Epilogue
Luca
(Six Months Later)
Walkingout of my last class of the year, I can’t believe it’s already summer break. It feels like yesterday I was driving here to start my freshman year. My life is so much different than it was a year ago, and I’m so grateful for that.
A year ago, I was in a complacent relationship with someone I wasn’t in love with, and I was haunted by my past. Nightmares and panic attacks were becoming a regular occurrence with me all over again. I felt hopeless at times and had no idea what the future held.
As silly as it sounds, walking in on Branson fucking some other guy last summer was the best thing that’s ever happened to me. It opened my eyes to what I really wanted, and it was the start of change. I still don’t know what I want to do with my life once I graduate in a few years, nor do I know what the future holds, but I do know it holds Branson and me together.
His last class got out twenty minutes ago, so we’re meeting on campus to walk home together. We leave tomorrow to drive home for the summer, and I can’t wait to see our parents. We haven’t seen them since Christmas break and that’s way too long.
I see Branson before he sees me, and I take the opportunity to admire him. He is truly the most beautiful man I have ever laid eyes on, and I feel blessed every day to get to call him mine. Today, he’s wearing skinny jeans that highlight his perfect bubble butt, black on black checkered vans, and a Metallica t-shirt. He’s in need of a haircut, so his loose curls hang down by his eyes, but I love the way they make him look.
He glances up from his phone when I get closer, as if he senses me approaching, and smiles when he sees me.
“Hey, you,” he says, opening his arms for me. “How was your last class?”
I wrap my arms around his and inhale his fresh scent. “It was good. I’m happy to be out for the summer now, though.”
Kissing the top of my head, he says, “Yeah, you and me both.”
Taking my hand in his, we begin our short walk back home. It’s still technically spring, but spring in Eastern Washington is warm. If I had to guess, I’d say it’s probably at least eighty degrees out right now.
“Do you know who’s at the house?”
“Yeah, I just talked to Weston. It’s him, Jessica, Knox, Aston, and Anderson there right now. Cash should be there later.”
We’re having an end of the year barbeque tonight at the house. We all will be leaving for the summer this week, and even though we’ll see each other when we’re home, it’s still fun to get together anyway.
“You think Knox and Aston are going to pretend they can’t stand each other tonight?” Things between them have been weird, to say the least. If we weren’t so close to both of them and around them so frequently, we probably wouldn’t have caught it.
I’m almost positive Bran and I are the only ones who have any inclination that anything is possibly going on there, but it makes it fun to watch them both when we’re all together. Try to see if we can catch any lingering stares or sneaking away together. So far, we haven’t caught the latter, but we have seen them looking longingly at each other, especially when we’re all drinking.
Walking in the front door of the house, we can hear everyone talking out back. Everyone else either already had their last classes, so they had today off, or they got out of their classes earlier. We’re the last ones here, besides Cash, so I’m positive everyone has already started drinking.
Sure enough, we walk outside and see a very heated game of beer pong taking place. Anderson and Aston against Knox and Weston.
Jesus.
“What’s up, guys!” I say while grabbing two beers out of the cooler, handing one to Branson.
They all grunt their greetings at us, apparently unable to tear their attention away from the pong table.
I bring my gaze to Branson and lift my beer. “Cheers.”
We clank our beers together and each take a long drink from our bottles. Wrapping my arms around him, I pepper kisses all along his sharp jaw and neck. I am still amazed that this glorious man is all mine. You’d think after eight months, that feeling would wear off, but I’m starting to think it never will.
I pull back to look into his deep, dark eyes. “I fucking love you, you know that?”
His gaze on me is intense, like he can actually see into my soul, and hell, he may be able to. “I fucking love you, always and forever.”
Forever and always.
The End.