Epilogue
One year later
Ash leaned against the counter and wiped the sweat from their brow with the sleeve of their t-shirt.
A cardboard box sat at their feet, nearly bursting with weight.
Ash surveyed the small kitchen, with its new countertops and gas stove.
A small, circular table was still disassembled against the wall, but Ash could picture exactly where it would go.
Cardboard boxes littered the living room and spilled over into the kitchen. Fuck—Ash hadn’t realized how much stuff they had until they started packing. Sweat beaded on Ash’s brow and neck; they had to figure out where the controls to the air conditioning were.
A pair of strong arms wrapped around Ash’s shoulders from behind, and Luke’s stubbled jaw pressed against Ash’s cheek with a kiss.
“Welcome home,” Luke whispered in their ear.
Ash let out a soft laugh. “Thanks for suggesting we buy a house.” Luke had traded his rented house for a brand-new condo five minutes away from the university; his new pharma job came with a hefty raise and sign-on bonus.
“It’s not like we didn’t already spend most of our nights together,” Luke said. Ash could hear Luke roll his eyes as he kissed Ash’s neck right above their collarbone.
A shiver went through Ash. “I’m all sweaty, and we still have six more boxes in the car.”
“Screw the car,” Luke said before pressing another kiss to Ash’s neck. “Let’s see if we both fit in the shower.”
Now it was Ash’s turn to roll their eyes. They already knew the answer to that particular experiment, but Ash wasn’t going to turn down sex.
As Luke pulled Ash up the stairs, a single thought ran through Ash’s mind: between the job, the man, and the research, they did have it all.