EPILOGUE
PYRO
“In love already!” Greg shouts from the hallway. “Who would’ve thought?”
I look down at the text Owen sent about his new wife and smile. He was so on edge about the whole thing, and now he’s so smitten he can’t even take the time to make sure autocorrect hasn’t fucked him over.
Owen: She’s ducking perfect.
“He’s a hopeless romantic deep down,” I say as he walks back into the room. “I’m not surprised he’s smitten with her.”
Wes: You should’ve been up all night fucking. Why are you awake so early?
Jack: Quinlan sends her love, and we’re both so happy for you, bro.
“How’s that going to work when he brings her home?” he asks me.
My phone chimes, and I look down again.
Wes: Let’s see her!
I roll my eyes.
“What do you mean, Greg?” I groan, my voice filled with exhaustion from this whole subject. I should’ve never let them see us together in the room. “For guys who have always fucked anything that moved and then quickly move on, you sure as shit are stuck on this.”
“This is different,” he says, pointing his half-drank beer toward me.
“No, it isn’t. We were drunk. We were horny. And we figured why the hell not.”
He shrugs and downs the rest of his drink. I’m tired of having to explain myself. Owen got to run off directly after the wedding and leave the explanations to me. And these fuckers don’t quit.
I’m not ready to settle down, and I definitely didn’t want to with one of my best friends. It was just supposed to be for a bit of fun, and no one else was supposed to know. If Wes hadn’t woken us all up in the middle of the night, it would still be our little secret.
“What do you think she’s like?” Greg asks, breaking into my thoughts.
“For him to be this taken with her already?” I laugh and take a drink from my own beer. “She’s got to be a fucking stunner, with a personality to match.”
Jack: This is Q. I agree with Wes. I’d like to see a picture of you two together! When do we get to meet her?
Me: He isn’t going to answer lol You know how he gets. He texted us and then dropped his phone and ran right back to her.
“I’ve got a trip to Tokyo coming up,” he sighs, rolling his neck like he has as much weight on his shoulders as a Fortune 500 CEO.
“When?”
“A couple months. I’m hoping to expand the business, and I need to meet with the board.” He tosses the empty bottle into the trash can in the corner. “You could come with, you know.”
“Oh, is this a pity invite?” I smile over at him and dig a fresh toothpick out of my back pocket. Shoving it between my teeth, I flip it around in my mouth. “Poor Pyro, the last one of the group not matched up or in charge of some super-successful business? Better invite him to Tokyo so he doesn’t feel left behind?”
“That’s exactly what it is,” he says with a laugh. “No, man. It’s not a pity invite.” He lets out a deep sigh. “I’m just tired of traveling alone every single time I have to go somewhere. Especially that far. That first flight is like fourteen fucking hours. Do you know how boring it is to sit in an airplane for fourteen fucking hours?”
I know he’s playing it off as a joke, but that’s exactly what that invite was. I’m the baby of the group. I’m the one that hasn’t settled down, hasn’t stopped going out all the time, and hasn’t tried to make it on my own in life. I don’t have a secure job, and I don’t have a plan for one.
I’m still enjoying everything. I love playing shows and fucking off all night just to sleep all day. But that doesn’t mean I don’t have a smart head on my shoulders. I know that I need to get my shit together eventually; I just don’t see the point in doing it yet.
But a free trip to Tokyo in first class…that doesn’t sound so bad.
“They have some great kink clubs over there,” Greg says when he sees me thinking about it. When I look up at him, he’s smiling like he knows he’s got me. “Could be fun,” he singsongs.
“First class, yeah?” I ask.
“Of course, first class,” he scoffs. “I wouldn’t drag you on this trip with me in coach.”
“And this isn’t a trick to get me to consider taking a job for you or anything, right?”
He’s asked me multiple times, and he’s dragged me along to visit his offices on too many occasions to count. Don’t get me wrong, working for him would set me up for life. We’re best friends, and I know working at his company wouldn’t be like working for a regular nine-to-five. But the thought of working at an office job before I’m thirty makes my balls shrink up.
“At this point, Pyro,” he sighs, “I know you’ll come around eventually, and I realize that pushing you is never the fucking answer.”
“Alright then,” I concede. “I’ll go to keep you company, eat all the amazing fucking food, and visit every kink club within a five-mile radius.” I wink at him, and he laughs.
“Fair enough. Maybe we can get Wes and Jack to meet up with us. I’m sure there’s something Zoë can write about in Tokyo, and Q surely wouldn’t hate the idea of extending their honeymoon.”
“You think they’re going to extend their honeymoon by a couple months?”
He shrugs.
“And what about Owen and his new girl? Are we inviting them, too?”
“Of course,” he says, raising one shoulder. “I’ll get us a big enough house to stay in so that we won’t have to see each other unless we want to.”
He laughs, but I can’t imagine having as much money as he and Jack do. Owen is rich, yes. And Wes isn’t hurting either. But Greg and Jack are on a whole other level when it comes to money, and they love to throw it around to the group.
Another reason why I don’t really feel the need to get a job just yet…
I check the time and realize it’s after midnight, and the booze has made me tired.
“I’m off to bed,” I say, standing up and holding on to the side of the chair as I sway.
“Your normal room is ready for you.”
“Thanks, babe,” I tease him, kissing him on the top of the head as I walk past him. He swats at me, and we both laugh.
“Night!” he shouts after me, and I wave behind me even though I know he can’t see it.
Guess I’m going to Tokyo.
EXTENDED EPILOGUE
OWEN
A couple of weeks later…
“You all look like you are up to no good!” Quinlan says as she walks into the room.
“They did not expect me to be so good at poker,” Aurora says with a coy smile on her face.
I wrap my arm around her shoulders and kiss her cheek. We’re back in the States for a couple of weeks before we fly off to Fiji, and it just so happens that Jack and Quinlan got back around the same time we did. Wes and Zoë are taking a break from traveling so that Wes can get a few things sorted out at home, and so we’ve all come together at Jack’s to get to know one another a bit better.