Our Lives Through Text (Epilogue)
Epilogue
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Bill was walking the halls of a luxury apartment in New York for the second time. The first time he was there, Alice was at his back. Right now, Alice wasn’t there but all he could think about is her.
More so, he couldn’t stop thinking about Jesse McCartney. His anger grew stronger as he grew closer to the apartment where Alice is imprisoned. He could just see himself punching the jerk that hurt Alice.
Alice, in pain, he couldn’t believe it. Knowing so is causing him pain too.
He finally reached Jesse McCartney’s apartment. He pounded loudly on the door, eager for it to be opened. Eager to see him. Eager to punch the jerk. Eager to take Alice away from him. The door opened slowly. There, he saw Alice. She looked at him and he looked back deep in her eyes.
She looked fine, well dressed, and posh, but her face was pale and her eyes were different. There’s too much fear and pain in it.
Realizing it is Bill in front of her; she bursts into tears and immediately wrapped her arms around Bill’s neck. His left hand found its way to her hip and his right hand caressed her hair.
“Alice, what are you doing?” Jesse asked agitated.
Alice pushed herself away from Bill and turned to Jesse. Bill grabbed her hand and said, “I’m taking her away from you.” Right there and then, Bill slammed the door, still holding Alice’s hand. He would never let go, he was determined not to let go.
Alice stopped walking. “Where are we going?” She asked.
“Prague. Come on, I have a concert in a few hours.” Bill said.
“I can’t go with you.” She said looking down her shoes.
“What? Where’s your sense of spontaneity?”
“It’s not that!” Alice said firmly yet her voice is shaking. “If I leave him, he’ll ruin the lives of everyone I love. If that wouldn’t happen, I would’ve left him a long time ago!”
Bill stared at her realizing what has happened, why Alice had to stick up with that man.
“Then let’s give him a taste of his own medicine.” Bill said and headed back to Jesse McCartney’s apartment door. He knocked loudly and urgently.
Jesse opened the door and stared at Bill. “She’ll come back to me.” He said surely and proudly.
“She won’t and if you try blackmailing her again or something, this little secret between you two is going public and you’ll be ruined. Just like what happened to Mr. Chris Brown.” Bill said and left him dumbfounded.
He walked towards Alice and held out his hand. Alice took his hand without hesitation.
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“Bill’s not yet here and we’re supposed to be starting!” The manager said. He was panicking.
“He’ll be here.” Tom assured him.
“Ooh! Guys!” Noelle called looking up from her phone. “He’s here! He said to go onstage and he’ll follow you there!”
“Thank God!” The manager sighed.
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Bill and Alice are now facing a bouncer guarding the front entrance of a stadium.
“Aren’t you supposed to be on stage?” The bouncer asked.
“Would you let us pass so I could go up there?”
“Sure.” The bouncer said opening the door. They entered. It was crowded. It was a long way squeezing themselves through the crowd to reach the stage. A lot of people gasped upon seeing Bill and said hi. Bill never stopped smiling at these people and never stopped saying hi back.
Through all that, his grip on Alice’s hand is tight. Finally, they reached the stage.
They’re facing another bouncer.
“Aren’t you supposed to be up there?” The bouncer asked.
“Yeah. I’ll be there in a sec. Do you mind bringing her to the backstage to see Noelle Hawkins?” Bill asked.
“Not at all.” The bouncer said. “This way.” He said to Alice and started walking.
Alice followed only to be stopped by Bill. “Alice!” He called.
She turned around only to be surprised by Bill’s warm soft lips on hers. He was a good kisser and it made all the lights in that stadium seem brighter, making everything around her a perfect romantic daze. She felt the whole rhythm of the fans’ screams synchronized with her heartbeat. Everything is on her side.
“So you’re the one.” Alice said softly after the kiss. Their faces still close to each other’s.
“The one?” Bill asked.
“The one responsible for making me fall in love.”
Bill chuckled softly. “I love you too.”
They smiled lovingly to each other. Bill climbed the stage and Alice went on. As she followed the bouncer who had a large smile plastered on his face being a witness to the scene that just unfolded, she heard Bill say, “Georg, where are you? You’re the only one missing in action.”
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Noelle spots a brown leather wallet on the floor. She picks it up and opens it wanting to find out to whom it belongs to so she could return it.
A smile crept on her face seeing Georg’s ID. She found the borders of a Polaroid photo peeking from one of the wallet pockets. She slowly pulls it out to reveal a photo of Georg and her sleeping side by side from when she passed out in Australia.
It touched her heart. She was so happy, she could cry. Then, she heard Georg’s voice from behind her saying, “Has anyone seen my wallet?”
Noelle turns around, still holding the photo. “You have a photo of us in your wallet?” She asked.
“I have to have a photo of the girl I love in my wallet, don’t I?”
“Since when have you had this?” She said taking steps towards him.
“Since the day I got it.”
Noelle smiled at him and he did too. He leaned towards her and did what he has wanted to do for all eternity. He kissed her. She wrapped her hands around his neck and felt what Alice was feeling at that same mystical moment. The comfortable darkness of the backstage. The feel of Georg’s hands around her waist. The rhythm of every noise around her matches the rhythm of her heartbeat. Everything perfectly slowed down. It was all a distant blur to her because everything is centered on that kiss. That kiss is now part of her. It’s the kiss making everything perfect.
“Georg, where are you? You’re the only one missing in action.” Bill’s voice was heard and they part.
“You better go.” Noelle said in a bright smile slipping Georg’s wallet in his back jean pocket.
“I’m glad you won that contest and pick me at the draw lots.” Georg said.
"I’m glad I’m part of all these.” Noelle said.
Georg starts leaving. “I’ll be back!” Georg said.
“I’ll be here when you come back!” Noelle said.
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Alice is sitting at the couch in a tour bus, her laptop on her lap, her back leaning on Bill who was beside her, also sitting at the couch.
Gustav is sitting at an armchair, also in the tour bus. Tom is talking to a random woman on the phone, sitting on the dining parts of the tour bus. Noelle enters the bus carrying bags.
“Georg! The groceries are here, so is Noelle!” Gustav calls.
The bus starts to move as Georg emerges from a room, also at the tour bus.
“Hey, Noelle, listen to this…” Alice said, “And I quote TH’s manager, ‘The pregnant lady that has been haunting us was sent home to Germany after discovering that the father wasn’t me. Apparently, even before that shamed night we spent together, she was already pregnant. It was also proven by a legit DNA test that the father is the lady’s old friend from school. According to her confession, she used the shamed night she spent with me to her advantage in order to spend time with TH. Now that we have learned the truth, we cannot stand being with a person who deceived us, which is why she was sent home. She is now out of TH’s lives, living her own life, without us.’ End quote. Source is TMZ.”
Everyone cheers.
Noelle gets something from the bags she brought in and headed to the CD player in the bus. She entered a CD. “Now you listen to this.” Noelle said raising Alice’s album.
Everyone cheers for the second time tossing ‘good jobs’ and ‘congrats’ to Alice.
Georg sits at the couch beside Bill and Alice and Noelle jumps at Georg’s lap. Noelle stares at the track list at the back of the CD. “Oh my God.” She gasps. “Skip to the last!”
It did skip and the song starts to play. Noelle passed a look of gratitude to Alice and Alice smiles back. Noelle stares again at the track list. The last song says, ‘Noelle’s Song’.
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Noelle’s Song
By Alice Cassie
It started off okay
But now you seem far away
It started off problem free
But now you’re drifting away from me
At first things seem alright
But now they’re all falling apart
At first it doesn’t seem such a mess
But now it seems so hopeless
It seems like the universe
Wants us apart
But I’ll find a way to you
I’ll make us meant to be
And I will fight the universe
If that’s how it has to be
Things are getting in our way
Making sure we fall apart
Sometimes I want to give up
But there’s a truth in my heart
Saying I shouldn’t stop
It seems like the universe
Wants us apart
But I’ll find a way to you
I’ll make us meant to be
And I will fight the universe
If that’s how it has to be
I’ll do anything
Everything I can
But you need not worry
I know we’re going to make it
As sure as my name’s Noelle
It seems like the universe
Wants us apart
But I’ll find a way to you
I’ll make us meant to be
And I will fight the universe
If that’s how it has to be
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