Page 99 of Between Here and There

We’re still holding hands, and I look up at him through tear-stained lashes, a small smile forming despite the rush of emotions swirling inside me. His presence grounds me, makes the room feel smaller, warmer, safer.

“Let me be there for you,” he continues, his voice deep and steady. “With you,” he adds, leaning in closer, his lips brushing against my forehead before pulling back with a cheeky grin. “On you… under you…”

I laugh, rolling my eyes at his playful wink. “There’smy Joshua. I was wondering where the cocky flirt went.”

He chuckles. “YourJoshua is everything you want him to be. The cocky flirt is always there. But this time you also get the boyfriend, it’s my first time meeting him too. He seems kinda cool.”

“Yeah, he does,” I laugh between tears. “I heard he gives a really good foot rub.”

Joshua laughs. “Lucky you, then.”

He runs a hand over his face, and I notice something new. “Is that a new tattoo?” I ask, pointing to his hand.

“Oh, yeah,” he says. His hand is covered with a rose. “Told you,” he continues. “Thoughts of you consumed me.”

I set the bouquet down, and hold his hand in mine as I let the tears fall. “Well,” I start. “I love you too, Joshua,” I say. “I’ve denied it plenty of times. I’ve resisted it harder than I’ve ever resisted anything before. But there’s something inside me that knows I want to be with you. And that something gets bigger and bigger everyday. And I’m also done pretending.” I lean forward to hug him, and he hugs me back, as he plants a soft kiss on the top of my head.

I look up. “Do you even know why I’m wearing your hoodie?” I ask, gesturing to what I’m wearing. I’m not really a hoodie type of person, but I’m wearing it under the apron.

“Why?”

“Because I miss you, and it’s the closest thing I have to feel you. Absurd, I know,” I chuckle.

“Not as absurd as me saving all your photos from Bon’s wedding just so I can see your face.”

“We’re absurd people.”

“Absurd people in love,” he counters. Joshua leans closer and I move my hands to the back of his head.

“That’s the best kind of people,” I say, as he closes the gap between us.

His lips meet mine, soft and warm. His hands settle on my waist, firm but gentle, pulling me closer as if he can’t bear even an inch of space between us. I smile against his lips, the happiness bubbling up inside me impossible to contain. It’s not just the kiss. It’s what it means. What it’s always meant.

Because, wow, I love this man. So much.

And it feels freeing—no, liberating—to finally admit that. To kiss him not out of temptation, not out of pretense, but because I’m in love with him. And he loves me, too.

His lips linger, as if savoring the moment, and I can’t help but deepen the kiss, pouring everything I feel into it. When we finally pull apart, his forehead rests against mine, his breath mingling with mine, and I can see the same emotions reflected in his eyes.

As I stand here, still reeling from the kiss, I realize something monumental: I’ll never be homesick again. Not because I’ve found a magical cure for nostalgia, but because I’ve come to understand that home isn’t tied to a single place—it isn’t just Magnolia Heights with its quiet, familiar streets or the bustling chaos of Manila.

Home is my friends, the ones who know me better than I know myself, the ones who saw me through good times and bad. The ones whose laughter is a balm, and whose love is a steady anchor no matter where I go.

Home is my family, the people who have shaped me in a thousand tiny ways I never noticed until now. It’s my sister, whose quiet victories make me feel like I’m winning too, and my mother, whose happiness means mine. They are my constant, even when life pulls us in different directions. And it’s my dad—gone too soon, but never really gone. His love lingers, sneaking into the cracks of my days, like sunlight through a window I forgot to close.

And now, home is Joshua. He’s home in a way I never expected. He’s warm socks on a winter’s night, the calm in the storm, the snort-worthy punchline when life weighs me down. He’s reliability in a world that’s often anything but. Whether it’s in Manila or New York, as long as I can lose myself in his eyes, clutch his hands like they’re my lifeline, and feel his arms wrap securely around me, I’ll know I’m exactly where I’m meant to be.

Most importantly—and this part took me a while to figure out—home isme. It’s the strength I’ve built through every heartbreak, every challenge, every victory. It’s the laughter I’ve found within me, the quiet moments of self-acceptance, and the bold courage to dream beyond what I thought was possible.

So no matter where life takes me, whether it’s a sleepy small town or the noisy city that never sleeps, I’ll always carry home with me. Because home isn’t a place. It’s the people you love, the memories you treasure, and the self you’ve worked so damn hard to embrace.

And right now, standing here with a goofy grin on my face and Joshua’s kiss still tingling on my lips, I know one thing for sure: wherever I go, I’m already home.

EPILOGUE

Kate (the next protagonist)

Emily and Joshua arrived today, lugging matching suitcases and their ridiculous ability to look like they just stepped out of a romantic comedy. Emily said she needed some papers for a new business she’s starting in New York, but I’m pretty sure she just wanted an excuse to come back and show off how disgustingly in love they are.

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