Epilogue
BASH, OWEN, AND my dad have been pacing all day. I’m not sure why, because they’re both getting drafted based on leaked reports. We simply don’t know what round. Sebastian said it was bad luck to assume anything, so I’m forbidden from suspecting who he’ll get drafted by. I know he wants the Carolina Panthers so he can stay close to Mimi. Despite winning the Heisman Trophy, he’s doubtful his national ranking makes a difference. Even Owen has been on edge.
I’m wearing one of Sebastian’s Duke jerseys, and Blake is wearing Owen’s. She has a huge exam that Owen’s been helping her study for on the other couch. I think it’s helping him with his nerves to keep busy. They’ve been together officially for two months, while Bash and I have been together for almost six.
I moved out of the apartment at the end of the semester and into a two-bedroom with Blake. I understood my parents’ request that I don’t live in the same apartment as Sebastian, but it hasn’t stopped me from spending most nights there anyway while Owen goes to my new apartment with Blake.
Vera thankfully stayed away from us after the disaster that was Thanksgiving. I should probably send my thanks to Anna. I didn’t mind that Stacey ended up siding with Vera because she and Jeremy were always more Vera’s friends than mine. Landon is doing his best to stay neutral, but it’ll never be like it was.
Chris started warming up to me after Bash and I lasted longer than two months together because it seemed like we had been together forever.
“Babe, can you please just sit down? You’re starting to stress me out,” I say, and Sebastian looks at me in shock.
“How are you not already stressed? The draft starts in thirty minutes! I could end up anywhere or nowhere at all,” Bash rambles, running a hand through his hair. You can’t tell anymore, but he spent forever in front of his mirror this morning, tediously combing his hair to tame it.
He’s wearing a white button-down with a black tie, nearly identical to Owen, except he’s wearing a green button-down instead. I stand up off the couch and reach up to fix Bash’s hair.
“It’ll be fine. Everything happens for a reason, but the local station will be here any minute. You could at least try to look a little less nervous?” I encourage him, and he shakes his head.
“I think I’m going to be sick.” Sebastian lets out a shaky breath. “Can we tell them not to come?”
“You’re not going to be sick; they’re already on the way.” I straighten his tie, patting his chest reassuringly. “Bash, please sit down with me. It will be a long day if you pace the entire time. I could use your help on my assignment, which’ll give you something else to think about for a little bit.” I need him to stop pacing.It’s making me anxious, and one of us has to stay calm.
“Okay,” he agrees reluctantly, sitting on the couch. “Thank you.”
Bash ends up doing the assignment for me to try to stay calm while I rest my eyes as the news station sets up all the cameras and lighting in our room. The cameras will record during the draft, and if one of them is drafted today, they’ll do an interview afterward. He nudges me awake a few minutes before the draft starts, and his hands shake.
I grab his hand, threading our fingers together. Sebastian smiles faintly at me. “I love you.”
“Who wouldn’t?” I joke, trying to lighten the mood.
Owen rolls his eyes. “And you all call me the narcissistic one.”
“It’s starting!” Mom announces, setting the charcuterie board she’s painstakingly been rearranging on the coffee table.
“Whatever happens, I’m proud of both of you,” Dad says, looking at Bash and Owen with a smile.
Sebastian is gripping my hand tightly, but I don’t complain. I can’t imagine how terrifying it is to have a bunch of suits decide your next move in life. We’ve talked about the future and doing long distance in case he has to move far away. I signed up for summer classes and a heavier course load in the fall to graduate earlier, but I’ll still have a year and a half left, depending on how everything goes. I might not need a degree for my career, but I want the expensive piece of paper.
The first few teams pick, none of us taking our eyes off the television as the first few drafts are made. The air in the room is tense when it comes to the Carolina Panthers. They take almost the entire time allotted, and I hold my breath as they prepare to announce the name of the player they’ve selected.
“And the Carolina Panthers first-round draft pick this year is…Sebastian Walker of Duke University,” the announcer says, and Bash stares at the television in shock.
“That’s me,” he says, turning to me in disbelief.
“That’s you! You did it!” I cheer, throwing my arms around him excitedly.
“Did that really happen?” Sebastian asks as my mom hugs him next.
“It did, son. Congratulations, you earned it. You’re going to be a Panther.” My father is beaming proudly with tears in his eyes. Over the last few months, Sebastian has leaned heavily on my parents. It’s been nice seeing him not carry the weight of the world on his shoulders.
I know we are still waiting for Owen to get drafted, but I’m glad everyone is so excited for Bash.
We all quiet down because there’s a different kind of tension now. They won’t be on the same team if he’s drafted tonight.
However, the smile doesn’t dim from Sebastian’s face the rest of the night until the first round ends and Owen’s name isn’t called. I hug Owen, who has a disappointed look on his face while the camera crew returns to interview Sebastian.
“You okay?” I ask my brother as we watch Sebastian get miked up.
“There’s always tomorrow. I’m glad Sebastian was drafted; he deserves it after all the work he’s put in.”
I bump his arm with mine. “You deserve it too. There are multiple rounds for a reason. If you were picked tonight, there wouldn’t be a possibility of you being rookies together.”
“Thanks, Lia. I really appreciate it,” Owen says, exhaling as he loosens the collar of his shirt.
“Of course, dude.”
Solid arms circle my waist, and I jump in surprise. “Are you done already?” I ask, turning to look at Sebastian.
“No, I need you for a second,” he says, pulling me with him to where the reporter is waiting. “This is my girlfriend, Thalia, and she is one of the most important people in my life.”
My heart swells, and I look at him with love. We’re asked a second question, but I’m not paying a lick of attention to the reporter because I’m so enamored by the man beside me. Bash and I have come a long way since I first returned from France.
Later that night, on the walk back to his house, I hold onto his hand tightly. He seems like the weight of the world has been lifted off his shoulders. All of his hard work has paid off, and while Owen’s future is still undecided, I have a strong feeling we’ll be celebrating him tomorrow night.
“So how does it feel to be a big shot draft pick?” I ask as he unlocks the front door.
He grins, pulling me into the house with him. “Pretty great. I’ll only be two hours away while you finish college. I can visit you during the week, and you can come to games on the weekends. I was afraid to let myself hope I’d be on their radar, but their quarterback’s contract is up after next year. Rumor is he’s considering retiring, but this is…it’s just incredible.”
“I’m so proud of you,” I say, and Bash leans down to kiss me without hesitation.
When he pulls away, Sebastian rests his forehead against mine. “Thank you. So much. You have been great the last few weeks with all my nervous ramblings and moods. I didn’t think it was possible to have everything until tonight.”
I stare into his dark brown eyes, seeing pure happiness in them. “You’ve been a little moody, but you had a reason. Congratulations, Bash.”
“How do you want to celebrate?” he asks, and I look at Sebastian, confused. Why would I get to pick how we celebrate?
“However you want. It’s your night.”
Bash smirks, pressing a sweet kiss to the corner of my mouth. “I want to go on an adventure.”
“Where would you like to go?” I question; I’m not quite sure where this is going.
“Anywhere as long as you’re with me. Little do you know how madly in love with you I am.”
It’s corny, but it’s genuine, and I know that. I pull Sebastian back down to my height by his tie and kiss him deeply. His lips move hungrily against mine, and I’m pressed against the back of the front door.
I resist the urge to giggle as I’m reminded of Penelope’s advice all those months ago, telling me to climb him like a tree. I’ve certainly enjoyed doing just that.
I pull his shirt out of where it was so carefully tucked into his pants earlier, tearing it open to reveal his impressive muscles. I drag my nails over his skin as he bites down gently on my bottom lip, a moan sending reverberations through me.
Breaking the kiss, I whisper breathlessly into his ear, “I love you too.”
Our clothes are a rumpled pile left on the hardwood as we eventually make our way to his bed, the room still covered in trophies from a little kid who wanted a connection to his father.
Sebastian lazily runs his fingers in an unclear pattern across my bare back while I fight the urge to close my eyes. I don’t want tonight and all the great feelings to end by the hand of tomorrow’s responsibilities.
“I want to go to the Gorges du Verdon,” he says out of nowhere, and I lift my head to see if Bash is serious.
“How do you know where that is?” I ask skeptically as Sebastian tucks a piece of my hair behind my ear.
“Because it looks like a place where happy people would go. It’d be an adventure.”
I smile at his handsome face. “It is an adventure. How did you come up with that place?”
“It was in the…I want to say the April issue of National Geographic. Your photo of the gorge was on the cover. It’s framed at the apartment,” he explains, and if I weren’t resting my chin on his chest, my jaw would be hanging open. “I’m surprised you never noticed it.”
“It was May, but close enough. I just assumed Owen put it up. I’ve never even seen you open a magazine, and you framed it?” I ask in awe. It’s never a dull day with Sebastian fucking Walker.
“We weren’t together, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t care about you. Thalia, you are frustrating, absolutely trouble, rash, blunt—”
I cut him off quickly to defend myself. “Okay, I get it. I can be a bitch sometimes. But you are no innocent angel either. I distinctly remember many times when you acted like an asshole very recently.”
“You didn’t let me finish. I was going to say that you’re also caring, energetic, beautiful, and a hundred other words, but I think you’ll grow bored of hearing me say them,” Bash says, chuckling. My cheeks burn because I proved him right. I do make rash decisions, such as cutting off my boyfriend before he can finish complimenting me.
“I’d like to hear them. It’s quite the ego boost for me.” I smile as he shakes his head.
“Okay, Owen.”
I pinch his side. “Would you prefer to be naked in bed with my brother? I’m sure that can be arranged.”
Sebastian lets out a strangled yelp, and I bite my lip to keep from laughing. “I think I’m just fine with you.”
“Just fine?” I ask, raising my eyebrows.
“I’m extremely happy with you, even though you like to hit and pinch me,” he clarifies quickly. “I don’t want tonight to end.”
“Lucky for you, we have the rest of our lives ahead of us.”
“Starting with a trip to France after graduation.” He smiles happily, and I love looking at it.
I rest my head on his chest again, excited for the future. “Thank you.”
“For what?” Sebastian asks.
I smile, letting my eyes slowly fall shut. “For not giving up on me and refusing to let me be another almost in your life.”
“I’ll never give up on you. Sorry, but you’re stuck with me.”
I wouldn’t have it any other way.