Epilogue

Myles

One year later

A very had been acting sketchy all night.

Going to Randy's was a semi-weekly occurrence, whether I stopped over for writing time or met him there after his club nights. I went with him on occasion, but the club would never bring me to life the way it did him, and we were both content with that. His independence alleviated my guilt when I got into my obsessive "must write all the words in a three-day span" phases anyway, and he bloomed more vibrantly with every passing day.

We walked down the street, the fall chill permeating through my poor choice of a canvas jacket. Maybe I could snuggle up to him to get the extra warmth. Except his shoulders hunched a little bit, and a buzzy energy emanated around him that made me want to ask "What's wrong" on repeat until he cracked and answered me.

"Have you heard from Chloe?" I tapped my fingers against my thigh. Leaves crunched underfoot, mingling with the screeches of car tires and shouts of passersby.

"Like, all day, every day," Avery said. "She's got a ton going on and feels the need to update me constantly."

As much as he joked about that, his voice was laced with relief. When she'd moved, he'd been so worried they'd fall out of touch, but they seemed as strong as ever. In fact, we planned on visiting her in a few months, which both excited me and filled me with terror. I wasn't a flying or traveling sort, but Avery had a way of coaxing me out of my shell that few could manage. Even if planes were witchcraft, and I didn't quite trust them.

The familiar sight of Randy's filled me with a calm I rarely found anywhere else but home. Probably because I was a hermit, but also because I knew here I could exist without question, without judgment.

Here, I hadn't just found so many friendships, a safe place to write, and inspiration.

Here, I'd found the love of my life.

The bright neon sign marked the way, like a landing light home, and we walked up the steps to the double doors. Avery had lapsed into quiet again, which was so fucking unusual I couldn't stand it. The second we found our seats, I would grill him to get to the bottom of this weird tension brimming from him.

When we stepped inside, the familiar scents of coffee, bacon grease, and cleaner wafted my way, and I drank them in. Zo lounged by the host stand alongside Q, who muttered something at them. Q always floated around the diner, hopping from group to group, and I had my suspicions. How they always seemed to be around, and how everyone had a different story of the ever-elusive Randy, but of course I had no confirmations.

The soft pink lights glided in all directions, illuminating the chrome fixtures and offsetting the white and blue floor tiles. Avery slipped his damp hand in mine, and I clutched it tight.

Was he bringing me here to break up with me? Everything between us had been better than I could've imagined—or at least I thought. What if he'd been writing up a list of all the things he hated about me and had brought me here to recite them in excruciating detail? Then I wouldn't be able to come back to Randy's either.

"Hey, guys," Zo called out. Grae and a few others from the writing squad were waiting, as well as Greg and Xavier from Avery's crew, but if Avery and I were going to have a serious talk, maybe we should detour into private territory. Away from friends and potential witnesses to my misery.

My brain was humming, and we'd already walked by the host stand before I could respond. Avery came to a stop in front of the corkboard. "Hey, look at this."

I followed to the paper he pointed to.

Looking for a fiancé.

Must be a night owl author who sometimes forgets to feed himself. Also the best support person ever, the only one needed for cemetery kisses and midnight musings. One of the most creative people I know, with the biggest heart in the world. Who's also willing to put up with my babbling in French and poking him with needles on the regular because I want him around for a long time, and who shares my strong suspicion of lobsters.

Take a tab if interested.

At the bottom were little tabs that said Marry me, Myles.

My fingers brushed against the paper as I stared at it, barely comprehending what was happening. When I looked at Avery, he'd dropped down to one knee, holding up a jewelry box with a simple platinum band.

He stared up at me, his hand trembling a little, and I fell head over heels in love with him all over again. Those clear blue eyes, his elegant form. The way his presence brightened up any room he wandered into, like he brought springtime with him.

Avery Miller had been the one for me from the moment I saw him in Randy's. I'd had a million and one fantasies of how I'd find my soulmate, but in all the scenarios I'd concocted, I could never have expected this. My heart launched out of my chest, mostly because it belonged to him. It had once he arrived at my door as my prospective new roommate.

I'd gone from not believing I'd be able to live with anyone to finding the one person who fit in my space perfectly. Sometimes we circled each other, and sometimes we couldn't get away from each other, but having him in our home always, always made my life better. Fucking hell, Avery was everything I could ever have dreamed of in a partner, and I could barely believe he felt the same way about me.

That he wanted to spend the rest of his life with me.

"So, will you?" he asked. The prickle of stares pressed in around us, but they didn't intimidate me—not here. No, this was a place where we were loved, welcomed, and celebrated.

And we'd have something new to celebrate now.

I tore the piece of paper off and sank to my knees before him, my vision blurring with tears. My chest squeezed tight, and warmth flooded me like whisky on a winter's night. "Yeah, I will."

He leaned in and pressed a kiss to my lips, and a cheer roared around us.

It all faded around me, though, because in the end, it was only us.