epilogue

Sometimes home

Can be

Another person

"Alex, do you have all the boxes?" I ask when I look around at the dozens of boxes stacked around me. "Yeah, this was the last one," he says as he puts the box on the floor and walks up to me. I turn around to take another good look at the apartment. Two big hands grab me from behind and pull me closer to him. 'The furniture will be delivered this afternoon' he whispers in my ear as he starts to put kisses in my neck. I laugh when I think back to our Ikea shopping day.

I only just get out of the car when Alex, like a little child, starts pulling my arm so I can walk a little faster. In the store itself, he was in heaven. He threw every item that was for sale into the cart and I had to put it back behind his back. When I got to the beds, I wanted to ask a shop assistant for help but Alex stopped me. "I know how to test which bed is the best, just imitate me.'

As if they were trampolines, Alex jumped from one bed to another, "To find out which ones are hard and which ones are soft" he had explained to me. After a few minutes, he pulled me up too. Because I'm definitely ahead smaller than Alex, I ended up between two beds, twice.

It has been 9 months since Alex explained his plan to me and my parents in Belgium. Apparently, Alex was able to get me a full scholarship in the same direction and college where I did my exchange. Of course, I was very surprised but once the words got through, I jumped on him and we both fell to the ground laughing. After a few minutes, we realized that my parents didn't say anything. I had looked at them in fear and questioning, but they said that they had to think about it for a while and that by dinner they will make a decision.

In those few hours, I dragged Alex everywhere. I live in Leuven so I first showed him the city hall and the city after which we went to the McDonalds for something to eat. Then we took a train to Brussels for Manneke Pis. Alex loved the fact that a naked, peeing boy could be so famous and took a lot of pictures and sent them to the boys. Of course, he also had a bag full of souvenirs.

During dinner, we were both sitting back and forth on our chairs, nervous about what they had decided. 'Lily' they had said, 'Last year has been very difficult for us, not to see our only daughter for a year broke our hearts. There have been accidents where we couldn't be there because of the distance'. Explains Mommy. My shoulders sagged, thinking I can't go. Alex grabbed my hand under the table and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

"We're lucky we can now use the money we kept for your studies. Along with the proceeds from the sale of this house, we can buy a nice house in America. We gave

the choice to go with us to Coll and Justin, but you know your brothers, they can't go a day without you either'. Daddy tells me.

"Wait, you mean we're all going to America?" I asked for clarification. Mommy and Daddy both nodded yes, and a big smile can be seen. I jumped up happily and gave them both a kiss after which I danced my happy dance around the table.

A month later we were decorating our house. I had the smallest room but it had a balcony which I was very happy with. Alex was also very happy with this because it allowed him to sneak into my room every day. The day Alex came to pick us up from the airport, because he had to leave school earlier and got back twee weeks before, was an emotional moment. Alex hadn't said anything to our friends yet but had dragged them along to pick us up at 6 o'clock in the morning.

I heard from far away Aiden and Owen complaining. A grin spread on my face and I walked a little faster so I was a few meters in front of my family. Alex was the first one who saw me and winked at me. I rolled my eyes but the corners of my mouth went up. The second person was Owen. He had looked at me with an open mouth for the first three seconds before he ran towards me at full speed and we ended up on the ground together. Tears of happiness jumped into our eyes as we cuddled each other flatly.

'Can I give her a hug or are you going to make a pancake out of her first, fatso?' Jax asked Owen. Owen didn't have time to answer because Jax had already pushed him away from me and pulled me straight to take me in his arms. He had made a few laps with me, which gave me a limp smile out loud.

After that, my two girlfriends had thrown me back on the ground again. "Lily, are you still alive?" I heard Coll ask. I released my hand from under Lexi and raised my thumb. After a few minutes, we were all up. All of my friends had tears in their eyes as I stood in Alex's arms. I had introduced them to my parents and mom got tears in her eyes too. She had stepped on them and gave them each a hug. 'I am so happy to finally meet friends of Lily's," she had happily said. Aiden and Rayen had immediately thrown their charms into battle.

Lizz was also very happy to see me and I had to play princess for a whole day. Luckily, I was able to convince her that Alex would also be a good princess, so Alex had to wear make-up and a crown with us all day long. And I promise you, I have hundreds of pictures of this.

5 months later, Alex asked me if I wanted to live with him. We spent a month looking for a nice apartment close to school. We accidentally stumbled on one when we were looking for a café after class to get something to eat. It is a two-bedroom apartment with a kitchen island and large windows overlooking a park. The walls are white but the floor consists of a light wood which makes the whole room look brighter. We signed the contract on the day itself.

And that is where we are now. Alex already wanted to ask me to marry him but I made it clear to him that I'm too young to be engaged. I'm 20 now and he's 21. He looked at me so sad that I couldn't resist saying that in about 3 years I'm definitely going to say yes. That he just needs a little patience, something Alex has very little of. He smiled en promised me that it is going to be the best engagement ever.

Chelsey came to apologize. I found her crying in the toilet a few months ago. I can tell you that that's when a new friendship arose. Our group of friends expanded by three people. My brothers and Chelsey joined us. Everyone had a bit of trouble with her in the beginning, but after a few weeks that was all over and we behaved as if we had been friends for centuries. Justin and Chelsey became very close if you know what I mean.

Mom and Dad found work quickly and my brothers got into the same college as me.

My life took a big turn from the moment I went to America for a year of exchange. The only reason I went was that I wanted to live the American dream. But what I found is something so much more and so different. I've learned that you have to create your own image of something. That the American dream, as everyone knows it, was the real one for one person, but that doesn't mean that it is the real or the truth for the other. My jerk quarterback became my boyfriend. One of my girlfriends wanted to kill me and the queen bee turned out to be a very sweet girl.

I got my own image of life in America and I'm glad it doesn't resemble the stereotype. In life, there are a lot of prejudices, but the point is to form your own opinion about something instead of looking at others and believing them directly.

And my image was that I found love, with a boyfriend and friends for life.