Epilogue
Four Months Later...
“Are we really doing this?” I breathe.
I sit with my Alphas, my beloveds, in a small office that belongs to Steven Bauer, an Alpha who once lived in one of the super-fancy penthouses at the top of the building where I used to rent my shoebox of an apartment.
Steve is a financial advisory genius, and comes highly recommended by everyone we know, and even some people we don’t.
He brought in an attorney from the same building so we could make one stop and be done for now.
In front of us is paperwork. A lot of paperwork. Covering everything from a business license and tax ID, to insurance and startup loans. There is an unbelievable amount of money on the line. But, we have a lot of help to make this business a success. Some help in unexpected forms.
Matthew’s hand squeezes mine. “We’ve got this, Iz.”
“We’re all in this together.” Asher’s voice holds so much assurance.
Will seems a little pale as he swallows and forces a smile at me. “This is our future.” His voice is steadier than I expect.
And so, with a million signatures, repeated notarizing and thumb-print presses, Rekt Competition Gaming is born.
And I may just throw up.
After handshakes and congratulations, Steve tells us all he’ll see us in a couple of months for more loan paperwork, this time, real estate.
Will and Bec agreed on a sale price for The Cozy Crescent and a transition date, and we had all been packing for the past couple of weeks. Well, a lot of my stuff was still in boxes from my move to Crescent Lake in January, so I mostly helped the guys.
But it didn’t end there.
We’d found a house. To buy. And live in. Together, of course.
It’s a gorgeous multilevel home that has a basement apartment with a separate entrance, which we’re going to convert to a workspace. Hopefully, a temporary one, if all goes according to plan.
The more we sat together and really planned our future, the more enthusiastic we became about it.
“I know it’s not your normal style, Iz, but I think this is perfect for our first indie game.
” Matthew had shown us all some mock-ups of a 2D puzzle platformer, telling us that this style was all the rage right now in the indie sector.
“We can start with a small production to get our name out there, earn some revenue, then see where to take the business from there.”
“It’s a solid plan,” Will had chimed, “especially with Roman volunteering to code.”
“And we have several interested local beta testers,” Asher added. “One of them is attending university for a computer science degree at Stanford right now, and he volunteered to do some tweaks, free of charge.”
I had scrutinized the mock-ups at first, since 3D was always my thing. But I’d started with 2D anime-style cartoons very early on, before I’d earned my degree and was lucky enough to be hired in the industry.
With that thought in mind, I’d reevaluated what I was looking at.
Not taking my eyes from the screen, I’d pursed my lips a moment.
“What if we did everything in 2D, except certain elements, like the power-ups? They’re really simple to mold and render, and I think it will really make the visuals pop. ”
My idea had been appreciated, and I’d begun creating my own mock-ups shortly after. Then, mockups became rigged animations. By the time I got the movements down, I realized I’d gotten ahead of myself, and we still needed a story.
“Before we go home, let’s make a stop.” Will is really cheerful after we leave Steve’s office, which is pretty normal, but he’s flashing a brilliant smile with a wicked glint in his eye.
I narrow my eyes in suspicion. “Okay?” It comes out as more of a question. Then, before I know it, we’re outside the little custom plushie shop where the guys had made my Christmas gifts, and Asher is flashing my gift card in front of my face.
The squeal that escapes me is offensive enough to garner curious and dirty looks from the few passers by, but I couldn’t care less as I bust through the doors.
When the greeter at the front welcomes me, I sing, “Hellooooo!” with the most absurd smile on my face, then stop, eyes bugging at the example plush toys covering the walls.
I don’t know how long we’re in there, but when I’m finished creating my plush and have her decked out in proper attire, she goes into her box for safekeeping on the journey back home.
“So, what do you think?”
Despite us moving soon, I’d set up all four of our plushies in the basement living room, right on top of the fireplace mantle, under the mounted TV. It’s a place we gaze at pretty often right now, and the sight makes me grin with glee.
Asher’s yellow duck sits on one end, next to him is Will’s golden retriever, then Matthew’s brown teddy bear, followed by my baby pink bunny, donning her snow-bunny attire of a puffy coat, jeans, and little mittens hanging from her wrists.
In her hand is a little stylus, like the one I use to design.
“It’s perfect,” Asher tells me, grinning, before kissing my temple.
“I’ll refrain from gloating over your plush being next to mine.” Matthew looks very pleased.
“I’ll be moving her around,” I inform him. Can’t let any of these men get an inflated ego. “That’s part of why I put them all somewhere I’d see them all the time and be reminded.”
“For now,” Will corrects, leaning in to kiss my other temple. “It won’t be long before we move out of here and into our new home.”
I wrap my arm around his back, all of us looking out at the soft plushies.
“Any regrets?” My voice is soft.
Will’s arm wraps around my shoulders, pulling me into a tight embrace. “Never.”
“The future is bright.” Asher hugs my other side.
“And we’ll conquer anything and everything, together.” Matthew puts his hands on my shoulders from behind and kisses the back of my head.
Standing together as a pack full of love, no truer words were ever spoken.
The End