Epilogue SANTOS

One Year Later

N atie pushes through the white picket fence and I follow closely. The scent of spiced meats leads the way. It's a gorgeous summer evening with nary a cloud in the sky. The fates have blessed our friends for their housewarming party.

"You guys!" Hamadi rushes up to us and grapples Natie in a massive hug. He spins him around, and I smile.

"Woah, buddy." We laugh when he puts Natie down. "Missed me much?" Natie asks, straightening his shirt.

"Well, duh!" Hamadi exclaims. His baby blue button-down shirt is futile in covering up his massive body. "Santos!"

"We saw you a month ago— oof !" My words are cut off by his bear hug. No spinning for me, fortunately.

"But I miss our regular game nights!"

"I'm sure you're making friends out here," Natie remarks. He taps Hamadi's shoulder, then grins at the man at the grill a few yards away. Andres beams at us and waves with a spatula. The beatific boyfriends have moved away from Newlantic, further inland, and are unable to visit as often as before. But I suppose I can't call them boyfriends anymore.

"I almost forgot, congrats," I say, and Hamadi relinquishes his grip on me.

"For the house? Thanks, dudes."

"Yes, as is customary, a housewarming gift." I hand him the large box with a comic book superhero wrapping paper.

"Aw, you shouldn't have." He grabs the gift, shakes it to his ear, then turns away. "Hey, boo, look what Santos and Natie got us!"

Andres closes the grill and takes off his apron. When he approaches us, he waves sheepishly. "Hi, boys. Thanks for coming."

We each quickly hug Andres. "We're the first ones here? Johnny and Firass should be not too far behind," Natie remarks.

"Yeah, they're on the way. Food's almost ready."

"That can wait," I say. "We wanted to congratulate you."

"Thanks." Hamadi puffs up his chest and looks up. He brings his arm around Andres and continues. "I can't believe this house is ours."

"Not only that. Your impending nuptials," I say with a wide grin.

"My what?" Hamadi asks.

"He means this…" Andres raises his hand. Spotting the gold band on his finger makes me vibrate with elation.

"Oh yeah. We're engaged now. That's cool, too." Hamadi nods and Natie smirks at me. "What? I was never gonna let this guy go. The Ham-Tastic Duo never dies."

I snicker at their self-imposed couple nickname. Hamadi rubs his hand up and down Andres's arm. His boyfriend—now fiancé—gazes up at him like Hamadi personally raises the sun every morning. "Owning a home, and a kick-ass husband." Hamadi looks back down at Andres. "I'm a lucky guy."

"Aw," Andres coos.

Before we can say more, voices gather at the gate. "Let's see the rings!" Keisha and Andres's cousin, Angela, rush up to them. We laugh as we're nearly shoved aside in favor of the ladies staring at the newly engaged couple's hands.

"No hello for me?" I smirk at Keisha. "I thought we were best friends?"

"I see you every day," she says with a dismissive wave. "This is…this right here is significant!"

We all laugh while she and Angela gaze at Andres's ring. Typically, I would be annoyed by my best friend, but I'm content to know she's found a happy life partner of her own. She's settling down, and she's clearly smitten with Angela.

"Guys, it's just a ring," Andres remarks.

"An engagement ring," Hamadi adds, wrapping his arm around Andres again. "And I plan on engaging in showing it off at the supermarket."

We guffaw, and Andres shakes his head. "Today was supposed to be a barbeque and gathering for all of our loved ones. Not an engagement party."

"In a minute, we promise we'll get over it soon," Keisha adds.

"Yeah, let's go talk about something else," Natie says.

Before we can walk away, another voice approaches us. "Ooh, let's see the ring!" Dylan rushes up to our group while Vil casually strides in behind him.

The next several hours pass in a lovely blur. We enjoy some delicious Uruguayan foods in the summer sun. Andres's family arrives, and his little cousins play with his and Hamadi's dog. Johnny and Firass show up with stacks of board games in tow—can't have one of these gatherings without gaming. Sure, the boys have an active group chat, but I know they miss their regular Single Gamer's Society sessions. Online games aren't the same, and it was already difficult to coordinate the game nights before. Now that we all live in different towns, it's become an arduous task to unite the boys all at one table.

All of these difficulties make me more appreciative of our time together. I happily small-talk with these friends who have become my family. Keisha and I describe how the production business is booming. Johnny regales us with stories of the little kids he teaches music to. Dylan has been writing more and more articles about small businesses, and on more than one occasion, has featured Harpoon Game Café.

"Yeah, it's been for sure a challenge," Natie says to Andres. We're sitting at their large backyard picnic tables as the sun goes down. "Updating all of the point-of-sale systems took a lot of work. Then there was moving old stock, and recording what food is ordered the most. Sarah's been a great chef, though, so thanks for training her."

"Never a problem." Andres tips an imaginary hat, and we snicker. "If you want, I can contact Mr. Harpoon for you."

"No, let him enjoy the retirement life." He grabs my hand on the table and smiles. "It's my turn now to have my own adventure."

"Our adventure." I bump my shoulder into this.

"What are you boys discussing? Something titillating and sexy?" Dylan sits down, and Vil stands behind him, rubbing his shoulder and nursing a beer.

"Yeah. Red tape in the small business world," Natie says with a smirk.

"That's a huge kink of ours, too," Vil says. He winks at me, and I laugh. He and I chat regularly; I'm elated to have a friend who's so knowledgeable about exercise techniques.

"I know a thing or two about small businesses." With a thump, Firass plops a massive tower of board games on the table. "I'd like to think I helped GBS Games grow in market share in the East Coast."

"Okay, Mr. Board-game-designer," Natie teases. We don't live too far from their place in a town neighboring Newlantic. While the best friend pairing claims they miss being roommates, I presume our current living situations are more ideal. Johnny and Firass have their own apartment while Mr. and Mrs. Shiba now reside in the cottage that Natie lived in for over a decade.

"I can help you if you'd like, Mr. Board-game-café-owner." Firass smirks and begins to unstack the boxes. We laugh as the duo give each other challenging stares.

"Oop, I know what this means," Andres says standing up. "Boo, it's board game time!" he hollers.

"Board game time?!" Hamadi manifests, like a dog that just heard the word "treat." Fitting since his actual dog is on the other side of the yard being tended to by Keisha and Angela.

"What are we playing? Legendary Encounters? Villainous? I think I have Forbidden Island in my car, how about that?" Dylan asks, eagerly tapping the table.

"Ooh, how about DC Deckbuilding Game Crisis expansion?" Hamadi nods and grins at the others.

Natie and Firass begin bickering, and I feel a tap on my shoulder. Johnny beckons me to stand up, so I follow him. A minute later, I stand a few yards away from the picnic table. Vil, Andres, Johnny, and I spend a moment watching the others from afar.

I smile at the thought of the four best friends still playing games together after all these years. A moment later, Vil mutters, "I call next."

"What, next game?" I ask. "I don't know if you want to compete with those dudes."

"No. I call next marriage." He turns and smirks at Andres. "To Dylan. I can't imagine a life without him. So I'm going to propose to him one day soon, but don't tell him."

"Dude, that's awesome," Johnny whispers with a delighted smile. We quietly congratulate him, then the three turn to me.

I gulp. "Uh…congrats?"

Andres snickers and Johnny steps closer to me. "Don't feel obligated to marry my brother," he says quietly. He holds my shoulder and continues, "I only want you to settle down with him if it's what you want."

I tap his hand on my shoulder. My eyes sting knowing that I have his brother's blessing. "Natie…would be settling for me. My whole life I thought Natie could do better than me, and now I finally have him. So one day, sure, I'd love to marry him. Because I have no intention of building a future without him."

Johnny smiles and nods, while Andres and Vil share matching looks of fond approval. We go back to standing side by side, watching our loves play a game. The four of them laugh and shout, tossing cards onto the picnic table.

This is my family now. Natie is my heart and soul. Sure, it took us several tries to get it right, but if dating a geek has taught me anything, it's that sometimes life forces you to redraw your hand. It doesn't mean it's game over, it just means something magnificent could be impending.

The moment feels perfect, so, on instinct, I whip out my phone. Before I can take a candid, Natie notices me. He taps Firass, who turns around quickly. After a beat, the four friends smile, and I snap this fantastic memory as a photo to keep eternally. Then, without saying a word, the four of us join the Single Gamer's Society at the table.

I kiss Natie gently, and he eyes me in surprise. Then I lean my head on his shoulder and he goes back to playing with his buddies.

I've finally found my place, and it's right here next to Natie Shiba.