"Ten points for you," I say back, then take a deep breath. "I love you too, Ad."

I look around the table at all of my friends and wonder how I've become so lucky.

MILES

Leaning back in my chair, I glance at my Movado wristwatch, which reads 9:48 p.m. and internally groan. I've never experienced a dinner meeting as long as this one. I usually enjoy sitting back, making business deals along with a free meal, but this is plain painful.

These men have not stopped talking about their favorite whisky or their wives. Nothing remotely related to work. Did I come here for nothing?

"And th-then, the pie caught on fire!" a man shouts, and laughter follows. I glance toward the exit, but my father's voice echoes in my head, "Stay and listen, you want these men to like you. The deal will go through, and it won't be for nothing."

I sigh and sip my whisky.

I spend the rest of the evening smiling like I am paying attention, and every so often I shift my attention to different people in the restaurant. I watch a group of people leaving and narrow my eyes. Lucky.

My eyes wander to the furthest corner of the room and I see a girl sitting all by herself at a round table with her back towards me. I cock my head to the side in curiosity. Who would come here by themselves? Maybe she's waiting for someone to meet her.

I watch her stand and tug her trench coat on. Her long brown hair sways over her back and I catch a glimpse of her profile. At that very moment, it's as though my world stopped spinning. My stomach bottoms out and my heart rate increases tenfold.

It couldn't be Bell, could it?

The woman stands up, still never fully facing me, and walks to the door.

Get up, go follow her! My brain goes into overdrive. I frantically look around the restaurant and then without thinking logically, I stand, leaving the men without a reason. They shout my name as if I have gone insane—which I think I have—but I don't listen. Right now, my body is telling me to go.

What if it is her? What the hell will I say after two years?

I walk past the host without saying a word and step outside as she asks if I want the valet to bring my car to the front. The cold air engulfs me, and I shove my hands in my pockets for warmth. I look down both directions of the sidewalk until my eyes land on the brown-haired girl.

For a moment, I watch her walk away without calling out her name, because what if she isn't Isabella? What if she doesn't turn around? I'll look like a fool. But if it is her and I don't take the chance now, I don't know if I'll have the courage to reach out.

So, I call her name. "Isabella!" Please turn around, please turn around, I plead repeatedly under my breath.

The moment her feet stop, my heart stops too, because now I know it truly is her. Slowly, she turns around, and our eyes meet.

In the two years we have spent apart, I have worked endlessly on keeping her out of my head to heal. After my mother and Millie passed, I knew I had to leave her for both her and my mental health. Because if I had stayed during my darkest time, I would have taken her down with me. Leaned on her too hard. And dragging her through my imperfect healing process would've done more damage than these two years separated have done.

However, I didn't think it would take two years to get my bearings straight, but that doesn't matter anymore because here we are. As if the universe decided it was time for us to meet again. And seeing her beautiful, sad face standing in front of me tonight has broken all the self-control I had left.

Neither of us says anything, but our feet continue moving until we're standing an arm's length away from one another.

She looks different, in a good way. Her eyes are soft, and she has grown into the rest of her features. Her hair is longer, and her eyes are more sunken in, probably from all of the hospital shifts. I slowly bring my hand upward to cup her cheek, which is just as soft as I remember.

Her breathing hitches as my icy fingers graze her warm skin. She briefly closes her eyes and then reopens them, not looking anywhere else but at me.

Isabella never truly left my mind or heart. She's the only person I've ever fallen helplessly over. Walking out of the café that day, I knew I was walking away from my soul mate. I kept telling myself if she is my soul mate, that day in the cafe would not be the last of us.

Seeing her in person causes every emotion I've buried over the years to come rushing forth, like a dam breaking. Although she may hate me for leaving, I hope one day she can forgive me.

I take a deep breath and smile.

"Hey, Darlin'."

What happens next? Will Isabella and Miles get back together? Read the sequel, Falling Perfectly, to find out...

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I cannot begin to thank you guys for supporting and reading my work. I really hope you enjoyed the first novel in The Falling Series, however, there is a sequel out called Falling Perfectly. I originally wrote this series in 2016, and it has come a long way since then, and it is all thanks to you guys. 

Again, thank you guys so much for the love, I hope you stick around for more in the future. 

xoxo Anna :)

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