The desert stretched endlessly before them, golden and bathed in the fading glow of twilight. The car windows were rolled down, letting the warm breeze wash over them as Ethan and Julian sped down the open highway, leaving behind the airport, the doubts, the fears—everything that had once kept them apart.

Ethan glanced over at Julian, who was gripping the steering wheel with one hand, his other resting lazily on the gear shift. The tension that had once defined his sharp features had melted away, replaced by something softer, lighter. Contentment.

Julian caught him looking and smirked. "You keep staring at me like that, and I might start thinking you actually like me."

Ethan let out a breathy laugh, reaching over to lace their fingers together. "Might be too late to deny that."

Julian squeezed his hand, eyes flicking back to the road, but his smile didn’t fade. "You sure about this? About us?"

Ethan let his head fall back against the seat, looking up at the sky as it darkened into velvety blues and purples. "I’ve never been more sure of anything."

The Golden Palms shimmered in the distance as they approached, the glow of lanterns and soft music floating in the air. It felt surreal, coming back to the place where it all began—the stolen glances, the hesitant touches, the moments of uncertainty that had all led to this.

Julian parked the car, but neither of them moved to get out just yet. The air between them was charged, not with doubt, but with promise.

Julian turned to Ethan, searching his face as if trying to memorize everything about him in this moment. "No more running?"

Ethan smiled, reaching up to brush his fingers along Julian’s jaw. "No more running."

Julian leaned in, their lips meeting in a kiss that was slow, deliberate—a seal, a promise, a beginning.

As they stepped out of the car, hand in hand, The Golden Palms welcomed them back, but this time, it wasn’t just a getaway.

It was home.