Epilogue
Chris
Eight Months Later
“Come on, Rawley, get your ass into gear!” Devon shouts. He’s already in position in his lane, doing some warm-up stretches.
I bend down, cupping my butt cheeks. “Didn’t know you appreciated my assets so much, Jackson! But then again, you get plenty of chances to stare at it when I’m leaving you in the dust.”
“You wish, Rawley! The only person who will be admiring your ass today is you.”
Footsteps patter on the grass behind me, and I smirk. “Don’t be so sure about that.”
I waggle my eyebrows, and Devon groans, pressing his hands over his eyes. “Come on, dude! Like I need that mental image haunting me all practice!”
“Any particular reason we’re talking about my boyfriend’s ass?” Percy asks, draping an arm over my shoulders.
He looks as adorable as ever in khakis and a button-down, his laptop bag smacking against his leg.
He’d insisted on being here to support me even though it’s not a real meet and he’s busier than ever working on a new game idea.
This was our compromise. He can do a bit of extra coding in the stands while I do my best to whip myself back into shape.
After all, Devon’s not the only cocky teammate I plan to trounce.
“Just making sure everyone knows this ass is off the market,” I reply, pressing a quick kiss to Percy’s cheek.
A faint blush colors his skin, but he smiles and doesn’t flinch away like he once would have at such a public display of affection. Of course, he’s had plenty of practice dealing with it by now.
It’s the summer after our trip to Mackinac Island that didn’t want to end, and I still can’t believe how lucky I am to have Percy back in my life.
Things aren’t perfect—what relationship is?
But instead of pulling away when the going gets tough, we face our problems head-on.
Together. And while my mom and I may never see eye to eye on my life choices, the one thing we can agree on is that Percy and I make a good team.
He inspires me to be a better person, and I can’t remember ever being happier.
“All right, everyone, line up!” Coach Farrow barks as she strides out onto the field. She eyes Percy and me, and though she’s scowling, I can sense her hidden amusement. “That includes you, Rawley. Your adoring fans will have to shout their adulations from the stands like everyone else.”
True to his word, Devon and the rest of my former teammates made a colossal stink once we returned to campus.
Farrow replaced the old track coach less than a month later.
She was even tougher on us than he’d been, pushing us to our limits and beyond every practice.
But she hadn’t batted an eye at Percy and me, and for that, she’d earned my eternal loyalty.
“I guess that’s my cue,” Percy says.
He leans in to give me a quick peck on the lips that morphs into something far longer with a good deal more tongue.
That sort of thing tends to happen to us with a fair amount of regularity, and I can’t exactly say I mind.
I’m not sure the day will ever come when I don’t lose myself completely in him.
Every time we’re together, it’s as if my soul is coming home—two parts of a single stubborn whole, reunited at last.
Leaving Percy to go find his seat near Quinn, I ignore the wolf whistles and catcalls from my teammates as I assume my spot in the lineup.
I know now that their ribbing is good-natured.
They’d do the same to any of the other guys if they made out with their girlfriends on the field.
That’s all I’ve ever wanted—to feel like I belong.
The starting gun goes off, and my lingering thoughts melt away as I give myself over to the sense of freedom that inundates me when I run. The wind rushing past, the slap of shoes on pavement, the rhythmic breaths of me and the other guys to either side—I relish every second of it.
God, how I’ve missed this.
And not just because of the savage satisfaction I feel afterward when I learn I trounced Devon’s time. Running makes me feel alive in a way few other things do. I may not be as good as I once was, but I know I’ll get there. And if not, well…
My eyes seek out Percy in the crowd, finding his familiar mop of brown hair bouncing as he claps and cheers. There are more important things than winning.
I fistbump a grumbling Devon, say my goodbyes to the rest of the team, and grab a quick shower in the locker room before meeting up with Quinn and Percy outside.
Quinn gives me a once-over and frowns. “That’s what you’re wearing tonight?”
I look down at my ripped jeans and black T-shirt. “Was I supposed to wear something else?”
She rolls her eyes. “There’s no time to head back to your place, so I guess it’ll have to do. I hope you don’t mind getting paint on it.”
“It’s fi—wait, what?” Eyes wide, I look to Percy for an explanation, but he appears just as surprised by her pronouncement.
“Is…is that a legitimate concern?” he asks hesitantly.
“Don’t worry about it,” she says. “Now, come on! If we don’t hurry, we’ll be late for the preglow.”
“Preshow?” Percy asks me in a hushed, slightly frantic tone as Quinn marches off. “She means preshow, right?”
I grab his hand and kiss the worried line on his forehead. “Best not to think too much about it, babe. Where Quinn’s concerned, I recommend going with the flow.”
Percy swallows and nods, but the small smile he gives me warms my heart. Honestly, I don’t care what crazy event Quinn drags us to. So long as I have Percy there with me, I’m sure it’ll be a blast.
Later that night, when we’re lying in each other’s arms, awash in an afterglow of pleasure, Percy snuggles into my side and lets out a contented sigh. “Today was awesome.”
I grin, running my fingers through his hair. “It was. But then again, if the universe decides we need a redo, I wouldn’t complain.”
He snorts. “Even after how long it took to wash that green paint out of your hair?”
“Even then.” I lean over to kiss him, and it’s as perfect as the last time and every time before that. “No amount of days with you could ever be enough.”