Epilogue
CONNOR
“I still can’t believe you have a full-on theater in your house,” Sebastian says as I flick the lights back on. “I’m never reviewing footage on a laptop screen ever again.”
“I wish I could take credit for it, but he already had it when I moved in.” To our house. Not just Donnie’s anymore. I get such a thrill out of being able to say that, of hearing other people call it that.
“It just means that you and Donnie were meant to be.” Sebastian closes his laptop and slips it back into his bag.
We’ve been reviewing footage we shot the day before, flagging which takes and which angles we want to use in the film he’s helping me produce.
It’s not fancy, just a short about two guys who meet at a gym and fall in love.
The haunted house idea is still in the works—we’re scheduled to scout some locations next week.
Sebastian and his boyfriend, Christian, offered to play the main characters of the gym short in exchange for a cut of the proceeds when the film sells.
Sebastian’s adamant that it will. Me? I’m not as certain, but he’s the expert I guess.
He’s already got a dozen different distribution ideas and it doesn’t hurt that Sebastian and Christian have a rabid fan base.
Yeah, that’s where I’ve seen them together before—porn.
Beau and Gavin were kind enough to let us use Mars as a set and we hired a few gym members as background actors.
Donnie pitched in some funds to cover the costs.
Phyllis and Leonard have too. And after Donnie kept talking up the project with Mom and Dad, they decided they didn’t want to be left out.
Figures—they never listen to me, but one word from Donnie and they’re all over it. I joke. I was floored by how much they sent over.
“You headed over to Mars?” Sebastian asks as we climb the stairs.
“Yeah, I want to catch Donnie’s class this evening. You?”
Sebastian shakes his head. “I went for a run this morning, so no class for me. But I’ll go with you to Mars. Christian should be finished by the time we get there.”
“Cool. Gimme a minute to grab my stuff.” I leave Sebastian in the hall while I run upstairs to drop my computer off in my office.
It’s still surreal, thinking of this as mine.
I’ve kept Roger’s big desk and his leather executive chair.
I swapped out the corkboard for a wall-mounted TV though, for viewing footage.
A picture of me and Donnie from the foraging afternoon is framed and sitting on the bookshelf, smiling at me.
I love this place. I love Donnie. And you know what, I’ve never met Roger, but I kind of love him too.
He’ll always be a part of Donnie’s story, so he’ll always be a part of mine.
My gym bag is already packed in the bedroom and I grab it before rushing down the stairs to Sebastian again. “Ready!”
Sawyer’s at the front desk when we get there, obviously trying not to shout into his phone.
“Preston, when was the last time you ate? No, you can’t go all day without eating.
I don’t care how much work you have. That’s it.
I’m ordering food to the apartment. It better be gone by the time I get home or you’re going to be in so much trouble. ”
I shoot a look at Sebastian. “What’s up with that?”
Sebastian winces. “Sawyer’s best friend-slash-roommate. They’re a little co-dependent, if you ask me.”
A lot co-dependent if Sawyer’s keeping track of his friend’s eating schedule. But then, Donnie sometimes has to do that with me, so I guess I’m one to talk.
“Sorry, guys.” Sawyer ends his call with a shake of his head. “He’s working on his dissertation and thinks he can live off of data and citations. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve found him zonked out, face smushed into the keyboard.”
“Poor guy.” I try to commiserate.
“At least he’s got you,” Sebastian adds.
“Yeah, tell him that.” Sawyer rolls his eyes. “Anyway, we’re still on for trivia tomorrow, right?”
The three of us have started going to trivia a couple times a month. I wasn’t sure about it at first, since I’m terrible at it. But Donnie really encouraged me to go, so now it’s kind of a thing. Sebastian and I both agree, then leave Sawyer to his food delivery app.
We find Christian in the staff locker room, though it’d be more accurately called the staff and boyfriends locker room.
“Hey, babe.” Sebastian greets Christian with a camera-worthy kiss.
I busy myself with changing into my gym clothes. Donnie must already be in the spin room, getting fawned over by all his fans. I wave goodbye to Sebastian and Christian and hurry out to find my own boyfriend.
The second I step into the room, his admirers scatter, leaving me with a clear path to Donnie.
“You’ve trained them well,” I say quietly, as he welcomes me into his arms.
“They know I belong to you.”
Hell yeah, they do. I kiss him like I haven’t seen him in days, just to make sure everyone gets the message. Donnie’s mine. Back off.
“Saved your bike for you.” Donnie nods at the bike right in front of his. There’s a towel slung over the handlebars and I smile as I climb on.
Donnie starts the music and everyone’s blood starts pumping.
We lean over our bikes and pedal. Donnie’s on fire tonight.
He’s in his element. I crank it when he tells me to, I climb when he pops out of his seat.
No matter what happens, no matter what life throws at us, I know one thing for certain. We will always ride together.
BONUS SCENE
My hands are stuffed under my thighs so I don’t crush the bouquet of flowers in my lap.
I’m nervous. Like, a lot. Like, way more than I thought I would be.
I wasn’t even this nervous when I randomly called up Phyllis and Leonard to invite them to Donnie’s birthday party.
I wasn’t this nervous when Phyllis cornered me at the party and started peppering me with questions.
But visiting Roger’s grave is completely freaking me out.
It’s not like there’s going to be anyone else there to like… judge me or whatever. Except it kind of feels like there is.
I owe so much to this man I’ve never met. He’s given me this beautiful life, an amazing house, a loving boyfriend—I wouldn’t have any of it if it wasn’t for Roger and the tragedy of his death.
So… it’s kinda weird to be like, “thanks for not being here anymore”?
Maybe that’s why I’m nervous. A visit to a headstone and a bouquet of flowers is poor recompense, all things considered.
Donnie pulls over at some random spot on the one-lane road that winds through the cemetery. He turns the engine off and looks at me.
“Are you all right, darling?”