DreamOutLoud13

So, this is it. But it's not really the end... it's a new beginning. And if it's not immediately obvious, this epilogue takes place over 20 years after the events of the story (so, sometime in the last few years or so)

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Epilogue

Heather ducked out of the drizzle that the sky seemed so determined to keep spitting out and through the door of the Starbucks. The café was more crowded than usual, due to the bad weather, but she needed her coffee, and was more than willing to endure the long line to get it.

Heather chuckled to herself as she got in line. She’d given up smoking many years back, which was just as well, as there seemed to be few places left in the city where you could still light up without getting a citation, or at the very least, a lot of dirty looks. But her coffee addiction was as strong as ever.

She glanced around the crowded room as the line moved her slowly toward the counter. There wasn’t a single empty table in the place, and other people stood in small clusters between the tables, nursing their frappuccinos and mochalattes. Heather turned her attention toward the menu board then, and had another occasion to laugh. Depending on how fancy you took it, a cup of coffee was actually more expensive than a pack of cigarettes.

Heather ordered a large espresso macchiato and then took a step toward the pickup counter on her left, so that the person in line behind her could go ahead and order. Heather tapped the fingers of her left hand idly on the counter while she waited, and now she looked down at her hand thoughtfully. It had been three years but she still hadn’t gotten used to the sight of her left hand without her wedding ring. Suddenly a shout from her right broke Heather right out of her reverie.

“Hey! I don’t pay $4.50 a cup for this shit so that you can spill it all over the godamned place!”

The woman in line behind Heather was leaning angrily against the counter and watching the frazzled young man behind it like a hawk as he rushed to make her drink. Heather took a step farther away from the woman, and then felt a rush of relief as another employee set her cup of espresso down on the counter before it. Heather picked it up, turned around, and began surveying the café for a good spot to drink her coffee, when something she saw startled her so badly that she nearly dropped her cup.

Sitting alone at a small table by the window and reading the paper was none other than Adam Clayton. He was the bassist for the mega-rock group U2, but more importantly, he was a face from Heather’s past. Heather was just about to open her mouth to call out to him, when she felt a slight nudge from behind. Heather turned to see the angry woman who’d been in line behind her.

“Do you mind?”

“Sorry.” Heather murmured and stepped aside to let her through, then approached Adam’s table. “Adam?”

He looked up from his paper, his eyebrows raised slightly, but no recognition showing in his face.

“I suppose you don’t remember me. I’m Heather...” Heather paused, she’d nearly given him her married name, but of course he wouldn’t know her by it. “Heather Foster. We dated, quite briefly actually, back in ‘82. Gosh, it’s been so long.”

“Heather Foster...” Adam said slowly, his eyebrows furrowing as he tried for a moment to remember, but then his face lit up with a mixture of awe and joy. “Heather! How could I forget you?!” He said, getting to his feet and pulling her into a hug. Heather stiffened in his embrace. It wasn’t that she didn’t enjoy it, it had just been so sudden. He must’ve noticed, because he let go of her almost immediately. “I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s okay. I just wasn’t expecting that.”

“Well here, sit down.” He pulled a chair back from the table for her.

“Thanks.” She said, sitting down and pulling the lid from her coffee.

He took his place again at the table, folding his newspaper and laying it aside. “How’ve you been?”

“Oh, I’ve been fine. No need to ask how you’ve been.” She said, tipping him a knowing smile, which he returned. “I’ve had one marriage, one divorce, and two beautiful daughters.”

“Congratulations. On the daughters, I mean. Not the divorce.”

Heather laughed. “Oh believe me, it was a good thing.”

“I never married.”

“I know.” She said, then seeing his face, felt the need to continue. “Not that I’ve become a stalker or anything. I just couldn’t help but keep up with the band. Can you blame me?”

“Not at all.”

An awkward silence followed while Heather sipped her coffee slowly. Memories of her time with Adam had been flooding her mind ever since she saw his face, and now, despite her best intentions and a quarter century of water under the bridge, she felt past hurts bubbling up inside her. Heather shook her head. “I’m sorry, but...” She stopped, unsure of how to go on.

“Yes?” He prompted her.

“You never called me.” The words tumbled out, and Heather nearly winced at how much she sounded like a high-schooler.

Adam’s mouth fell open slightly as he realized what she meant. “I never...?” He began, but then stopped before continuing. “Heather, I lost your number.”

“What?” She asked. Her mind felt as though it were stuffed with wool.

“I lost your number the very day we left. I never got a chance to call you, and I felt like shit about it.”

“Oh my god.” She said softly.

“But you never called me either. You had my number.”

“When you didn’t call...” Heather shook her head. “I thought you didn’t want anything to do with me. I guess I convinced myself that you didn’t care, and that I was just another girl to you. The rock star thing, you know.”

Adam shook his head. “Never. Wait... didn’t you get my note?”

“What note?” Heather had no idea what he was talking about.

“It was like two months after I had to leave you, we came back to catch our plane back to Dublin but there was a layover. I came by your apartment looking for you, but you weren’t there, so I left a note with your neighbour.”

“What? What neighbour?”

“The woman right across the hall.”

“That bitch never gave me any note! Oh my god!” Heather was growing flustered. Over the years she’d held a certain amount of anger toward Adam for seemingly abandoning her, but now that anger was being turned around against that awful neighbour woman.

“Heather, calm down.” Adam said, placing a gentle hand on her arm. Heather shivered slightly at his touch.

“I’m okay, I just need to think for a minute.” She said and took another swallow of her coffee. The caffeine would never soothe her nerves in the way that a cigarette would, but at least the heat of it on her tongue did something to bring her back to her senses. She’d thought a lot about Adam over the years, and not just because his ever-growing celebrity made him hard to forget. She hadn’t fully understood it at the time, but he had been her first love. You never forgot your first love. It was that which made her still want him over the years, despite all the hurt.

Finally feeling calmer, Heather looked back at Adam. “It’s just so much all at once, you know? To think of everything that might’ve happened if only that stupid woman had given me your note.”

Adam nodded and reached out to lightly stroke her cheek. “We missed out on so much.”

Suddenly Heather grabbed his hand away from her face and stared at his wrist with wide eyes. “The jade bracelet!”

“Oh.” Adam said, lowering his eyes and putting his other hand over the smooth green surface of the bracelet. “I guess I just kept wearing it.” He said, but something in his reaction made Heather think he’d kept wearing it for the same reason that she’d kept the blue silk scarf he’d given her tucked away in her jewelry box, to remember him by.

She smiled at him. “I still have the scarf you gave me.”

Adam smiled back, and then glanced out the window. “It looks like it’s stopped raining out there. Would you like to take a walk?”

Heather smiled. “I’d like that.”

Adam nodded, stood, and held out a hand to her. Heather gave him hers, interlocking her fingers with his. It was as though no time had passed at all.

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Okay, so here's the thing. This isn't the end. I've already started writing a short sequel, which will pick up exactly where this epilogue leaves off. The thing is.... due to it's slightly more passionate nature, I won't be posting it here.
The sequel, when finished, will be posted on my LiveJournal fanfic archive page, and will be friendslocked, which means you'll need to be added as a 'friend' to that account, and logged in to see it. But it's free and easy to create a LiveJournal account. Just leave a comment on one of the existing entries, and I'll add you.
Hopefully it won't be too long before I finish and post it, but when I do, I'll probably bump this thread up as a reminder. Also... if you're wondering what direction the sequel will go... just call me a hopeless romantic. Have you seen the movie The Notebook? It's really good, and I'd recommend it if you haven't seen it, but.... just keep in mind

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Yes, that's Adam in the bath with a giraffe. Thanks Bonnie.

Pamelakellett

Ooh, yes please add me as a friend. I love this story and the sequel sounds very interesting........

Pamelakellett@aol.com

Xantric

oh that was very good .

Alisaura

Aw Chass!!

I KNEW we couldn't trust that woman with the note...

*scuttles off to LJ*

(edit: Left a comment on Chapter 10 on LJ!)

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Needz moar Liechtenstein cowbell!

Vice President for Scientific Progress & Official Mind-reader for BRI

dianepm

Thank god I'm already on your friend list. I can't wait to read it!!!

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Vice President of Archival science for BRI

DreamOutLoud13

I added both of you


And I just realized I hadn't posted chapter 11 or the epilogue on LJ I'll go do that now

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Yes, that's Adam in the bath with a giraffe. Thanks Bonnie.

ali26

sweet!

Galeongirl

aww!!

that bloody neighbour!!!!!

let's see if I can figure out my old LJ pw by trial an error haven't been on there in so long!

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OrARoundabout

Great job! I've just created one of those LiveJournal things so I can continue reading!

memorymotel

Loved the story. My lj name is memorymotel... please add me!!

DreamOutLoud13

I've added everyone so far that's asked to be added

GG, did you ever figure out your password? Perhaps you should tattoo it on the back of your hand

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Yes, that's Adam in the bath with a giraffe. Thanks Bonnie.

Galeongirl

well... to be honest... I already completely forgot about it..... but I just remembered my username, so there's a start

and as far as I know my avatar is Bonobelly...

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Smitty_Jo

I'm interested in seeing the sequel to this...I'm heading over to LJ and adding you! I'm 'alec_towser' on there.