Epilogue
Miles
“C ome on, Dax, you got this!” I shout, clapping from the sidelines of the soccer field.
With his hands bound behind his back, he races down the field, hitting a bouncy ball with his forehead to get it to one of his Alpha Theta Mu teammates so they can sink it into the designated bucket.
This is the third or maybe fourth part of tonight’s tasks, and Alpha Theta Mu have a clear lead, with Sigma Alpha a close second in the kickoff TaskFrat Challenge of the spring semester.
This one’s a bigger deal than the regular TaskFrat Challenges, so there’s a huge crowd, not only current frats and sororities, but alums and teachers, all cheering on the teams.
Leo passes the ball to Damien, who attempts to score but misses the bucket, earning groans from his teammates.
“Of course he’d fuck it up,” I mutter to Tatum.
“Remember when you used to be cool?” he says, recording the event on his phone for socials.
“Never happened,” Caleb teases.
His comment has them both smiling at my expense. Fair enough.
“You two misfits shut the hell up,” I joke, returning my attention to the field as Leo recovers the ball, sending it over to Aiden, who manages to sink it into the bucket.
The Alpha Theta Mus, both on the field and watching from the sidelines, lose their damn minds. And since Omega Psi is still trying to get through an earlier part in the obstacle course, I can celebrate my man’s victory without feeling guilty for the loss of my former fraternity.
My boyfriend is all smiles as his teammates crowd together, chest-bumping since they still have their hands bound behind them.
He looks as happy as ever, something I find myself cherishing in a way I definitely didn’t allow myself when I first became intrigued with him.
It’s nice seeing him like this again because it wasn’t easy for a few weeks over winter break, after the news about his father.
They haven’t spoken since, and given his father’s egregious behavior, I kind of hope they never will.
But Dax talks to Cedric all the time, which means everything to him.
That’s what he deserves—to have the people who really care about him in his life, and fuck his asshole dad.
We stayed at my place over the break but had dinner with my dad one weekend after his Aspen trip.
And I was proud to share this part of myself with my dad, to let him in, certainly more than I have in the past. He’s even asked about my art, wanting to see pictures, finally understanding how much this means to me and that this isn’t some damn hobby.
I don’t think he gets it, but I can tell he’s making an effort.
That’s not to say things are magically all better between us.
But I started seeing Shera again. Well, once, so far, since it’s only the beginning of the semester.
She’s great, though, and it’s easy to talk to her.
Easi er , at least. We’ve all got a long way to go, and it helps that I have my man with me through it.
As the teams disperse to join their houses alongside the field, I break from my buddies and find Dax, who’s chatting up some guys, including—oh, great—former Alpha Theta Mu Marty McGovern and his boyfriend, former Sigma Alpha Ryan Lorde.
We didn’t exactly hit it off that day at the build when I was an ass to Dax.
Marty jumped in, I stepped to Marty, and Ryan nearly pummeled me.
Ryan was a linebacker for Peach State, so that wouldn’t have been pretty for me.
I’m not surprised to see them here. Marty’s in the grad program, and surely here to support his brother, Aiden, who just helped bring the frat their win for the night.
As I near, I’m tense, worried about how this will go down.
Swallowing my pride, I’m ready to accept whatever the fuck I likely deserve when Marty’s and Ryan’s attention turns to me.
Ryan doesn’t look like he’s in a mood, but he leans closer to Marty, protectively, issuing a look that says, You’d better be nice to my man this time , while Dax hurries to my side, his arms still behind him, but it’s like he’s trying to remind these guys that I’m his, so they need to be nice to me.
“Smooth win,” I tell Dax, offering a kiss, enjoying that he’s as greedy for my lips as I am for his.
I seize his wrists. “This isn’t such a bad idea,” I whisper against his lips, and his eyes widen with excitement.
But I remind myself of something important I must deal with before taking advantage of my man.
“So I guess we didn’t exactly start off on the right foot,” I say to Marty and Ryan.
“It didn’t seem like you were trying to start with your foot ,” Ryan observes.
He’s not wrong. Still. “Can we not pretend I would have stood a chance in that fight?”
Ryan laughs.
“I was an asshole that day,” I admit. “I was just…working through some shit. Not that that’s an excuse.”
Ryan and Marty exchange a look, and Ryan’s shoulders relax, like my words reassure him he doesn’t have to guard his boyfriend like a near-seven-foot guard dog.
“Maybe we can put it behind us?” I ask.
“Well,” Ryan says, “I can’t say I’ve always acted the best in emotional situations, and in retrospect, I do see that the fire wasn’t anyone’s fault. It was an accident. And really, if it hadn’t happened, I wouldn’t have this guy, so yeah, I’m game to put it in the past. Mart?”
Marty winces. “You’re good for right now, but you so much as make our boy cry, and you’re a dead man.” Like when Damien stepped up to defend Dax, there’s something comforting about knowing Dax has these guys in his corner.
“Fuck…” I drag out. “I’m starting to think the Alpha Theta Mus might be cool after all.”
Ryan and Marty look surprised.
“Now everyone kiss and make up,” Dax teases, but I go along with it, planting one on him.
“That’s not what I meant and you know it.”
“I think he’s got a good idea,” Ryan says, doing the same with Marty, which gets us all laughing.
“What are you fratholes doing standing around?” Aiden calls over. “We’re supposed to be heading to afters. Get your asses together.”
“I think someone might be aiming for prez next year,” I observe.
“Did someone say prez?” a voice comes from nearby—Ty Lancaster approaching with Lance Fehn.
“That would be me, fuckers!” Leo calls out.
“They voted me in first,” Lance reminds him.
“Jesus, am I surrounded by the enemy?” I joke.
“Better get used to it,” Dax warns before Lance rushes him for a hug. “Come here, you sexy fuck.”
Ty follows closely after. “All tied up. Feel like this is how you probably like it anyway.” He turns to his boyfriend. “What do you say we dunk him in one of those kiddie pools filled with Jell-O?”
“What? No!” Dax shouts, though the giant-ass grin across his face says yes.
“Only if we can get his boyfriend too,” Ryan says, shooting me a playful look.
I can tell what he’s doing. This is a weird-ass frat truce that I can either accept or deny.
“Okay, give it to me,” I say since I do kind of deserve it after the hell I gave them last year.
Dax and I wind up covered in Jell-O before we head over to the afters, where we get to drinking, catching up with old friends, and yes, I even dance with Dax.
“Where’s Jaxon?” Dax asks Keegan, who nods toward a corner of the room, and I see his friend making out with a guy against the wall.
“Oh…” Tatum says.
When my attention returns to Keegan, I notice the tension in his jaw, like he wants to go over there and intervene. The way I might look if I saw some guy putting the moves on Dax, which is weird since from what I know, Keegan’s straight. Judging by his reaction…maybe not as much as I thought.
“That the guy Jaxon’s dating?” Dax asks. “I haven’t met him yet.”
“I didn’t know he was with someone,” Tatum says.
“Yeah…” Keegan drags out, sounding displeased.
“That cool?” I probe.
“Yeah, it’s fine. They just meet up a lot, and we don’t get to hang.”
Ah, makes sense. I was probably reading too much into his initial reaction. I’d be pissed if Tatum and Caleb were spending less time with me too.
“He just usually hooks up with people, and then that’s it,” Keegan says.
“This guy, he’s been on a few dates with, if I can even call them dates.
It’s not like anything will happen. Or it might.
I don’t know. It doesn’t matter if it does.
” He blurts that last part out as if realizing how weird it sounds that he’s hung up on who his friend is hooking up with.
Dax shoots me a look. He’s better at reading people than me, so maybe there really is something there after all.
Dax turns his attention to Keegan. “It’s sweet you care about your buddy spending less time with you. Don’t worry. Once he gets out of the honeymoon period, he’ll spend more time with you again.”
Keegan nods, biting on the edge of his Solo cup.
Yeah, Dax is definitely picking up on something.
“Tell me when that honeymoon period is gonna end for you two,” Tatum says, glaring at us.
“Shut your filthy mouth,” I tease, running my hand through his hair.
“You can pull on it a little, if you want.”
“The only hair he’s pulling on is mine,” Dax reminds him, staking his claim.
Tatum sighs. “I just want you both to remember how much fun this could have been.”
“Oh God, now I know how I used to sound,” Dax says, laughing.
“My little slut,” I say, which makes him beam, and I take another kiss, earning a groan from Tatum.
We finish up at the party, and Leo offers to act as DD and take us back to my place, which will frankly be a lot quieter than trying to get some sleep at the frat.
As we reach the hall to my apartment, Dax stumbles.
He didn’t have that much to drink, but enough that he might be slightly tipsy.
I jump into action, right at his side, arm wrapped around him, tugging him close so he stays on his feet.
He glances up at me, smirking. “My hero.”
But I can’t accept the credit. “I think we know who the real hero is here.”