Epilogue
EPILOGUE
FIVE YEARS LATER
“ S urprise!”
Three voices shouted at the same time as Finn lifted his hands from my eyes. I blinked at the sudden rush of light in my vision, but it only took a few seconds for the world to come into focus. Finn’s parents and Ed were standing in the kitchen behind the table, which was piled high with all my favourite foods, including several giant pizzas. A “congratulations” banner hung from the ceiling, and several helium-filled balloons were bobbing up and down, tethered to various surfaces with shiny ribbon.
“What? This is for me?”
Arms wrapped around my waist from behind, and a soft kiss was placed to the back of my neck before Finn hooked his chin over my shoulder.
“All for you. We wanted to celebrate your promotion.”
“Database engineer at Lightdark Studios. That’s the coolest job ever, especially for you since they produce your favourite game.” Ed rounded the table to throw an arm around us both, squeezing my shoulder. His other hand was occupied with scooping up a huge slice of pizza, which he attempted to shovel into his mouth as he was hugging us. Finn pushed him away, muttering about chewing sounds, and they began bickering good-naturedly as I headed over to their parents.
“Congratulations.”Finn’s mum hugged me, followed by his dad. “We’re so proud of you.”
“Thank you.” I smiled at the two people who had become my surrogate parents. My dad had his own life, and although we kept each other updated on the important things and met up when we could, I’d never have the close relationship I had with the Carsleys. “I can’t believe I got the job. I thought someone with more experience would get it.”
“Don’t downplay your talent.” Finn pressed up against me again, wrapping me up in his arms and surrounding me with his spiced apple scent. “You’re amazing.”
“You are, Mr. Biomedical Engineer. That’s impressive.”
“That’s old news.” He kissed the spot just below my ear. “I don’t get to work on our favourite game every day, do I?”
“It’s not as exciting as you make it sound,” I said. It was true because my job wasn’t the most glamorous, but it was an important part of the whole game creation process. I got to work in a relaxed environment where I helped to develop the game I loved without having too much human interaction. My social anxiety wasn’t ever going to go away, but my bosses understood how I was, and most importantly, it didn’t affect the work I did.
I got to do a job I loved, Finn got to do a job he loved, and we got to come home to each other every day.
It might not have seemed like an exciting life to some people, but to me, it was everything. We had a small flat in south-east London that we called our own and had decorated together, with the second bedroom converted into a gaming room, and we had the rings we’d chosen on our left hands as a symbol of our commitment to each other.
Yes, we were married. It would be our one-year wedding anniversary in two months.
No, we didn’t have a gaming theme for our wedding.
Okay…that wasn’t strictly true. We had a Lesath Legends -themed wedding cake.A nod to the way we’d met.
Want to know how I proposed to Finn?
It happened after a long night of gaming, with us curled up in our bed, having pushed aside his controller and my computer keyboard and mouse. We’d just successfully completed our final campaign, and we were both on a high. The curtains were open, the first rays of the morning sun struggling to pierce the clouds, dimly illuminating the street outside our window in a soft, hazy light.
I looked at Finn to find him already looking at me, his eyes shining, reflecting everything I felt for him right back at me, taking my breath away.
The words had just come out, completely unplanned, but so easily, just like everything else between us.
I dare you to marry me …
THE END