Chapter 11; Dirty Reunion Finale

The reception lights dimmed slowly as the last guests wandered toward the beach bonfire. The band had switched to soft acoustic guitar. Tom and Lila had slipped away earlier, stealing glances and giggles like teenagers. Nadia and Kai stayed on the terrace longer than anyone else. They danced one final slow song under the string lights, bodies pressed close, hands gentle, no rush at all.

When the music faded, Kai took her hand without speaking. They walked the lantern-lit path back to his villa side by side. No words yet—just the sound of their footsteps on stone and the occasional brush of fingers.

Inside the villa, he closed the door softly and turned to her. Moonlight poured through the open balcony doors, painting silver stripes across the floor. He stepped close, cupped her face with both hands, thumbs brushing her cheeks like she was something fragile and precious.

“I love you,” he said quietly, voice steady. “I should’ve said it every morning when I woke up next to you. Every night before we fell asleep. I should’ve said it when I was scared and stupid and thought running would fix me. I’m saying it now, Nadia. And I’ll keep saying it—every single day from here on out.”

Her eyes filled instantly. She blinked hard, trying to hold the tears back, but one slipped down her cheek anyway. He caught it with his thumb, wiped it away gently.

“I love you too,” she whispered. “I was so angry for so long. I told myself I hated you to make it hurt less. But every time I thought about you—with someone else, or alone, or just… existing without me—it killed me a little. I don’t want to lose you again. I’m scared, Kai. But I’m more scared of not trying.”

He pulled her into his arms, holding her tight against his chest. She could hear his heartbeat—fast, strong, real. She wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her face in his shirt, breathing him in. Salt, rain, him.

They moved to the bed together. He helped her out of her red dress slowly, fingers tracing her skin like he was relearning every inch. She unbuttoned his shirt one button at a time, kissing the skin she uncovered—his collarbone, the center of his chest, the faint scar under his ribs she remembered from years ago. They slipped under the covers naked, skin to skin, but not for anything physical. Just to feel each other. To remember.

He wrapped her from behind, chin resting on her shoulder, one arm around her waist, the other hand laced with hers. She played with his fingers, tracing the lines of his palm.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered into her hair. “For the nights you cried alone. For the mornings you woke up and I wasn’t there. For every time you looked at your phone hoping it was me and it wasn’t.”

She turned in his arms so they were face to face. “I forgive you. But only if you promise we talk now. Even when it’s hard. Even when we’re mad. We don’t walk away. We stay and fix it.”

He nodded, eyes shining in the moonlight. “I promise. We stay. We fight. We fix. Together.”

They talked for hours—quiet, honest words in the dark. She told him about the nights she drove past their old apartment just to feel close to the memory of them. He told her about the times he almost texted her but deleted it, afraid she’d block him. They laughed softly at how stubborn they both were. They cried a little too—silent tears that dried on each other’s skin.

At some point he kissed her forehead, then her eyelids, then the tip of her nose. “You’re still the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen,” he murmured. “Even when you’re mad at me. Even when you’re crying. Especially when you’re smiling like that.”

She smiled wider—real, unguarded—and it made something warm bloom in his chest.

They fell asleep tangled together, breathing in sync. They woke slowly, still wrapped in each other, lazy kisses that tasted like morning and second chances.

When they finally got up, the wedding was over. Guests were leaving. Luggage rolled down paths. But they stayed in the villa a while longer—sitting on the balcony, coffee in hand, watching the sun rise over the water.

Kai reached for her hand. “Come back with me,” he said quietly. “Or let me come to you. Or we find somewhere new. I don’t care where—just don’t let this end here.”

She squeezed his fingers. “We’ll figure it out. Together.”

They kissed again—slow, sweet, full of tomorrow.

The past was finished.

The future was wide open.

And they were finally walking into it side by side.